Zeng Zi Funfair wins Asian New Talent Award in Shanghai on Friday

Chinese drama Friday, funfairdirected by Zeng Zi, was named the best film in the New Asian Talents section of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, which recognizes distinguished works by emerging filmmakers from across the Asia-Pacific region.

The film is in line with a recent trend in Chinese cinema of tackling the pressures and difficulties women face in society. Zeng’s first feature film, Friday, funfair follows a female protagonist (Ying Ze) who is overwhelmed by the daily grind of her life: her husband has left her, her mother seems to have aged suddenly, and her daughter faces impending surgery, among other challenges. But Friday is his daughter’s birthday – and everything changes at an amusement park where they will celebrate.

The only double winner in the New Asian Talent section this year is the black and white Indian social drama. In the name of fire. The film’s self-taught director Abhilash Sharma won the Best Director award, while its star Satya Ranjan won the Best Actor award. Set in the rural eastern Indian state of Bihar, where the director and his cast are from, the film focuses on a struggling family and explores the weight of their caste and religion on their daily existence. The film is narrated in the ancient Magahi language of the region.

“We don’t have a professional film industry or distribution system for films narrated in this language, so as an independent filmmaker, this award means a lot,” Sharma said. “It gives us a sort of window and opportunity to find distribution and for the film to be seen more widely by the public.”

The Shanghai Asian New Talent Award for Best Actress went to another emerging Indian talent, Jayashri, star of Bird of a different feather. Directed by 22-year-old filmmaker Manohara K, the film is based on Sonia S’s autobiography and tells the coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old girl with albinism.

“I just hope this story gives hope and inspiration to people who are struggling with any kind of adversity, because there is always hope and there is always light at the end of the tunnel,” said Sonia S , who also wrote the screenplay for the film. “Spreading that inspiration is the main theme of the film.”

The main jury of the Shanghai competition, chaired by Franco-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, will award the first prize of the Golden Goblet Awards on Saturday.

The full list of Shanghai 2024 New Asian Talent winners can be found below.

Best film
Friday, funfairdirected by Zeng Zi (China)

Best Director
Abhilash Sharma for In the name of fire (India)

Best actor
Satya Ranjan for In the name of fire (India)

Best actress
Jayashri for Bird of a different feather (India)

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