Deauville Festival: Natalie Portman honored, intense drama Omar Sait honored… Discover the winners of the 50th edition

The Deauville American Film Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary in the fall of 2024. For half a century, the festival has celebrated the outstanding talents and stars of the Hollywood world.

For its anniversary, Deauville welcomed, awarded and honored big names such as James Grey, Natalie Portman, Michael Douglas, Michelle Williams, Sebastian Stan, Mikey Madison and Daisy Ridley.

But the festival also includes a competition with several categories and different juries to distinguish between feature films and talents. Like every year, the public had their say for the movie they liked the most.

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The jury for the 50th edition of the Deauville American Film Festival, chaired by Benoît Magimel, consisted of Ludivine Sagnier, Emilie Deken, Agathe Riedinger, Damien Bonnard, Lou Lampros and Martin Bourboulon.

The jury for the 50th Deauville American Film Festival announcement, chaired by Alyssa Bellaid, consisted of Emma Benestani, Iris Kaltenbeck, Karija Toure and Salim Kechiuş.

At the closing ceremony of the festival, Natalie Portman received the Deauville talent award after opening a salon on the famous Plan de Deauville beach. The winners, which you’ll find below, were followed by a preview of Claude Lelouch’s new feature film Finally.

Winners of the 50th Deauville American Film Festival:

• Grand prize: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio in the summer
• Jury Prize: Namdi Asougha knife
• Barrière Prize for the 50th anniversary, supported by the Lucien Barrière Group: La Cocina by Alonso Ruizpalacios
• Louis Roederer Foundation Prize for Publication 2024: Summer Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
• City of Deauville Public Prize: Brandt Andersen’s The Case of Strangers.
• Critics’ Choice Award: The Color Book by David Fortune
• CANAL + Special 50th Anniversary Prize: Todd Wiseman Jr. School Duel.
• Ornano-Valentine Prize 2024: Rabia Mareike Engelhardt

‘Hollywood thinks you don’t want to see this kind of film’: At Deauville festival, this drama with Omar Sy excites the public

That is why Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s film of the summer stood out with two prizes awarded by two talented French juries. In turn, the public was shocked by The Strangers’ Case, a thrilling drama about the stories of several migrants who try their best to escape despite obstacles and tragedies.

This feature film by Brandt Andersen, which he adapted from his short film The Refugee, moved audiences with its subject matter, but also with the performances of its actors, especially young Canadian Syrians Yahya Mahain and Omar Sy.