ODESA – Hundreds of filmmakers and movie lovers flocked to Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater on July 22 to learn the names of the winners of 8th Odesa International Film Festival that’s been taking place on July 14-22.
The festival’s closing ceremony started with a red carpet where festival’s participants and guests had a chance to show off their evening gowns and pose for the cameras, while the city’s residents and tourists surrounded the theater to watch the ceremony.
Among the stars that walked the red carpet were Sibel Kekilli who played Shae in the fantasy television drama series “Game of Thrones,” Irish actor Aidan Turner, famous for playing Kili the Dwarf in Peter Jackson’s trilogy “The Hobbit,” Polish Oscar-nominated director Agnieszka Holland and German Golden Bear-awarded director Christian Petzold.
During the festival, 35 movies competed for the main prize, the Grand Prix Golden Duke, which is awarded based on the audience votes. This year’s Grand Prix went to the Belgian film “King of the Belgians” by Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth.
The festival’s main surprise was the arrival of French actress Isabelle Huppert, who wasn’t announced on the festival program but turned up at the award ceremony on July 22 to get the Lifetime Achievement award.
