'Moner Manush' bags Golden Peacock

An ecstatic Ghose, already highly feted for his documentaries and a familiar figure in the Calcutta theatre movement, said the award is “an endorsement of tolerance in an otherwise increasingly intolerant society today”.

The jury praised the Bengali film – based on the life of Lalan Faqir and his liberal sect – for its “stunning cinematic beauty and compassionate portrayal of love in a world of hate”. Ghose also wrote the screenplay, music and worked the choreography.

Ghose’s film had to contend with some great entries in the competition section this year, not least among them Waititi’s slick, humourous and compelling ‘Boy’ and the dramatic Polish film ‘Little Rose’ which earned Magdalena Boczarska the best actress award. Turkish actor Guven Kirac won the best actor award for “his finely detailed portrayal of a child-man” in ‘The Crossing’. Both actors were at the closing ceremony to receive their awards.

Danish director Susanne Bier took away the best director’s award for ‘In a Better World’. This year the Golden Peacock carried a cash prize of Rs 40 lakh that was shared between the director and producer of the film.