The Swedish film ‘The Yard’, a debut film by Mans Mansson won Best Feature Film at the second edition of Valletta Film Festival.

The 9-day festival that screened over 40 films came to an end with a closing ceremony at Fort St Elmo on Saturday 11 June 2016.

On announcing the Triton award for best film, the feature film jury composed of directors Tamer El Said, Valery Rosier, Carolina Hellsgard and actors Cosmina Stratan and Brontis Jodorowsky said that they awarded “a moving film with a very minimalist and beautiful cinematic language and a remarkable performance about a new liberal society that leaves us asking ourselves what we do and who we become”.

‘The Yard’ also took the Best Cinematography award handed to Ita Zbroniec-Zajt.

The Polish film “United States of Love” was also awarded 2 prizes for its director Tomasz Wasilewski and actress Dorata Kolak. Commenting on Wasilewski’s work the jury described him as “a risk taking director who told a touching story about the impossibility of love and recreated a different era with a magnificent eye for every detail”.

Best Screenplay was awarded to Carl Gerber and Anna Zohra Berrached for ’24 Weeks’. The jury described it as “a perfectly crafted script that approaches a taboo subject and reveals through emotions the difficulty of making a life engaging choice”.

The Best Documentary award at Valletta Film Festival 2016 was awarded to Spanish documentary ‘Walls’ by Pablo Iraburu & Migueltxo Molina. The documentary ‘Hotel Dallas’ received a special mention.

The jury was made up of Yves Jeanneau, Director of Sunny Side of the Doc, Laila Pakalnina, a film director from Latvia and Hrönn Marinósdóttir, Director, Reykyavik Film Festival.

The Best Short Film went to ‘Bellissima’ a film from Italy by Alessandro Capitani. The jury, composed of Alissa Simon, Mary Kate O’Flanagan, Kenneth Scicluna and Stefan Babara and Sergiu Ciorescu. Commenting on their decision, the jury said that the film was chosen for its outstanding heart and its use of the elements of cinema in service of its content.

Special mentions were made for Haus 209 and All Rights Reserved.

The Teens Choice Award voted by audiences that attended screenings for Teens Only section of the festival went to the film ‘Keeper’.

Valletta film Festival is organised by Film Grain Foundation.The main partners of Valletta Film Festival 2016 were Audi by Continental Cars, Vascas Jewellers, Malta Film Commission, and Transcripta.

Other supporting partners included Valletta 2018, Heritage Malta, Palazzo Prince D’Orange, Grand Hotel Excelsior, I Can Do Things, Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Pellikola, Kinemastik and Seracino Catering.

The third edition of Valletta Film Festival will take place from Friday 16 to Sunday 25 June 2017.