ASTANA — The Kazakh short film “Strawberry Princess” by Iliyas Antar Akhmet won two awards for Best Short Film and Best Actor at the Pápa International Historical Film Festival in Hungary on April 28, said Andrey Manuilov, promotion producer at Alternativa Film Project in Central Asia, reported Forbes.kz.
Iliyas Antar Akhmet at the awarding ceremony of Pápa International Historical Film Festival. Photo credit: PIHFF Facebook account.
“This is Kazakhstan’s first participation in our program and, I can say, the most remarkable,” said Zsolt Pozgai, festival director, filmmaker and producer.
Pozgai noted particular interest in “Strawberry Princess” in the context of the pivotal events experienced by Kazakh people and the different paths of post-Soviet countries and Eastern Europe following the USSR’s collapse.
“An extraordinary work performed at a high artistic level. I hope we will show films by other Kazakh filmmakers,” added Pozgai.
A scene from “Strawberry Princess”. Photo credit: Film Freeway
The win in the Best Actor category marked the first international award for Kambar Nurgali, who portrayed the lead role in the film.
“Strawberry Princess” received the Best Director award at the BAIQONYR International Film Festival in September 2023.
The Pápa International Historical Film Festival featured films by cinematographers from across the world, including Kazakhstan, Germany, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom (UK).
