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AWARDS UK

South African Michael Powell winner

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Gavin Hood’s South African gang drama and third feature film Tsotsi was the big winner of this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF-17-28 August), receiving both the much coveted Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature film and the Standard Life Audience Award given by Scottish audiences to their favourite film.
Tsotsi, a South African/Uk co-production produced by Peter Fudakowski, was described by the Festival as a "deeply affecting drama which carries an extraordinary emotional power, a portrait of third-world ghetto life that’s every bit as raw as City of God."
Producer Michael Kuhn, president of the Michael Powell Award jury also gave a Special Commendation to director Josh Appignanesi for his film Song of Songs starring Natalie Press, the revelation in last year’s Michael Powel Award winning film My Summer of Love [+see also:
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interview: Jean-Paul Rougier
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interview: Tanya Seghatchian
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]
. "There was a lot of jury deliberation about Song of Songs," said Kuhn. "The director is to be commended for the wonderful artistic qualities of the film."

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Mike MillsThumbsucker starring Tilda Swinton and Keanu Reeves received The Guardian New Directors Award given to a new interpretation and innovation in filmmaking. Actor Alessandro Nivola who also sat on the Michael Powell Award jury alongside Kuhn, director Antonia Bird, actress Eva Birthistle and screenwriter Paul Mayersberg, read a statement from Mills during yesterday’s closing night ceremony of the EIFF: "It means a lot to me to win an award from a festival that has been watching me from the beginning," he said…. Indeed, Edinburgh had previously screened Mill’s music videos in its Mirrorball programme.

The Kodak UK Film Council Award for Best British Short Film was given to John William’s Hibernation, the European Film Academy Short Film 2005-Prix UIP to Ruben Ostlund’s Autobiographical Scene No6882; the McLaren Award for New British Animation to Elizabeth Hobbs’ The True Story of Sawney Beane, and the Saltine Society Award for Short Scottish Documentary went to Arts, The Catalyst, The Craigmillar Story by Simon Hinds.

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