DUBAI: The closing ceremony of the Doha Film Festival on Friday saw Guillermo Galoe’s “Sleepless City” announced as the winner of the best feature film award in the International Feature Film competition.
The film, which had its world premiere in Cannes’ Critics’ Week, is set on the outskirts of Madrid, where a teenager’s world unravels as his best friend prepares to leave.
The audience award went to Suzannah Mirghani’s “Cotton Queen,” which follows teenager Nafisa who becomes the focus of a power struggle over genetically modified seeds that will determine the future of her village in Sudan.
Jihan K’s “My Father and Qaddafi” won the documentary award. The film, which had its world premiere in Venice’s Out of Competition section, chronicles a daughter’s journey to uncover the circumstances behind the disappearance of her father.
The award for artistic achievement went to “With Hasan in Gaza” by Kamal Al-Jafari and “Renoir” by Chie Hayakawa, while “Once Upon a Time in Gaza” actors Majd Eid and Nader Abd Alhay took the prize for best performance.
Academy Award-nominated Cambodian director Rithy Panh led the jury. He was joined by Moroccan filmmaker and actor Faouzi Bensaidi, Tunisian director and screenwriter Raja Amari, Tunisian actor and filmmaker Dhafer L’Abidine, and the founder of Final Cut Venice, Alessandra Speciale.
