TEHRAN – Pilar Miró’ Prize for the best new director has been awarded to Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Moqaddam for their joint movie “Ballad of a White Cow” at the SEMINCI – Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain.

The Iranian-French co-production is about Mina, a young woman who lives alone with her deaf child while her husband had been executed for a murder charge a year ago. She tries to get her life together, take good care of her child and make both ends meet. However, her life gets more sorrowful when she finds out that her husband was innocent.

Co-written by Sanaeiha, Moqaddam and Mehrdad Kouroshnia, it won third place in the 2021 Berlinale Competition Audience Award.

The SEMINCI–Valladolid festival announced the winners on Saturday by honoring “Last Film Show”, a co-production between India and France by Pan Nalin, as best film with the Golden Spike.

The drama tells the story of Samay, whose life turns upside down after he passionately falls in love with films after watching a movie at Galaxy Cinema. But Samay’s father discovers his nine-year-old son’s “immoral” obsession; he beats him up, and warns him to stay away from the “filthy” world of films.   

As the runner-up, the Spanish drama “The Odd-Job Men” directed by Neus Ballus won the Silver Spike.

Based on real situations and characters, the film tells the day-to-day life of Moha, Valero and Pep, workers in a small plumbing and electrical business on the outskirts of Barcelona. For a week, Moha, the youngest, will have to prove that he is ready to replace Pep, who is about to retire. However, Valero considers that Moha “is not the right profile” and doubts that clients will welcome a Moroccan worker in their homes.

Fred Baillif from Switzerland was awarded the Ribera de Duero Best Director Award for his movie “The Fam”.

Yuriy Borisov from Russia was crowned best actor for his role in “Compartment Nº 6” directed by Juho Kuosmanen, while Yllka Gashi, the Albanian, Kosovo-born star of “Hive”, was honored as best actress.

“The Card Counter”, written and directed by Paul Schrader, won the award for best screenplay. 

Redemption is the long game in the film. Told with Schrader’s trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past decisions.

Iranian director Farnush Samadi was a member of the Meeting Point jury, which judged first and second fiction films. The jury also included Spanish director José Luis Montesinos and Argentinian actress Romina Paula.

Photo: Maryam Moqaddam acts in a scene from “Ballad of a White Cow”.

MMS/YAW