Actress Anasuya Sengupta was awarded the best actress prize on Friday evening in Cannes in the “Un certain regard” category. She plays Renuka in the Swiss film “The Shameless” by director Konstantin Bojanov.
“The Shameless”, a Swiss co-production presented as a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last Friday in the presence of Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, leaves no one indifferent. Renuka, played by actress Anasuya Sengupta, escapes from a brothel in New Delhi after killing a police officer.
She finds refuge in a community of prostitutes in northern India where she meets Devika (Omara Shetty), a young girl condemned to a life of prostitution under the devadasi system, a now-banned Hindu tradition that “marries” the women to a deity. A strong bond is forged between Renuka and Devika, which leads to a forbidden love.
A Swiss film in Hindi
“Officially, it is a Swiss film, even if it is in Hindi,” Mr. Bojanov told Keystone-ATS. “The Shameless” is a co-production of five countries: Switzerland, France, Bulgaria, Taiwan and India.
On the Swiss side, the majority, it was co-produced by the Geneva company Akka Films and RTS. Switzerland was the first country to support and finance the film, underlines Mr. Bojanov.
“The Trial of the Dog” still running
“The Trial of the Dog” by Laetitia Dosch, the other Swiss film in the running, leaves empty-handed on Friday. But nothing is decided yet, because this first feature film by the Franco-Swiss director is eligible on Saturday for the Caméra d’Or: the latter rewards each year the best first film from the Official Selection and the two independent sections which are Critics’ Week and Filmmakers’ Fortnight.
Not forgetting that Kodi, the griffon cross, who plays in “The Trial of the Dog”, received the Palm Dog on Friday. This award rewards the dog with the most bite seen in films at the Cannes Film Festival.
Eighteen films selected
Eighteen films competed in this “Un certain regard” category on Friday evening in Cannes, alongside the Palme d’Or, its most prestigious prize, which will be awarded on Saturday evening. The winners are “Black Dog” by Chinese director Guan Hu, which won the “Un Certain Regard” Prize, and “The Story of Souleymane” by French director Boris Lojkine, with the jury prize.
As for “The Damned” (Italy, United States, Belgium) by Roberto Minervini and “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” (Zambia, United Kingdom, Ireland) by Rungano Nyoni, they jointly won the prize for best director.
This parallel competition revealed many talents. A step which sometimes leads to the top of the red carpet, like the Swede Ruben Östlund who won the Palme for “Triangle of Sadness” in 2022, eight years after his victory in the “Un certain regard” category. .
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
