Agartala, May 28: Mathia, a film directed by Catholic priest Joseph Pulinthanath in the tribal Kokborok language, has bagged the best feature film award at the international film festival held in Warsaw from May 19 to 25.

The film is based on the prevalent custom of witch-killing in Tripura’s tribal community. Zygmunt, chief organiser of the festival, conveyed the news in a message to Sampari Pictures of Bishramganj in Bishalgarh subdivision yesterday.

Since nobody on behalf of Sampari Films could attend the festival, the organisers will send the award, consisting of a citation and statuette, though the Indian embassy in Poland.

This is the first time that a film made in Tripura on an indigenous theme has won international acclaim and been awarded at a festival outside India. An elated Pulinthanath said the jury had selected the film for its “realistic depiction of the culture and heritage of a community in Tripura.

“The film was screened at the festival on May 21 and won instant appreciation from the audience as well as the jury,” Pulinthanath said.

The director said the festival had always focussed on value-based films with social themes. Mathia was one of the 52 entries from countries like Australia, Russia, Belarus, Italy, Canada, USA, Jordan, Cyprus and others, he said.

Apart from Mathia, two other films that were awarded in the festival are the Polish movie Kossak, directed by Yadiwi S. and From Despair to Hope, a film from Australia.

Polish filmmaker Pawel Woldan was awarded the festival Grand Prize for his 54-minute documentary Pastor.

The story of Mathia, depicts the love between a tribal boy and a girl. The latter is suspected to be a witch. It ends with the death of the girl who implores his beloved to remember her as a fair and normal human.

Pulinthanath admitted that the film had certain cinematic flaws which he hoped to get rid of in his next venture.

Mathia was first screened during an international cinema conference, organised by Roop Kala Kendra, an Indo-Italian project, at Nandan in Calcutta in February.

The director said he would begin work on his next film very soon. The film would deal with the social evils afflicting Tripura’s tribal society.