‘The Mother of all Lies’ Wins Sydney Film Festival top Prize

The Mother of all Lies, a docu-drama film that probes the secrets of Moroccos 1981 Bread Riots, was Sunday named the best picture at the Sydney Film Festival.

The jury, headed by Anurag Kashyap, called the Asmae El Moudir-directed film audacious, cutting-edge and courageous. It presented the A$60,000 ($41,100) cash prize film ahead at the State Theatre ahead of the Australian premiere screening ofIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

The film, which uses doll-like figurines, recently premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, where it earned the sections best director prize. Juxtaposing evidence from barely existent public materials with private family memory, this film reconstructs the history of the state, the family and the individual, in three distinct levels, said the jury of Kashyap, actorMia Wasikowska(Australia), film curator and journalistDorothee Wenner(Germany), writer and directorLarissa Behrendt(Australia) and filmmakerVisakesa Chandrasekaram(Australia Sri Lanka).

The largest prize pool inSydneyFilm Festival history was shared by Australian filmmakersDerik LynchandMatthew Thorne who were awarded theDocumentary Australia Awards$20,000 cash prize forMarungka Tjalatjunu(aka Dipped in Black),which follows Lynch, a Yankunytjatjara artist, on a road trip back to his country roots (Aputula), as memories from his childhood return.

The 2022 recipient of the A$40,000Sustainable Future Award, the largest environmental film prize in the world, was Indian directorSarvnik Kaur, for her filmAgainst the Tide, an intimate documentary where two fishermen from Mumbais indigenous Koli community confront the impact of the changing environment.

There were also five awards for short films. The AFTRS Craft Award for best practitioner (a A$7,000 cash prize) went toKalu Oji,Faro MusodzaandMakwaya Masudi,screenwriters forWhats In a Name?The inaugural Event Cinemas Rising Talent Award, with a cash prize of A$7,000 was awarded toRobyn Liu, lead actor inThe Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man.

The A$5,000 Yoram Gross Animation Award was awarded toTeacups, directed byAlec GreenandFinbar Watson. The A$7,000 Dendy Live Action Short Awardwas awarded toThe Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man,directed byDavid Ma.TheA$7,000 Rouben Mamoulian Award for best directorwas presented toSophie Somerville,director ofLinda 4 Eva.

This years festival was a huge success with a great number of film fans returning to the cinemas in 2023 attending over 400 film screenings, special events and talks. This year we presented 242 incredible films from across the globe and audiences were eager to take part in the festivities withover 100sold out sessions, said SydneyFilm Festival CEO Frances Wallace.

The festival, which ran June 7-18, will now take to the road. Selections will be shown at seven locations in New South Wales, including Newcastle, Orange, Port Macquarie and Sawtell, as part of the Travelling Film Festival through to October 2023.