"Softie" by French director Samuel Theis won the top prize on Sunday at the 62nd Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
"Softie" or "Petite nature", which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week section this year, won the Golden Alexander and €10,000 at the Thessaloniki Festival in Greece's second city.
The film tells the gay coming-of-age story of an intelligent 10-year-old named Johnny, played by Aliocha Reinert, set in eastern France.
Samuel Theis, 43, co-directed "Party Girl" with compatriots Claire Burger and Marie Amachoukeli, a film about and starring his mother Angelique Litzburger, which won Cannes' Camera d'Or prize in 2014.
Special Jury Award
The festival's Special Jury Award, or Silver Alexander, went to Costa Rican-Swedish director, Natalie Alvarez Mesen, for her feature film "Clara Sola".
The award for best actress went to Sofia Kokkali for her performance in "Moon, 66 Questions," by director Jacqueline Lentzou. Aliocha Reinert won the prize for best actor for his role in Golden Alexander winner "Softie."
The award for best screenplay went to Laurynas Bareiša for his film "Pilgrims," while a special mention was given to Alexandre Koberidze for "What do we see when we look at the sky?"
Nearly two years into the Covid pandemic that forced many film industry events to go online, the Thessaloniki Film Festival combined in-person events with online ones.
