Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has won the Sydney Film Festival official competition award, the Sydney Film Prize, for his 'weird wave' drama, Alps.
Lanthimos' film depicts a secret club whose members usurp the lives of the recently deceased. SFF jury chair, actor/director Rachel Ward, called it, "a finely calibrated, absurdist study of power and identity.”
“Alps is intelligent, uniquely emotive filmmaking from an important new voice in Greek cinema," Ward said, in announcing the $60,000 Sydney Film Prize in Sydney today.
In a statement acknowledging his win, Lanthimos said on behalf of the Alps team: "We are all extremely happy."
"I never expected such a nice wakeup call today.”
The Official Competition prize will be presented at SFF's Closing Night Gala on Sunday 17 June from 8pm.
[Full coverage: Sydney Film Festival]
I never expected such a nice wakeup call today.
