Satyajit Ray Award goes to Italian feature

London, Oct 31 (IANS) The 13th Annual Satyajit Ray Award has gone to the Italian film 'Mid-August Lunch', written and directed by Gianni di Gregorio, one of Italy's most celebrated screenwriters, the London Film Festival (LFF) announced.

The award also made honourable mentions of 'Shifty' (Britain) and 'Ramchand Pakistani' (Pakistan), said the LFF which ended Thursday night with a gala screening of 'Slumdog Millionaire', based on a novel written by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup.

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The Satyajit Ray Foundation gives an annual award at the LFF to a first feature reflecting the artistry, compassion and humanity of Ray's own work.

Gianni di Gregorio recently contributed to the acclaimed film 'Gomorrah'.

'Mid-August Lunch' is about a middle-aged man who looks after the elderly. The film is described as "a miniature gem, by turns comic, embarrassing, engaging and emotionally affecting'.

"This is a small but beautifully rendered drama of manners that captures the nuances of people's behaviour and shows a mis-fit group of individuals, coping (or not) with each others' idiosyncrasies," a British critic wrote.

Previous winners of the Satyajit Ray Award include: 'California Dreamin' (Endless)', 'The Lives Of Others', 'Pavee Lakeen', 'The Woodsman', 'Someone Like Hodder', 'Rachida', 'In The Bedroom', 'Uneasy Riders', 'Boys Don't Cry', and 'Smoke Signals'.