Belgian director Bouli Lanners’ ELDORADO has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film in the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes, it was announced today by the jury of four Europa Cinemas exhibitors. Proud to join the Directors’ Fortnight 40th anniversary, this marks the sixth year the Label has been awarded in the section.

ELDORADO will now receive the support of the Europa Cinemas exhibitors who commit themselves to extend the length of its run on screen and additional promotion across the network.

The Europa Cinemas jury consisted of: Christine Beauchemin-Flot (Exhibitor and Programmer, Cinema Select, Antony, France); Maeve Cooke (General Manager, Access Cinema Network, Ireland);
Mark Vluggen (Programmer, Cinema Lumière, Maastricht, The Netherlands) and Svantje Wascher (Program Adviser, Kino Traumstern, Lich, Germany).

The Jury issued the following statement about the film, "This Belgian road movie manages to combine a great sense of humour with a darker side to the story. ELDORADO really has the potential to attract a wide audience across Europe, who will identify with the characters and their emotions. An absence of sentimentality, remarkable cinematography and clever use of music help drive the film."

Sold internationally by Films Distribution, ELDORADO stars Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde and Philippe Nahon. Written and directed by Bouli Lanners, the film is produced by Jacques-Henri Bronckart. . The production company is Versus Productions. The cinematographer is Jean-Paul De Zaeytijd, sound recording by Olivier Hespel, production design by Paul Rouschop, editing by Ewin Ryckaert, and music by Renaud Mayeur, An Pierlé and Koen Gisen.

Yvan, a quick-tempered, 40-year-old vintage car dealer, surprises young Elie trying to burgle him. But he doesn’t beat him up. Instead, he develops a strange affection for him and takes him home to his parents in his old Chevrolet. It’s the start of an odd journey by two ne’er-do-wells through a magnificent but no less flipped-out country.

Previous winners of the Europa Cinemas Label are:

Cannes/Directors’ Fortnight
2003: The Mother (Roger Michell, UK)
Kitchen Stories (Bent Hamer, Norway/Sweden)
2004: In the Battlefields / Dans les champs de bataille (Danielle Arbid, France / Belgium / Lebanon)
2005: La Moustache (Emmanuel Carrère, France)
2006: 12:08 East of Bucharest/A Fost sau n-a fost ? (Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania)
2007: Control (Anton Corbijn, UK)

Berlin/Panorama
2005: Live and Become / (Radu Mihaileanu, France/Belgium/Israel)
Cockles and Muscles / Crustacés et Coquillages
(Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau, France)
2006: Tough Enough / Knallhart (Detlev Buck, Germany)
2007: El Camino de los Ingleses / Summer Rain (Antonio Banderas, Spain)
2008: Revanche (Götz Spielmann, Austria)

Venice/Venice Days
2004: Darwin’s Nightmare / Le Cauchemar de Darwin (Hubert Sauper, Austria/France/Belgium)
2005: Le Petit Lieutenant (Xavier Beauvois, France)
2006: Dark Blue Almost Black / Azul Oscuro Casi Negro (Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, Spain)
2007: Tricks / Sztuczki (Andrzej Jakimowski, Poland)

Karlovy Vary (Main Competition and East of the West section)
2006: Frozen City / Valkoinen kaupunki (Aku Louhimies, Finland)
2007: The Class / Klass (Ilmar Raag, Estonia)