'Dear Diary' Claims 75 Creative Minds Prize at IFFI

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Team Purple, with its newly minted “Dear Diary” was on Saturday named the winner of the 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow talent campus, a segment of the International Film Festival of India.

Held for the second year, the event involved participants, aged between 18-35 years, who hailed from different aspects of filmmaking and from across India.

Among their challenges was to work in five teams and produce a short film in the space of just 53 hours and on a budget of no more than $1,000.

The winning film “Dear Diary” told a story of a woman who is forced to confront her past trauma when she meets with her sister, who wants to visit the same venue where her abuse previously took place.

Organized by the National Film Development Corporation, in collaboration with Shorts TV, the contest resulted in the creation of five short films which will all be broadcast on Shorts TV from 9 pm on Sunday. The winning team also received a cash prize.

The films were judged by a three-member jury chaired by celebrated filmmaker Mani Ratnam along with CEO and Shorts TV founder Carter Pilcher and Armstrong Pame, deputy secretary (Films-I) at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Pilcher said the teams interpreted the challenge of looking at India in 2047 differently. “One was about futuristic technology and how it disenfranchises relationships and the importance of relationships. Another one was about new India and about a woman whose husband’s family wants her to wear a nose ring at their engagement. In the third film, all parents are single parents, and the child discovers that it might be possible to have either a mom or a dad. Another film is about a world where paper currency has disappeared.”

“The five short films produced by the ‘Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ showcase their vision of India@100 and it is commendable that the best film “Dear Diary” not only has a woman protagonist, but it has also been directed by a woman. This is a testament to India’s nari shakti (women power), and how women of the country are leading the transformation across sectors,” said Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Singh Thakur.

“It is important to note that 75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow was conceived as a platform for youngsters with a creative bent of mind to find a medium of expression in terms of their skill, talent and art be it – storytelling, acting, direction, production, cinematography, art design, animation and what not — in order to encourage and empower youngsters to achieve cinematic excellence through access to the business of films at the Film Bazaar, Masterclasses by renowned industry experts and unparalleled networking opportunities at the 53rd International Film Festival of India.”

Thakur said that in future editions, the number of participants would increase by one, matching the number of years since India achieved independence.

The other four films were: “Antardrishti” (The Insight) by Team Orange, “The Ring” by Team Yellow, “Almost” by Team Green and “Sau Ka Note” (100 Rupee Note) by Team Pink.

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