Georgian film wins top Sarajevo film fest award

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A Georgian film about a woman struggling to reconcile family life and her passion for writing has been chosen as the best movie at the 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival.

Three-time Oscar-winning US film-maker Oliver Stone and British actor John Cleese were also awarded with lifetime achievement awards during the week-long festival, which has shown 235 films from 54 countries to an audience of about 100,000.

British actor John Cleese poses with the 'Honorary Heart Of Sarajevo' award for his "extraordinary contribution" to film during the 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival late on August 16, 2017. /AFP Photo

An international jury chaired by Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco awarded "Scary Mother", a debut movie by 27-year-old Georgian director Ana Urushadze, with the Heart of Sarajevo, the festival's main award.

It described the film as "provocative and elegantly directed".

US director and writer, Oliver Stone poses with a "Heart Of Sarajevo" award for his life long contribution to the art of film during the award ceremony of 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival, late on August 13, 2017. /AFP Photo

This was the second time a Georgian film has triumphed in Sarajevo after "In Bloom" by directors Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gros won the main prize in 2013.

Romanian filmmaker Emanuel Parvu was awarded best director for his movie "Meda, or the Not So Bright Side of Things", and Serban Pavlu won the best actor award for his role in the movie.

The best actress award went to Canadian actress Ornela Kapetani for her role in "Daybreak", a debut feature by Albanian director Gentian Koci.

Movie fans gather to observe the red carpet arrivals during the opening of the 23rd edition of the Sarajevo Film Festival, in Sarajevo, on August 11, 2017. Sarajevo Film Festival 2017, brings 243 motion pictures in different categories. /AFP Photo

The Sarajevo Film Festival, founded as an act of defiance toward the end of the 1992-95 siege during the Bosnian war, has grown into the largest industry platform for the region stretching from Austria to Russia and Turkey.

Source(s): Reuters