The 56th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia took place from 5 October to 15, 2023, in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. The supernatural horror film Sister Death, directed by Paco Plaza, opened the festival. Argentine horror film When Evil Lurks by Demián Rugna won the Best Feature Film Award.
Background
The official artwork for the festival was unveiled on 24 May 2023. Photographed by Nacho Alegre, it was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film The Birds, conmemorating the 60th anniverary of the film. On 12 September, the festival announced both the recipients for the special awards and the complete lineup. German-American producer Jan Harlan and American director and visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett wil received the Honorary Grand Prize while Spanish director J. A. Bayona, Japanese director Hideo Nakata and American director Lee Unkrich, all will be honored with the Time Machine Award (Premi Màquina del Temps).
Juries
The juries consists of the following members:
Main competition
Jérôme Paillard, French producer
Ana Torrent, Spanish actress
David C. Fein, American producer
Kim Newman, British critic and writer
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Australian critic and researcher
Noves Visions / Anima't
Katharina Kubrick, American art director
Sergi Caballero, Spanish filmmaker
Fred Tsui, Chinese consultant
Blood Window / Òrbita
Max Karli, French film producer
Agnela Domínguez, Spanish cultural manager
Júlia Olmo, Spanish journalist and critic
Méliès d'Argent
Matthew Turner, British journalist and film critic
Alexandra West, Canadian film critic
Maura McHugh, Irish writer
Brigadoon
Raúl Cerezo, Spanish director
Daniel Rodríguez Sánchez, Spanish writer and critic
Aida Solé, Spanish blogger
Crítica / Méliès d'Or
Ylenia Cañadas, Spanish film critic
Francesc Miró, Spanish film critic
Antoni Peris, Spanish film critic
SGAE Nova Autoria
Jaume Balagueró, Spanish director and screenwriter
Marta Grau, Spanish screenwriter, writer and script editor
Alfonso De Vilallonga, Spanish film composer, vocalist and singer-songwriter
Sections
The films selected for each section are as follows:
Official selection
In competition
Highlighted title indicates Best Feature Film winner.
Out of competition
Shorts
Órbita
Highlighted title indicates Òrbita winner.
Panorama
Anima't
Highlighted title indicates Best Animated Feature Film winner.
Noves Visions
Highlighted title indicates Noves Visions winner.
Series
Nova Autoria
Sitges Documenta
Midnight X-Treme
Brigadoon
Sitges Classics
Notes
Awards
The following awards were presented at the 56th Edition:
Official competition
Best Feature Film: When Evil Lurks by Damián Rugna
Special Jury Award: Stopmotion by Robert Morgan & Vermin by Sébastien Vaniček
Best Direction: Baloji Tshiani for Omen
Best Actress: Kate Lyn Sheil for The Seeding
Special Mention for Best Actress: Zafreen Zairizal for Tiger Stripes
Best Actor: Karim Leklou for Vincent Must Die
Best Screenplay: Colin Cairnes, Cameron Cairnes for Late Night with the Devil
Best Special, Visual or Makeup Effects: Frédéric Lainé, Jean-Christophe Spadaccini, Pascal Molina, Cyrille Bonjean-Jean, Bruno Sommier and Jean-Louis Autret for The Animal Kingdom Best Music: Markus Binder for Club Zero Best Cinematography: Martin Roux for Bitten Special Mentions: Moscas by Aritz Moreno & Riddle of Fire by Weston Razooli
Noves Visions
Best Film: Moon Garden by Ryan Stevens Harris
Best Direction: David Kapac and Andrija Mardesic for The Uncle
Best Short Film: The Old Young Crow by Liam Lopinto
Special Mentions
Special Mention: Halfway Home by Madarász Isti
Special Mention for Screenplay: Christine Doyon and Ariane Louis-Seize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Special Mention for Cinematigraphy: Andrea Arnone for Mimì: Prince of Darkness
Méliès d'Argent
Méliès d'Argent Award for the Best Fantastic Genre Feature Film: Bitten by Romain de Saint-Blanquat Méliès d'Argent Award for the Best European Fantastic Genre Short Film: Cultes by David Padilla