“Flower in the Pocket”, the first film by Malaysian director Liew Seng Tat, has won the Regard d’Or at this years Fribourg International Film Festival, held in Fribourg Switzerland.
In its 22nd year, the Fribourg Internationl Film Festival dedicates itself primarily to showing films from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The program of this year’s festival, which concluded on March 8th, included over 150 films.
Striking both a grave and humorous note, Liew Send Tat’s “Flower in the Pocket” tells the story of two young boys who are abandoned by their mother and ignored by their father, and the optimism that arises from their everyday difficulties. Members of the international jury noted that the director “managed to take a tender and poetic look at a complex and rich particularity of his society, without forgetting the cinematic adventure.”
“La Zona”, directed by Rodrigo Plá, received this year’s Audience Award. Set in a wealthy gated community in Mexico City, the film becomes a thriller as the community’s inhabitants hunt down young burglars. The Costa Rican film, “El Camino”, won the Special International Jury Award. Directed by Ishtar Yasin, the film documents the story of two Nicaraguan children who travel to Costa Rica with hopes of finding their mother.