Best Live Action Short
Tied Between

"Tricko" (The T-Shirt) from the Czech Republic by Hossein Martin Fazeli
For its simple, pragmatic approach to drama, its bold yet unstereotyped handling of political commentary and for its challenging of preconceptions.

AND

"Avatar" from Spain by Llvis Quilez
For powerful emotional content, its beautiful cinematography that bordered on the poetic and its sensitive depiction of the emotional stress and trauma that disability gives rise to in the relationship between two people.

The short films share a prize of PKR 60,000 (Approx. US$1,000)

Best Animated Short

"Adjustment" from the United Kingdom by Ian Mackinnon
For its strong concept that cleverly mixed live action and flip book illustration, and for its powerful emotional content about a man learning to deal with loss and the fear of loss through recall.

The film receives a prize of PKR 60,000 (Approx US$1,000)

"Daani" directed by Farooq Rind and produced by Khalid Ahmed
For its moving story by the legendary Krishan Chandar, its real and endearing characters, its direction that shuns the tendency in Pakistani films to allow actors to overact, and most of all, the powerful performance by Sajid Shah in the leading role of a street dweller who finds and loses love in a world that is relentlessly oppressive for the poor.

The film receives a prize of PKR 60,000 (Approx US$1,000)

Best Documentary

"AFSPA, 1958" from India by Haobam Paban Kumar
For it's powerful relevance to multifarious issues of human and gender rights and community activism in the face of military and bureaucratic injustice, and its remarkable ability ot engage the viewer cinematically and emotionally.

AND

"Fuego de Angel" (Angel's Fire) from Spain and Peru and directed by Marcelo Bukin
For its humaneness, its deft handling of the collective failure of society to address issues related to child labour and poverty, and its remarkable synthesis of sensitive camera technique and creative sound design and editing.

(The jury also felt that Marcelo Bukin's collective body of 4 short documentary films at the KaraFilm Festival, about children and the effects of poverty on them, were equally impressive and showed a commonality of vision and attention to craft.)

The above documentary films share a prize of PKR 120,000 (Approx US$2,000) courtesy Mobilink

SPECIAL MENTIONS

"I Was A Teenage Feminist" [USA-CANADA] for its engaging journey of self-discovery.

"Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme" [ USA ] for its innovative camerawork and editing technique.

"One Show Less" [ INDIA ] for its profound yet simple approach to storytelling.

"Das Kulcha" [ PAKISTAN ] for its freshness and its insightful way of looking at the world around us.

"Gwadar: Between Golden Acres and the Deep Blue Sea" [ PAKISTAN ] and

"The Miseducation of Pakistan" [ PAKISTAN ] for their evocative cinematography.

Best Female Actor in a Leading Role

Nathalie Baye in "Le Petit Lieutenant"
For her subtle and understated depiction of a reformed alcoholic policewoman dealing with a police force under great stress.

Best Male Actor in a Leading Role
TIE between

Saif Ali Khan in "Omkara" [India]
For an impassioned portrayal of the manipulative Langra Tyagi that is the central figure in this adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello and for managing to steal the film with his performance.

AND

Ahmad Razvi in "Man Push Cart" [USA]
For his intensely worked portrayal of a failed rock star-turned-push cart vendor on the streets of Manhattan , and for effectively utilizing the claustrophobic space afforded by the screenplay.

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Rokeya Prachy in "Ontorjatra" (Homeland) [Bangladesh]
For her quietly affecting performance as a grieving widow coming to terms with her husband's past.

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Raza Jaffrey in "Infinite Justice" [UK]
For his incisive and edgy portrayal of a young man trapped between his faith and his upbringing.

Best Cinematography

Marcel Zyskind for "The Road to Guantanamo " [UK]
For his raw and ultimately visceral photography done in a handheld, cinema verite style.

Best Editing

Mat Whitecross and Michael Winterbottom for "The Road to Guantanamo " [UK]
For their sheer virtuosity, their powerful pacing and for combining documentary and drama in a riveting unpredictable style.

Best Original Screenplay

Best Adapted Screenplay

Vishal Bharadwaj, Robin Bhatt and Abhishek Chaubey for "Omkara" [INDIA]
For its powerful transportation of Shakespeare's Venetian republic in Othello to small town Uttar Pradesh.

Best Musical Score

Vishal Bharadwaj for "Omkara" [INDIA]
For its wholly original and innovative fusion of intricate folk rhythms with structured percussion elements.

Special Mention:

"Nisshabd" (Reaching Silence) [INDIA-FRANCE] for its meticulous creation of a soundtrack composed of soundscapes and silence.

Best Direction

Ramin Bahrani for "Man Push Cart" [USA]
For recreating the underbelly of the immigrant experience and for his contemporary approach to neo-realism in a story about isolation and alienation.

Best Feature Film

Girish Kasaravalli for "Nayi Neralu" (In the Shadow of a Dog) [INDIA]
For its depiction of the self-awareness of womanhood and the seeming paradox of intergenerational values in the search for modernity.

The Best Feature Film receives a prize of PKR 300,000 (Approx. US$5,000) courtesy Mobilink.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Talat Hussain

For his longstanding contribution to film and television, for his outstanding work as an actor, his grasp of theory and literature and for his willingness to transmit the same to younger actors.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is accompanied by PKR 50,000 courtesy Mobilink.

Lifetime Achievement Award: S. B. John

For his contribution to film music, particularly his evergreen hit "Tu Jo Nahin" from the film "Savera", later resung by his son Glenn John for the Indian film "Woh Lamhe"

The Lifetime Achievement Award is accompanied by PKR 50,000 courtesy Mobilink.

KaraFilm Society Award: Mahesh Bhatt

For his unswerving support to the Festival, for his work as KaraFilm's ambassador around the world, as well as his contribution to increasing Indo-Pak collaboration in the fields of film and film music.