Al Jazeera Golden Award for Indian documentar

DOHA: ‘Bilal’, an Indian documentary directed by Sourav Sarang, won the top Al Jazeera Golden Award that carries the biggest cash prize of QR 50,000 in the fifth Al Jazeera International Documentary Film Festival that concluded here yesterday (April 16).

‘Bilal’ won the best film award in the Long Films category. ‘Eya Naxi People’ by the Chinese director Gyoyao Wu and ‘Finding Home’ directed by Christopher Daley from Belgium won the Al Jazeera Golden Awards in the medium and short film categories. The awards carry a cash prize of QR 40,000 and QR 30,000 respectively.

‘Bilal’ tells the story of a three-year-old boy living with his blind parents in a tiny dark room. The boy Bilal is seen capturing rare moments of sharing love, fun, cruelty and hope. The 92 minute film was produced by Son et Lurriere.

‘Eya Naxi People’ tries to present a story of a Naxi ethnic group from an anthropological perspective. ‘Finding Home’ tells the story of a US first sergeant in the Marine Corps who is nearing retirement after 19 years of active duty, including three years in Iraq. On his way to his hometown, he stops to visit his family where he remembers his troubled youth and broken marriage.

The concluding session of the festival, which was well-attended, also saw the announcement of several other awards in the long, medium and short films categories. The winners received their awards during the ceremony in the presence of the jury members, other delegates and senior Al Jazeera officials. – (The Peninsula)