MOSCOW – Aleksei Uchitel's film of powerful emotions between a shell-shocked officer and women in a Siberian labor camp, The Edge, took top kudos late Thursday at Russia's Nika National Film Awards.

The Nikas, the older of two national film awards held annually in Russia, gave "Best Actor" to Vladimir Mashkov, who starred as the damaged soldier in Uchitel's film, which was also Russia's entry for best foreign Oscar earlier this year. Director of photography Yuri Klimenko picked up the prize for best lensing.

Yevgeny Mironov won "Supporting Actor" for his part in Nikita Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun 2, the lavish sequel to his 1995 Oscar-winner (Burnt by the Sun), set in war-torn Russia. Film screened last year in competish at Cannes.

"Best Actress" was Nina Ruslanova for her part in the comedy The Chinese Grandmother ("Kitayskaya babushka"); "Best Supporting Actress" went to Irina Muravyova for the same film. ...

Aleksei Popogrebsky won "Best Director" for How I Spent Last Summer, a hit with critics last year in Berlin where it screened in competition; "Best Screenplay" to Denis Osokin for Silent Souls ("Ovsyanki"). ...

The Nikas have been awarded annually in Russia since 1988 by the Russian Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences; a separate national film awards ceremony, the Golden Eagles, founded by Nikita Mikhalkov, has been hosted each year since 2002 by the Russian National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.