Embrace of the Serpent bags Golden Peacock at IFFI 2015

Amidst colourful cultural performance and in the presence of prominent personalities from the world of cinema, the awards were presented to the winners at a glittering ceremony attended by the 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. Internationally acclaimed music director A. R. Rahman was the chief guest on the occasion.

The Awards

Internationally co-produced adventure drama film ‘Embrace of the Serpent’ (Al Abrazo de la Serpiente) bagged the Best Film Award at the 46th IFFI.

The film produced by Christina Gallego and directed by Ciro Guerra depicts 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 to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant. 

The film is shot in the Amazonian rain forest in richly detailed black and white.

The Best Film Award comprises the Golden Peacock and a citation with a prize money of Rs 40 lakhs (Rs 4 million) to be shared between the Director and the Producer.

The Best Director award went to Peter Greenaway for the film ‘Eisenstein in Guanajuato’. Greenway portrays the lead character Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein as an eccentric, self absorbed artiste who travels to a new place and culture and is forced by the experiences he has there to question his assumptions about himself and Stalinist Russia.

Peter Greenway is a British film Director, initially trained as a painter, who later took to film making.  The Best Director is presented with a Silver Peacock, a citation and a prize money of Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 million)

The Best Actor (Male) went to Vincent Lindon for his portrayal of a laid off factory worker Thierry Taogourdeau in the film ‘The Measure of a Man’.  The film, a French social drama turns the spotlight on ordinary people who are pushed by circumstances to the corners.

The Best Actor (Female) award was shared by Gunes Sensoy, Doga Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscanand Ilyada Akdogan for portrayal of role of five young orphaned sisters in the Turkish fim ‘Mustang.  The film set in a remote Turkish village depicts the life of five young orphaned sisters and challenges they face growing up as girls in a conservative society.

The Best Actor – Male and Female are awarded the Silver Peacock, citation and a prize money of Rs 10 lakhs each (Rs 1 million)

The Special Jury Award went to the Spanish film ‘Sealed Cargo’ (Carga Sellada) directed by Julia Vargas.  The Special Jury Award carries a Silver Peacock, citation and a cash prize of Rs 15 lakhs (Rs 1.5 million)

The Serbian film ‘Enclave’ directed by Goran Radovanovic got the special mention award. The main theme of the film is life of Kosovo Serbs in small isolated communities, called enclaves

The International Jury of IFFI 2015 headed by internationally acclaimed Indian film maker Shekhar Kapur, comprised UK based director, Micheal Radford, Palestinian based Israel director, Ms. Suha Arraf, German Actress, Julia Jentsch and South Korean filmmaker Jeon Kyu-Hwan.

The Russian film maker, actor and head of Russian Cinematographers’ Union Nikita Mikhalkov was conferred upon the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 46th International Film Festival of India. 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. 

IFFI 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)

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.