Czech Karlovy Vary film festival's main prize goes to Georgian film

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Georgian film "Corn Island", directed by George Ovashvili, won the main prize Crystal Globe and and a 25,000 U.S. dollars cash prize at the prize-giving gala of the 49th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on Saturday night.

The film tells a story of an elderly man who transfers his experience to his granddaughter and contemplates the sense of man's harmonic coexistence with nature and of his respect for others. It was made in coproduction with Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Kazakhstan.

The audience's prize went to Czech Olga Sommerova's documentary film "Magic Voice of a Rebel", which is about pop singer and pre-1989 dissident Marta Kubisova.

The international jury of the festival presented the best actress prize to Ella Fanning for her performance in "Low Down", a U.S. film by Jeff Preiss and the best actor to Nahuel Perez Biscayart for his role in "I'm Yours", a Belgian-Canadian film by David Lambert.

The jury's special prize went to Hungarian film maker Goergy Palfi for "Free Fall". The Independent Forum's prize went to the German film "Somewhere Else", made by Israeli-born director Ester Amrami. Belgian film "Waiting for August" by Teodora Ana Mihai won the best long documentary.

Latvian-born U.S. director Signe Baumane's film "Rocks in My Pockets" won the FIPRESCI prize. It impressed the jury by its bold depiction of both personal and multi-generation story of mental and historical instability. The prize is awarded by the International Critics Federation.

The 49th Karlovy Vary international film festival started on July 4 and attracted almost 12,500 registered visitors.