Ivan Ayr’s film Meel Patthar (Milestone) was judged the winner in the Best Asian Feature Film Competition at the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), the largest and longest running film event in the city state.
The festival made the announcement on its Facebook wall. 'The jury felt that Milestone was a very good humanist story; nothing flashy, but confident and nuanced, with a strong script and engaging direction,' the SGIFF said. 'Its strength is in how it draws the audience into its story with scenes that are complex and well executed. The directing is firm and creates an evenness throughout the whole film.'
The film's leading man, Suvinder Vicky, won the Silver Screen award for Best Performance, Asian Feature Film Competition. The citation read, 'The jury felt that the performance delivered by Suvinder was delicately understated and quiet, yet with a power that carried us through the film. It was full of emotion but held together with a beautifully restrained quality.'
SGIFF was held as a hybrid event from 26 November to 6 December with some on-ground screenings as well as online presentations.
Meel Patthar was premiered at Venice in September this year and also screened at the Pingyao festival in China and the Busan festival in South Korea.