‘The Ugly Stepsister’, by Emilie Blichfeldt, wins the award for best film at the Sitges Festival

the movie The ugly stepsisterfrom the Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldthas won the award for best feature film of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. It was announced this Saturday by its director, Angel Salaand the director of the foundation organizing the contest, Monica Garcia.

For its part, The Furious y Obsession have received ex aequo the special jury prize. While the award for best direction went to the South Korean director Park Chan-wook for the film No other choice. the thai Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke has written the best script for A useful ghost.

The award for best female performance went to the Australian actress Rose Byrne by If I could, I would kick youwhile the award for best male performance has been awarded to the group of child actors from The Plague.

Also within the official Section, The Virgin of Tosqueraadaptation of two stories from Argentina Mariana Enriquezhas received the award for best photography for the work of Diego Tenorio.

Likewise, the composers Yasutaka Nakata y Shohei Amimori They have been recognized for the music of the Japanese horror film Exit 8y Tenille Shockey y François Dagenais for his work on the special effects of the Canadian film Honey Bunch.

Fourth prize for a film directed by a woman

During the reading of the awards, the jury explained that it had awarded The ugly stepsistera Cinderella told from the eyes of the stepsister, for having rewritten “in a very original way the universe of a classic story.”

This film by Norwegian Emilie Blichfeldt is the fourth directed by a woman to receive the highest distinction in Sitges, after Orlando of Sally Potter (1993), The Invitationof Karyn Kusama (2015), y The devil’s bath of Veronika Franz y Severin Fiala (2024).

They have also highlighted that they have kept all the actors from The Plaguea story about bullying among teenagers, since “it would be unfair” to keep only one of the young performers.

In the Noves Visions section, the award for best film was shared between Lesbian Space Princess y The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick. Just like the best direction, in which Adam C. Briggs y Sam Dixon (A Grand Mocker) y Toshiaki Toyoda (Transcending Dimensions) have been recognized at par. The best short has been for Dark monster of Hong Seung-gi.

Within the Blood Window/Òrbita cycle, the best feature film Blood Window has been awarded to Emilio Portes by Don’t leave the children alone. And the best movie Orbita has been The Forbidden City (The forbidden city) of Gabriele Mainetti. .

The Golden Meliès have recognized the film Mr. K and in the short Don’t Be Afraidand those of Silver have distinguished the film Feels Like Home and the short The Ghost of the Fifth.

A record edition

In turn, the two Anima’t section awards have gone to Lesbian Space Princessof Emma Hough Hobbs y Leela Varghesey devil lightof Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo y Patricio Plaza.

Furthermore, critics have also awarded Chuck’s life, Reflection on a Dead Diamond, A useful ghost y The Man That I Wave At. The public award went to Obsession of Curry Barker.

During the press conference, Sala and Garcia revealed that this year the festival has obtained 12% more revenue compared to last year and 2% compared to 2023, when the Retiro room was still operational, which is a record for the cycle.

The 58th edition of the Sitges Festival does not yet end with the presentation of these awards. This Saturday afternoon it will be screened as a closing The long marcha movies of Francis Lawrence based on the novel of the same name Stephen King.