STRASBOURG, France: Sri Lankan director Lalith Rathnayake's "Riverstone", about one man's mountain road trip to his kangaroo court execution, won the top prize Tuesday (Feb 3) at France's Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema.
The feature, one of nine fiction films competing for the Cyclo d'Or prize, also scooped two gongs at the Shanghai Film Festival last June.
The jury, chaired by Chinese documentary maker Wang Bing, praised the film for its "concise and powerful narrative, revealing the serious crisis that political power in Asia poses to the survival of ordinary people. It reflects the current situation on the continent".
Among the other films to score honours, "Kurak", a Kyrgyz production about violence against women, date rape drugs and the influence of the ruling elite, won the Grand Jury Award.
The Audience Award went to the Indian film "Full Plate", which deals with the complicated relationship between the country's Hindus and Muslims.
"Riverstone" is the second Sri Lankan film to take the top prize at the French festival, after Aruna Jayawardana's "August Drizzle" in 2012.
More than 100 films from 24 countries were presented over the week, drawing thousands of spectators. - AFP
