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India’s ‘Milestone’ Wins Best Film at Singapore’s Silver Screen Awards

Indian drama film “Milestone” (aka “Meel Patthar”) was named the best film at the Silver Screen Awards, the closing event of the Singapore International Film Festival. The festival is a cornerstone of the Singapore Media Festival consumer and industry event.

Directed by Ivan Ayr, “Milestone” recounts the foretaste of doom that follows a veteran truck driver when his vehicle passes half a million kilometers and he is asked to train a younger operator. The film also earned lead actor Suvinder Vicky, the Silver Screen award for best performer.

It premiered at the Venice festival in September, in its Horizons section, before going on to play at the Pingyao and Stockholm festivals. In Singapore it played in the competition that is reserved for first and second features hailing from the Asia region. Ayr made his feature debut with the 2018 Delhi crime drama “Soni.”

The prize for best director went to Dea Kulumbegashvili for “Beginning” the feature debut of Georgia’s Dea Kulumbegashvili. The film is the story of a woman in the midst of a circle of crises – personal, community and religious. It was given an M18 rating in Singapore for its depiction of sexual violence.

The festival was held as a hybrid event that included in-person screenings and online presentations. The Silver Screen Awards were held as a closed-door virtual event, but with the full ceremony recorded. It will be made available in the week of Dec. 7.

2020 Silver Screen Awards Winners

Asian Feature Film Competition
Best Film “Milestone” dir. Ivan Ayr
Best director Dea Kulumbegashvili for “Beginning”
Best performance Suvinder Vicky in “Milestone”

Southeast Asian Short Film Competition
Best Southeast Asian Short Film “Tellurian Drama” (Indonesia) Dir. Riar Rizaldi
Special mention “Red Aninsri; Or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall” (Thailand) Dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
Youth Jury Prize “The Unseen River” (Giong Song Khong Nhin Thay) (Vietnam, Laos) Director: Pham Ngoc Lan
Best Singapore Short Film “Here is Not There” Dir. Nelson Yeo
Best director Lin Htet Aung for “Estate”

Southeast Asian Film Lab
Fellowship Prize “Tropical Rain, Death-Scented Kiss” (Singapore) Dir. Charlotte Hong Bee Her
Most promising project “Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava” (Vietnam) Dir. Nong Nhat Quang

Youth Jury & Critics Program
Young Critic Award Nicole Wong Kar Mun

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