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New Delhi : ‘Donbass’ directed by Sergei Loznitsa has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in Goa on November 28, 2018. The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 4 million (Rs 40 lakh) to be shared equally between the Producer and Director, Trophy and the citation.
Donbass tells the story of a hybrid war taking place in a region of Eastern Ukraine involving an open armed conflict alongside killings and robberies perpetrated on a mass scale by separatist gangs. In Donbass, war is called peace and propaganda is uttered as truth. A journey through Donbass unfolds as a series of curious adventures. This is not just a tale of one region or a political system, it is about a world lost in post-truth and fake identities.
Donbass is the official submission of Ukraine for the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category at the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.
Lijo Jose Pellissery won the Best Director Award for his 2018 film ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’. The film is a stunning satire on death and how it affects human lives. Set in Chellanam, a coastal village in Kerala, the film shows the plight of a son who tries to arrange a worthy funeral for his father. He, however, meets unpredictable obstacles and reactions from different quarters. The Best Director gets the Silver Peacock Award and a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million (Rs 15 lakh). He also won the Best Director Award at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards for Ee.Ma.Yau.
The Best Actor (Male) Award has gone to Chemban Vinod for his portrayal in Ee.Ma.Yau of ‘Eeshi’, a son who tries to arrange a worthy funeral for his father but is met with unpredictable obstacles. The Best Actor (Female) Award has gone to Anastasiia Pustovit for her portrayal of a ‘Larysa’, a teenage girl in the Ukrainian film ‘When the Trees Fall’. Both Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) are honoured with the Silver Peacock Trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakh) each.
Milko Lazarov walked away with the Special Jury Award for his film ‘Aga’. Tthe film focuses on the story of Sedna and Nanook, an elderly couple from Yakutia, and the particular challenges they face in the midst of a frigid landscape. The Special Jury Award carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million (Rs 15 lakh), a Silver Peacock Award, and a citation.
Alberto Monteras II received the Centenary award for ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ for his Filipino Movie ‘Respeto’. ‘Walking with the Wind’, directed by Praveen Morchhale, won The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal instituted by the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication, Paris and UNESCO, according to a PIB release.
Salim Khan, the celebrated actor, story-screenplay-dialogue writer of Hindi films was honoured with the IFFI 2018 Special Award for his Lifetime Contribution to Cinema. The award consisting of a cash prize of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakh), Certificate, Shawl and a Scroll has been conferred on the master filmmaker for his outstanding contribution to cinema.