Carice van Houten won the award for best actress on Friday at the Netherlands Film Festival. The Dutch actress took the coveted honour for her leading role in the film Black Butterflies. 

The film tells the story of famed South African poet Ingrid Jonker (played by Van Houten) and her struggle for success amid censorship restrictions imposed by South Africa’s ruling Nasionale Party.

The Dutch film went global in July of this year, with distribution reaching as far as France, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Scandinavia, the US and many African countries.

It is not Van Houten’s first accolade for Black Butterflies. Earlier this year, the film was screened at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York and she was awarded the festival's prize for best actress. 

(lo/nc)

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