Fantasia 2022: Award Winners Announced

This year’s Fantasia Festival is still chugging along in its second week and today the award winners have been announced. Karim Ouelhaj‘s Megalomaniac picked up Best Feature, with July Jung winning Best Director for Next Sohee.

Take a look below for the full list of winners and click here to check out all of our Fantasia 2022 coverage.

►  CHEVAL NOIR COMPETITION – Feature Films

The jury, presided over by C. Robert Cargill (screenwriter, author, critic, co-founder of CROOKED HIGHWAY), and comprised of Charles Bramesco (author, critic), Elza Kephart (director, screenwriter), Maitland McDonagh (author, critic, publisher, founder of 120 Days of Books), and Heather O’Neill (author, essayist), awarded the following prizes:

Best Feature: MEGALOMANIAC (Belgium, d. Karim Ouelhaj)

In a statement, the jury called it, “the very sort of film that festivals exist to share,” describing it as “an astonishing, brutal piece of art that challenges the audience while simultaneously saying something deeply profound.” 

Best Director: July Jung (NEXT SOHEE, South Korea)

Best Screenwriter: Kosuke Mukai, Yuki Tanada (MY BROKEN MARIKO, Japan, d.Yuki Tanada)

Best Score (The Sandro Forte Award): Alexandre Desplat (COUPEZ!, France, d. Michel Hazanavicius)

Best Cinematographer: Daniel Katz (HOUSE OF DARKNESS, USA, d. Neil LaBute)

Outstanding Performance: Zorion Eguileor (THE ELDERLY, Spain, d. Raúl Cerezo, Fernando González Gómez)

Outstanding Performance: Eline Schumacher (MEGALOMANIAC, Belgium, d. Karim Ouelhaj)

Special Mention: SPECIAL DELIVERY (South Korea, d. Park Dae-min)

In a statement, the jury said, “this film contains one jaw-dropping moment which unanimously had the jury go WOOOOOOAH!”

► NEW FLESH COMPETITION FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE – Debut Films

The New Flesh Jury, presided over by Jenn Wexler (director, screenwriter, producer), and comprised of Justyna Koronkiewicz (international sales agent, Media Move), Eric Lavallée (producer, critic, founder of IONCINEMA), Tim Molloy (journalist, critic, editor of MovieMaker Magazine), and Katie Rife (writer, critic, programmer), awarded the following prizes:

Best First Feature: KAPPEI (Japan, d. Takashi Hirano)

The jury noted in a statement their desire to recognize “its playful embrace of smart-dumb comedy, lovable ensemble of kooky characters, its eye-popping cartoon visuals, its ability to successfully marry and mock genres.”

Special Mention: THE FIFTH THORACIC VERTEBRA (South Korea, d. Syeyoung Park)

Special Mention: ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS (USA, d. Alex Phillips)

►  INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

The Short Film Jury, presided over by Adam Koehler (manager, acquisitions & productions, IFC Films) and comprised of Valerie Barnhart (director, animator, screenwriter, visual artist), Celine Gobert (critic, journalist) and David Gregory (director, producer, co-founder / CEO of Severin Films) awarded the following prizes:

Best Short Film: FROM.BEYOND (Norway, d. Fredrik S. Hana)

The jury unanimously agreed on the pick and “were impressed with the creative risk coupled with disturbing imagery and engaging worldbuilding.”

Best Director: Arati Kadav (THE ASTRONAUT AND HIS PARROT, India)

Best Screenwriter: Marc Philip Ginolas (TILL, Germany, d. Marc Philip Ginolas)

Outstanding Performance: Erin Carroll (MARA, USA/Germany, d. Catharina Schürenberg)

Outstanding Performance: Marie-France Marcotte (LA GUÊPE, Quebec, d. Marc Beaupré)

Special Mention: BLACKBEAR (Canada, d. Bryce Hodgson)

Special Mention: DARKER (Belgium/Netherlands, d. Frank Van den Bogaart)

►  AXIS: SATOSHI KON AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ANIMATION

The Axis Jury, presided over by Mina Lee (studio manager and content specialist, E.D. FOLM) and comprised of Stephen Melagrano (head of animation, Steamroller Animation) and Jay Stephens (Comic artist, animator) awarded the following prizes:

Best Animated Feature: INU-OH (Japan/China, d. Masaaki Yuasa)

In a statement, the jury stated they called the film, “infectious,” and noted that it makes you “feel like you are right at the edge of the stage,” with visuals that are “stunning, loud, and over the top.” 

Special Mention: SUMMER GHOST (Japan, d. Loundraw)

Best Animated Short Film – Gold: AMEN A MAN (South Korea d. Kim Kyeongbae)

The jury noted, “the film successfully presented its criticism on a society’s paradoxical understanding of charity as well as on Korean Christianity.”

Best Animated Short Film – Silver: THINGS THAT DISAPPEAR (South Korea, d. Kim Changsoo)

Best Animated Short Film – Bronze: AURORA (Brazil d. Radhi Meron)

►  AQCC-CAMERA LUCIDA

The AQCC-Camera Lucida Jury, comprised of Samy Benammar (film critic, photographer, filmmaker), Pascal Grenier (film critic, programmer), and Jérôme Michaud (film critic, programmer) awarded the AQCC-Camera Lucida Award to Daigo Matsui for JUST REMEMBERING, they unanimously selected the title, which they praised for its “structure brilliance” and ability to “give long term meaning to everyday objects.”