Erol Minta’s debut feature “Song of My Mother”, which was a Turkey-France-Germany co-production, won the top award, the Heart of Sarajevo, at the Sarajevo Film Festival, which comes with €16,000 ($21,200), Variety reported.

The jury said it appreciated “the courageous simplicity, the pure cinematic language, the choice to show the daily life in a manner that makes us understand and love the characters. We are delighted that the filmmakers were capable to resist the temptation of mainstream cinema.”

The film also picked up the prize for actor for Feyyaz Duman’s perf.

The pic centers on a teacher, Ali, who lives with his mother, Nigar, in a Kurdish area of Istanbul. They are forced to move to a soulless suburb, where his mother pines for the Kurdish village of her youth.

The Special Jury Prize went to Tinatin Kajrishvili’s “Brides,” a Georgia-France co-pro. The film received €10,000 ($13,200).

The jury said the award went to the film “for its subtle cinematic approach in telling an intricate tale of separation, suffering, hope and despair. Through a quiet, cadenced narration which beautifully focuses on the smallest details, we witness love surmounting prison walls.”

The film also picked up the actress award for Mari Kitia.

The pic follows the attempts by a husband and wife to keep their relationship alive while he is in jail.

The jury was composed of Hungarian director Bela Tarr, Chris Dercon, director of Tate Modern in London, American actress Melissa Leo, Daniela Michel, founding director of Morelia Film Festival in Mexico, Rasha Salti, international programmer at Toronto Film Festival, Christoph Terhechte, head of the Forum section of the Berlinale, and Hungarian actress Orsi Toth.