Denes Nagy’s ‘Natural Light’ wins best film at Fajr int'l fest in Iran

Hungarian-French-German feature ‘Natural Light’ has won the best film award at the Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF) in Iran.

During a virtual closing ceremony on Wednesday, the organizers of the FIFF announced the winners at the  38th edition of the festival.

The Golden Simorgh for best film went to ‘Natural Light’ by Hungarian director Denes Nagy.

The film is set in the World War II. It is about Istvan Semetka, “a simple Hungarian farmer who serves as a Caporal in a special unit scouting for partisan groups. On their way to a remote village, his company falls under enemy fire. As the commander is killed, Semetka has to overcome his fears and take command of the unit as he is dragged into the chaos that he cannot control”, according to a synopsis for the film.

The 38th edition of the FIFF took place from May 26 to June 2. The festival included physical and virtual events.

The 2020 edition of the FIFF was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Iran’s FIFF has recently been accredited by the FIAPF, a Belgium-based regulator of international film festivals.

Since its establishment in 1982, the Fajr Film Festival has played a vital role in the development of Iranian Cinema.

The 39th edition of the national version of the festival was held on January 31-February 10.

Here is the full list of winners at this year’s edition of the FIFF:

International Competition section

Best Film: ‘Natural Light’ by Denis Nagy

Best Director: Denis Cote for ‘Social Hygiene’ (Canada)

Best Actress: Laura Birn for ‘Helene’ (Finland, Estonia)

Best Actor: Hamid Farrokhnejad for ‘Major’ (Iran)

Best Script: Ferit Karahan and Gulistan Acet for ‘Brother’s Keeper’ (Turkey, Romania)

Best Short Film: ‘The White Wall’ by Andrea Brusa and Marco Scotuzzi (Italy)

Special Mention for Short Film: ‘Emergency’ by Maryam Esmikhani (Iran)

Eastern Vista section

Best Asian Film: ‘Asteroid’ by Mehdi Hosseinivand-Alipour (Iran)

Best Director: Alireza Samadi for ‘Staging’ (Iran)

Best Script: Ameen Nayfeh for ‘200 Meters’ (Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Sweden, Italy)

Best Short Film: ‘Bethlehem 2001’ by Ebrahim Handal (Palestine)

YOO Da-in from South Korea received a Diploma of Honor for Best Actress for her role in ‘I Don’t Fire Myself’.

First Film Award

‘Botox’ by Kaveh Mazaheri (Iran, Canada)

Muhammad Al-Ameen Award

‘Fear’ by Ivaylo Hristov (Bulgaria)

Interfaith Award

‘The Dogs Didn’t Sleep Last Night’ by Ramin Rasouli (Iran, Afghanistan)

Fipresci Award

‘200 Meters’ by Ameen Nayfeh (Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Sweden, Italy)

NETPAC Award

‘Major’ by Ehsan Abdipour (Iran)

SQ/MG