Kyrgyzstan’s ‘Kurak’ wins Best Feature Film at 24th Dhaka International Film Festival

PNN News Desk, Dhaka

Kyrgyzstan’s film Kurak, inspired by real events, won the Best Feature Film award at the 24th Dhaka International Film Festival. The announcement was made during the closing ceremony held this afternoon at the main auditorium of the National Museum.

The film had previously won two awards at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea last year. Other international and local films were also recognized in various categories at the festival.

Emin Afandiyev won Best Director for Azerbaijan’s A Lonely Person’s Monologue. Tajikistan and Iran’s joint production Fish on the Hook received a Special Mention award. Kyrgyzstan’s other film, Burning, won Best Screenplay, awarded to Dastan Madeliyev and Ijazada Bekbaleva.

In the acting category, Best Actor went to Yerlan Tuletti (Abel), and Best Actress to Fariba Naderi (The Husband).

In the Bangladesh Panorama section, three films were awarded: First Runner-Up was Dhyat by Umid Ashraf; Second Runner-Up was Ishpait by Abir Ferdous; and Best Film by the FIPRESCI jury went to What If by Tanha Tabassum. University of Chankharpul, depicting stories of public spaces and student politics, won Best Film in the same section, directed by Akash Haque.

The Audience Award went to the Bangladesh-South Korea co-production Drained by Dreams, while China’s All Quiet at Sunrise also received an Audience Award. The children’s film category awarded China’s Quitong and Quihua. In the Women Filmmaker section, Special Mention went to the Philippines’ Beneath the Bridge, while Best Producer went to Ijazada Bekbaleva of Kyrgyzstan. Best Short Film awards were given to Germany, Portugal, and Romania’s joint production Little Syria, and Best Fiction Film to Russia’s From Scratch.

The Special Mention in the Spiritual Film section went to Qatar’s I Lay for You to Sleep. The Best Documentary award went to the Italy-Laos-Spain co-production The Guardian of Stories.

The closing ceremony was chaired by Jalal Ahmed, executive member of the festival committee. Special guests included Li Xiao Peng, Cultural Counselor of China; Jean Marc Sere, Ambassador of France; and Francois Chabrol, Director of Alliance Française de Dhaka. Singer Ahmed Hasan Sani performed during the event, adding vibrancy to the ceremony.

The 24th Dhaka International Film Festival showcased cultural diversity and international-quality creativity through a combination of local and international films.