2023 Cannes Film Festival: Amanda Nell Eu’s ‘Tiger Stripes’ tops Semaine de la Critique (Critics’ Week) winners

The 62nd Semaine de la Critique (Critics’ Week) section of the Cannes Film Festival has revealed its winners in seven categories with Amanda Nell Eu’s Tiger Stripes taking the Grand Prize.

Tiger Stripes tells the story of 12-year-old Zaffan who lives in a small rural community in Malaysia. In full puberty, she realizes that her body is changing at an alarming rate. Her friends turn away from her when a mass hysteria hits the school. Fear spreads and a doctor intervenes to chase away the demon that haunts the girls. Like a tiger harassed and dislodged from its habitat, Zaffan decides to reveal its true nature, its fury, its rage and its beauty. The film is eligible for the Camera d’Or award, announcing this weekend.

Jovan Ginić received the Rising Star Award for his performance in Lost Country. Set in Serbia, 1996 during the student demonstrations against the Miloševic regime, 15-year-old Stefan (Ginić) leads his own revolution in the heat of events: accepting the unacceptable, seeing in his mother – a spokesperson for the ruling party and an accomplice of the crime and find, despite the love he feels for her, the strength to confront her.

This year’s jury was led by award-winning French-Lebanese director Audrey Diwan (Happening) and comprised of director of photography Rui Pocas (Portugal), film critic, journalist and film curator Meenakshi Shedde (India), actor Franz Rogowski (Germany), and Director of Programming at the Sundance Film Festival Kim Yutani (United States). Critics’ Week is a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival committed to discovering new talent.

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony and awards for in competition, Camera d’Or (First Film) and more will be held on Saturday, May 27. Here is the complete list of winners of the 62nd Semaine de la Critique.

Grand Prix / Grand Prize: Tiger Stripes by Amanda Nell Eu

Prix French Touch du Jury / French Touch Prize of the Jury: Il pleut dans la maison (It’s raining in the house) by Paloma Sermon-Daï

Prix Découverte Leitz Cine du court métrage / Leitz Cine Discovery Prize for Short Film: Boléro by Nans Laborde-Jourdàa

Prix Fondation Louis Roederer de la Révélation / Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award: Jovan Ginić for Lost Country de/by Vladimir Perišić

Prix Fondation Gan à la Diffusion / Gan Foundation Award for Distribution: Pyramide Films, distributeur français / french distributor for ان شاء الله ولد / Inshallah a boy / Inchallah un fils de/by Amjad Al Rasheed

Prix Canal + du court métrage / Canal + Award for Short Film: Boléro by Nans Laborde-Jourdàa

Prix SACD / SACD Award: Iris Kaltenbäck, autrice writer of Le Ravissement (The Rapture)