The Stony Brook Film Festival, held between 18 and 27 July 2019 on Long Island, near New York City, has recognised the best short and feature films from over 74 countries for the past 24 years.
The movie was directed by Neshvad, a Luxembourg filmmaker born in Tehran who previously directed the short film “Fils” (Son) that was screened at the prestigious Festival de Cannes.
“Portraitiste” (in French with English subtitles) is a 15 minute drama that tells the story of René, a failed painter who is interrupted in his suicide attempt to be told that his granddaughter that he has never met, 8 years old Elise, is gravely ill.
The movie was featured during the Luxembourg City Film Festival in March. Since then, the film has won various awards including the Best International Short prize at the Oxford Film Festival in May.