Abu Dhabi: A Russian black comedy, about a man who wrestles against the state for land, has won the coveted $100,000 Black Pearl Awards in the Narrative Feature category at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF).
Leviathan, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, also won the Best Actor award for Alexey Serebryakov who plays Nikolay, the central character.
The film is also Russia’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards.
Awards were also given on Friday night, the closing night of the 10-day festival, in the new Horizons and Documentary categories, as well as the Child Protection Award, the Fipresci and Netpac Award, and the Audience Award.
"We're very humbled by all the good words that have been said about our film. This movie is doing its run across the territories and across the border, and it's a testament to the fact that we can share the culture of filmmaking and we can understand each other,"Alexander Rodnyansky, producer of Leviathan, told Gulf News on the red carpet after the awards were announced.
A shaking Naji Abu Nowar, director of Theeb, won the Best Film from the Arab World.
"I can't believe it, I'm in shock. I feel incredible, I've had people come up to me on the street and say how much they've loved the film, and I'm so happy that the press and film critiques have loved the film. It's unbelievable."
Maria Bonnevie, who stars in Danish baby-snatching drama A Second Chance won the Best Actress while Memories on Stone, an Iraqi drama about two childhood friends who attempt to produce a film about the Al Anfal Kurdish genocide, was named the Best Film from the Arab World. The film is directed by Shawkat Amin Korki.
"It really was difficult to make this movie," said Korki. It's about cinema but also about the tragedy of the Kurdish people. My people are not finished the suffering and tragedy in Kurdistan, that's why I'm happy to get this award."
