Samuel Maoz’s brilliant, devastating and darkly comic drama “Foxtrot” (click links to watch trailers) was awarded the main prize at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. Prizes in six categories were presented at an awards ceremony at Kinepolis Kirchberg on Saturday evening. The international jury, presided by Canadian director Atom Egoyan, said that it “was very impressed by the general quality of the competition” but eventually made two unanimous choices. The jury praised “Foxtrot” for “exceling in every aspect to tell a powerful and haunting tale about the loss of innocence, both at a personal, familial, and, most provocatively, at a state level.” The jury also gave a special mention to Greek weird drama “Pity”.

The best documentary award went to “Over The Limit”, a portrait of Olympic winning rhythmic gymnast Margarita Mamun and her battles with her coach and particularly the head of the Russian gymnastics federation. Headed by Mimi Plauché from the Chicago Film Festival, the just said the film was “an unconventional and aesthetically astute sports documentary portraying a young woman balancing athletic commitment with personal endurance. It’s a singular vision, identifying a fragile character, following her through a powerful transition to liberation.” The documentary jury also had a special mention, for Spanish director Gustavo Salmerón’s portrait of his mother “Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle”.

The critics award went to Warwick Thornton’s Australian western “Sweet Country”, which tackles issues of racism and treatment of the indigenous Aboriginal people in 1929. The audience chose Luxembourg director Govinda van Maele’s local thriller with a social conscience “Gutland”.

The youth jury plumped for coming of age road move Andrew Haigh’s “Lean On Pete” and the kids jury awarded their prize to “Cloud Boy” by Meikeminne Clinckspoor.

The three main winning films will be screened again at the Cinémathèque on Sunday evening. “Sweet Country” at 5 p.m., “Over the Limit” at 7 p.m. and “Foxtrot” at 9 p.m.