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CITATION FOR BEST SHORT SHORT:
The KaraFilm Ciepie for the Best Short Short goes to a film that the jurors found powerful and evocative, and which very honestly and effectively portrayed the persona of a Pakistani drag queen living in New York City . The award goes to the film "Bijli" by director Adnan Malik.

 

SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR SHORT FEATURE:
This year, the jury decided to confer a Special Recognition Ciepie to a Short Feature that in their opinion was the surprise package of the category by taking on a small and unpretentious theme - that of the culture of cheating in colleges and dealing with it in a sensitive way. The Special Recognition Ciepie for Short Features goes to "Ragoun Mein Siyahee" by director Shakil Mallick.

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CITATION FOR BEST EDITING:
Some strong contenders included Bettina Böhler for "Khamosh Pani" and Catherine Masud for "The Clay Bird". However, in the jury's unanimous opinion, the Ciepie for Best Editing went to Peter Christelis for his sharp mixing of fact and fiction in "In This World".


 

CITATION FOR BEST MUSIC:
There was little doubt in the jury's mind that the Ciepie for Best Musical Score should go to none other than Moushumi Bhowmick for the evocation of Bangla folk melodies melded perfectly to the visuals of "The Clay Bird".


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CITATION FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY:
Two documentary films stood out in the festival and despite the jury's best efforts, they could not bring themselves to prefer one over the other. Both films hold up a mirror to our times and galvanize us to think and act about issues impinging upon our lives. Therefore the Best Documentary Ciepie for the 3rd KaraFilm Festival is a joint award for two films for their brilliant record and humanistic approach to the subjects of nuclearization of South Asia and violence within American society. The award is conferred upon "Bowling For Columbine" by Michael Moore and "Jang Aur Aman (War and Peace)" by Anand Patwardhan.

 

SPECIAL RECOGNITION FOR DOCUMENTARY:
The jury decided also to confer a special recognition award to a documentary which while dealing with a topical political issue, dealt with it in an engagingly personal and sensitive manner. For its personal, soft and yet powerful treatment of the tragedies running through the lives of people living in Kashmir, a Special Recognition Ciepie for Documentary goes to "Paradise On A River Of Hell" By Abir Bazaz and Meenu Gaur.

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CITATION FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Marcel Zyskind's improvised digital video cinematography for the film "In This World", which tread the line between documentary and news footage and staged cinematography was a very strong contender for this award. However, the jury eventually decided to award the Ciepie for the Best Cinematography to the hauntingly beautiful imagery of Sudheer Palsane for Tareque and Catherine Masud's evocative film set in the former East Pakistan , "The Clay Bird".

 

CITATION FOR BEST MALE ACTOR
IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Russel Farazi impressed the jury with his portrayal of the father in "The Clay Bird" but it was Arif Hasan's brilliant cameo as the paanwallah in Khalid Ahmed's "Ghar Ki Talaash" that the jury felt was more deserving of the Ciepie for the Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

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CITATION FOR BEST FEMALE ACTOR
IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Rokeya Prachy as the mother in Tareque and Catherine Masud's "The Clay Bird" was a strong contender for this award. However, for her nuanced portrayal of an independent minded college professor who feels betrayed when she discovers a colleague has fallen in love with her son, the Ciepie for the Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role goes to Deepti Naval in "Leela".

 

CITATION FOR BEST SCREENPLAY:
This was another tough category with Tareque and Catherine Masud's screenplay for "The Clay Bird" in a difficult to adjudicate race with among others the screenplays for "In This World", "Khamosh Pani" and "Let's Talk." Eventually the jury decided that the Ciepie for Best Screenplay should be awarded to Paromita Vohra for the hauntingly sad tale of a lonely woman made lonelier by forces beyond her control in "Khamosh Pani".

