Malayalam film bags prize at Berlin festival

Malayalam film bags prize at Berlin festival
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

BERLIN, FEB 19: Jayaraaj's Malayalam film Karunam bagged the Don Quixote Prize at the 51st International Berlin Film Festival.

The special prize, instituted by the International Federation of Film Societies, went to Karunam

at the Berlinale which ended Sunday night. Jayaraaj said it was a recognition of contributions made by regional cinema.

The four-member international jury cited the 77-minute film shot with English sub-titles for showing a "simple tale with a great emotional power and deep imagery that it could be understood universally".

The film, last among the 300 films shown at the theatres at the 12-day long Berlinale, features Vavachan and Eliyamma portraying the role of an old couple waiting for the arrival of their son from the US in their hamlet. But, as fate wills, the couple are forced to go to an old people's home after their house is sold by the NRI son.

Karunam had three screening like the other two films shown in the forum section -- Mani Rathnam's Alai Payuthey and M F Hussain's Gaja Gamini. There was no Indian entry for the panorama and the competition sections.