Filmmaker Nino Basilia scoops major prize at French festival

Award-winning Georgian film director Nino Basilia continued her quest for European honours this week by scooping a top award at the Arras Film Festival in France on Monday.

Fresh after the triumph of her feature Anna's Life at the Mallorca International Film Festival in Spain on Saturday, Basilia was announced winner of the Best Director award at the French film festival, which ran from November 4-13.

The Georgian filmmaker won one of six major awards of the festival. The film review website www.cineuropa.org announced the winners on Monday.

See Georgian filmmaker Nino Basilia speak about her award-winning film 'Anna's Life' at the Arras Film Festival below:

The Best Director prize, also known as the Silver Atlas, was bestowed upon Basilia in a ceremony that involved other winning filmmakers and projects.

Anna's Life, Basilia's debut feature work, screened at the Arras film festival among nine films in the European Competition section.

The film follows a young single mother named Anna who works several jobs to fund professional care for her autistic son. Struggling with the task she decides to take a chance by moving to the United States and taking him with her, however she will need to trust a man promising to obtain papers for her travel.

Basilia's award-winning film features Georgian actress Ekaterine Demetradze in the principal role. Screenshot from the film's trailer.

In parallel to the screenings at the French and Spanish film festivals, Anna's Life was also part of the Film Festival Cottbus in Germany, which concluded on November 13.

Anna's Life achieved its first international recognition by winning the Merit Award at the Construir Cine International Film Festival in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires and the Special Jury Prize at the International Crime and Punishment Film Festival in Istanbul, Turkey earlier this year.

The full list of winners of the Arras Film Festival can be found here.