Once Upon A Time in Calcutta
Jury Statement
The Circle Award jury has selected the film Once Upon A Time in Calcutta, as the winner of the 2022 Circle Award. The jury felt that with this creation, director Aditya Vikram Sengupta has presented the film world with an artful masterpiece that offers diverse, yet intimate, portraits of the rich, the poor, and the disreputable residents of Calcutta, with the city itself playing a role that is both silent and robust. Through superb cinematography and lighting, the viewer gets a vivid sense of the oppressiveness of life for the city's underclass, as well as issues that are specific and universal. For these reasons this film deserves increased recognition.
The jury felt that the film Happening, directed by Audrey Diwan, deserves special mention for its compelling examination of the topic of abortion in France in 1963, which was illegal at the time. The director's thoughtful, stylistic approach deserves particular recognition, with camera following the lead character closely, creating an intimacy that bonds the viewer with her plight. Although this film transports us to the past—and to a foreign country—it reflects issues that have resonance in the United States today.