A Swedish film that tells the story of a middle-aged poet who ends up working in a car factory alongside exploited immigrants was victorious at the Valletta Film Festival.

The Yard, a debut film by Mans Mansson, won Best Feature Film at the second edition of the nine-day festival held last week.

The feature film jury said it had awarded “a moving film with a very minimalist and beautiful cinematic language and a remarkable performance about a new liberal society that leaves us asking ourselves what we do and who we become”.

Best Screenplay went to Anna Zohra Berrached and Carl Gerber.

The jury was composed of directors Tamer El Said, Valery Rosier, Carolina Hellsgard and actors Cosmina Stratan and Brontis Jodorowsky.

The Yard also took the award for Best Cinematography.

The Polish film United States of Love was also awarded two prizes for its director Tomasz Wasilewski and actress Dorata Kolak. Wasilewski was described by the jury as “a risk-taking director who told a touching story about the impossibility of love and recreated a different era with a magnificent eye for every detail”.

Best Screenplay was awarded to Carl Gerber and Anna Zohra Berrached for 24 Weeks, a film that explores the moral dilemma of a woman considering a late-term abortion after she is told by doctors that her child was likely to suffer from Down’s syndrome.

The jury described it as “a perfectly crafted script that approaches a taboo subject and reveals through emotions the difficulty of making a life engaging choice”.

The Best Documentary award was handed to Spanish pro­duction Walls by Pablo Iraburu and Migueltxo Molina. The documentary Hotel Dallas received a special mention.

The Best Short Film went to Bellissima, a film from Italy by Alessandro Capitani that revolves around a teenager who locks herself up in the toilet of a nightclub after a romantic breakup.

Commenting on their decision, the jury said that the film was chosen for its outstanding heart and its use of the elements of cinema in service of its content.

The Teens Choice Award voted by audiences that attended screenings for Teens Only section of the festival went to the film Keeper.

Valletta Film Festival is organised by Film Grain Foundation.