Iranian film wins IFFI Golden Peacock

NDTV: "The Persian domination at the International Film Festival of India continued unhindered with an Iranian film bagging the coveted Golden Peacock for the second year running.

Mohammad Rasoulof's Iron Island was awarded the Festival's top honour for best film along with a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh.

The film - a black comedy about a group of homeless people living in a decaying oil-tanker - impressed the five-member international jury with its "originality, deep thoughtful narration, powerful cinematic expression and great creative strength."

Last year, another Iranian film Shahr-e-Ziba had won the Golden Peacock award and also garnered a special jury award for its lead actor Faramarz Gharibian. The 2005 Special Jury Award along with the Silver Peacock and a cash prize of Rs five lakh went to director Tom Hooper for his South African film Red Dust, a court room drama set in the post-apartheid era, exploring the effects of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The jury felicitated Hooper's directorial debut for the "efficient use of cinematic language and a great understanding of the issue of human rights."

Meanwhile, the director duo of Argentinian film Kept and Dreamless-- which depicts the relationship between a woman drug addict and her 10-year old daughter -- walked away with the Most Promising Director Award.

Vera Eugina Fogwill and Martin Desalvo were jointly awarded the Silver Peacock and a cash award of Rs five lakh for "unveiling the feminine universe with sensitivity and humour in the context of the global marginalisation of people." The jury for the competition section were chaired by acclaimed Chilean director Miguel Niggin and included French film-maker Alain Corneau, Austrian director Sabine Derflinger, Iranian actor Gharibian and India's Saeed Mirza.

Sixteen films were in the race for the Golden Peacock including two Indian entries -- Nagesh Kukunoor's Iqbal and Kamal's Malayalam film Perumazhakkalam. (PTI)"