Chinese Take Away wins best film, audience prize in Rome

Argentine director Sebastian Borensztein’s Chinese Take Away has scooped up double honors at International Rome Film Festival where the picture won both top prizes, the Marc’ Aurelio jury award for best film as well as prestigious BNL audience award for best film, which comes with a $55,000 ( Euros 40,000) cash prize.

An international jury, led by Ennio Morricone selected the jury award.

The awards were announced Friday at the closing of the festival’s sixth edition.

Spain’s Latido handles international sales for the film, which had its market debut in Cannes. Take Away was a top grosser in Argentina this year and stars Ricardo Darín of foreign Oscar winner The Secret In Their Eyes.

Chinese Take-away (Un Cuento Chino) is about a tragicomic meeting between Jun (Ignacio Huang), a Chinese man who has just landed in Argentina and doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, and Roberto (Ricardo Darín), a cranky loner who is forced to adopt him.

The international jury also gave several other prizes including the Marc’ Aurelio for best actress to Noomi Rapace for her role in Babycall. The Marc’Aurelio for best actor went to France’s Guillaume Canet for his role in Une Vie Meilleure. Claude Miller took the Grand Marc’ Aurelio jury award for Voyez Comme Ils Dansent. The special Marc’ Aurelio jury award was given to Fred Schepisi’s The Eye Of The Storm. Ralf Wengenmayr took the prize for best original score for Hotel Lux, an honor in itself coming from a jury led by one of Hollywood’s greatest composers and lifetime Oscar winner Morricone.

The Extra section, whose jury was headed by Francesca Comencini awarded the Marc’ Aurelio for best documentary to David Redmond and Ashley Sabin for Girl Model.

The Alice In The City sidebar, whose jury is composed of youngsters bestowed the under 13 Award to En El Nombre De La Hija by Tania Hermida P and the Over 13 award to Noordzee Texas by Bavo Defurne.

The Marc’Aurelio emerging talent award was awarded ex aequo to Circumstance by Maryam Keshavarz and La Brindille by Emmanuelle Millet.

That award is given to debut directors across sections; the jury was presided over by former Rai Cinema chief Caterina D’Amico.

In a parallel announcement - Roberto Cicutto, head of Rome’s industry events said on Friday that he would not continue as head of the Business Street.

Cicutto’s mandate expires with this edition and while it could be renewed, he said he wouldn’t continue after he had been recently named as CEO of Cinecitta Luce.

Citing TBS’s strong results of 820 accredited industry professionals, despite the close dates to this year’s AFM (in 2012 the dates will not conflict), Cicutto said he hopes a new manager will be selected “from within the industry and selected by industry professionals.”

From 2012,TBS and New Cinema Network (NCN) Rome’s popular industry events, as in addition to the Via Veneto location they plan to utilize Rome’s contemporary Maxxi museum, placing them closer to the festival’s hub of the Auditorium Parco Della Musica, which are both in Rome’s Flamino neighborhood.

The Maxxi will be used mostly for screenings, events and meetings for both TBS and NCN.