'U Turn at Pushkar' wins top honour at Short Film fest

Jaipur, Feb 14 (UNI) 'Malankaya (Tiny) Katerina' and 'U-Turn at Pushkar' won the top honours at the International Festival for Short Films on Culture here.

The three-day festival culminated here late last night with the jury chairman and ace director Basu Chatterjee declaring the results. Saying the festival was a commendable move to bring back the dying documentary movement into focus, Mr Chatterjee said short films from all parts of the world screened at the festival had helped to understand different cultures and traditions.

The event organised by Indian Infotainment Media Corporation (IIMC) screened 117 films from 250 entries.

Awards in the form of Gold statuettes were given in eight categories namely Best International, Best National, Best Film on Religion, Best Narrative, Best Experimental Film, Best Film by Student, Best Animation and a Special Jury Award by a Rajasthani filmmaker.

The awards were given away by renowned actress from South, Khushboo, who said interest in short films was an encouraging sign. 'Malankaya Katerina (Tiny Katerina)' from Russia by Ivan Golovnev won the Best International film and 'U-Turn at Pushkar' by Himmat Singh Jadeja wrested the Best National Film award. The U-Turn Pushkar's scriptwriter Jaipur-based Tripti Pandey took the award.

The Best Film on Religion was given to 'The Holy Duels of Hola Mohalla' by Vani Subramanian from India while the Best Narrative was won by 'The Bride of the Sky' from Iran made by Mehdi Abdollahi.

The Best Experimental film was won by 'White Swan' from Sweden by Ingela Hageman while the Best Film by a Student went to 'A Fisherman' by Vyacheslav Semenov.

The Best Animation was given to 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' by Christoph Kellner from Germany while the Special Jury Award for a film on Rajasthan was given to 'Eco-Dharma' by Malgorzat Skoba.

The award ceremony was preceded by a spectacular cultural and entertainment programme.

UNI