24th edition of the Oporto International Film Festival - Fantasporto has closed its doors on Saturday, again with more than 100,000 spectators.
SOUTH KOREA, DANEMARK AND SPAIN
SHARE THE AWARDS LIST IN FANTASPORTO 2004
Spanish cinema with KILLING WORDS and EL OUTRO LADO DE LA CAMA, and South Korean cinema with "A Tale of Two Sisters" and "Acacia" are on the path to success in Fantasporto. Also the Danish cinema, a frequent visit at Oporto (which presented and awarded in past editions the first films to come from celebrated director Lars von Trier such as "The Element of Crime" and Europa"), has won with the film THE GREEN BUTCHERS, the Best Film Award of the Directors Week. Portuguese cinema with the film I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS was also awarded in the final list, winning the Best Short Film Award and also the Silver Méliès (short film) as the best European short in competion
After last year's winner, "Intacto", the Directors Week juri has decided to give its main prize, the Best Film Award, to the Danish production THE GREEN BUTCHERS by Anders Thomas Jensen, a film which also won the Best Director and the Best Actor of this Official Competitive Section.
In the Official Fantasy Cinema Competition, the Korean A Tale of Two Sisters by Kim Ji-woon was a clear winner, taking home the Best Film Award, Best Director Award and the Best Actress Award for Im Soo-Yung (third year win for an Asian actress). The director Kim Ji-woon had already won before in the Oporto Festival with "The Quiet Family"
Spanish KILLING WORDS by actress-director LAURA MÑA, stands as well as a winner, having received the Special Award of the Jury, Best Actor Award (Dario Grandinetti) and the Screenplay Award (ex-aequo). This film also won the Silver Méliès (for features), that is, the best European film in competition and will be Fantasporto representative in the European Mélies d'Or Award to take place in Amsterdam next April 16th.
The juries also primed Danish "FEAR X" (Screenplay Award, ex-aequo with "Killing Words), American HOUSE OF A 1,000 CORPSES by Rob Zombie, the Special Effects winner and PERFECT STRANGERS from New Zeland, with the Best Actress Award of the Directors Week (Rachel Blake) .
Other Prizes
Acacia (South Korea) won the Orient Express Best Film Award for Asian films, with A Tale of Two Sisters as the Special Jury's Award.
The Critics Award went to Julian Richards' serial killer story in THE LAST HORROR MOVIE (UK)
The Audience Award went to SEE GRACE FLY - Pete McCormack (CAN)
The Retrospectives honoured the Spanish Fantasy Films, with an homage to the production house Filmax on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; also screened retrospectives of Leni Rienfenstal, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Lucio Fulci and Boris Karloff.
The Opening film was NORTHFORK by Michael Polish and the Closing Ceremony presented THE COOLER by Wayne Kramer and a small concert by Canadian singer Ruthann Springle.
Also a highlight of Fantasporto 2004 was the Vampires' Ball at the Teatro Sá da Bandeira with French DJ Kid Loco and the Portuguese band X-Wife introducing their latest CD. Over 4,000 people attended this event.
FANTASPORTO'2004 AWARDS
FANTASY CINEMA
(OFFICIAL COMPETITION)
Grand Prix BEST FILM AWARD FANTASPORTO 04: A Tale of Two Sisters -Kim Ji-woon- (Kor)
SPECIAL AWARD OF THE JURY: KILLING WORDS - Laura Maña (Spain)
Special Mention: LA FIN DE NOTRE AMOUR - Heléne Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Belg)
BEST DIRECTOR: Kim Ji-woon - A Tale of Two Sisters (Kor)
BEST ACTOR: DARIO GRANDINETTI -Killing Words (Spain)
BEST ACTRESS : Im Soo-jeong - A Tale of Two Sisters- (Kor)
BEST SCREENPLAY: (Ex-aequo) FERNANDO DE FELIPE AND JORDI GALCERÁN - Killing Words (Spain) and HUBERT SELBY JR. and NICHOLAS WINDING REFN - Fear X (Dan)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: MICHAEL O'BRIEN and WAYNE TOTH - House of the 1000 Corpses (USA)
BEST SHORT : I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS - Miguel Angel Vivas (Portugal)
DIRECTOR'S WEEK
(Competitive section)
BEST FILM AWARD DIRECTORS WEEK FANTASPORTO 2004: THE GREEN BUTCHERS by Anders Thomas Jensen (Din/Dan)
SPECIAL AWARD OF THE JURY DIRECTORS WEEK: EL OTRO LADO DE LA CAMA by Emilio Martinez - Lazaro (Spain)
BEST DIRECTOR : ANDERS THOMAS JENSEN -The Green Butchers (Dan)
BEST ACTOR - MADS MIKKELSEN -The Green Butchers (Dan)
BEST ACTRESS : RACHAEL BLAKE -Perfect Strangers (N.Zealand)
BEST SCREENPLAY: DAVID SERRANO -El Otro Lado de la Cama (Spain)
ORIENT EXPRESS
(COMPETITIVE SECTION)
GRANDE PRÉMIO ORIENT EXPRESS/BEST FILM AWARD ORIENT EXPRESS OFFICIAL SECTION
"Acacia" (Park Ki-hyeong) Kor/Cor
MÉLIÈS D'ARGENT/FEATURE- KILLING WORDS - Laura Maña (Spain)
Feature film representative of Fantasporto for the Mèliès d'Or Award
MÉLIÈS d'ARGENT /SHORT FILM - I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS - Miguel Angel Vivas (Portugal)
Short Film Candidate of Fantasporto to the Méliès d'Or Competition
HOMAGE:
To Julio Fernandez, president of Filmax on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this Spanish Production Company.
CRITICS AWARD
THE LAST HORROR MOVIE (Julian Richards) (UK)
AUDIENCE AWARD
SEE GRACE FLY - Pete McCormack (CAN)
In a year of financial cuts, Fantasporto had a budget of 885,000 euros (500,000 in exchanged services and 385,000 in sponsorships, subsidies and box office entries). For 16 days, the festival had nearly 200 screenings, in 4 theatres in Oporto. Over 150 features were presented along with 50 shorts films.
The final audience estimate is about 112,500 spectators (for an average of 100,000 in the the latest editions) with 72,000 tickets sold, a record cultural event in Portugal.
The screenings of the Official sections have digital translation in Portuguese with a team of five professional translators and six others inserting the subtiles during the screenings. About 400 guests, both foreign and nationals, complete the picture, with 236 accredited media representatives and nearly 140 people garanteeing the organization of the event. Three four and five star hotels are used in Fantasporto.
25 YEARS OF LOVE AND FILMS
The 25th Edition of the Oporto International Film Festival- Fantasporto will be held the 21st February- 7th March 2005
English 
US$5 off (order min. US$5)
