The South African movie Forgiveness has received two prestigious awards at Switzerland’s 57th Locarno International Film Festival, taking away the best-film accolade and the Human Rights prize against stiff competition.
The awards were accepted by the South African Ambassador to Switzerland, Nozipho January-Bardill, at a gala ceremony in Locarno.
The ambassador accepted the prize for the filmmakers and actors of Forgiveness ”and for all South Africans who are in the process of creating a human-rights culture in our country. If Forgiveness brings us closer together then it deserves to win the prize”, she said.
In the official competition at Locarno, the Cinema e Gioventu (Youth in Cinema) jury awarded Forgiveness the Human Rights prize for its focus on themes linked to human-rights issues. The ambassador thanked the Cinema e Gioventu jury, saying it is ”significant that young people felt they had learned something profound from the film”.
South Africa’s Forgiveness stood out in a festival dominated by Middle Eastern themes. Saverio Costanzo’s controversial film Private — about an Israeli patrol confronting a Palestinian family — took the Golden Leopard and best-actor awards.
Silver Leopards were awarded to Story Undone by Hassan Yektapanah and En Garde by Turkish-born Ayse Polat. The Prix de Public was awarded to Israeli Erin Rikis for The Syrian Bride.
Forgiveness is directed by Ian Gabriel and produced by Jeremy Nathan, Joel Phiri and Cindy Gabriel. It stars Arnold Vosloo and Denise Newman and tells the story of a family’s cathartic rebirth when confronted by the confession of an ex-apartheid cop. — I-Net Bridge