Kosovo filmmaker Kaltrina Krasniqi’s semi-autobiographical drama Vera Goals of the Sea gained the Tokyo Worldwide Movie Competition’s Grand Prix Monday evening at a digital ceremony streamed from the Japanese capital.
Loosely primarily based on the real-life experiences of the filmmaker’s mom, the movie follows a sign-language interpreter who’s compelled to battle the patriarchy for her inheritance after her husband dies by suicide.
“Once I obtained the information this morning that the movie has been awarded Tokyo’s Grand Prix, I used to be screaming, laughing and crying from the enjoyment,” mentioned Krasniqi, noting that Vera Goals of the Sea was Kosovo’s first movie to ever compete in Tokyo. “Thanks a lot for this honor,” she added.
Romanian director Teodora Ana Mihai’s drama La Civil, additionally loosely primarily based on a real story, took residence Tokyo’s second place Particular Jury Prize. The movie follows a girl who takes issues into her personal palms after her daughter is kidnapped by a Mexican cartel and her ex-husband and the police fail to take the case critically.
Tokyo’s winners this 12 months had been chosen by a jury led by French display screen icon Isabelle Huppert. The truth that two ladies took the Japanese competition’s prime two prizes for the primary time in its historical past was doubly significant provided that the occasion lately grew to become the primary main movie competition in Asia to signal the worldwide “5050×2020” pledge, which commits festivals to taking tangible steps in the direction of gender parity.
The prize for finest movie within the Asian Future part, which highlights rising expertise from the area, went to World, Northern Hemisphere, by Iranian director Hossein Tehrani. The movie follows a 14-year-old boy who’s compelled to grow to be his household’s breadwinner following his father’s premature demise.
The Tokyo competition launched an all-new prize class this 12 months in partnership with Amazon. The Amazon Prime Video Take One Award goes to the winner of a brief movie competitors that selects from a pool of submissions from up-and-coming Japan-based administrators. Filmmaker Kim Yunsoo’s brief Sunday & Calm Sea took residence the brand new prize, which comes with an award of 1 million yen ($8,815) and the chance to discover the manufacturing of a characteristic with Amazon Studios.
With COVID-19 instances in Japan reaching multi-month lows, the Tokyo Worldwide Movie Competition was capable of maintain most of its features as in-person occasions and screenings once more this 12 months. Operating Oct. 30 by Monday, the competition screened 126 movies this 12 months, simply barely fewer than in years previous. Tokyo’s full winners’ record for 2021 is beneath.
Grand Prix
Vera Goals of the Sea by Kaltrina Krasniqi
Particular Jury Prize
La Civil
by Teodora Ana Mihai
Greatest Actress
Julia Chavez, The Different Tom
Greatest Actor
Amir Aghaee, Fatih Al, Baris Yildiz and Onur Buldu, The 4 Partitions
Greatest Creative Contribution
Crane Lantern by Hilal Baydarov
Viewers Award
Simply Remembering by Matsui Daigo
Asian Future’s Greatest Movie Award
World, Northern Hemisphere by Hossein Tehran
Amazon Prime Video Take One Award
Kim Yunsoo, Sunday and Calm Sea
Amazon Prime Video Take One Award Particular Jury Prize
Sangoumi Midori, Below The Bridge
