Shanghai Film Festival offers University of Canterbury Vincent Ward prize
June 25, 2014
Film-makers from Iran and Bangladesh are the inaugural recipients of the University of Canterbury’s Vincent Ward Prize
for Innovative Film.
The winners of the awards are Iranian film director and producer Reza Dormishian for his film I am not Angry and
Bangladeshi film maker Indranil Roychowdhury for his film Dragon Fly. Dormishian won best film overall and best director
for the Asian new talent prize at the 17th annual Shanghai International Film Festival.
The pair will spend time at the University of Canterbury Film School in 2015 and meet key people in the New Zealand film
industry.
The awards were presented at the Shanghai Festival which is one of the premiere film events in Asia. This year’s
star-studded ceremony saw many Hollywood celebrities in attendance including Nicole Kidman and Natalie Portman.
Vincent Ward, UC’s adjunct professor of fine arts, sat on the new talent jury panel, led by Korea’s celebrated director
Jekyu Kang. Renowned Chinese actress Gong Li was president of the international jury for the festival’s Golden Goblet
Award.
Ward not only helped select the winners of the New Asian Cinema Award, he presented the makers of the two best films the
UC-sponsored Vincent Ward Prize for Innovative Film at the awards ceremony.
ends