At Home Walking directed by Rajula Shah has been chosen for the Best Long Documentary at the 13th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
The award carries a cash prize of ₹2 lakh. The jury, headed by filmmaker Iffat Fatima, observed that the film is a powerful counterpoint to the disturbing expressions of religiosity in mass culture that have come to dominate public discourse and space in India.
The Last Man, a hard-hitting and deeply disturbing film directed by Dakxinkumar Bajrange, takes an unflinching look at the widespread and abhorrent prevalence of manual scavenging in large parts of the country. It won the award for the Second Best Long Documentary. The special mention in the the Long Documentary category was shared by Madhulika Jalali’s Ghar Ka Pata, which sensitively told story about a Kashmiri Pandit family’s search for their ancestral home, and Sristi Lakhera’s Ek Tha Gaon, which is an atmospheric and sensitive portrayal of a dying village in the hills.
Testimony of Ana, Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda’s heart-breaking story of a victim of witch hunt who has endured societal abuse and violence, won the award for the Best Short Documentary, carrying a cash prize of ₹1 lakh. The award for the Second Best Short Documentary was equally shared between Manoj Murali’s Mattivecha Pangu portraying an age-old ritual practised in the filmmaker’s village and Ruuposh, directed by Ameen Barif, Mohd Fehmeed, Zeeshan Khan, Aqdas Sami, Mohd Althaf and Faraz Fakhri, on a family which chose to stay behind in the country after partition and their relationship with the relatives on the other side. Kalsubhai, directed by Yudhajit Basu, won the Special Mention in short documentary.
My Mother’s Girlfriend, directed by Arun Fulara, won the award for the Best Short Fiction for its powerful commentary on love, sexuality, gender, age, class and religion. Ashmita Guha’s Catdog, which explores uncharted territories from adolescent life, won the award for the Second Best Short Fiction.
Cycle, directed by Devashish Makhija, won the Special Mention in Short Fiction. The award for the Best Campus Film was shared between Burn directed by Mac Mer, for its flamboyant style in capturing the rage against caste discrimination in university campuses, and Raj Govind’s Unseen Voices, which transports the viewer to the Anchunadu valley in the foothills of the Western Ghats. The fiction jury was headed by filmmaker Leena Yadav.
The award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Ranjan Palit. His associate Nachimuthu accepted the award on his behalf. Mr. Palit, a cinematographer, director and producer, has shot over a 100 documentaries, 14 feature films, and numerous commercials for screen and television.
Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, who inaugurated the closing ceremony at Aries Plex SL Cinemas on Tuesday, said that film festivals in Kerala provide a platform for dissent and freedom of expression. Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian, who presided over the function, said that the government would nurture films and other cultural productions that helped to inculcate progressive values in the minds of the public.
