MUMBAI: After impressing the audience and critics alike at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival 2017 where Newton made its world premiere and also won the CICAE Art Cinema Award, Drishyam Film’s upcoming film is now making waves at its Asia premiere in Hong Kong.

The film produced by Manish Mundra and directed by Amit V Masurkar has won the Jury Prize for the Best Film at the 41st Hong Kong Film Festival 2017, where it was screened in the Young Cinema Competition category.

The jury awarded the film “For the intelligent and human presentation of a political situation in a country. The film balances the humour, disillusion and – against all odds – a steadfast belief in the meaning of democracy.”

Thrilled with the audience and jury response to his film, director Amit V Masurkar says, "We are delighted. It's one of the most prestigious film festivals." Newton is Amit V Masurkar’s second film after the sleeper hit, Sulemani Keeda in 2014.

Starring Rajkummar Rao in the titular role, Newton features a stellar cast which includes Anjali Patil, Pankaj Tripathi and Raghubir Yadav. Rajkummar immediately took to Twitter to exult after the award was announced, stating "After #Berlinale win, another feather in #Newton's cap." Manish Mundra, the founder of Drishyam Films and the producer of Newton, is elated with the film's international success as well. "With each milestone, we come closer to the film's India release this summer -- can't wait to present Newton to our Indian audiences!" .

The film will be making its North American premiere at the 15th Tribeca Film Festival 2017 in the international narrative competition section next week. It will have four screenings at the festival, which will be held from 19-30 April in New York. Newton was also part of the Co-Production Market (CPM) at Film Bazaar 2015 and one of the Film Bazaar Recommends titles at Film Bazaar 2016.

Newton is a razor sharp political black comedy that takes place on an election day in Central India. Rajkummar Rao, whose star is on the rise following strong, highly appreciated performances in films like Aligarh and Queen, plays Newton, a rookie clerk on election duty in a conflict-ridden jungle of Chhattisgarh, who tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of an attack by Maoist rebels.