Palm Springs International Film Festival

Best film 

While digging through the details of the tragic disintegration of a Tunisian family in Four Daughters, director Kaouther Ben Hania reclaims the cliché of reenactment and reinvents it, emerging with a powerful account of human complexity. This striking blend of fact, meta-fiction and confessional therapy makes a convincing case for the continued vitality of cinema as an art form. 

This prize went to Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, a beautifully restrained piece of work that is equal parts unnerving and terrifying, with a narrative that sustains interest throughout. The film haunts long after the credits roll- such is the power of the sharply written screenplay.

Best actor

Transcending centuries, he steps right out of his 18th-century costume and into the heart of the viewer. For a compelling and convincing performance as Ludvig – conqueror and fertilizer of the barren Danish moorland – in the historical drama The Promised Land, we gave the FIPRESCI award to Mads Mikkelsen.

Best actress 

As a teacher who finds herself overwhelmed by the unexpected consequences of trying to do the right thing, Leonie Benesch turns in a tightly controlled performance that propels the narrative forward and dares to speak volumes about the world we exist in today. For her ferocious work in The Teacher’s Lounge, we awarded Leonie Benesch the FIPRESCI award for best actress.