Turkish ‘Grain’ wins top award at Tokyo film festival

Turkish Director Semih Kaplanoglu (L), actor Jean-Marc Barr (C) and producer Bettina Brokemper (R) pose for the photo as they make a stage appearance after the screening of the movie ''Grain'' which competes in Competition category of the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival in Tokyo, Japan

Turkish film Grain won the top award at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival on Friday.

The international award-winning director Semih Kaplanoğlu’s dystopian drama, inspired by a chapter from the Muslim holy book of Quran, won the Tokyo Grand Pix award.

“It is a post-apocalyptic story set in a world where those that survive, are divided between the remnants of cities and agricultural zones,” according to Internet Movie Database’s (IMDb) website.

Speaking at the closing ceremony at Roppongi Ex Theater in Tokyo, Kaplanoğlu said that he worked for around five years to complete his film.

“Every minute we live in, causes a wound to the world. Extreme consumption, extreme capitalism,” the 54-year-old director said.

“Let’s treasure our life and humanity, please. Let’s understand where we came from and where we head to,” he added.

“As a director, I tried to make this film as a respect to the earth, the deeds, and the creation,” Kaplanoğlu said.

The festival's Special Jury Prize went to Italian directors Silvia Luzi and Luca Bellino’s for their film Crater.A Tokyo-based Malaysian director Edmund Yeo received Best Director award with his film We the Dead.

Finnish filmmaker Teemu Nikki’s Euthanizer won the Best Screenplay Award while Japanese director Akiko Ooku’s Tremble All You Want got Audience Award.

Chinese director Dong Yue’s The Looming Storm received the Best Artistic Contribution award while Duan Yihong received the Best Actor Award for his performance in the same film.

Best Actress Award went to French actress Adeline D'Hermy for her role at Maryline.

Directed by Akio Fujimoto "Passage of Life" received the Best Asian Future Film Award. The film is based on the true story of a Burmese family in Tokyo. The family immigrates to Japan without any document after an uprising in Myanmar, according to the IMDb.