FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics, has given its top Cannes prizes to Russian director Sergei Loznitsa’s IN THE FOG, American indie Benh Zeitlin’s Sundance sensation BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD and the French film RENGAINE (Hold Back) from director Rachid Djaidani. IN THE FOG, a drama set in German-occupied Russia in 1942, was chosen from the 22 films in the main competition. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, which won the top dramatic award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, was chosen from the 20 films in the Un Certain Regard section. RENGAINE, a Paris-set twist on Romeo and Juliet was selected from the 21 entries in the Directors Fortnight section and the seven entries in the International Critics Week section. The Ecumenical Jury at Cannes also announced its main award to Danish director Thomas Vinterberg’s THE HUNT, starring Mads Mikkelsen as a kindergarten teacher accused of child abuse, with a special mention to BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD.
