More honours for Abu Sayeed and 'Nirontor'

Abu Sayeed

Sayeed's film also won the FIPRESCI critics award, beating off competition from Japanese movie The Whispering of Gods by Tatsushi Omori. The latter earned a special mention by critics at the eight-day-long festival in Thiruvana-thapuram, capital of Kerala.

Sayeed, 43, received Rs five lakh and the Golden Pheasant (Suvarna Chakoram) from Kerala's Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan.

The best director award went to Iran's Chahar Shanbeh Souri for Fireworks Wednesday. Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Jayakodi was adjudged the best debut director for his movie Sankara that also got the Netpac award. Mexican director Francisco Vergas' Violin was polled the best film by the audience through a Gallup poll.

The awards at the Kerala festival were announced by jury chairman, Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman at the closing ceremony

Understandably, Sayeed was elated. After the award presentation, the filmmaker told this correspondent over phone from Thiruvananthapuram that this was a tremendous recognition and encouragement for independent Bangladeshi filmmakers like him. He said Nirontor featured in the Asian-Latin American-African competitive section in Kerala as it had done in Goa.

However, Sayeed could not be present when the film was screened at the Kerala festival on December 9 and December 11 as he reached there a day late. From Kerala, the movie went to non-competitive Chennai film festival.

A bigger test however awaits Sayeed when Nirontor travels to Palm Springs International Film Festival, USA next month in the run up to his bid for Oscar award in the Best Foreign Language film category. The director said the Palm Springs festival will be held from January 6 to January 14 and it is an event where films submitted for Oscar are screened along with other critically acclaimed movies.

Thereafter, Sayeed's film will be screened at the Rotterdam International Festival, to be held from January 24 to February 4.

"Although Rotterdam is a non-competitive festival, it is an important event for me because some of the best films made around the world will be screened there", he said.