Majid Majidi wins Busan top prize for Midday Meal

Iranian director Majid Majidi has won Best Film at the 31st Busan International Film Festival for "Midday Meal". The prize was presented by Competition jury president Zhang Yimou, according to Variety.

"Midday Meal" follows a rural schoolteacher forced into difficult moral choices to keep a free lunch programme running for pupils after government cuts. The 133-minute Iranian feature had its world premiere, its first public screening anywhere, in Busan's main competition, as listed by Tehran Times. It was Majidi's first film in six years and features performer Mohammad Rahimi.

He accepted in person. Majidi had said he nearly skipped this year's festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The jury spread the other main awards widely. Lee Yun Chan took Best Director for "To Be Ordinary", a 112-minute Taiwan entry in Competition. Eddie Cahyono received the Special Jury Prize for "Ibuku".

Acting honours were shared. Kashun Himeno won for "Satoko Always" and Zhou Xun won for "The First Taste of Loneliness". "Satoko Always" is a 138-minute Japanese film directed by Shuichi Okita that had its international premiere, its first screening outside its home country, in Busan competition. "The First Taste of Loneliness" is a 135-minute China/France film directed by Gu You that premiered in Busan competition.

Majidi arrived with a long history. His 1998 film "Children of Heaven" was the first Iranian production nominated for the Oscar category now called Best International Feature. Busan also scheduled a talk titled 'From Children of Heaven to Midday Meal: Majid Majidi' on 9 October.

This year's main competition comprised 14 titles, according to Deadline. The festival ran from 6 to 15 October. The opener was "The Table: Day and Night" by Kim Jong-kwan, built around four romantic interludes in the same Seoul coffee shop.

Guests billed for the edition included Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michelle Yeoh and Japanese animation director Rintaro. Competition titles ranged from first features to established names, including Story Chen's "There Will Be Snow" and Byamba Sakhya's "Zogsool", about two social outcasts at a petrol stop on the Mongolian steppes.

What makes this stand out is the classroom at the centre. A story about school lunches took the top prize over 13 other Competition entries.