A starry air to Osian closing, critics award for Thai film 'Ploy'

New Delhi, July 30 (UNI) It was a starry look that characterised the finale to a ten-day celebration of Asian and Arab cinema at the Osian's Cinefan in the Capital which concluded last night with the screening of the Egyptian film 'Cut and Paste'.

Directed by Hala Khalil, 'Cut and Paste' is a gentle satire casting a grim look at problems faced by the Egyptian society.

Speaking on the occasion, Hala Khalil said he was honoured to have his film being chosen as the closing film of the festival.

While talking about his film he said, it reflects the random and illogical planning experienced by the whole society.'' The closing ceremony of the ninth edition of the Osian's Cinefan festival of Asian and Arab cinema, which screened 140 films from over 35 countries, was a star-studded affair with a host of Bollywood celebrities, from Manoj Bajpai, Jimmy Shergill, Manisha Koirala Divya Dutta, Gul Panag, Raima Sen, Sarika, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Seema Biswas, Usha Uthup, Rupa Ganguly to Arif Zakaria gracing the event. Pop diva Usha Uthup held the hundreds of cinema lovers gathered at the Siri Fort mesmerised with her brand of pop music.

The event also witnessed announcements of awards in different categories.

Thai film 'Ploy' won the FIPRESCI award (The International Critics Award) at the festival. Directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Pen-ek Ratanaruang, 'Ploy' was adjudged the best film by the International critics ''for its subtle and beguiling representation of fantasy, sexuality, risk, and renewal in a Contemporary urban context evoked with great skill''.

The NETPAC award (Network for the Promotion of Asian cinema) went to the Malaysian film 'Dancing Bells'. Directed by Deepak Kumaran Menon, 'Dancing Bells' won the award ''for portraying the multifarious reality of life of a marginalised metropolitan community, in a simple linear cinematic narrative constructed through carefully captured segments of the daily routine of a single parent family and its close associates''. Tamil film 'Paruthiveeran' bagged two awards in the Indian competition category - while it won the Best Film award "for its strong narrative that allows reality to be played out cinematically, rendered with visual energy to connect with a wider audience", it fetched the Best Actress award for Priyamani "for her intense and vivid portrayal of a character driven by obsessive love and for her performance in a broad range of acting prowess".

The Best Actor award went to actor Kay Kay Menon for the Hindi film "Shoonya". Kay Kay Menon was chosen "For his seering and restrained portrayal of a character whose struggle to overcome his personal vulnerability becomes an allegory of a nation in search of its conscience and values".

The Special Jury award in this category went to 'Frozen', directed by Shivajee Chandrabhushan "For pushing boundaries on various levels - cinematographic, political, psychological and geographical - creating an innovative cinematic experience that has universal appeal".

In the Asian and Arab section, the Best Actress Award went to Cherry Pie Pichache for the film from Phillipines 'Foster Child' while Lotfi Abdelli won the Best Actor award for the Tunisian film 'Making Of'. The Special jury Award in this category was bagged jointly by the Iranian film 'Lonesome Trees' by Saeed Ebrahamifar and 'Making Of' by Nouri Bouzid. The Best film Award in the Asian and Arab section was bagged by the joint Korean France production 'Desert Dream' by Zhang Lu.

The Best film award in the First Features section was bagged by the Phillipines' film 'Woven Stories of the Other' directed by Sheraz Anthony Sanchez while the Special Jury Mention went to the joint Iran, Kurdistan and French production 'Crossing The Dust', directed by Shawkat Amin Korki.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, festival founder and the editor of Cinemaya Aruna Vasudev expressed satisfaction at the response evoked for the films screened at the festival.

'This year, we were joined by the PVR group in our endeavour to celebrate the diversity of Asian cinema.

This year's edition of the Osian's Cinefan, which kicked off on July 20 with the World premiere of Japanese film 'Raami', an Iran-Azerbaijan co-production that deals with man's relation with nature, war and music, included screenings at the Siri Fort Auditoria complex, Alliance Francaise de Delhi, PVR Plaza and PVR Rivoli.

However, while the screenings at Siri Fort and the Alliance Francaise were priced at Rs 20 per ticket, those at PVR Plaza and PVR Rivoli were priced at Rs 50 per ticket.

However, despite the high price of tickets at PVR, all the shows screened at both PVR Plaza and PVR Rivoli evoked an overwhelming response from the cinema lovers.

''The enthusiasm for the film screenings (infact, additional screenings of a few films like 'The Birds' had to be arranged on popular demand) at the venues shows that an increasing number of people are today appreciating good cinema,''Chairman of the Osian's Connoisseurs of arts Neville Tuli said.

This year, the Osian's Cinefan focussed on Japan with a tribute to Kenji Mizoguchi. As part of its focus on Japan, the festival screened several contemporary Japanese and Samurai films.

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