[Asian Festival of 1st Films] Award Winners

It seems like the Jury agreed with me too in awarding Firaaq 3 awards this evening for Best Film, Best Screenplay/Script and clinching the Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film at this year's 4th Asian Festival of First Films.

Taken from the press release,

Firaaq, from award-winning actress Nandita Das has dazzled the Jury at this year’s Festival and takes home an outstanding three awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and the Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film. Nandita successfully takes the theme of sectarian violence, something which is so apparent in today’s society, and looks at the impact it has on ordinary people a month after the riots in Gujarat, India in 2002.

Bosco Francis takes the award for Best Actor due to his outstanding performance in Singaporean director Eric Khoo’s exceptional film My Magic, which explores how a drunken father turns to magic in order to redeem himself and win his son’s love. Bosco embraced his passion of magic in the role of the father, performing many of the ‘painful’ acts and illusions himself.

Dante Nico Garcia, recognized for his outstanding directorial skills, was awarded Best Director. Dante successfully creates an extraordinary love story filled with local flavour in his film ‘Ploning’.

The summary of awards presented at the ceremony is as follows:

Best Film
Firaaq, Nandita Das (India)


Best Producer
Joint winners:
A Decade of Love, William Ho-Hon Tam & Angel Hon (China), and Little Zizou, Dinaz Stafford, Sooni Taraporevala & Vandana Malik (India)
Special citation:
Khastegi (Sex My Life), Esmaeil Mirzaei Ghomi & Bahman Motamedian (Iran)

Best Director
Ploning, Dante Nico Garcia (Philippines)

Best Cinematographer / Editor
Khuda Ke Liye (In the name of God), Ali Mohammad (Pakistan)

Best Male Actor
My Magic, Bosco Francis (Singapore)


Best Female Actor
The Mountain and the Song, Jia Xuhua (China)

Best Screenplay / Script
Firaaq, Nandita Das (India)

Best Documentary
Attitude, Blackie Chen (Taiwan)

Best Director of Documentary
Peeking Through Chungking Mansions, Bill Yip (Hong Kong)

Best Short Film
The Great Identity Swindle, Nikesh Shukla (UK)

Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film
Firaaq, Nandita Das (India)