Aud. The Carcassonne International Political Film Festival broke all records!

Attendance at the 60 sessions scheduled during the 5 days of Carcassonne Political Festival (Aude) is 40% increase compared to the previous edition, which brought together just over 10,000 spectators.

Cédric Jimenez and Vincent Lindon were present

In addition, this year the Festival welcomed 35 guests, the number of schoolchildren who attended the screenings was 1,600, and more than 100 volunteers took part in the smooth running of the event. During these 5 days of political cinema, the public was there to discover the 37 films (preview, national premieres and world premiere) of the program from 19 different countries.

Many highlights punctuated the festival, starting with an exceptional day dedicated to Cédric Jimenez. The opening ceremony was marked by the presentation of an Honorary Achievement Award to the filmmaker in his presence. Another highlight of this 5th edition with the actor Vincent Lindon who came to discuss with the public during a masterclass of more than 2:30 hours in a packed room, and filled. A time for discussion followed by an emotionally charged evening, with the presentation of a Career Honor Prize to Vincent Lindon.

Double award-winning “The Sandman”

The jury, made up of Anne Azoulay, Bruno Solo and Thomas Solivérès, awarded the Grand Jury Prize to ” alam », by Firas Khoury, a strong work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which will be released in June 2023.

The Best Direction Award went to the film “ The Sandman », by Steve Achiepo, which deals with the subject of slumber merchants and whose national release is scheduled for February 8, 2023. The film, screened in the presence of the director, and which was followed by a very rich debate with the audience, also received the Public Prize, invited to vote after each screening.

The Prize for Best Documentary, awarded by a jury made up of journalists from the Syndicat français de la critique de cinéma, rewarded “ Rojek », by the Canadian of Kurdish origin Zaynê Akyol, a staggering encounter with jihadists of the Islamic State.

The Best Short Film Prize, awarded for the first time this year, crowned ” Seven minutes and thirty-one seconds by the Iranian Solmaz Gholami, which tells the story of a young girl raped and condemned because she could not prove that she had defended herself. A 12-minute film to which the public also awarded its Short Film Audience Award.

The Acti City Student Prize was awarded to “ Where Are We Headed », by Ruslan Fedotov, a documentary which captured the daily life of Moscow city dwellers over a year, and the Prix des collègegiens, awarded from films screened in schools before the festival, distinguished « Figures from the shadows by Théodore Melfi. The awards ceremony took place on Monday 16 January in the evening.

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