2nd Annual Asian World Film Festival Announces Winners

"El Clasico" (Iraq) Named Best Picture;

"The Faith" (Mongolia) Garners Audience Award;

"Cold of Kalandar" (Turkey) Receives Special Jury Prize;

Ji-min Han and Victoria Isakova Tie for Best Female Lead

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Nov 02, 2016, 05:05 ET

CULVER CITY, Calif., Nov. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2nd Annual Asian World Film Festival (Oct. 24 - Nov. 1, 2016) announced Festival award winners during the closing night ceremony at the ArcLight, Culver City on Nov. 1. The evening, hosted by Korean-American actor Ricky Kim, included remarks from Culver City mayor Jim B. Clarke. The Festival concluded with a screening of Operation Chromite, one of the five Korean films featured throughout the week as part of the newly designed Korean Film Days program in association with CJ Entertainment. The screening was followed by a Q&A with director John H. Lee.

The "He Can Do, She Can Do, Why Not Me" Humanitarian Award was presented to El Clasico, directed by Halkawt Mustafa (Iraq) by Dr. Tae Yun Kim, president of the AWFF Advisory Board and CEO of Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions. The film delivers a powerful message of courage, hope, healing and determination. Dr. Kim presented the award along with a $10,000 cash prize.

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Almost 40 feature films were presented during the eight-day festival that included 20 foreign language Oscar® contenders and a dozen Golden Globe® submitted films. The festival also held five industry panels as part of its Asian World Industry Forum, which featured entertainment industry leaders as moderators and panelists. The 3rd Annual Asian World Film Festival is slated for October 30 - November 7, 2017.

Said Georges Chamchoum, Executive and Program Director of the AWFF: "The Asian World Film Festival unfolded its second year with a big bang and is a tower of strength and opportunity for Asian filmmakers. We have presented 38 movies from 26 countries with 56 screenings. Tonight's awards represent the very best of the Asian World Film Festival. We look forward to continuing to present films which are exciting, original, exceptional and inspiring."

The awards were presented by members of the AWFF jury that include jury president and producer Heather Rae (Tallulah), director Amin Matalqa (The Rendezvous), Golden Globe®-nominated composer Carlo Siliotto (Miracles from Heaven), Oscar®-winning screenwriter David Seidler (The King's Speech), musician DCAT, actor Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Black Sails), producer/director Iram Parveen Bilal, model/actress Maria Shantanova, Emmy®-nominated director Uli Edel (Last Exit to Brooklyn) and ArcLight Films executive Ying Ye.

The Cinematic Legacy Award was presented to visionary Korean producer Keon-seop Park by Angela Killoren from CJ Entertainment. This award honors Keon-seop Park for the scope of his efforts to nurture, cultivate and build the Korean cinema into a successful industry in the 1990s and expand its' horizons outside the Korean borders.

The "He Can Do, She Can Do, Why Not Me" Humanitarian Award was presented to El Clásico, directed by Halkawt Mustafa (Iraq). The film was chosen by a special jury of 17 designated by Dr. Tae Yun Kim, president of the AWFF Advisory Board and CEO of Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions. The film delivers a powerful message of courage, hope, healing and determination. Dr. Kim presented the award along with a $10,000 cash prize.

The Murray Weissman Award for Movie Poster Art, named after the late legendary entertainment publicist, was presented to Earthquake (Armenia) by Weissman's daughter, Julie Weissman Markovitz.

The 2^nd Annual Asian World Film Festival winners include:

Best Picture:

El Clásico, directed by Halkawt Mustafa (Iraq)

Special Jury Prize

Cold of Kalandar, directed by Mustafa Kara (Turkey).
Honorable Mention: The Student, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov (Russia)

Best Male Lead

Haydar Sisman, Cold of Kalandar (Turkey)

Best Female Lead – TIE

Ji-min Han, Age of Shadows (South Korea
Victoria Isakova, The Student (Russia)

Best Musical Score:

The Black Hen, composed by Jason Kunwar (Nepal)
Honorable Mention: Amanat, composed by Aktoti Ralmkulova (Kazakhstan)

Discretionary Jury Award for Courage in Storytelling:

Redha, directed by Tunku Mona Riza (Malaysia)

Special Mention for Best Ensemble Cast:

Very Big Shot (Lebanon)

Audience Award

The Faith directed by Garamkhand B. (Mongolia)

The AWFF is generously sponsored by Aitysh Film, Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions, Etihad Airways, Variety, Sony Entertainment Television - Asia, The Los Angeles Film School, Consulate General of Lebanon in Los Angeles, CD Video Manufacturing, Inc., Chicago Music Library, Manatt Phelps & Phillips, LLP, BDO USA, Samsson Group, Casa Mexico Tequila, Final Draft, QuickFilmBudget, Arclight Cinemas, The Culver Hotel, Beverly Hills Luxury Interiors, City of Culver City, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, World Nomad Games 2016, Korean Film Council, Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Affairs Council, 5 Star Moving, Los Angeles American Heritage Month, Lebanese Minister of Culture, Berri's Kitchen, United World Colleges and the Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800).

Contact:
Cheri Warner
8187608995
[email protected]

SOURCE Asian World Film Festival