MUMBAI: The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films, MIFF 2014, closed on a high note with the announcement of the annual awards on Sunday.
Bangladeshi director Kamar Ahmad Simon's 90-minute documentary 'Are You Listening!' won the Golden Conch award for best documentary film over 60 minutes. It received the Golden Conch trophy and a cash prize of Rs 5,00,000 of which Rs 3,00,000 was for the director and Rs 2,00,000 for producer Sara Afreen.
Set in coastal Bangladesh, 'Are You Listening!' reveals the alarming effects of climate change and captures the fighting spirit of a community and its will to survive. The seaside village of Sutarkhali was submerged by a cyclone. Protagonist Rakhi, her husband Soumen and their six-year-old son were forced to live on a dyke with 100 other families. The government was slow to help the families reclaim their land and the delay gave rise to friction.
Thirty-eight-year-old Simon who lives in Dhaka had studied architecture and worked in advertising before turning film maker.
The Golden Conch for best documentary up to 60 minutes went to German film maker Maria Stodtmeier's 'In Between: Isang Yun in North and South Korea'. It examines the world of North and South Korean music as it traces the journey of both political systems.
An FTII production, 'Black Rock' directed by Vikrant Janardhan Pawar was judged best short fiction film in international competition. Both pictures won the Golden Conch trophy and Rs 5,00,000 cash prize.
The best animation film was 'True Love Story' by Gitanjali Rao. The 18-minute puppet animation set in the streets of Mumbai explores what happens when the 'Bollywood fantasy' is applied in reality.
Nishtha Jain's documentary 'Gulabi Gang' won her the best director award in the international competition section. She received Rs 1,00,000 and a certificate. 'Gulabi Gang' tells the story of Sampat Pal and her vigilante group from Bundelkhand which fights for women's rights armed with a stick.
Dhvani Desai's film 'Chakravyuh' was voted the most popular film of MIFF 2014, a new category introduced this year. Delegates voted for this film that shows how the Right To Information (RTI) Act, a favourite subject of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi these days, can be used to fight corruption. Produced by Films Division 'Chakravyuh' was released on the eighth anniversary of the RTI in Mumbai.
Dylan Mohan Gray's 'Fire in the Blood' won the Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari award for best debut direction. It tells the story of how Western pharmaceutical companies and governments had blocked access to low-cost anti-AIDS drugs after 1996, "causing 10 million unnecessary deaths".
The Indian Documentary Producers' Association's IDPA award for best student film went to 'Sonyacha Amba' (Golden Mango) directed by Govind Raju and produced by FTII, Pune. This film had participated in Berlin and Beijing festivals.
MIFF's Pramod Pati award for most Innovative film carrying a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000 and a trophy went to Pushpa Rawat's documentary 'Nirnay'. It explores women in a lower middle class colony in Ghaziabad who are young and educated but feel helpless when taking major decisions about career or marriage.
The Kashmiri film 'Tamaash' (The Puppet) was best short fiction Film up to 45 minutes in the national competition. It is the first film by directors Satyanshu and Devanshu Singh.
Also in the national competition section 'Seven Hundred Zero Zero Seven' by Altaf Mazid won the Golden Conch for best documentary up to 40 minutes. 'Have You Seen the Arana' by Sunanda Bhat and 'Invoking Justice' by Deepa Dhanraj shared the best documentary award in the 40 minutes plus category.
The awards were presented by Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shyam Benegal.
