It’s been a while since “The Queen’s Gambit,” but as confirmed by “Rematch,” viewers’ love for chess is definitely not waning.
The program, dedicated to the confrontation between the well-known chess player Garry Kasparov and IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer, was named the winner at Collection Mania.
The somewhat lukewarm reception of “Apples Never Fall” didn’t stop Annette Bening from being named best actress. The Peacock offering, which also includes Sam Neill and Alison Brie, is the latest adaptation from “Big Little Lies” and “9 Good Strangers” screenwriter Liane Moriarty. Now showcasing an ideal family who, after the disappearance of their matriarch, must face some uncomfortable questions. Along with this: Did your beloved father have anything to do with this?
Jury member Berenice Bejo read a brief message of thanks from Bening, who described the series as a “labor of affection.”
Kamel El Basha, who plays the more progressive Sheikh Mohammad in “Home of Gods” and whose performance was described in Selection as “magnetic,” won best actor. Thank you very much. You believed in a Palestinian actor,” he said on stage.
“Herrhausen – The Banker and the Bomb” was also noted. Starring Oliver Masucci from “Darkish” as Alfred Herrhausen, the president of Deutsche Bank whose murder was never defined, it gained major writing for Thomas Wendrich. “The series reflected the boldness of the theme,” said the International Competition jury.
“He was a human banker, always looking for the future. What you see on this show is a person trying to do something new and others stopping him from doing it. They’re saying, ‘We’ve never done this before.’ He says, ‘This is the definition of the phrase ‘new,'” said Masucci, with Fremantle’s Jens Richter calling the story “shockingly relevant to the moment.”
The German present was not the only one with politics in mind, with almost every other territory hoping to launch its own “House of Letters” today, starting with France’s “In the Shadows” and Sweden’s “8 Months,” which lasted in previously fantastic idea of becoming a member of NATO.
“After the gift was greenlit, Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Hastily, people started asking, ‘Should we participate?’ And check out us now,” said creator Jens Jonsson.
Herrhaussen helped tear down the Berlin Wall. “I am amazed because there are new divisions emerging in Europe and wars,” Thomas Wendrich said on stage.
Daniel Lawrence Taylor’s well-received “Boarders,” combining comedy with a brutally credible look at Britain’s private schools as five black students receive life-changing scholarships, also underscored another important trend: the importance of delivering dark stories – and social criticism – in a fun way.
“Comedy engages people, makes them feel happy, but it’s also a great way to move forward with talking points that many fear,” noted its actress Jodie Campbell.
Laughter and excruciating pain also coexisted in the Spanish revelation “La Mesias” – known for directing and also winning an Academic Award – or “After the Party”, which earned Robyn Malcom a World Panorama win for her role as a girl who accuses her husband (Peter Mullan) of sexually abusing her daughter’s friend.
This award makes me very happy because it comes from the coolest audience in the world: young people who grew up learning about the content. We have to protect them from the algorithm”, said Javier Ambrossi, upon receiving the Scholar Award.
Lastly, another competition favorite, “Soviet Denims,” set in Riga, took a rather entertaining look at the darkest political moment, winning the spectator award and a gong for lead actor Karlis Arnolds Avots.
“People also used to joke during communism: humor was their main survival mechanism. Still, they lived, loved and laughed. Most of them needed to find ways to cheat the system, which was actually our starting point,” instructed Teodora Markova – who works alongside Stanislavs Tokalovs. Selection in February.
The full list of prizes here:
Worldwide competitors
Grand Prize: “Revanche”
Best Actress: Annette Bening, “Apples Never Fall”
Best Actor: Kamel El Basha “House of the Gods”
Best Text: “Herrhausen – The Banker and the Bomb”
World panorama
Best collection: “Dates in real life”
Best Actress: Robyn Malcolm, “After the Party”
Best Actor: Karlis Arnolds Avots, “Soviet Denims”
Longest Route: “Las Mesias”
Academic Award for Best Collection: “Las Mesias”
French competitors:
Largest collection: “Machine”
Best Actress: Tiphaine Daviot, “Homicide Association”
Best Actor: Jérémy Gillet, “A Harmful Friendship”
Best single review: Julie Roué, “The world does not exist”
Fast Type Competitors
Best collection: “These Who Blush”
Comedy contestants
Best collection from a jury of high school students from Hauts-de-France: “Videoland
Spectator Award: “Soviet Denims”