Iran’s ‘Disappearance’ wins Silver Screen Award at Singapore Festival
SINGAPORE: The debut Iranian film, Disappearance won the best film prize at the Silver Screen Awards, the competitive section of the Singapore International Film Festival.
Directed by Ali Asgari, the film tells the story of two young lovers who run from hospital to hospital, and are confronted with numerous obstacles, including bureaucratic terror.
The story is entirely told in one night.
The film also earned lead actress Sadaf Asgari the Silver Screen award for best performer.
The competition jury, headed by India’s Shekhar Kapur, said the film has “such amazing simplicity, truth and compassion, and yet convey(s) the complexity of a whole culture and human relationships that resonate deeply, whichever culture you belong to.”
Thailand’s Anucha Boonyawatana won the Silver Screen Award for Malila: The Farewell Flower. The film probes mysteries of love and spiritual redemption.
The jury said it was a “quiet, extremely sensitive, beautifully shot exploration of fundamental themes of our existence.”
The Silver Screen Awards were presented on the penultimate evening of the festival.
Honoured during the event was the late Lesley Ho, the former co- director of the festival who worked in various capacities for the development of Singapore cinema.
Her son and two daughters accepted a plaque in her memory and called attention to her championing of what she termed “brave films”.