Every year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), gives the Fellini medal to a film that reflects the world agency’s ideals. The Federico Fellini Gold Medal was created by UNESCO in 1995 to pay tribute to major figures in the film industry.
And for the first time, the event is being organized in India at the ongoing 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), being held in Goa in association with the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication, Paris.
What adds to the excitement is that four Indian films have been chosen to compete for the award. These films will compete alongside eight other films from across the globe including co-productions from Germany, the US, France, Canada, Pakistan, Serbia, Chile, Venezuela and Argentina. The winner will be chosen on the basis of artistic excellence, sensitivity to the human situation, promotion of dignity for all, and for cultivating a realistic hope of creative transformation.
The Indian films that made it to the competition are-
1. Cinemawala
It is a Bengali film by Kaushik Ganguly. The film revolves around the lives of people involved in the film industry – filmmakers, actors, spot boys producers, cinema hall owners and everyone else. It showcases the troubles of running single-screen cinemas in an era of multiplexes
2. Katyar Kaljat Ghusli
This Marathi movie by Subodh Bhave is based on a play by the same name. The film has singer Shankar Mahadevan in lead role, along with Sachin Pilgaonkar, and Bhave. The story portrays the egoistic ambitions of a singer, which is presented on the backdrop of two musical gharanas (schools) of Indian classical music.
3. Ain
Written and directed by Sidhartha Siva, this Malayalam film portrays the story of a lazy but innocent and vulnerable Muslim youth who happens to witness a murder and then escapes to Mangalore.
4. Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal
Another Malayalam film in the race, Valiya Chirakula Pakshikal is partially fictionalized representation of environmental disaster caused by the misuse of endosulfan pesticide in Kasaragod district of Kerala. The film has been directed by Dr. Biju.
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