The 15th edition of Belfast Film Festival ended in triumph for Danish documentary director Berit Madsen, as she took home the top honour, winning the Maysles Brothers Award for best documentary for "Sepideh."
"I'm very honoured to receive the Maysles Brothers Award and it's with pride that I receive it on behalf of our whole team – and also on behalf of Sepideh," Berit Madsen said upon receiving the award.
Since premiering at IDFA in Amsterdam last November, Berit Madsen's documentary about Sepideh, a teenage girl from Tehran who dreams of becoming an astronaut, has been a festival favourite around the world. The film has been selected for such different festivals as Sundance, Tehran Fajr International Film Festival, and Planete Doc Review.
In the coming months "Sepideh" will be screened at a number of other notable festivals, including Sheffield Doc/Fest, New York Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Seoul International Film Festival, and Message to Man.
So far, Berit Madsen's film has been sold to distributors in more than 30 countries, including the United States, Australia, France, and Germany.
Read more:
Reaching for the Stars
Interview with director Berit Madsen
See trailer:
Sepideh - Reaching for The Stars
Sepideh wants to become an astronaut. She spends her nights exploring the secrets of the Universe, while her family will do anything to keep her on the ground.
The expectations for a young Iranian woman are very different from Sepideh's ambitions, and her plans to go to university are in danger.
