France’s selection for best foreign language Oscar consideration “Les Choristes” by Christophe Barrastier has taken top honors at the 13th annual St. Louis International Film Festival, which ended on Sunday night. “Les Choristes,” which centers on a teacher at a restrictive school who tries to bring a positive effect on the lives of his students through music, took the best international feature prize at the fest, while Shona Auerbach’s “Dear Frankie,” a heart-tugging story of a mother who hires a man to pose as her son’s ‘seagoing father’ won the “best of fest prize. Both films are Miramax releases.
In other prizes, “A Panther in Africa” by Aaron Matthew took best documentary, while the “New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award” went to Jane Weinstock’s “Easy.” Bill Condon’s “Kinsey” won the festival’s gay and lesbian award for best picture, while in the shorts section, “The Hot 8” by Greg Samata and “The Silent Treatment” by Peter Lydon received nods in the documentary and international categories respectively.
Cinema St. Louis, which organizes the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase as well as the CinemaSpoke Screenwriting Competition, organizes the annual festival which opened November 11 with Ken Kwapis’ “Sexual Life,” and closed Sunday with “Kinsey.”