"We were overwhelmed" "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" wins the ZFF feature film prize
The comedy "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" by director Rungano Nyoni won the ZFF's feature film competition in Zurich on Saturday. The second main prize went to Shiori Ito for the documentary "Black Box Diaries" about dealing with sexual violence in Japan.
12.10.2024, 22:01
12.10.2024, 22:17
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- The comedy "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl" by director Rungano Nyoni has won the ZFF feature film competition in Zurich.
- The comedy is about Shula, who comes across the corpse of her uncle on a deserted street.
- This film has the potential to change something about the systematic violence against women worldwide, the jury concluded its vote.
"From the first minute of the film, we are catapulted into a world that has been spectacularly filmed, with incredible music, exquisite sound design and acting performances that took our breath away," the five-member jury stated in its decision to award Nyoni a Golden Eye, as announced by the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) on Saturday. The jury also believes that Nyoni will conquer Hollywood.
Her comedy is about Shula, who comes across the body of her uncle on a deserted street. As the preparations for the funeral get underway, she and her cousins uncover the dark secrets of the middle-class family from Zambia, the jury was told.
Nyoni was born in Zambia and emigrated to Wales with her parents as a child. After initially training in finance, she decided to study acting in London. She went on to study drama.
Documentary film award for "Black Box Diaries"
"We were overwhelmed by Shiori Ito's resilience, openness and her courage to be vulnerable," said the jury about Ito's documentary, according to the communiqué. With its "careful editing", the film unfolds as a "sensitive but at the same time suspenseful work".
The Japanese journalist was raped by a respected professional colleague who had close ties to the government, according to the statement. In the documentary, the journalist uses the camera to show her attempt to bring her tormentor to justice. The work shows her fight against her country's backward sexual offense laws, the corruption of the police and the warnings from her own family.
This film has the potential to change something about the systematic violence against women worldwide, the jury concluded its vote. The film also received the Audience Award.