Source: Variety
By MARCELO CAJUEIRO
Date: November 1, 2008
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Helmer Emily Atef's German drama "The Stranger in Me" nabbed the top kudos of the 32nd edition of the Sao Paulo Film Fest, held Oct. 16-30 in South America's largest city. "Stranger" got the feature kudo, as well as a special actress award for Susanne Wolff. According to fest rules, the jury is free to decide on the quantity and type of prizes it will distribute to pics includedon a shortlist that auds select by vote. The list is limited to first or second features. The jury was comprised of helmers Hugh Hudson (U.K.), Jorge Bodanzky (Brazil), Nicolas Klotz (France) and Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran) and German producer Meinolf Zurhorst. The doc jury, comprised of local helmers Heitor Dhalia and Laiz Bodanzky and producer Caio Gullane, gave the doc kudo to Rajesh S. Jala's "Children of the Pyre," an Indian production.
For the audience awards, all features screening in the fest were eligible. Ashutosh Gowariker's "Jodhaa Akbar," an Indian pic, took home the aud's foreign feature kudo. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's "Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love," about the Senegalese pop star, received the aud foreign doc kudo, while Paulo Henrique Fontenelle's "Loki -- Arnaldo Batista," about the former lead singer of Tropicalia band Mutantes, received the aud Brazilian doc award.
Matheus de Souza's "Apenas o fim" (That's It) nabbed the aud Brazilian feature kudo. Souza's debut pic also received a prize from local post-production facility Teleimage. Miguel Gomes' "Aquele querido mes de agosto" (That Dearest August Month), a Portuguese production, earned the crix kudo. Helmer Mauricio Farias' "Veronica" received the youth award, selected by high school moviegoers. The fest wrapped Oct. 30 with a musical performance by Portuguese star Maria de Medeiros. German helmer Wim Wenders and Benicio Del Toro, who presented "Che," were among international talent attending the fest.
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Source: IndiaFM
Date: November 3, 2008
Ashutosh Gowariker's magnum opus Jodhaa Akbar wins yet another international award of the 'Audience Award' of the Best Foreign Feature Film at the 32nd Sao Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil, South America. This award comes just after the Grand Prix Award for Best Film and the Best Actor Award that the film won at the Golden Minbar Film Festival held in Kazan, Russia over a week ago. "I am extremely happy. I would really like to thank the audiences in Brazil for appreciating the film. This is the second honour coming just a week after we got the Grand Prix Award at the Golden Minbar Film Festival, Kazan. What I am most happy with is that the audiences as diverse as the Russians and the Brazilians have honoured the film. I am thrilled that the film has crossed over," said an elated Ashutosh Gowariker.