Paraguayan director Marcelo Martinessi's film, The Heiresses!, has beaten 12 other films to win the Sydney Film Festival's official competition.
Martinessi attended the ceremony on Sunday night to accept the Sydney Film Prize and a $60,000 cash prize, which he was awarded for this year's "most audacious, cutting-edge and courageous" film, which dealt with privilege and class distinctions in a country with great inequality.
Meanwhile, Sydney filmmaker Ben Lawrence took out the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary with Ghosthunter.
"We were impressed by the humanity brought to this complex and dark subject matter as well as the suspenseful storytelling approach that had us on the edge of our seats," the judges said of Ghosthunter.
"We honour the filmmakers for their careful judgement while navigating this challenging ethical terrain."
Other winners included Alyssa McClelland's Second Best for the Dendy Live Action Short Award, Tom Noakes with the Rouben Mamoulian Award For Best Director with Nursery Rhymes and Andrew Goldsmith and Bradley Slabe's Lost & Found for the Yoram Gross Animation Award.
Check out the SFF website for more details.
