The treacherous tragicomedy Los delincuentes by Argentine director Rodrigo Moreno won the Grand Prix for Best Film at the 50th anniversary edition of Film Fest Gent. The International Jury was impressed by the unique rhythm and delightful absurdity of Moreno's entertaining feature. Debut film composer Jerskin Fendrix received the Georges Delerue Award for Best Original Music thanks to his striking score for Poor Things, the latest creative excess of Yorgos Lanthimos. Also in the Official Competition, a Special Mention went to actors Greta Lee, Yoo Teo and John Magaro for their performances in Past Lives by Celine Song.
Georges Delerue Award for Best Original Music
Music is embedded in the DNA of Film Fest Gent. Each year, the Official Competition focuses on the impact of music and sound on film. This is why the Georges Delerue Award for Best Music or Sound Design is one of the festival's most important prizes. The jury, which also included composer & saxophonist Colin Stetson, awarded the Georges Delerue Award for Best Original Music to Jerskin Fendrix for his score for Poor Things by director Yorgos Lanthimos. It is Jerskin Fendrix's very first film score, and he personally accepted his award.
The jury: "Rarely do you encounter a score in cinema that not only supports the narrative, but is itself a storyteller. This is music that does not shy away from adventure, that is proud and bold, tender and full of jokes. It winks at history and reminds us of silent film, which was anything but silent. And it comments on modernity, especially on how women and men—those poor, poor things—still struggle with each other today over control and liberation. Within this score there is black and white, alongside all the colors of the rainbow and hues that exist only in your wildest imagination. There are passages that make you laugh and cry at the same time. And there are parts that, like our brave heroine, dance as if they had only just discovered the pleasure of feet. With metaphorical instruments such as adulthood and the instincts of childhood, this score evolves from naïveté to wisdom, while never losing the dizzy pleasure of simply living. The Georges Delerue Award for Best Original Music goes to Jerskin Fendrix for his score for the fantastic Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos."
In addition to a distribution premium of € 10,000 for Belgian distributor Searchlight Pictures (film release on January 17), the award also includes a media campaign of € 12,000, of which € 5,000 in De Morgen.