French director Mikhael Hers' family drama, "Amanda," was awarded the Grand Prix at the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival on Friday.

Edoardo De Angelis, meanwhile, took top directing honors for his emotional Italian drama "The Vice of Hope," a film that also won his wife, Pina Turco, an award for best actress. In the last of the top prizes, Jesper Christensen picked up the best actor award for his portrayal of the proud but poor patriarch of a 19th-century farming family in the Danish film "Before the Frost."

Although all winners attended the festival's opening on Oct. 25, many recipients were absent from the closing ceremony, which was held at Ex Theater Roppongi, and had to convey their appreciation via video feed from their respective home countries. The Grand Prix was accepted on behalf of director Hers by French Ambassador Laurent Pic, who has been tasked with sending it back to Paris.