DHAKA INTL FILM FESTIVAL 2018
Turkish film Zer named best film
DL reporter
The 16th edition of the Dhaka International Film Festival came to an end this Saturday. The festival was concluded with an award ceremony, where 19 awards were presented in six categories. During the festival, 216 films from 64 countries were screened, and in the Competition of the Australasian Film Section, Turkish feature film Zer directed by Kazim Oz, won the coveted Best Film award at the festival this year.
Also in the competition section, Masoud Salami won The Best Cinematography award for the film Asphyxiadirected by Fereydoun Jeyrani. Best Script award grabbed by Onur Saylak, Dogu Yasar Akal and Hakan Gunday for the Turkish film Daha (More). Parinaz Izadyar and Mina Sadati won Best Actress award for the Iranian film Tabestan-e Dagh (Searing Summer). Allen Dizon won the Best Actor award for the film Bomba (The Bomb) from Philippines. Onur Saylak was awarded with Best Director award for his film Daha (More).
On the other hand, in the Bangladesh Panorama Section the FIPRESCI Award for the Best Film was given to the film Shohagir Goyna (Shohagis Ornament) directed by Lata Ahmed. Besides, the FIPRESCI Award for the Best Director was named Tauquir Ahmed for the film Haldaa.
In the Best Children Fim section, Badal Rahman Award was given to the Iranian film White Bridge and Indian film Tope (The Bait) was awarded with the Best Audience Award.
In the Women Filmmakers Section, Russian film Sofichka directed by Kira Kovalenko won Best Feature, Documentary film jointly produced by Norway and UK titled Thank you for the Rain directed by Julia Dahr won special mention, a documentary film from Afghanistan tiled Parlika directed by Dr. Sahraa Karimi won Best Documentary, Best Short Fiction was awarded to the Czech Republic-USA joint-venture film Anna Directed by Petra Priborska and Les Bigorneaux (The Winkles) directed by Alice Vial from France won Short Fiction Special Mention award.
In the Short and Independent Films section, a Bangladeshi film Pounopunik (The Hamster Wheel Rebellion) directed by Khandaker Sumon won Special Mention Short Fiction and The Violet directed by Baqer Al Rubaie from Iraq was named The Best Short fiction. Continental Drift directed by Pietro Novello from UK won The Best Documentary and A Song For Barpak directed by Pradip Pokhrel from Nepal won Special Mention Documentary in the Short and Independent Films section.
To note, the intriguing story of Zer follows Jan, a young man raised in New York City, is moved by the song his ailing grandmother sings to him on her deathbed. She remembers a dream she had, of a terrible massacre she witnessed as a child. After grandmas death, Jan travels to where she grew up in the Kurdish heartland seeking the truth behind the song. His journey takes him deep into his own unknown heritage, revealing sad, fiercely-hidden truths and the meaning of what she left behind. l
