'The Return Gift' a short film of 6 minutes duration won 50 awards

'The Return Gift' a short film of 6 minutes duration won 50 awards

Northern Times News Desk, Siliguri, 3rd June: A 6.27-minute-long English short film of Siliguri, “The Return Gift,” has won a record 50 international awards at top international film festivals across the world.

 

Directed by the noted filmmaking duo of Bengal, Parag Biswas and Dipika Biswas, the short film, began winning awards and accolades one after another, soon after it was completed in June last year.

 

It has bagged these awards and accolades at international festivals in London, Berlin, Karachi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Travancore, Aurangabad, Patna and Kolkata. The film, which was telecast on the top satellite TV channel Dhoom Music in October last year, is believed to be the only short movie from north-eastern India to have ever won so many awards at international film festivals.

Nine-year-old Hrishita of Siliguri has played the lead role in the film, which focuses on the need for children to develop a habit of reading even in this age of the internet.

Debutant Hrishita, for whom it was a dream come true, said her joys new know bounds as she received more than a dozen Best Actress Awards.  

Director Dipika Biswas, who attributed the success of the film largely to the brilliant performance of Hrishita, said that there was plenty of talents in north Bengal but they were not getting the proper platform to showcase their skills. “Our main aim always has been to help talents from the region to fulfill their dreams. Our next film, “Sabak,” made on the need to have a healthy employee-employer relation, has already won a best film award at Kolkata, two best director awards at Barcelona and Kolkata, a best film nomination and a best editor nomination in Murshidabad and official selections at festivals in London, New York and Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. Our first-of-its-kind music movie on Covid – Sagar Chala Chhobi – which was released on the Bengali New Year on April 15 this year, has also earned rave reviews and won an official selection at Lift-Off Sessions’ Film Festival 2021 in London,” she said.