On Saturday, the French-Moroccan film Le Grand voyage was awarded the Astor de Oro (Golden Astor) for best film at the 20th Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina.
Directed by Moroccan-born (but French-raised) Ismaël Ferroukhi, Le Grand voyagefollows the pilgrimage of a young Frenchman (Nicolas Cazalé) and his Moroccan father (Mohamed Majd) to Mecca. Majd won the Astor de Plata (Silver Astor) award for best actor.
Among the other winners were best director Yasmine Kassari, for the Belgian-Moroccan L'Enfant endormi / The Sleeping Child; Emanuelle Devos (La Femme de Gilles / Gilles's Wife) and Laura Linney (P.S.), who shared the Best Actress Astor de Plata; and Bernd Eichinger, who won the Best Screenplay award for the German box-office hit Downfall.
The award for best Ibero-American film went to Brazilian director Lúcia Murat's Quase Dois Irmãos / Almost Two Brothers, the story of the unusual friendship between a senator and a drug dealer. The Special Jury Prize was given to Iran's Khab-e talkh / Bitter Dream, directed by Mohsen Amiryoussefi. Argentinian films came away empty handed.
In the last ten days, more than 300 films were shown at cinemas in the Argentinian beach resort of Mar del Plata, approximately 400 kilometers south of Buenos Aires.
Golden Astor for Best Film: Le Grand voyage (France / Morocco), directed by Ismaël Ferroukhi
Best Director: Yasmine Kassari (L'Enfant endormi / The Sleeping Child, Belgium / Morocco)
Best Actor: Mohamed Majd (Le Grand voyage)
Best Actress (tie): Emanuelle Devos (La Femme de Gilles / Gilles's Wife, France / Belgium / Luxembourg / Italy / Switzerland) and Laura Linney (P.S., United States)
Best Screenplay: Bernd Eichinger(Der Untergang / Downfall, Germany / Austria / Italy)
Best Ibero-American Film: Quase Dois Irmãos / Almost Two Brothers(Brazil) directed by Lúcia Murat
Special Jury Prize: Khab-e talkh / Bitter Dream (Iran), directed by Mohsen Amiryoussefi
Mar del Plata International Film Festival Site
Mar del Plata Film Festival Awards: 2005 2006 2007 2009
Film Awards: 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009