The Iris Award Special Mention (Writing) for “Prashna “ at UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival 2021 Florence , Italy
Director Santosh Ram has won The Iris Award Special Mention ( Writing ) at Unicef Innocenti Film Festival 2021 Florence , Italy . The festival featured 38 films from 29 countries. UIFF has introduced the Iris Award to recognise excellence in filmmaking about children and to encourage exploration of childhood all over the world as a cinematic theme. In its second edition, the response has been encouraging with a total of 1700 films submitted for consideration from 114 countries.The winners in 3 categories were announced on Monday at a ceremony hosted by Unicef Innocenti Film Festival 2021 Florence, Italy
The ceremony, which was also streamed live on Facebook page, was held in a hybrid format with total 38 nominees attending on-site or participating online.
Ram, who is currently in Pune, said he was thrilled that the film is being recognised globally and thanked his cast ,Producers Dr. Ganesh Sanap and Dr. Dipali Garje Sanap. “It’s a Great honour to be recognised and then to win was a surprise. I am very happy that the film is being recognised internationally,” Ram told.
The film, which looks at the education of children of sugar cutting labourers and their life in Marathwada Region, had selected for Filmfare Short Film Awards 2020. “Prashna” is an ultra realistic short film that transpire in the remote area of Maharashtra. It is about Ganga and her son Ganesh. Ganga and her husband Rajkumar work as seasonal sugar cutting Labourers on a contract basis. They have to migrate from place to place for the work leaving behind their Native Village. Their only son Ganesh (Age 10 Years ) has to accompany them because nobody is there at home to take care of him. This is a problem for Ganesh’s educational progress as he is absent every year for Three Months. How Ganga, a Third Standard educated woman overcomes the problem of Ganesh’s Education as well as finds a way of acquiring knowledge for her own Progress.Despite economic and caste realities, they find a path. .
The film also features actors Pooja Rathod ,Anil Rathod ,Parmeshwar Devkatte, and Vishwanath Varde This year, Ram won fourteen awards for ‘Prashna ‘at various film festivals in India . The film also won Best Short Fiction Film Special Mention at 14th SiGNS Short and Documentary Film Festival , 2021 and Best Short Film at 6th Bengal International Film Festival 2021 .
Santosh Ram said. Born in Udgir in Latur District, Ram is a well known name in film fraternity for his original and realistic style of film making.
‘Prashna’ is third short film of the director after his much-acclaimed 2009 Short Film ‘Vartul’, which also won 14 Awards and screened around 54 Film festivals around the Glob.
