IFFK 2010 Awards Announced

IFFK 2010 Awards Announced 

Colombian film Portraits in a Sea of Lies, directed by Carlos Gaviria, has won the Golden Crow Pheasant Award at the 15th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK).

The award was announced at the concluding function of the eight-day festival that ended in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday evening.

The film’s director Carlos Gaviria and producer Erwin Goggle will share a cash prize of Rs.15 lakhs that goes with the award.

The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the best director was awarded to Argentinian director Julia Solomonoff for her film The Last Summer of La Boyita. This award carries a cash prize of Rs.4 lakhs.

The Silver Crow Pheasant Award and a cash prize of Rs.3 lakhs for the best debut film went to Belma Bas, director of the film Zephire from Turkey.

The international jury for these awards had Julie Dash, a filmmaker from the United States, as its chairperson. Other members of jury were Mexican filmmaker Maria Novaro, Thai filmmaker Apichapong Weerasethakul, Japanese filmmaker Yashuhiro Hariki and Indian screenplay writer and photographer Sooni Taraporevala.

The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for the film, judged the best by the audience at the festival, went to A Japanese Wife, an Indian film directed by Aparna Sen. This award carries a cash prize of Rs.2 lakhs.

The award instituted by the Network for Promotion of Asian Film Centre (NETPAC) for the best Asian film shown at the festival went to the Indian film I Am—Afiya Megha Abhimanyu Omar, directed by Onir Anirban.

Veettilekkulla Vazhi (The Way Home), directed by Dr. Biju, was adjudged the best Malayalam film at the festival. This award is also instituted by NETPAC.

Tunisian film Buried Secrets, directed by Raja Amari, won the award instituted by the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for the best film in the competition. The FIPRESCI award for the best Malayalam film went toMakaramanju, directed by Lenin Rajendran.

The Hassankutty Award for the best Indian Debut Film, instituted by filmmaker Meera Nair, was bagged by Chithra Suthram directed by Vipin Vijay. This award carries a cash prize of Rs.50,000.

Awards were also given to Sree Padmanabha Theatre for infrastructure facilities and Ajantha Theatre for technical perfection. Media awards went to N. Sreeja (Indiavision), Aswin Jayakumar (New Indian Express), N.P. Jishar (Madhyamam Daily), Abdul Rasheed (Madhyamam Daily) and Sajeev and Sumesh (All India Radio).