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CITATION FOR BEST MALE ACTOR
IN A LEADING ROLE:

In contention for the Ciepie were Naseeruddin Shah as the natural charmer Ishaan for the prison drama "3 Deewarein" and Amol Mhatre as the young Indian-American Kris, uncomfortable in his own skin in "Leela". However the award eventually went by consensus to first time actor Jamaluddin Turabi for his exceptional performance as a teenage Afghan migrant who uses strategic panache to make his way from Peshawar to London in the British film "In This World".

 

CITATION FOR BEST FEMALE ACTOR
IN A LEADING ROLE:

The jury was unanimous in its choice that the Ciepie for the Best Female Actor in a Leading Role should go to none other than Kirron Kher for her exceptionally sensitive portrayal of a widowed woman grappling with her hidden past as Sikh woman and the increasing narrow mindedness of her once loving son in Sabiha Sumar's "Khamosh Pani."


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SPECIAL JURORS' AWARD FOR ACTING:
The jury felt that one actor deserved special recognition for her sensitive and powerful portrayal of a woman struggling to break free from the confines of character imposed by society. For her portrayal of the liberated and independent Mumtaz in the local adaptation of Moth Smoke, the Special Jurors' Award for Acting goes to Ayeshah Alam for "Daira".

 

CITATION FOR BEST DIRECTION:
One of the most difficult of categories to judge, the strongest contenders for this award included Tareque Masud for "The Clay Bird" and Sabiha Sumar for "Khamosh Pani". However for his superb handling of a difficult and unfashionable subject along with first time actors and amazingly harsh shooting conditions and for managing to bring it all together in a cogent narrative, the jury decided to award the Ciepie for Best Direction to Michael Winterbottom for "In This World".

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SPECIAL JURORS' SELECTION:
For its bold depiction of a very pertinent social history that continues to shape the character of Pakistan to this day and for its moving depiction of a very human story within that context, the jury decided to confer a Special Jurors' Selection Ciepie to Sabiha Sumar's evocative film "Khamosh Pani".


 

CITATION FOR BEST FEATURE FILM:
The three top contenders for this honour included Michael Winterbottom's "In This World", Sabiha Sumar's "Khamosh Pani" and Tareque and Catherine Masud's "The Clay Bird." It was a very difficult choice but the jury finally agreed unanimously that for its breathtakingly beautiful look and fine performances, and for its brooding, moving and yet extremely subtle depiction of a gathering storm in what was once a part of Pakistan, the Ciepie for the Best Feature Film should go to Catherine and Tareque Masud for "Matir Moina (The Clay Bird)".


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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD;
KHALIQUE IBRAHIM KHALIQUE:

Pioneering documentary filmmaker and formidable intellectual, Khalique Ibrahim Khalique spent his entire working career with the Films Division of the Government of Pakistan at a time when government institutions actually produced worthwhile films. He began his career with the Information Films of India in Bombay and was also associated with the Bollywood film industry as a script and dialogue writer. He was co-writer for example on the film "Jugnu." More than a dozen of his documentary films have received international awards at various film festivals around the world including a prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival for a docu-drama on Mirza Ghalib. Among his other notable films were films on the architecture and cultural heritage of Pakistan and on Mohammad Ali Jinnah which also had the distinction of being banned during the era of General Ziaul Haq. Mr Khalique Ibrahim Khalique has also written a number of books including his memoirs "Manzilein Gard Ke Maanand" and a book of long poems titled "Ujaalon Ke Khwab."

 

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD;
MIRZA NAZIR BAIG (NADEEM):

From his meteoric rise as young singer Nazir Baig to an almost instant stardom status in producer Ehtesham's "Chakori" in the late 1960s, Nadeem has been one of the enduring strengths of an often not enduring Pakistan film industry. His understated actor's style coupled with an impeccable reputation for honesty, directness and integrity helped raise him to one of Pakistani cinema's leading matinee idols. Instead of the currently accepted traditions in Pakistani cinema, of the angry young man, the lovesick romeo, or the swash-buckling hero, Nadeem imbibed not only the endearing elements of the boy next door but also some of his significant strengths. He opened the way for a softer naturalism in Pakistani cinema's breed of actors and has encouraged the work of young directors in both cinema and television.

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