Iron Island, a film by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, won the Golden Peacock at the International Film Festival of India, 2005.
GOA: Iron Island, a film by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, won the Golden Peacock at the International Film Festival of India, 2005. The Jury, comprising chairperson and Chilean filmmaker Miguel Littin, French director Alain Corneau, Iranian actor Faramarz Gharibian, screenwriter Sabine Derflinger and Indian filmmaker Saeed Mirza awarded the Silver Peacock for the Special Jury prize to Tom Hooper, director of Red Dust, and the Silver Peacock for Most Promising Director to Vera Fogwill and Martin Desalvo for the Argentinean film Kept and Dreamless.
The awards were announced at the closing ceremony of IFFI 2005 on Sunday, which was attended by Goa chief minister Pratapsinh Rane and special guest, Mithun Chakraborty. The actor, who showed up in a crimson dhoti, excused himself for not disco dancing, in a sorry attempt at livening up a slow event. Actor Mammooty, who was the other invitee, and Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Das munshi, never showed up.
The highlight of the closing event was, however, the music release of the forthcoming Sanjay Gupta film, Zinda. Actor Sunjay Dutt, who plays the lead, suddenly appeared on stage in the middle of a performance by Pakistani band, Strings to much applause. Later flashbulbs popped as Dutt greeted Mithunda with enthusiastic hugs and handshakes.
Despite the hype about the opening film Olga from Brazil, being the frontrunner for the Golden Peacock, it was the Iranian film Iron Island that walked away with the festival’s top honour. This black comedy is about a group of destitutes who make their home on an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. They live under the benevolent but watchful eye of Captain Nemat (inspired by Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo), who tries to find homes on land for his wards as the ship starts sinking.
Red Dust, the debut film of director Hooper, is about healing in post-Apartheid South Africa through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Kept and Dreamless is a touching tale about a drug addict mother and her daughter.
Now that Goa has become a permanent venue for IFFI, chief minister Rane says he wants to invite private partnership and participation by individuals and NGOs at next year’s film festival, since the state exchequer is unable to bear the burden on an annual mega-event. Nevertheless, Rane says he wants to attract other festivals to Goa as well.
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