By Our Staff Reporter
Ramnagar (Nainital), 29 Dec: The 2020 edition of the Kautik International Film Festival was organised in association with the District Administration of Almora. It is a curtain raiser for the Marchula Adventure Meet, which will take place on 8 -11 January, 2021.
The 2020 Marchula Festival was a hybrid one because of coronavirus restrictions.
Out of 2098 film submissions from around the world, 60 films were chosen for virtual screening from 19 to 25 December. Despite the pandemic, people from all over India – Kerala, Bangalore, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh – made it to the 2020 Kautik Film Festival.
The objective of the festival is to provide a platform for students, women and indie filmmakers. It also encourage enthusiasts/cinephiles to interact with professionals and seniors for their invaluable tips gathered through years of real-life filming experience.
Kautik International Film Festival amalgamates filmmaking not only as a career but as an entertainment hub within the lustrous, green wilderness and the mesmerising scenic beauty. The Himalayan backdrop acts as a reagent to revive Uttarakhand’s heritage and preservation of world folk practices.
Screenings at the venue, Mahaseer Fishing Camps, Marchula, Jim Corbett National Park, took place on 23 and 24 December. The inaugural ceremony and lighting of the sacred lamp was done by Shipra Joshi (SDM, Salt).
The unprecedented 2,098 films were received from over 100 countries, of which 60 films were nominated. The chief organisers were Festival Director Rajesh Shah, Artistic Director Shalini Shah, and film critic Christopher Dalton.
5 Awards were conferred – Best Animation Film: Zahra Kababian and Amir Mahdi Safdari’s ‘Winter Memories’ (Iran); Best Documentary: Rok Mati’s ‘I Live’ (Slovenia); Best Short Fiction Film: Melo Viana’s ‘Silent Movie’ (Brazil); Audience Choice Award for Best Film: Ashish Pandey’s ‘Nooreh’ (India); Film Critics Circle of India Award for Best Student Film: Zahra Kababian & Amir Mahdi Safdari’s ‘Winter Memories’ (Iran).
The Kautik jury comprised Surendar Chaudhary (former professor of film direction, FTII), Sudhir Tandon (PSBT mentor), and Monita Borgohain (Festival Director, Guwahati International Film Festival). The film critics jury comprised Meghachandra Kongbam (National Award winning film) and Amborish Roychoudhury (National Award winning film) and S Vishwanath (world cinema, BIFFES).
Two open forum adda sessions, too, were conducted.
