24th Spetember 2011.

Well, I have to say, our International Jury deliberation over who exactly should win the Best Film Award at Lund was one of the quickest I’ve ever been involved with on record. My fellow jury members, Jessica Koivistoinen and Thure Munkholm (a massive giallo fan, so you can guess how well we got on!), and myself were of practically one accord from the beginning. It was either going to be Lucky McKee’s THE WOMAN or Jim Mickle’s STAKE LAND. Although the three of us liked 22 MEI and two of us liked THE GLASS MAN, the choice came down to ‘What is humanity?’ and Armageddon vampires. We all felt THE WOMAN pushed the envelope more in terms of controversy without using obvious shock tactics and represented McKee’s best work to date. I was delighted to be the spokesperson for our jury later that night prior to the screening of FRIGHT NIGHT 3D where Lucky was visibly moved by receiving the glass Siren award and told us it would really help the financing of his next project. No clues were forthcoming to what that was but it isn’t with Jack Ketchum as Lucky told me he wants to solely write his own material for now.

Before the closing ceremony it was the big dinner get together at the central Lund Italian restaurant unsurprisingly called Italia! Literally for the first time the jury were officially allowed to mix and mingle with the filmmakers as we haven’t supposed to have done that before now in case we were swayed by their thoughts. Or cash! (Oh, was that last bit out loud?). Not that we couldn’t avoid the Alex Chandon or Michael Steiner’s of this world even if we wanted to.

It was with a heavy heart that we left for the airport after making so many new friends. What I love about the Euro Fantasy Festival community, whether it be Lund, Neuchatel, Strasbourg, Riga, wherever, is how supportive it is and how mutually beneficial it can be to all members. It seems like I’ve known organiser Christian Hallman forever on the circuit but I'd never seen him in action on his home turf. Now I have I can only say to everyone at Lund that if FrightFest can help them out in any way, it would be our pleasure.

Our trip from Copenhagen ended on the funniest note. Just as we were about to board the plane, a message came over the airport tannoy system, ‘Can Alex Chandon please make his way to the information desk”. I couldn’t stop laughing wondering what the director, who won a honourable mention for INBRED from the Melies Jury, had done this time? And because I caused something of a sensation with my message on the commemorative poster that everyone signed, I’ll cap my fond memories of Lund with those wishes: ‘Sauna Hugs and Moose Kisses’ to all at one of the loveliest fantasy festivals on the globe.

The next Postcards will be from Sitges on October 7 where I’ll be reviewing such must-sees as EMERGO, HELL and THE THING remake.

Until the next time.