Tangled Magazine

Hunger wins inaugural Sydney Film Prize

Sydney Film Festival Jury President Gillian Armstrong announced UK film, Hunger, as the winner of the inaugural Sydney Film Prize last night. Hunger was awarded the Prize ahead of 11 other international films.

At the announcement at Sydney Opera House, Jury President Gillian Armstrong said, “Before we announce the winner of the Sydney Film Prize the jury would like to make special mention of two films.

We commend Carlos Reygadas’ Silent Light for its highly poetic and creative use of sound and image and the honest treatment of its universal story of love and pain.

The second film we commend is Matthew Newton’s Three Blind Mice for its energy, passion, superb ensemble cast and as such a fine collaboration by a talented group of young filmmakers.

Choosing a winner has been a challenging decision because the competition presented such a strong and diverse selection of films. However, our final decision was unanimous.

The inaugural Sydney Film Prize is awarded to Steve McQueen’s Hunger.

Hunger was selected for its controlled clarity of vision, its extraordinary detail and bravery, the dedication of its cast and the power and resonance of its humanity,” said Armstrong

SFF is the first Australian film festival to have an Official Competition accredited by FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Associations). The Official Competition is supported by the New South Wales government, which pledged AUD$1.8 million over four years in September 2007. Hunger will receive AUD$60,000, generously provided by SFF’s Principal sponsor, Hunter Hall Investment Management, and a unique award created by Dinosaur Designs.

SFF hosted the Awards in conjunction with Opera Point Events. The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films were presented at the same event.

To read reviews of films screening at the Sydney Film Festival visit our Movie Reviews section.

Source: Sydney Film Festival (www.sydneyfilmfestival.org)