Brazilian film 'Malu' bags big prize at 29th IFFK

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 20 (PTI) Brazilian film ‘Malu’ directed by Pedro Freire has been selected for the ‘Suvarna Chakoram’ (Golden Crow Pheasant) award for the best film at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) which concluded here on Friday evening.

The 'Suvarna Chakoram’ award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh to be shared by the producer and director of the film, was presented by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the concluding ceremony.

Filmmaker Payal Kapadia, who won the Gran Prix at the Cannes festival this year for her debut film 'All We Imagine as Light' was awarded the ‘Spirit of Cinema’ award at the function.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a memento.

The ‘Rajata Chakoram’ (Silver Crow Pheasant) for best director (Rs 3 lakh) was given to Farshad Hashemi for his film 'Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others'. The award carries a purse of Rs 4 lakh.

The ‘Rajata Chakoram’ award for the best debut director was given to Cristobal Leon and Joaquin Cocina for their film, ‘Hyberboreans’ (Chile).

Malayalam film, ‘Feminichi Fathima’ (Feminist Fathima), directed by Fasil Muhammed, won five awards including the special international jury award for best screenplay and the award for best director (Rs 3 lakh), chosen by festival delegates through an audience poll.

Malayalam director Fasil Muhammed won a special jury prize for the screenplay of ‘Feminichi Fathima’.

The special jury mention for technical excellence went to the Egyptian film, ‘East of Noon’ (directed by Hala Elkoussy) for its sound design and cinematography.

Actor Anagha Ravi won a special jury mention for her role in the Malayalam film, ‘Appuram’ (The Other Side), while Chinmaya Siddi was chosen for a special award for being an extraordinary young drummer in the film, ‘Rhythm of Dammam'.

The jury for the international competition section, comprising 14 films, was chaired by French cinematographer Andres Godard.

The FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) award for the best film in the competition section went to ‘Feminichi Fathima’ (Malayalam), while the jury also chose ‘Victoria’ (Malayalam) by Sivaranjini as the best Malayalam movie by a debut director.

The NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Film Centre) award for best Asian film in the competition section went to ‘Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others’ (Iran), while ‘Feminichi Fathima’ was chosen as the best Malayalam film.

Director Mithun Murali also received a special mention for his movie, ‘Kiss Wagon'.

The FFSI K R Mohanan award for best debut director from India (Rs 1 lakh) was given to Indu Lakshmi for her film, ‘Appuram’, while Fasil Muhammed also received a special mention for his movie ‘Feminichi Fathima'.

The 29th IFFK was marked by the increased presence of films by women directors.

As many as 52 of the 177 films shown at the festival in various sections were directed by women.

Besides the ‘World Cinema’ section, the festival also featured a ‘Female Gaze’ section in which seven films by acclaimed women filmmakers from across the globe were screened.

The festival also had a ‘Restored Classics’ category showcasing seven films by masters, including ‘Seven Samurai’ and ‘Black Gold White Devil’ in 4K.

The restored versions of Indian films like ‘Mahanagar’, ‘Maya Miriga', and ‘Ghatasradha’ were also shown.

In the Country Focus section, a special package of films from Armenia was screened as part of the 100 years of filmmaking in Armenia.

‘Cinema Alchemy', a digital art exhibition by Razi Muhammed, curated by noted director T K Rajeev Kumar, honouring 50 great filmmakers from around the world, was another attraction at the IFFK 2024. PTI MVG SSK MVG SSK KH