Ramin Bahrani’s “99 Homes” was awarded the Grand Prize from the 2015 Deauville American Film Festival.
Starring Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield and Laura Dern, the drama joins previous Deauville champs in “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Crash.”
The second place jury prize this year went to Sean Baker’s transgender drama “Tangerine.”
Josh Mond‘s “James White” took the Kiehl’s Revelation prize, which was decided by a separate jury. Trey Edward Schults’ “Krisha” won the critics’ award, while the audience award went to Rick Famuyiwa’s Sundance favorite “Dope.”
In “99 Homes,” Shannon stars as a ruthless businessman targeting foreclosed homeowners and forcing them out of their properties by snatching up defaulted loans. One of his victims (Garfield) goes to work for Shannon in an effort to reclaim his house and family — getting swept up in a dangerous and lucrative lifestyle along the way.
“It’s an incredible honor to receive this award. We hoped the film would resonate with people everywhere, so I’m thrilled the jury and audiences in Deauville were so surprised and taken by it, and by the phenomenal Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield and Laura Dern, who deliver extraordinary performances” Bahrani said in a statement.
“99 Homes’ opens in select theaters September 25. Watch the trailer here.