Sweden & Liberia Win Tribeca Awards

A Swedish horror film and a documentary following a female peace activist in war-torn Liberia has scooped the top awards at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday (01May08).

Let the Right One In – directed by Tomas Alfredson – took the award for Best Narrative Feature, beating 11 other finalists.

Pray the Devil Back to Hell – directed by Gini Reticker and narrated by singer Angelique Kidjo – won Best Documentary Feature. Both films each won $25,000 (#12,500).

Other films to be honored at the festival include My Marlon and Brando (Best New Narrative Filmmaker Award ) and Spanish director Carlos Carcas won Best New Documentary Filmmaker for Old Man Bebo.

The Best Actor in a Feature Film award went to Thomas Turgoose and Piotr Jagiello for their roles in the British film Somers Town, while the Best Actress Award went to Eileen Walsh for her role in the Irish movie Eden.

The Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, celebrated its seventh year. They founded the festival in 2001 following the attacks on the World Trade Center in a bid to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan through an annual celebration of film, music and culture.

(LJ/PR/JC)