Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, Germany’s submission for the foreign-language film Academy Award, won the FIPRESCI Prize for best foreign-language film of the year, awarded by a jury of international film critics, at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. The fest, which runs through Monday, announced on Saturday its juried award winners at a luncheon at the Hilton Palm Springs.
The FIPRESCI Prize for best actor went to Gael Garcia Bernal for his performance in Pablo Larrain’s Neruda, and the prize for best actress went to Isabelle Huppert for her star turn in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle. Neruda also won the fest’s Cine Latino Award.
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The pilot episode (written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Gus Van Sant) of When We Rise, the upcoming ABC miniseries about the gay rights movement, was the winner of the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, which was announced Sunday. The documentary audience award prize went to Alicia Brauns and Christine Steele’s Take Me Home Huey about the creation of Steve Maloney’s mixed-media sculpture which turned a Huey helicopter into into a Vietnam War memorial.
Deepak Rauniyar’s White Sun, a dark comedy about two brothers on either side of the Nepalese civil war, won the fest’s New Voices/New Visions Award.
The John Schlesinger Award, presented to a director of a first or second feature documentary, was awarded to Cristina Herrera Borquez for No Dress Code Required, which looks at a same-sex couple as they fight for the right to marry in their hometown of Mexicali, Baja California.
And The HP Bridging the Borders Award was given to Sacha Wolff’s Mercenary, which focuses on a Polynesian rugby player recruited to play on a French team.
Jan. 15, 7:15 p.m.: Updated to include audience award winners.
The complete list of award winners follows:
Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
When We Rise (U.S.), directed by Gus Van Sant.
Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
Take Me Home Huey (U.S.), directed by Alicia Brauns and Christine Steele
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year
Toni Erdmann (Germany), directed by Maren Ade
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actor in a Foreign-Language Film
Gael García Bernal in Neruda (Chile)
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in a Foreign-Language Film
Isabelle Huppert in Elle (France)
New Voices/New Visions Award
Winner: White Sun (Nepal/U.S./Qatar/Netherlands), directed by Deepak Runiyar
Special Mentions: Kati Kati (Kenya/Germany), directed by Mbithi Masya, and Mellow Mud (Latvia), directed by Ren?rs Vimba
The John Schlesinger Award
Winner: No Dress Code Required (Mexico), directed by Cristina Herrera Bórquez
Special Mention: Beauties of the Night (Mexico), directed by Maria José Cuevas
Cine Latino Award
Winner: Neruda (Chile), directed by Pablo Larraín
Special Mention: Everything Else (Mexico), directed by Natalia Alamda
HP Bridging the Borders Award
Winner: Mercenary (France), directed by Sacha Wolff
