‘In the Summers’ Takes Top Prize as Deauville Festival Charts New Course Post #MeToo

variety.com:

Ben Croll Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s coming-of-age saga “In the Summers” took top honors at this year’s 50th edition of the Deauville American Film Festival, claiming both the Grand Prize and the Fondation Louis Roeder Revelation Prize, awarded by a parallel jury.

At once intimate and expansive, the film traces a Latin-American family portrait, using four vignettes to span two decades while following the evolving and often challenged relationship two siblings share with their father, played by Puerto Rican rap great Residente. “In the Summers” had previously won the grand jury prize and the director award out of Sundance, and is set for release by Music Box Films next week. “I’ve always been a huge fan of French cinema so it was already an honor to show my film at the Deauville American Film Festival,” the director tells Variety. “To win was unbelievable; [I’m] incredibly grateful.

I hope this allows more international audiences to be able to experience the film.” The Deauville jury trophy went to Nnamdi Asomugha’s feature debut, “The Knife.” After a sterling NFL career, the athlete-turned-actor now continues his ascent as a prizewinning filmmaker with a tense and claustrophobic drama about a family man – played by Asomugha himself – turned victim of a home invasion then engulfed into a prejudicial justice system.

The film had previously won prizes for directing and cinematography at Tribeca this past June. Spirits were buoyant at this 50th edition, and the various juries had love to share.