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A Brief Note From Bart Beaty On Angouleme Moving Its Awards To Sunday
posted January 21, 2009
 

By Bart Beaty

I really hate this postponement of the prizes at Angouleme until Sunday at 4:00 PM. There are a number of drawbacks, not the least of which is that it robs publishers/artists of an opportunity to sell their books as the prize-winning book. It also robs the winners of a celebration if all of their friends and colleagues have headed home by the time the prizes are handed out.

Angouleme has changed the timing of their awards ceremony numerous times over the past decade. I recall quite clearly asking Philippe Dupuy, who was a nominee for Best Album, on a Thursday night when the ceremony was, and he told me he'd just come from it (they had won). It was pushed back to Saturday, presumably on the wise rationale that it would allow for a longer period of attention and sale for the nominees.

Pushing the awards to Sunday really makes the most sense if the goal of the Festival is to make the Monday papers with their winners, rather than the Sunday papers. But I'll miss the days that you would see the prize winners and the next president whooping it up at the bar at the Hotel Mercure on Saturday night.

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