Fantasia Film Festival Awards: ’Red Rooms’ Wins Big, ‘Femme’ Earns ‘Condragulations’

variety.com:

Marta Balaga There was no escaping “Red Rooms” at Fantasia. Awarded the Cheval Noir Award for best feature at the 27th edition of the fest, Pascal Plante’s film also took honors for screenplay and Dominique Plante’s haunting score, as well as an outstanding performance award for Juliette Gariépy. “The ultimate effect a film can achieve is to implant a significant and lasting emotional memory. ‘Red Rooms’ masterfully accomplished that goal,” said jurors David Hewlett, Brenda Lieberman, Jourdain Searles, Virginie Sélavy and Gary Sherman. “With incredible skill and artistry, without resorting to gore or violence, this film delivers not only an extremely disturbing and frightening experience but introduces you to characters and situations you may never forget.” Produced by Nemesis Films, it takes on the trial of a man accused of murdering teenage girls and selling videos of his crimes online.

But Plante wanted to focus on women who follow him. “All these killers, they had enough attention already. There are enough people analyzing their psychological background.

When someone asks about the root of evil, it’s much more disturbing if the answer is: ‘I don’t know’,” he told Variety. “This film is about the psychological consequences of extreme violence.

I really don’t want it to be perceived only as controversial, but I know it can make you feel very uncomfortable.” Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping’s also had reasons to celebrate, as their “Femme” was awarded for Nathan Stewart-Jarrett’s “breakout” performance and for direction. “It’s a gripping thriller that’s both supremely tense and sensitively directed.