PIFF draws to a glittering close

Pune: Mangesh Joshi-directed social commentary Lathe Joshi picked up the Sant Tukaram Award for the best Marathi film while the Czech comedy Lost in Munich received the Prabhat Award for best international film, as this year’s edition of the Pune International Fim Festival that drew to a close on Thursday.

The jury, comprising Indian and international filmmakers, journalists, composers, and cinematographers, and chaired by veteran actress and filmmaker Aparna Sen, announced the awards at a glittering ceremony at a Kothrud multiplex.

In the Marathi section, where all awards are given out by the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal, critically-acclaimed actress Tannishtha Chatterjee was adjudged the best actress thanks to her work in Doctor Rakhmabai. The child actor Arya Adhav won best actor award for his role in Dashakriya. That film also bagged the best director’s award for Sanjeev Patil.

Russian director Kiril Serebrennikov received the Prabhat Award for best director in the international section for his film The Student.

Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students also stood out as they claimed their awards. FTII student Mukul Haloi received the Maria Prochazakova Award. Kalpavriksha, a live action short film that was a final year exercise, fetched the best cinematography award for Alpesh Nagar, another FTII student.

Describing this year’s fare in the competitive section, Sen said that it was a mixed lot. “The quality of cinema in film festivals varies year to year. I would say that among the films we assessed, it was a mixed lot this time. Some of the films were brilliantly made; others were not quite up to the mark, still others tested our patience because of their length. However, overall, the submissions of films are amazing in their flavours of cultures from all parts of the world. Without this film festival, I would have never known how Palestinian Arab women live in Tel Aviv, Israel,” she shared.

Festival director Jabbar Patel said that this year saw fewer delegates than the 2016 edition but it isn’t a cause for concern. “Although the difference is small, the number of delegates registered this year was lesser than last year’s edition.. Overall, it was a really satisfying festival, with a number of retrospectives and tributes to our departed friend Om Puri,” Patel said.