Deauville Festival 2025 Winners: Joel Edgerton Thriller ‘The Plague,’ Plan B-Produced ‘Olmo’ and Kristen Stewart’s ‘Chronology of Water’ Take Top Awards

Charlie Polinger’s debut “The Plague,” a psychological thriller starring Joel Edgerton, won the Grand Prize at the 51st edition of the Deauville American Film Festival, which wraps this evening in the French Normandie town.

The movie opened at Cannes, in Un Certain Regard, where it earned solid reviews. It tells the story of a shy teenager dealing with vicious bullying while attending an all-boys water polo camp. It was acquired by the Independent Film Company for North American distribution, while AGC Studios handles international sales. Edgerton, who was at Deauville this week to present his Netflix movie “Train Dreams” and receive a tribute, produced “The Plague.”

The jury, presided over by French-Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani, handed out two Jury prizes ex aequo for “Olmo,” directed by Fernando Eimbcke, and Cole Webley’s “Omaha.”

“Olmo,” produced by Plan B (a Mediawan company) and Michel Franco, follows the journey of a…