John Lithgow, Geoffrey Rush, and Kristine Froseth received top acting honors at the 57th Sitges Fantasy Film Festival in Spain, which concluded on October 13.
The festival highlighted the Austrian film The Devil’s Bath, directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala. This film won three awards and is Austria’s entry for Best International Feature at the Oscars. Described by Variety critic Jessica Kiang as “pitilessly bleak,” the historical horror drama follows Agnes, a newlywed who commits a crime instead of taking her own life, a taboo in her Christian community. The film explores themes of desperation and societal pressure in 17th-century Central Europe.
Soi Cheang from Hong Kong won the Best Director award for Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, a martial arts crime drama based on the novel City of Darkness. The film received critical acclaim during its screening at Cannes.
Lithgow and Rush shared the Best Actor award for their roles in The Rule of Jenny Penn, where they play two men in a nursing home engaged in a violent rivalry.
Kristine Froseth won Best Actress for her performance in Desert Road, directed by Shannon Triplett. In this time travel thriller, Froseth portrays Claire Devoir, a young photographer whose desert journey becomes increasingly sinister.
The Sitges Fantasy Film Festival ran from October 3 to 13. Here are the key award winners:
57th Edition Award Winners:
Official Competition – Feature Film: The Devil’s Bath by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala
Special Jury Award: Exhuma by Jang Jae-hyun
Best Director: Soi Cheang for Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
Best Actress: Kristine Froseth for Desert Road
Best Actor (tie): John Lithgow and Geoffrey Rush for The Rule of Jenny Penn
Best Screenplay: Aaron Schimberg for A Different Man
The festival continues to celebrate innovative storytelling in fantasy and horror cinema, showcasing both established and emerging talent.
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