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Chocolate awards conclude the renewed Brussels Independent Film Festival

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The 2018 edition of the Brussels Independent Film Festival closed on Sunday evening with the presentation of the 'Atomium Film Awards'. The filmmakers were crowned with chocolate and thus edible figurines of the Atomium, made by chocolatier Wim Vyverman.

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The prize for the best narrative feature film went to 'Bad poetry Tokyo' (Japan) by Anshul Chauhan. The debut film had it's world premiere at the festival and tells the story of a 30 year old aspiring actress who makes a living as a hostess at a shady club in Tokyo. Betrayed by her lover and her dreams crushed, broken woman leaves Tokyo for her hometown in the countryside after five years of no contact with her family. There she reconnects with an old flame but is also forced to confront some unpleasant truths about her past.

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'How camels become lions' (Belgium) by Lydia Rigaux received the award for best Belgian film. "In four episodes, four members of a family tell how exhausted they are to work as a work animal. They realize that their work has no meaning and experience a spiritual emptiness ".

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The prize for the best documentary feature was for 'Harm' from Hungary by director Dénes Nagy. 'Mum, I'm back' (Greece) by Dimitris Katsimiris received the prize for best narrative short film. The best documentary short film went to 'Sherry' (USA) by Eliane Lima. The best experimental film was for Alireza Keymanesh and Amir Pousti for 'Flatland' (Iran). 'SOG' by German Jonatan Schwenk finally won the prize for best animated film.

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Out of more than 2,000 entries, 67 films were selected to be screened. The 39th edition of the festival, which started on 11 February in the Atomium with a selection of experimental films, attracted more than 700 visitors. Films were also screened in Cinema Galeries in the city center.

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The Brussels Independent Film Festival found its inspiration with the Brussels International Independent Film Festival, which started in 1974 but ended in 2012. The festival focused on experimental, provocative films. Among others Pedro Almodóvar, François Ozon and Nanni Moretti were invited. "We do not have a red carpet, we do not organize fancy parties. We just want to show films and all screenings are free, with popcorn ", says organizer Kris De Meester. "That's how we want to present the more difficult films and make it accessible to a large audience."

Official selection 2018

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Best Narrative Feature Film: Bad Poetry Tokyo (Japan) by Anshul Chauhan

Best Documentary Feature Film: Harm (Hungary) by Dénes Nagy

Best Belgian Film: How Camels Become Lions (Belgium) by Lydia Rigaux

Best Narrative Short Film: Mum, I'm Back (Greece) by Dimitris Katsimiris

Best Documentary Short Film: Sherry (United States) by Eliane Lima

Best Experimental Film: Flatland (Islamic Republic Of Iran)

by Alireza Keymanesh, Amir Pousti

Best Animated Film: SOG (Germany) by Jonatan Schwenk

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Half-Life In Fukushima (Switzerland) by Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi

A Story In The Diao Ling Garden (China) by Weiyu Wang

Through The Supermarket In Five Easy Pieces (Finland) by Anna Maria Joakimsdottir-Hutri

Stuff As Dreams (United Kingdom) by Guli Silberstein

New Camera (Portugal) by André Marques

Fled. Lay. Fell. (Portugal) by Bruno Carnide

Unexpected Discoveries (United States) by James Mabery

Tangled Bodies (Brazil) by Frederico Evaristo

Black Sands (France) by Florence Girardeau

C-5-11 (United States) by Edward Ramsay-Morin

F L O C K (Portugal) by Luis Ales

Salt Skull (Belgium) by Manu Gomez

The Lines (United States) by Kiku Ohe

Vecinas (Belgium) by Natalia Sardi

Orange Yellow (Portugal) by Pedro Augusto Almeida

The Red (United States) by Ben Marlowe

Song Sotto Voce (France) by Pierre Bessette

Different - Je suis différent.e (France) by Ben Lemaire

Heidi (Cuba) by Fatema Abdoolcarim

Atentamente (Colombia) by Camila Rodríguez Triana

Delirio Azul (El Salvador) by Lourdes Sandoval

Drifting Away (Australia) by Morteza Halimi

The Trumpet Of Endeavor’s Commend Speech (China) by Wang Meiyu

Gretchen At The Spinning Wheel (Austria) by Magdalena Chmielewska

Hiwa (Greece) by Jacqueline Lentzou

Train Man (United States) by Alex Barsky

Karmaacount (Germany) by Lukas Klaschinski

Citizens (Spain) by Marc Nadal

Shelter (Austria) by Daniel Andrew Wunderer

[o] (United Kingdom) by Mario Radev, Chiara Sgatti

Play Boys (Belgium) by Vincent Lynen

The Wayward Wind (United States) by Steve Delahoyde, Monica Thomas

149th And Grand Concourse (United States) by Andy And Carolyn London

#selfie (Germany) by David M. Lorenz

Backstory (Germany) by Joschka Laukeninks

Generation Mars (Norway) by Alexander Armas Turpin

Two (Finland) by Carlos Marroquin

Public Intimacy (brazil) by Luciana Canton

Sunday Lovers (Switzerland) by Jannik Giger, Gregor Brändli

No One Misses Me! (Germany) by Erik Lemke

Patrioska (Portugal) By Tiago Araújo

Dr. Mantis (United States) by Brandon Mikolaski

Tricks (Australia) by Melina Maraki

Past Imperfect (Belgium) by Nathalie Teirlinck

Elene (Turkey) by Sezen Kayhan

Valencia Road (United States) by Logan George

911-Pizza (belgium) by Elefterios Zacharopoulos

Girl A (United Kingdom) by Jess O'brien

Breaker (Japan) by Philippe Mckie

Ophelia (United States) By Jamie Sims

Frontline (The Netherlands) by Floris Parlevliet

The Pencil (Switzerland/Belgium) by Basile Vuillemin

Save (Spain) by Iván Sáinz-Pardow

Night Song (Belgium) by Kate Voet

Kaiju Bunraku (United States) by Lucas Leyva, Jillian Mayer

Dziwna Śmierć (Poland) by Monika Olszewska, Patrycja Kuracińska

Truck (Turkey) by Canbert Yerguz

Banlieue War (Canada) by Audrey Chevrier

All About You (United States) by Allison Beda

Soulfinger Vs Goldfinger (United States) by Crazy Legs Conti

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