Upon closing of the 63rd Sydney Film Festival, Brazilian/French film Aquarius was awarded the annual Sydney Film Prize, the prestigious top honour that sees director Kleber Mendonça Filho take home $63,000 in cash.
Jury President Simon Field said Aquarius was "both political and personal – witty, sexy and playful. A film of effortless verve and intelligence … Aquarius is a compelling and relevant statement about contemporary Brazil, and the power of an individual standing up for what she believes".
The Sydney Film Prize is selected from 12 Official Competition films and is awarded for its "emotional power and resonance; audaciousness, cutting-edge, courageousness; and capacity to go beyond the usual treatment of the subject matter".
Other films in the Official Competition this year included Australian film Goldstone (Ivan Sen), Portuguese film Letters From War (Ivo M. Ferreira), Indian film Psycho Raman (Anurag Kashyap) and Irish film Viva (Paddy Breathnach).
