A tale of a teenager dealing with the sudden demise of his cousin and the philosophical portrayal of life and death has bagged a top award at an Indian film festival in Germany.
Vihir, The Well by Umesh Vinyak Kulkarni was awarded the "German Star of India" and 4,000 Euros at the seventh Indian film festival "Bollywood and Beyond" in Stuttgart.
In the film, two adolescent cousins and best friends Sameer and Nachiket play a game of hide and seek on a rather unusual way - where one cousin hides in death and the other is looking for him in the life around him.
The jury acknowledged the film as a sensitive display of family boundaries and friendship. "The combination of philosophic element, expressionist photography and dramaturgy of the film result in a convincing portrait of society. The director manages to tell the story in a very quiet yet touching manner," it said.
Produced by AB Corp Ltd, the film stars Umesh, Mohan Agashe, Sulbha Deshpande, Girish Kulkarni, Amruta Subash, Madan Deodhar, Parna Pethe, Aalok Rajwade, and Sharvi Kulkarni.
Nina Sabnani received the prize for the best short film for her animated film Tanko Bole Chhe - The Stitches Speak. Anandana Kapur’s The Great Indian Jugaad was adjudged the best documentary film.
German director Lutz Kronermann received a special commendation of the jury for his documentary Dharavi - Slum For Sale. For his feature film debut Road to Sangam, Amit Rai was honoured with the "Director's Vision Award".
Out of the 50 festival entries, 30 films were running in the competition for the prestigious prizes. The jury described Jugaad as a comprehensive and stretchable concept for the never-ending inventiveness, especially of the underprivileged, in helping themselves throng daily life.
Sabani’s documentary was found to create a unique congruence between form and content. A special commendation went to Rahul Gandoha’s The Road Home, a boy’s quest for his identity. Raised as the son of Indian parents in London and now sent off to a boarding school in the Himalayas, the film shows changes perceptions of ethnic belonging.