Michael Douglas receives lifetime achievement award in India
PANAJI, India — Veteran Hollywood actor and producer Michael Douglas was honored with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th International Film Festival of India, which concluded on Tuesday.
What you need to know
- The two-time Academy Award winner, 79, said he was “humbled”.
- “Today, our global film language is more relevant than ever,” Douglas said.
- Abbas Amini’s Iranian film “Endless Borders” has won the Golden Peacock Award for Best Film at the annual festival on India’s scenic Goa coast.
- Indian cinema is one of the oldest and most prolific film industries in the world, releasing approximately 1,500 films annually and enjoying a large domestic market.
The two-time Academy Award winner, 79, said he was “humbled” and that with everything going on in the world, the festival “reminded us of the magic of filmmaking”. he said.
“Film is one of the few media that has the power to unite and transform us. It transcends divisions: geography, racial language, and even time,” he said in his acceptance speech.
“Today, our global language of cinema is more relevant than ever,” Douglas added.
The Iranian film “Endless Borders,” directed by Abbas Amini, won the Golden Peacock Award for Best Film at the annual film festival held on India’s scenic coast of Goa.
“This film depicts how complex physical boundaries can be, but none more complex than the emotional and moral boundaries we impose on ourselves,” the jury said in their citation.
The film tells the story of an exiled Iranian teacher living in a poor village on the Afghanistan-Iran border, who meets a family who have fled Afghanistan due to threats from the Taliban.
“Given what’s going on in the world right now, the alarming conflicts and wars on our borders, it’s so important to tell our stories,” said Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, chair of the international conference. Told. The judge has directed films such as “Elizabeth” and the recent “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” “When we tell people our stories and when people listen to each other’s stories across borders and wherever they are, we can understand each other.”
Other members of the international jury were Spanish cinematographer José Luis Arcane, French producers Jérôme Paillard and Catherine Dussard, and Australian producer Helen Leake.
Indian cinema is one of the oldest and most prolific film industries in the world, releasing approximately 1,500 films annually and enjoying a large domestic market.
Films written in India’s regional languages, most of which are rooted in local culture, are also beginning to find a foothold on the world stage. Earlier this year, India won two Academy Awards. “Naatu Naatu,” the energetic and best original song from the hit Telugu action blockbuster “RRR,” and “The Elephant Whisperers,” the best short documentary streamed on Netflix.
The Indian government, which organizes the film festival, has announced new incentives for foreign film production to encourage global collaboration.
Douglas said that thanks to the digital revolution and streaming services, Indian films are reaching audiences around the world.
“Good filmmaking, no matter where you are from, is usually about taking something personal to your country and then realizing it has an international message. You have to create it for yourself,” he said in a session earlier Tuesday. .
