Colombian wins film critics` prize at Berlin fest

Berlin: Colombian director Oscar Ruiz de Navia has been awarded an international critics` prize at the 60th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival for his debut work "El vuelco del cangrejo" (Crab Trap). After receiving the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) award Friday, the 27-year-old director dedicated it "to the whole community of La Barra", a village on Colombia`s northern coast where the filming took place.

"I hope this helps us distribute the film and also promotes Colombian cinema in Europe," the director, who worked five years on the project, told EFE. "El vuelco del cangrejo" tells the story of a man named Daniel who is on the run following a crisis in his home city and becomes stranded in a small Afro-Colombian village, where a struggle involving local residents and a developer is brewing. The film focuses on the daily lives of the Afro-Colombian community in La Barra, where Daniel has come in hopes of finding a boat to take him out of the country. The Fipresci prizes were announced Friday, a day before the main awards of this year`s Berlinale - the Golden Bear for best film in competition and Silver Bears for categories including best actor, best actress and best director - are handed out at the festival`s closing ceremony Saturday. This year`s international jury, which will award the Golden and Silver Bears, is presided over by renowned German filmmaker Werner Herzog. IANS