NEW DELHI: American feature film Bob and the Trees, where the main character, logger and rap fan Bob Tarasuk plays himself, was awarded with the Crystal Globe at the 50th anniversary Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Tarasuk accepted the Festival Grand Prix in person, together with director Diego Ongaro who said, “We had virtually no money to shoot the film so I had to invest my and my wife’s money.” He said he had still not found a distributor.

Tarasuk added, “My grandmother was Czech and my grandfather Ukrainian so I dedicate this award to them.”

Popular actress Iva Janžurová was awarded with The Festival President’s Award, an Honorary Mention for her fundamental contribution to the Czech cinematography. “I promise that this award will not mean the end of my acting career,” noted the actress. Czech actor Alena Mihulová received the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of a dedicated nurse in Slávek Horák’s debut Home Care and her compatriot Kryštof Hádek received the Best Actor Award as the problematic younger brother in the drama The Snake Brothers directed by Jan Prušinovský.

The Special Jury Prize was granted to Austrian director Peter Brunner for the film Those Who Fall Have Wings, a drama on coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Kosovan Visar Morina received the Best Director Award for his film Babai, a story about a small boy setting off on a journey to find his father. The jury also awarded two Special Mentions to animated biography The Magic Mountain directed by Anca Damian, and the drama Antonia, a tragic story of the Italian poet.

The prize for the best film of the East of the West Competition was awarded to social drama The Wednesday Child by the Hungarian director Lili Horváth, a tale of a young girl who wants to secure better circumstances for her child. A Special Mention was awarded to Romanian film The World Is Mine.

The Grand Prix for Best Documentary Film went toHelena Treštíková for her latest long-term documentary Mallory. The jury also awarded a Special Mention to Austrian film The Father Tapes. The prize for the best documentary film up to 30 minutes in length was awarded to White Death, a story of a Chilean military company trapped in the snow told using a variety of formats and animation techniques. The Special Mention in this category was granted to Women in Sink, a visit to an Israeli beauty salon. The Forum of Independents Award went to American transgender comedy Tangerine, shot by director Sean Baker on an iPhone 5.