THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Japanese film ‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’ bagged the Suvarna Chakoram (Golden Crow Pheasant Award) for Best Film at the 30th International Film Festival of Kerala. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the award along with a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 20 lakh at the closing ceremony of IFFK at Nishangandhi on Friday.
Directed by Sho Miyake and adapted from Yoshiharu Tsuge’s Manga, the film follows a scriptwriter named Lee as she moves through two seasons of emotional change while trying to understand her life. The jury noted the film’s restrained storytelling and its portrayal of loneliness and human connection.
The Rajata Chakoram (Silver Crow Pheasant) for Best Director was awarded to Carina Piazza and Lucia Bracelis for ‘Before the Body’.
The Silver Crow Pheasant for Best Debut Director was won by Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi for ‘Shadowbox’. The film also bagged the K R Mohanan Award for Best Debut Indian Directors.
The FIPRESCI Award for Best Film in the International Competition section went to ‘Khidki Gaav’, directed by Sanju Surendran. Fazil Razak won the FIPRESCI Award for Best Debut Malayalam Director for ‘Moham’.
‘Thanthapperu’ (Life of a Phallus), directed by Unnikrishnan Avala, bagged the Special Jury Award and also won the Audience Poll Award for the most popular film at the festival.
In the NETPAC awards, ‘Cinema Jazira’ was selected as the Best Asian Film. In the Malayalam cinema section, ‘Khidki Gaav’ and ‘Thanthapperu’ received recognition, while ‘Black Rabbit White Rabbit’ bagged a Special Jury Mention for technical excellence.
Actor Tilottama Shome received a Special Jury Mention for Acting for her performance in ‘Shadowbox’.