Los Angeles: Indian writer-director Chaitanya Tamhane’s debut feature ‘Court’ won the Lion of the Future award at the recently concluded Venice Film Festival.
The 27-year-old filmmaker’s multilingual courtroom drama won the trophy for its striking narrative style and also bagged the Orizzonti Award for Best Film in the festival.
Swedish director Roy Andersson won the top Golden Lion prize for absurdist drama ‘A Pigeon sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence’.
The film, which is the third in its trilogy, was hailed by critics for its intricate shots and quiet reflections on what it means to be a human being. The director accepted the award, saying movies should be “humanistic” and that he will keep trying to make great movies.
The Silver Lion for best director went to Andrej Koncalovskij for ‘The Postman’s White Nights’. His documentary-style narrative set in a small Russian lake town, was widely praised for its beautiful cinematography and strong storytelling.
‘Girls’ star Adam Driver took home the best actor for his performance in Saverio Costanzo’s drama ‘Hungry Hearts’. Alba Rohrwacher also won best actress for the same film where the actors play a couple who meet in New York City and face dire circumstances.
Joshua Oppenheimer, accepted the grand jury prize for ‘The Look of Silence’, from a video message in Chicago where he was stuck in the airport due to heavy storms. He was grateful to the festival for recognising the film as a message of reconciliation.