‘Beatriz’s War’ from East Timor bags ‘Golden Peacock’ at IFFI 2013

Government to put up single window clearance system for shooting of films in India
Festival closes with screening of ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’

East Timor film ‘Beatriz’s War’ bagged Golden Peacock award for Best Film at the closing ceremony of 44th International Film Festival of India. The film, directed by Bety Reis and Luigi Acquisto, is a passionate story of one woman’s conviction to remain true to the man she loves. The award carries a Golden Peacock, a certificate and a Cash Prize of Rs. 40 lakh.

Indian Director Kaushik Ganguli bags the award for Best Director for his Bengali film ‘Apur Panchali’. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh.

Special Jury Award went to Turkish film ‘Thou Gild’st The Even’, directed by Onur Unlu. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh.

Best Actor (Male) award went to Alon Moni Aboutboul for his performance in Israeli movie ‘A Place in Heaven’. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh.

Best Actor (Female) award was presented to Boczarska Magdalena for her excellent performance in Polish film ‘In Hiding’. The Award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh.

The Special Centenary Award was given to Bengali film ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’, directed by Kamaleshwar Mukherjee. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh.

On the occasion Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Manish Tewari said that 44th IFFI was a celebration of freedom of the human spirit, liberated from the mores of conventionalism, imbued with the ability to dare and above all the power of a ‘New Idea’. Talking about the initiatives taken over the past one year, he said, the first and foremost is the single window mechanism that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has put in place to allow and facilitate film makers from abroad to come and shoot in India in any part of the country with convenience. He added that the same mechanism has been extended to domestic film producers also so that the number of clearances which they face for shooting are brought down so that the whole business of film or producing films can be streamlined. He said that the government has also taken the initiative to replace the archaic Cinematograph Act with a completely new legislation, the draft of which is on the Ministry’s website for public consultation. He said that the government is proposing to increase the number of cinema screens across the country by working with state governments.

Justin Chadwick’s film ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ was the closing film of the festival. The film is based on anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiographic book, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’. The film chronicles his life from his childhood in a rural village to his emergence as the first democratically elected President of South Africa.

With this, the 11-day extravaganza of films, discussions and press conferences on films came to an end. Governor of Goa Shri Bharat Veer Wanchoo, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Manish Tewari, Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Manohar Parrikar, many International and Bollywood personalities including Asha Parekh, Rohit Shetty, Jimmy Shergil and Deepshikha were also present at the closing ceremony. Famous Malaysian actress and filmmaker Michelle Yeoh was the Chief Guest for the closing ceremony. The ceremony opened with gala performances by renowned Indian rock fusion artist and film playback singer Remo Fernandes from Goa.

Joint Secretary (Films), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Raghavendra Singh and Chairman, Governing Council of Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) Shri Vishnu Surya Wagh were also present at the closing ceremony.