Japanese film wins top jury prize at Montreal World Film Festival
2/9/2008 17:03
Japanese director Yojiro Takita's "Okuribito" (Departures) won the top
jury prize yesterday at the 32nd Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF).
The
MWFF jury, which included Chinese director Xie Fei, awarded the Grand Prix of
the Americas to Takita's drama about an out-of-work cellist who leaves Tokyo to
return to his hometown to become an undertaker.
"The Necessities of Life,"
directed by Canadian filmmaker Benoit Pilon, won the top audience award --
Public Award for the Most Popular Film of the Festival -- voted for by
filmgoers.
The story tells of an Inuit hunter named Tivii who is flown to a
Quebec sanatorium to be treated for tuberculosis in the 1950s. As Tivii loses
the will to live, he is tended to by a nurse named Carol, who puts him in touch
with a young Inuit named Kaki. Tivii regains his pride and will to live as he
teaches Kaki about Inuit ways.
Pilon's feature also won the Special Grand
Prix of the Jury and the Public Award for the Most Popular Canadian Feature
Film.
Serbian director Goran Markovic was selected best director for "The
Tour," which also grabbed the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film
Critics) prize.
Barbara Sukowa took the Best Actress award for the film "The
Invention of Curried Sausage," directed by Ulla Wagner (Germany).
The Best
Actor award went to Eri Canete for his work in Walter Doehner's "Teo's Voyage"
from MexiCo
The Best Screenplay award was shared by Xavi Puebla and Jesus Gil
for "Welcome to Farewell-Gutmann" (Spain) and Riyoichi Kimizuka and Satoshi
Suzuki for "Nobody to Watch Over Me" (Japan).
Xinhua
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