The curtain fell on Cyprus Film Days film festival, the official international fiction feature film festival of Cyprus, on Sunday night with an award ceremony at Rialto Theatre to celebrate cinema and honour independent filmmakers.

The international jury, comprised of Martin Schweighofer, Εxecutive Director of the Austrian Film Commission and chairman of the Jury, Despina Mouzaki (producer and director) and Μania Akbari (director and actress) honoured filmmakers with the awards.

The Best Film Award was given to “Stratos”, by Cypriot director Yannis Economides.

The jury commented on the film as “a slow-burning crime and punishment drama and an explosive study of moral decay, set in Greece in times of crisis”.

“Director Yannis Economides and his powerful cast, led by the main character, introduce us to an unmerciful contract killer, who is trying to make this mean, cold and ugly world he lives in a better place and for a few moments he actually succeeds.”

The Special Jury Award was given to ‘Funeral at Noon’ directed by Adam Sanderson from Israel.

“A dramatic and painful story depicted in one of the most beautiful and poetic ways with just a few actors. A unique way of expression, raising questions about hidden and invisible realities in our lives,” said the organisers.

The film received the award, “for the allegorical vision of its director, rooted in classical tragedy and in the codes of the Western genre. For the powerful story through which the film unearths an austere and uncaring landscape and reveals the inhuman face of contemporary Greece.”

“For the strong metaphors of the community’s troubling power relations and for the fierce central character that defies the male- dominated structures that have corrupted the world she lives in.”

The Glocal Images Award was given to the film ‘Standing Aside Watching’ by Yiorgos Servetas from Greece.

The Audience Award went to ‘Life Feels Good’, directed by Maciej Pieprzyca from Poland. The award was sponsored by Stella Artois.

This film, also received the Student Jury Prize, by the student committee of Mediazone-University of Nicosia. The 13th edition of the festival will be held in April 2015.

Established in 2001, the festival is organised by the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture and Rialto Theatre.

It has become one of the most successful events, highlighting feature films and bringing together Cypriot audiences and the international independent cinematography.