Kazakh film ‘The Divorce’ wins Golden Goblet best feature film award

By Joyce Xu

Kazakh drama film “The Divorce” was honored as the best feature film at the Golden Goblet Awards Ceremony of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival on Saturday (June 22). 

Directed by Daniyar Salamat, the film is a story of comedy, farce and tragedy, portraying the intimate relationship of a couple in crisis. 

The film’s leading actress, Omarova Amira, received Best Actress award for her impressive depiction of a woman of perseverance and resilience. 

Georgian-born director Bakur Bakuradze won the Best Director award for “Snowflakes in My Yard,” a co-production of Georgia and Russia and his semi-autobiographical movie.

Chinese actor Huang Xiaoming garnered the Best Actor award for his portrayal of a mentally challenged person in “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” 

Noting that Shanghai is a city of wonder, Huang said that he felt so honored and fortunate to receive this coveted prize. The day was also Huang’s grandmother’s 95th birthday and on stage he wished for her to be happy and healthy.

“I have taken up my acting career for 26 years,” Huang added. “Despite the ups and downs of my life, and the helplessness, disappointment, and confusion I once experienced, I will always be firm and brave to move forward.”

The Jury Grand Prix went to Argentine film “Adult,” an inspiring production shot from the perspective of a teenager.

Zheng Zhi, Guo Fangfang and Gu Changwei shared the Best Screenplay award for “The Hedgehog,” a heartwarming story about the friendship between a pair of misfits.

Zheng, also author of the film’s original novel, said that the award was a gift for his daughter.

Chinese cinematographer Zhang Ying earned the Best Cinematography award for his superb techniques in “A Man and A Woman.” 

Iranian director Ahmad Bahrami garnered the Outstanding Artistic Achievement award for “The Wasteman.”

Bahrami said that although he had attended many international film festivals, the Shanghai International Film Festival amazed him a lot.

The Best Documentary Film award went to “Ms. Hu’s Garden,” a Chinese production about family affection and redemption. 

Director Pan Zhiqi extended his gratitude to Ms. Hu and her son, who allowed him and the crew to walk into their world with full trust.

Japanese film “The Colors Within” received the award for best animation film.

In the short film category, Israeli production “The Event Horizon” won the best live-action short film award, and Chinese production “Kill the Horse” was named best animated short film.

The film festival, which closes on Sunday, proved to be a gala and visual feast for movie fans from home and abroad. 

This year, the festival’s Film Panorama offered a total of 1,672 screenings of 461 movies from 64 countries and regions. Among them, 88 screenings invited the film cast and crews to interact with audiences. 

As of 8pm on June 20, the screenings had attracted around 495,000 cinemagoers, 28 percent of whom were movie buffs from various areas, particularly from Suzhou, Hangzhou and Beijing.

Statistics from the tourism platform Trip.com show that the film festival has attracted around 50,000 people from other places to Shanghai, with hotel consumption exceeding 10,000 rooms for two-night stays.

Hotels within a 2-kilometer radius of Shanghai Film Art Center, the fest’s main site, were fully booked every day during the festival. On average, there were over 5,000 daily stays at these hotels.