Handling the Undead and Christophe Gans, Protagonists of the Méliès d'Or Awards Gala

For the seventh year running, the SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia hosted the ceremony for the Méliès d'Or Awards, granted annually by the Méliès International Festivals Federation in recognition of the best European fantastic feature and short film of the past year.

This year, the jury integrated by Llorenç Esteve, Paola Franco and Sergi Sánchez decided to present the award for best film to Handling the Undead, the debut feature by Norwegian filmmaker Thea Hvistendahl, a passionate rewriting of zombie movies through the filter of an intimate drama that reflects on loss through the physical performances of Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie. As for the award for best short film, the winner was Weeds by Pola Kazak, a beautiful animated short with an impressionist aura that metamorphoses into a naturalistic and savage story of survival.

During the course of the Méliès gala at the Auditori, one of the most eagerly awaited moments this Thursday was the presentation of the Career Méliès Award to French filmmaker Christophe Gans, who received the award to a standing ovation from the Festival's audience. This tribute celebrates the career of this director, the man behind such movies that include Brotherhood of the Wolves, the film adaptation of Silent Hill, the remake of Beauty and the Beast starring Léa Seydoux and Vincent Cassel, and his collaboration with Brian Yuzna and Shusuke Kaneko on Necronomicon: Book of Dead.

The awards are presented by the Méliès International Festivals Federation, a network of 29 film festivals in 21 different countries, with a worldwide attendance of more than 900,000 visitors, making it a vital economic and cultural force within the fantastic film landscape. 

The purpose of the awards is to promote European fantastic genre film productions around the world, improving their visibility and positioning both among audiences and within the sector, while encouraging their circulation. 

The awards ceremony took place before the screening of Alfonso Cortés-Cavanillas' Luna, a sidereal lunar journey with a Gravity vibe starring Marian Álvarez, Greta Fernández, Asier Etxeandia and Roberto Álamo.