A final round of applause for the 49th Deauville American Film Festival. An edition that took place in a special context, while the actors’ and writers’ strike is still paralyzing Hollywood.
Except for the British Emilia Clarke, the Anglo-Saxon stars were conspicuous by their absence on the stage. But independent cinema was well represented with fourteen films in competition and their teams coming to talk about it with the public and the press.
Among these feature films, Shane Atkinson’s LaRoy won the grand prize awarded by Guillaume Canet and his jury. But not only.
Presented on Wednesday, September 6, this darkly humorous thriller, which earned director Shane Atkinson comparisons to the Coen brothers, left Deauville with a total of three awards. And it is a significant achievement that he managed to charm the jury, the public and the critics.
Currently without a French release date or distributor, this first feature is one unit ahead of Sean Price Williams’ Weird and Wonderful Sweet East, which won both juries. A re-reading of Alice in Wonderland in America today leaves the Revelation Prize awarded to the Melanie Thierry-led team and one of two Jury Prizes.
As every year, the jury failed to award only two trophies and therefore had a tie. Thus, Sweet East shared its prize with Fremont, a drama about a young Afghan refugee directed by Iranian director Babak Jalali.
Finally, note that the Ornano-Valentine prize, awarded to the first French film, with the aim of promoting its recognition, promotion and export, was given to Nothing to play by Delphine Deloger. After going through Cannes, this drama will hit our theaters on November 23 with Virgin Ephyra.
Deauville 2023: full list of winners
- Grand Prize: LaRoy by Shane Atkinson
- Ex-aequo Jury Prize: Fremont by Babak Jalal
- Ex-aequo Jury Prize: Sweet East by Sean Price Williams
- Critic’s Award: LaRoy by Shane Atkinson
- Audience Award: LaRoy by Shane Atkinson
- Announcement Prize: Sweet East by Sean Price Williams
- Price of Ornano-Valentine: Nothing to Lose by Delphine DeLog
And see you from September 6 to 15, 2024 to light the 50 candles of the Deauville American Film Festival!
Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.