The film’s director, Kim Longinotto, was also presented with the Inspiration Award; festival attracts record number of delegates.

Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris has picked up the special jury award at the 17th edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest, which closed yesterday (7 November).

The jury, led by Eugene Hernandez, praised Longinotto for her “dramatic as well as transformative” documentary about a woman in Uttar Pradesh who fought back against an arranged marriage.

British documentary film-maker Longinotto was also honoured with the festival’s Inspiration Award, which celebrates a figure in the industry who has helped bring great work to the public eye. Her previous films Sisters in Law and Rough Aunties picked up prizes in Cannes and Sundance.

The BT Vision Sheffield Innovation Award went to Clio Barnard for her biography of Yorkshire playwright Andrea Dunbar The Arbor, which uses actors lip synching.

This year’s Youth Jury Award – chosen by a group of six 16-21 year olds– was awarded to Laura Fairrie’s The Battle for Barkingm while the Student Doc Award went to Will Woodward’s No Easy Time, which focuses on prison therapy.The festival’s Green Award went to Floris-Jan van Luyn’s Rainmakers, which was selected for Sheffield Doc/Fest’s MeetMarket in 2008.

The awards rounded off Sheffield Doc/Fest’s final November edition before it moves to its new June slot in 2011.

This year’s festival attracted a record number of delegates, with attendance up from 1885 delegates in 2009 to over 2000 for this edition.

“It’s been damn hard to grow this festival over the last four years, but we’ve done it and now it’s time to say, it’s actually worked. We’ve got international profile, all the buyers are coming and people see it as a must go to event,” said Sheffield Doc/Fest director Heather Croall.