Ardour and Allegory At the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival

Jean-Luc Godard, who recently applied a jump-cut to his own life, was paid a Homage.

- Sudipto Mullick

She was patently armed. At the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival 2022 award ceremony. None sooner, the penultimate Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award, that for the Best Director for International competition on 'Innovation in Moving Images' was announced, one-half of the director duo of the film, 'Hitler's Witch', her live-in partner Ernesto Ardito having to stay back in Argentina, donned FIFA WC Qatar winner-captain Messi's jersey both as an ardour and allegory - a device that cinema liberally employs, to thunderous applause.

Encrusting her dramatic gesture, a nearly- teary Molina stated that for them "it wasn't just winning a World Cup. As Third World citizens, we have to work under so much pressure; the struggle is intense. I had brought along the jersey with the thought that if I win an award, I would wear it. Also, winning this award for our film against patriarchy, Nazism and hatred is another achievement for us." Interestingly, the evening's just previous award winner, Iranian director Nahid Hassanzadeh, who picked up the Special Jury honour for 'Shokoube Khamoush' ('Silent Glory'), also drew attention to the ongoing turmoil in her land when she dedicated the trophy to "all the personnel involved with Iranian cinema. Those who are fighting for life, fighting for freedom. Hope they can live with liberty." The ultimate announcement saw Spanish and Bangladeshi entries - US-immigration visa-interrogation drama, 'Upon Entry' (Dirs: Alejandro Rojas & Juan Sebastian Vasquez) and ethnocultural-anthropological effort, 'Kura Pokkhir Shunye Ura' ('The Golden Wings of Watercocks') directed & produced by Muhammad Quayum, respectively as joint winners of the Best Film trophy, which comes with a 51 Lakhs INR prize money.