Iranian film Daughter , directed by Reza Mirkarimi, won the coveted Golden Peacock award at the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) ,which ended here on Monday.
The film also won the best actor [male] award for Farhad Aslani, who won the Silver Peacock prize and Rs.10 lakh in cash. The best actor [female] award was bagged by Elina Vasca for her performance in the Latvian film Mellow Mud .
Daughter is a family drama set in southern Iran. It brings out intergenerational conflict between a strict father and a young daughter.
“My final thanks and a tribute goes to my best teacher in cinema Abbas Kiarostami [noted Iranian director] who taught us how the meaningful matters and how different things are hidden behind small and simple stories,” Mr. Mirkarimi said after receiving the award, which comprises a statuette and a cash prize of Rs. 40 lakh.
The best director award went to Soner Caner and Baris Kaya, co-directors of the Turkish film Rauf . The award comes with a Silver Peacock statuette and Rs. 15 lakh in prize money.
South Korean director Lee Joon-ik won the special jury award for the film The Throne . The award comes with a special citation, a Silver Peacock and a cash prize of Rs.15 lakh.
The ICFT–Unesco Gandhi medal was awarded to Turkish film Cold of Kalandar , directed by Mustafa Kara for his poetic portrayal of rural life in a remote hilly region of Turkey. The film was chosen for its ethical values and respect for the environment. Canadian multi-lingual entry The Apology by Toronto-based Tiffany Hsiung received a special mention in the Gandhi Medal competition.
Pepa San Martin’s Spanish film from Argentia\Chile Rara won the Centenary Award for best debut feature film.
National Award-winning Director S. S. Rajamouli was the chief guest of the closing ceremony. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore, Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, and many film dignitaries were present for the closing ceremony which witnessed poor attendance.
Mr. Rathore visited the multimedia exhibition set up by the National Film Archive of India. The exhibition was on the theme of ‘Aazadi 70 Saal, YaadKaroKurbani’ to commemorate 70 years of India’s Independence and its depiction through films.
Mr. Rathore also explored the exhibition on Virtual Reality. The festival closed with the screening of South Korean official entry for the Academy Awards, The Age of Shadows , directed by Kim Jee Woon. The Republic of Korea was the country in focus this year.
The 2016 festival saw the participation of several young film-makers who took on bold and unique themes. Pankaj Johar, director of the film Cecilia, said that his film was a fight against corruption at all levels. Mithun Chandra Chowdhary, who directed Paywat , said that his film portrays a day in the life of a labourer’s daughter.
The festival also provided a platform for Indian film-makers to get an idea of the nature of the industry in other countries. The world premiere of the Argentinian film Don’t Forget About Me took place in the weekend.
The film industry in Argentina produces about 150 films a year and the industry is expanding gradually with government assistance, said Fernanda Ramondo, director of Don’t Forget About Me .
She said that that Argentinians co-produced films with a number of countries, including Spain and Italy, and that she looked forward to collaborating with India.
Speaking on the theme of her film, Ms. Ramondo said that it tried to convey a message that family and destiny are what one chooses and not something that one is born with. A family comprises individuals who have bonds at an emotional level and not necessarily confined to people having blood relations, she added.
Julieta Alejandra Dolinsky, art director of the film, describing her experience, said she undertook painstaking research into understanding elements from the early 20th century, in which the film is set.
