Greek director Athina Rachel Tsangari’s comedy of manhood “Chevalier” was named best picture at the London Film Festival on Saturday, during a ceremony that honored Cate Blanchett with a major career award.
It was a fitting finale to a festival that sought to showcase the work of talented women both onscreen and behind the camera.
Chevalier marked the return of Athina Rachel Tsangari to the director’s chair, in what was a festival that really did celebrate female filmmakers. Chevalier was the first film for Tsangari since Attenberg back in 2010 and it is great to see her back.
Tsangari’s film is a study of the male ego and macho rivalry, showcased by six men on a boat competing in absurd masculinity contests. “Chevalier” won the praise of Oscar-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski, president of the official competition jury, who called Tsangari a “brave and original filmmaker”.
The story unfolds in the Aegean Sea, where six men take a fishing trip on a luxury yacht, where the men decide to play a game, but the game takes an unexpected turn when the best man earns the victory ring, the Chevalier.
The film stars Yiannis Drakopoulos, Kostas Filippoglou Giorgos Kentros, Panos Koronis, Vangelis Mourikis and Nikos Orfanos.