MUMBAI: Pink Saris, which chronicles the gulabi gang of Uttar Pradesh led by Sampat Pal Devi that helps Dalit women fight violence, has won the Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Documentary at the 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

The festival that concludes on 5 April declared the winning films for the Asian Digital Competition, Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries, Short Film Competition, FIPRESCI Prize and SIGNIS Awards.

The jury commented on the Kim Longinotto-directed film Pink Sari thus: “The power of the film lies not only in its championing of these women’s struggle for equality, but also in its refusal to shy away from exploring the complexity of the process of change and the flaws of its protagonist.”

In the Asian Digital competition, the Golden Digital award went to Old Dog by Pema Tsedan while the Silver Digital Award was taken by Eternity by Sivaroj Kongsakul. The cinematography of Sonthar Gyal’s directorial debut The Sun Beaten Path received a special mention.

The Humanitarian award for ‘Best Documentary’ went to director Soda Kazushiro for his film Peace. The Grand Prize in the Short Film Competition went to Pigs, directed by Pawel Romuald. The Jury Prize went to Little Children, Big Words directed by Lisa James Larsson. Both Annick Blanc’s Nowhere Elsewhere and Ann Marie Fleming’s I was a Child of Holocaust Survivors received a special mention.

The FIPRESCI award was presented to Yoon Sung-hyun for his debut feature Bleak Night while the FIPRESCI special mention went to Hirohara Satoru-directed Good Morning to the World.