Assam’s Karbi Film ‘Mirbeen’ Among 15 Movies To Compete For Prestigious ‘Golden Peacock Award’ At 54th IFFI

‘Mirbeen’ is a Karbi feature film from Assam, directed by renowned filmmaker Mridul Gupta.

Karbi feature film from Assam Mirbeen.

Source : Special Arrangement

Guwahati: A total of 15 selected films will vie for the prestigious ‘Golden Peacock Award’ at the ongoing 54th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) being held in Goa. The stellar line-up of exceptional films consists of 12 international and three Indian films-Mirbeen, Kantara and Sanaa.

The anticipation builds as the competition this year promises to showcase the best, with films such as Indian films ‘Mirbeen,’ ‘Kantara’ and ‘Sanaa,’ Polish-Swedish drama ‘Woman Of,’ Israeli film ‘The Other Widow,’ French feature film ‘The Party of Fools,’ German film ‘Measures of Men,’ Italian-Swiss drama ‘Lubo,’ Russian film ‘Hoffman’s Fairy Tales,’ Iranian film ‘Endless Borders,’ Bosnian films ‘Die Before Death’ and ‘Bosnian Pot,’ Bulgarian film ‘Blaga’s Lessons,’ Canadian film ‘Asog’ and Indonesian film ‘Andragogy,’ as per an official press release.   

‘Mirbeen,’ is a Karbi feature film from Assam, directed by renowned filmmaker Mridul Gupta and produced by Dhaniram Tisso. ‘Mirbeen’ has been selected in the feature film category, the only film from Assam to find a place in the prestigious forum, the release said.

‘Mirbeen’ is the central character of the story of the film. In her childhood, Mirbeen’s grandmother instills in her the dream of doing something with the fairy tales of ‘Serdihun’ (God of textile in Karbi tribal beliefs), which sprouts the desire to make life meaningful in her mind, but fratricidal clashes and ethnic conflicts make the entire Karbi land bloody in the year 2005 and her life is also jeopardised, it said.

On the other hand, the other Indian film ‘Kantara’ is made by Rishab Shetty, an actor and filmmaker in the Kannada film industry. The critically acclaimed blockbuster ‘Kantara’ is set in the fictional village of Dakshina Kannada. The film explores the ideological conflict between humans and nature. A forest officer feels certain practices and rituals followed by a tribe living in the forest will pose a threat to mother nature. Will the main character, Shiva, be able to reinstate peace and harmony in the village perceiving his existence forms the crux of the film, the release added.

The third and last Indian film ‘Sanaa’ is a film made by national award-winning filmmaker Sudhanshu Saria. In this movie, Sanaa, a 28-year-old financial advisor working in Mumbai finds out that she is pregnant. Absolutely clear on her decision to terminate the pregnancy, the actual process of getting the abortion forces Sanaa to re-evaluate her life and delve deep if the choices she has been making have been really her own, it said.

The release said that recognising excellence in filmmaking, the ‘Golden Peacock Award’ is among the most esteemed film honours in the world. The jury for this year comprises veterans in the cinema industry including Spanish cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine, French film producers Jerome Paillard and Catherine Dussart, Australian film producer Helen Leake, along acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapoor, who is also the Chairperson of the jury.

This carefully curated selection of outstanding films represents a diverse array of genres, styles and cultural practices, reflecting the depth of the global film landscape, the release further said.