KUALA LUMPUR: Local film Korsakoff about a kidnapped woman suffering from the titular medical affliction due to a lack of Vitamin B1 was named Best Psychological Film at the Cannes World Film Festival (CWFF).
The film is the second production by D'Alpha Legacy (M) Sdn Bhd to win at the monthly awards for CWFF after Eva was selected as the winner in the Best Thriller/Suspense category.
Eva is set to be screened at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and will be in the running to compete in the Best Thriller/Suspense category then.
The films' producer Diyana Ismail said that the production company was thrilled to have two of its works recognised at an international level.
"I submitted both Eva and Korsakoff to the film festival in France and was very grateful that after Eva, Korsakoff has also been recognised by a professional jury at the Cannes World Film Festival," she said in a recent news report.
Diyana explained that Korsakoff was selected as the winner for the month of August and qualifies to be nominated in the annual awards ceremony set to take place in May next year.
"I am extremely thankful with this win after producing five films, Korsakoff has been recognised at an international stage even though it has not been screened yet. I am very proud to prove that our films can be brought overseas," she said.
Established by Karolina Bomba in 2020, CWFF is an annual event to celebrate films, short films, documentaries, animations, music videos, commercials, wed series and other creative content.
Talking about Korsakoff, Diyana explained that the storyline and committed cast that included Elly Arifin, Erra Fazira, Ning Baizura, Azhan Rani and Iqram Dinzly were factors in making the production a success.
"I believe the teamwork between the actors made this film a success. Even though there wasn't a big cast, I believe that the quality of the film is satisfactory and it's all because of the potent chemistry shared between the actors," she said.
According to Diyana, Korsakoff follows the journey of a woman who suffers from Korsakoff syndrome, a memory disorder that results from Vitamin B1 deficiency.
"Elly portrays a woman dealing with Korsakoff and the film basically showcases her journey of revenge which results in her being kidnapped."
The film, directed by Opie Zamie and filmed late last year, will be streamed on an Over-The-Top (OTT) platform in the near future.
Founded five years ago, D'Alpha Legacy has since produced films such as Kelaster and Frontliner, as well as Bisikan which has yet to be screened.