A Colombian film received the Golden Peacock award Monday as a “celebration of the human spirit” from the International Film Festival of India.
The film “Porfirio,” directed by Colombian Alejandro Landes, was unanimously awarded the prize for being “an ingenious blend of fiction and reality.”
It beat 13 other films and received $90,000 in prize money during the 42nd annual festival in New Delhi.
“Porfirio” is a documentary telling the story of Porfirio Ramirez — a Colombian paraplegic who highjacked a plane in 2005 with two live grenades he had hidden in his diaper while in his wheelchair. His purpose was to demand state compensation for a 1991 shooting that left him paralyzed from the waist down.
“This award surprised us, truthfully, and it has an exotic touch, but we are very happy,” said one of the co-producers of the film, Gustavo Zambrano.
He added, “We are satisfied (…) because all of this serves to give voice to Porfirio, who lives poorly in his country selling mobile phone credit.”
Colombia’s ambassador in India, Juan Alfredo Pinto, expressed in a statement Sunday his “enormous satisfaction for what could be the most important achievement in Colombian cinema history,” according to news station Univision Noticias.
Porfirio was co-produced with film-makers from Argentina, Uruguay and Spain.