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Armenian actress Narine Grigoryan has won the Best Actress award at the 27th Kinoshock International Film Festival which drew to close in the Russian Black Sea resort of Anapa on Sunday. 

The actress received the prize for her portrayal of an Armenian woman named Yeva in a film of the same title directed by Iranian-Armenian filmmaker Anahit Abad.

The film was selected as the Armenian National Film Academy’s pick for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 90th Academy Awards. The Armenian-language film is a co-production of Armenia and Iran, written and directed by Anahit Abad. The film production was financed by the National Cinema Center of Armenia and Farabi Cinema Foundation.

It centers on Yeva, a young woman, who escapes her influential in-laws with her daughter Nareh, after her husband’s tragic death and takes refuge in one of the villages of Karabakh, Armenia. A complete stranger in the village, the woman is obliged to live her life in disguise.

"Munabiya" directed by Taalaibek Kulmendeev picked up the Golden Vine, the main prize of the film festival, while Vladimir Tolokonnikov was posthumously awarded as the best actor, Interfax Russian news agency reports. 

The 27th Kinoshock International Film Festival was held from 2 to 9 September. Its programs featured 67 films, including debuts, feature films and documentary world premieres.