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The first award - the Wolfgang Staudte award - which is presented
in memory of the noted German film director Wolfgang Staudte carries
a cash prize of 10,000 Euros. Final Solution is the first
Indian film to win this award which was instituted in 1990 at the
Berlin International film festival.
The international jury comprised director-actor-author Catherine
Breillat from France, Zanzibar International film festival director
Imruh Bakari and German film maker Thomas Arslan.
Said the jury in its citation, "An epic documentary focussing
on a culture of hatred and indifference. The directness, clarity
and accuracy of the film enables the viewer to both reflect on the
universality of the subject matter and relate this to his or her
own human attitudes. The film-maker has chosen a documentary form
that completely shuns the use of melodramatic effects."
The second award for the film is the Special Jury Award by the NETPAC
jury comprising Garin Nugroho (Indonesia), Dorothea Holloway (Germany)
and Fang Yu (China). The jury said, "The award goes to Final
Solution for its clarification of issues that spawned hate and
violence between Hindus and Moslems in Gujarat, its analysis of
propaganda mechanisms for political purposes, and its measured voice
to seek a final solution to the conflict."
Five Indian films were invited to the festival in the International
Forum of new cinema section of the Berlinale. These included Hazaaron
Khwahishen Aisi by Sudhir Mishra, Maqbool by Vishal Bhardwaj,
Kal Ho Na Ho by Nikhil Advani, Hava Aaney De by Partho
Sengupta and Final Solution by Rakesh Sharma.
Final Solution was rejected by the recently concluded Mumbai
International film festival and was screened at Vikalp: Films for
Freedom, a parallel festival organised by the Campaign Againt Censorship.
Rakesh Sharma who has been on the jury of the Indian Telly Awards
for two consecutive year, has been an active member of the campaign
since its inception in July-August 2003.
Also read:
Irked filmmakers shun MIFF,
organise their own 'Vikalp'
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