‘The team spirit and the bonding showed by the team while deciding on film execution, cinematography and sound in 48 hours is extraordinary said Akhil Lotlikar, Director of the film Odh. The refreshing and thought-provoking short film on receding beach lines of Goa, the ‘Odh’ won the best film award at the ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ (CMOT) held at 54th International Film Festival of India in Goa.
While thanking the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and NFDC for proving the platform, Akhil Lotlikar said that this competition opens a path for young creative minds to explore new possibilities in filmmaking and storytelling at international platforms.
Highlighting the challenges during the making of the film he said that controlling the light while shooting outdoors under strong sunlight proved difficult.
In a beautiful rendition of saving the beach lines from costal erosion, the film ‘Odh’ takes us into the journey and struggle of Marceline, the fisherman who faces difficulty in parking his boat as there is no space left on the beaches. Instead, he takes his boat in the middle of the city and complains that the beach has been stolen.
Jury member and CEO of Shorts TV, Carter Pilcher said that the concept of providing a platform like CMOT to young creative minds to showcase their talent is phenomenal.
Director Shoojit Sircar one of the jury member said that all the films are really relevant and thought provoking and deals with a very important topic of protecting and preserving the environment. He said, “All of you are winners already’’.
As part of the Film Challenge, 75 CMOT participants were divided into five teams who made short films on the topic ‘Mission Life’ in 48 hours. Total five films, fifteen member each team created short film on the thought provoking subject on preserving and protecting the environment with a touch of brilliant storyline, editing, cinematography, post-production etc.
The competition has been conceived by NFDC in partnership with Shorts International. The CMOT participants from 19 states also attended workshops and masterclass sessions curated by the masters of world cinema.
A brainchild of Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur, the initiative aims to encourage and nurture young creative talents from various trades of filmmaking. The initiative is in its third year, having been launched in 2021 to mark the 75th year of India’s Independence as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.
