First Rohingya film Lost Land wins Best Film at Red Sea International Film Festival

apanese filmmaker Akio Fujimoto’s Lost Land, the first feature film shot entirely in the Rohingya language, has bagged the Best Film Award at the Red Sea International Film Festival this year. The Rohingya refugee drama took home the top prize, the Golden Yusr for best film, along with a cash prize of $100,000 for the filmmaker.

Fujimoto accepted the award from Anora filmmaker Sean Baker, who was the head of the Red Sea Competition jury. Lost Land is described as an intimate portrait of two siblings who seek to flee persecution in Myanmar.

“With nothing but vague directions and each other, nine-year-old Somira and her younger brother Shafi begin a harrowing journey to join an uncle in Malaysia, crossing borders by sea and land and navigating a world shaped by smugglers, fear and exploitation,” the official synopsis reads. Earlier this year, Akio Fujimoto’s film had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival. It also received the special jury prize.

Lost Land also bagged the jury grand prize at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

Besides the Golden Yusr, Cherien Dabis’ family drama, All That’s Left of You won the Silver Yusr and a $ 30,000 cash prize. It is also Jordan’s official submission for the Oscars, one of three films about Palestinian history.

Bollywood actors like Kartik Aaryan, Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon also graced the festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.