Sonya Hussyn wins Moscows Oscar | The Express Tribune

MOSCOW:

Actor Sonya Hussyn’s triumph at the inaugural Eurasian Open Award ‘Diamond Butterfly’ in Moscow has become far more than a personal milestone, unfolding instead as a moment of unexpected cultural visibility for Pakistan at a global cinematic gathering.

Hussyn’s performance in the film ‘Deemak’ earned her the Best Supporting Actress award, placing Pakistan at the centre of attention at a festival that drew 34 films from 17 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America, marking an ambitious attempt to redefine cross-regional artistic dialogue.

Hussyn dedicated her award to young Pakistani girls searching for space, confidence and acknowledgment, stating that every aspirant questioning whether her voice carries weight should see this achievement as validation that talent and commitment do not remain unseen forever.

Her gratitude extended to the Russian government, festival organisers, jury members and the award’s founder, Nikita, alongside the Pakistan government, whose diplomatic support enabled the film’s participation at a ceremony designed to celebrate cinema grounded in spiritual and moral values.

Pakistan entered the competition with two films —’Deemak’ and ‘Love Guru’ —underscoring the country’s growing interest in using international platforms to amplify local stories, performances and themes that often remain overlooked in the larger global cinema conversation.

‘Deemak’, featuring Faysal Quraishi, Samina Peerzada, Javed Sheikh and Bushra Ansari, has already earned Rs175 million at the domestic box office, a figure highlighted by Variety as unprecedented for a Pakistani horror title and a sign of audience appetite for local genre experimentation.

The film explores tensions within a household where a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law face mounting psychological strain as paranormal disturbances intensify, creating a narrative that blends domestic realism with supernatural escalation, resulting in a work praised for emotional precision and atmospheric restraint.

Hussyn’s performance drew consistent acclaim during the festival, with jurors noting the controlled intensity and nuanced shifts she brought to a character negotiating fear, loyalty and the burden of unspoken familial expectations, making her a standout among entries from multiple regions.

Her visibility at the Diamond Butterfly ceremony offered Pakistan an unplanned spotlight, as she declared that the moment was not simply an artistic acknowledgement but a rare instance in which Pakistan was genuinely seen within a growing international film landscape.

The Diamond Butterfly Award, launched by the Russian Ministry of Culture and the Russian Cultural Foundation, was conceived to support cinema reflecting traditional values, shared cultural identities and moral themes, countering what organisers describe as commercially driven global narratives.

The main award features a diamond-encrusted butterfly designed by artist Yuri Cooper, and winners across 12 categories receive substantial monetary prizes, including a million-dollar award for Best Film, positioning the ceremony as a major entrant in global film honours.

This year’s shortlist included titles from Russia, China, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Cuba, Senegal, South Africa, Pakistan, Belarus, Indonesia, Vietnam and Iran, reflecting a collective intention to highlight national aesthetics and shared cultural threads.

The Chinese film ‘Against the Current’, directed by Xu Zheng, secured the grand prize and a million-dollar award, while Turkmen production designer Meylis Hudayberenov won Best Artist for work on ‘Composer’, receiving a prize amounting to $250,000.

The festival also accepted Iranian entries including ‘Whisper My Name’, ‘In the Arms of the Tree’ and ‘My Daughter’s Hair’, each previously recognised at major regional festivals and selected by Iran’s national committee for films emphasising social storytelling and emotional complexity.

Organisers of the Diamond Butterfly Award have compared the ceremony’s potential scale to that of the Oscars, arguing that its emphasis on cultural heritage and ethical storytelling distinguishes it within an increasingly fragmented global film environment.

The award intends to reconnect cinema with what its founders describe as its true mission: to articulate values, interpret culture, explore universal human experiences and prioritise meaning over commercial spectacle or politically driven narratives.

More than 20 countries have already applied for membership in the Eurasian Academy, with 30 films submitted for consideration this year, evidence of a growing appetite for platforms that celebrate shared cultural and historical sensibilities.

Kyrgyzstan submitted five films, including ‘The Struggle’, ‘The Kyrgyz on Mars’, ‘Deal on the Border’, ‘Black, Red, Yellow’ and ‘Dance with Mom!’, signalling the country’s ongoing investment in expanding its creative presence in regional cinema.

For Pakistan, however, the moment belonged unmistakably to Sonya Hussyn, whose achievement travelled across social media with her declaration that Pakistan’s presence on the Moscow stage represented not only artistic recognition but collective cultural visibility.

Her words captured the emotional charge of the evening as she reminded audiences that when dreams are pursued with honesty and hunger, they eventually find their path, even when shaped within industries still fighting for global acknowledgment.

The evening in Moscow, filled with films rooted in cultural memory and human struggle, ended with Pakistan placed firmly in the international frame, carried there by a performance that spoke louder than its genre and more deeply than its narrative frame.

For many observers, Hussyn’s win offered not only a celebration of individual talent but a glimpse of what Pakistan’s film community might achieve as it continues engaging with platforms that value story, sincerity and the spirit of artistic resilience.