Roll call of winners
» Ciro Guerra's Embrace of the Serpent wins Golden Peacock
» Peter Greenaway bags Silver Peacock for the best director
» Julia Vargas won Silver Peacock for the special jury award
» Mustang actors Elit Iscan, Tugba Sunguroglu, Ilayda Akdogan, Gunes Sensoy, Doga Doguslu shares the best female actor award
» 'The Measure of a Man' Vincent Lindon wins best male actor award
» Kaushik Ganguly's Cinemawala wins the special ICFT prize
Story in detail
Panaji: Embrace of the Serpent (Al Abrazo de la Serpiente), a global co-production adventure drama, won the Golden Peacock, the award for the best film at the 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Silver Peacock, the best director award, went to Peter Greenaway for the biopic Eisenstein in Guanajuato.
The awards were announced by jury chairperson, veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, at a colourful event which unfolded at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium on Goa University campus at Taleigao here on Monday evening.
Embrace of the Serpent produced by Christina Gallego and directed by Ciro Guerra portrays the first contact, encounter, approach, betrayal and eventually life transcending friendship between Amazonian shaman Karamakate and two scientists who work together over the course of 40 years in search of a sacred healing plant in the Amazon. “The film shows what we are doing to the nature,” Shekhar Kapur said while announcing the award.
The film is shot in the Amazonian rain forest and in richly detailed black and white. The best film award comprises the Golden Peacock and a citation and a purse of Rs 40 lakhs (Rs 4 million) to be shared between the director and the producer.
Eisenstein in Guanajuato which won Greenway the best director award portrays the days Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein spent in Mexico in a bid to make a film. Eisenstein is shown as an eccentric, self-absorbed artiste in the film. It also focuses on the master filmmaker’s love affair between a male assistant. Peter Greenway, the British filmmaker shifted to the medium of cinema after being trained as a painter. The best director is presented with a Silver Peacock, a citation and prize money of Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 million)
Vincent Lindon won the best actor (male) award for his portrayal of a laid off factory worker, Thierry Taogourdeau, in the film The Measure of a Man.
The best actor (Female) award was shared by Gunes Sensoy, Doga Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscanand and Ilyada Akdogan for portrayal of five young orphaned sisters in the Turkish film Mustang. Set in a remote Turkish village, the film depicts the life of five young orphaned sisters and challenges they face growing up as girls in a conservative society. Those who won the best actor (male and female) are presented with the Silver Peacock, citation and a prize money of Rs10 lakhs each (Rs 1 million).
Sealed Cargo (Carga Sellada) directed by Julia Vargas won the special jury Award. The award carries a Silver Peacock, citation and a cash prize of Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 million).
The Serbian film Enclave dealing with the theme the life of Kosovo Serbs in small isolated communities, called enclaves, got a special mention by the jury. The film is directed by Goran Radovanovic.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The Russian film maker, actor and head of Russian Cinematographers’ Union Nikita Mikhalkov was conferred upon the Lifetime Achievement award. Mikhalkov trained as an actor at the Shchukin School and studied direction under Mikhail Romm. At Home Among Strangers (1974) was his first feature, while he garnered international recognition with A Slave of Love. Greatly popular for his portrayal of the memorable Sergei in Burnt by the Sun, Mikhalkov has built up a reputation as an actor's director, winning numerous international awards.
"My first film festival was with my first film in Delhi & now after 40 years I get an award for my career in India again." - Mr. Mikhalkov
— IFFI2015 (@IFFI_2015) November 30, 2015IFFI 2015 had a special tribute section of Mikhalkov’s films, screening his masterpieces – Sunstroke, The Barber of Siberia and Burnt by the Sun. The Lifetime Achievement award carries a Silver Peacock, certificate, shawl and a scroll along with a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs (Rs 1 million)
ICFT – UNESCO Fellini Medal
The ICFT – UNESCO Fellini Medal was awarded to Kaushik Ganguly’s Cinemawala that focuses on the sad state of single screen cinema halls in West Bengal. In collaboration with International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris, and UNESCO the UNESCO Fellini Award was presented at IFFI for the first time this year. This medal is given to a film that reflects the socio-cultural ideals promoted by UNESCO.
The awards were presented to the winners at a glittering ceremony attended by Governor of Goa Mridula Sinha, Chief Minister of Goa Laxmikant Parsekar, Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and I&B Secretary Sunil Arora. Musical genius and Oscar winner A. R. Rahman was the chief guest on the occasion.
Apart from Shekhar Kapur, the International Jury of IFFI comprised UK-based director Micheal Radford, Palestinian-based Israel director, Suha Arraf, German actor Julia Jentsch and South Korean filmmaker Jeon Kyu-Hwan.
Meanwhile, the Centenary Award, to be given to a feature film that reflects a new paradigm in motion pictures in terms of aesthetic, technique or technological innovation, was not announced at the event. Eight films, including India’s Oscar entry, Court and Malayalam film Ottal were listed as the competent for the award.
The magic of romance relived by the song 'Baar baar dekho'. #IFFI2015 pic.twitter.com/Tw9qYVyvq5
— IFFI2015 (@IFFI_2015) November 30, 2015A performance featuring Indian film songs from the 1950’s to 2000 by noted band Shillong Chamber Choir literally made the evening musical for the packed audience and guests from all over the world. Eminent sand artist Rahul Arya portrayed a brief history of Indian films using his medium on stage.