In a break from tradition, the jury took the award to Panahi in the State Theatre audience and he took a bow to warm applause.
Festival director Nashen Moodley explained that normally the winner would come to the stage “but these are not normal times”.
“Jafar Panahi has been very upset by the situation in Iran, of course, and he has been unable to attend his screenings,” he said. “He has been constantly in contact with his family, friends and colleagues all over Iran.”
The prize was announced on the closing night of a festival that attracted a record audience of more than 150,000 people to paid and free screenings and events – up 11 per cent on last year. About a third of almost 450 screenings and events sold out.
The winner of the $20,000 Australian documentary competition was Shalom Almond’s Songs Inside, about women prisoners taking a music program, leading to a performance with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
Jafar Panahi in Sydney at the start of the festival.Credit: Janie Barrett
The sustainable futures award went to Jordan Giusti’s documentary Floodlands, which looked at the impact of devastating flooding on the Lismore community, with the First Nations prize going to Lisa Jackson’s Wilfred Buck, about a charismatic Cree educator in Canada.
In the Dendy Awards for short film, Rory Pearson’s Mates won for best director and, with Marcus Aldred-Traynor, best screenwriting, while Jemma Cotter’s The Fling claimed best animation, and Fraser Pemberton and William Jaka’s Faceless won best live-action short and the craft award for Josh Peters’ music and sound design.
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