A serving Indian Revenue Service officer has made a rare leap from tax administration to cinema, marking his debut as a movie maker with
Kathakar Ki Diary: The Story of Ordinary Lives, which premiered at the ongoing 31st Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).
Rooted in West Bengal but universal in appeal, Kathakar Ki Diary follows five characters a child, a cancer-stricken photographer, a musician, a transwoman, and an athlete and explores themes of diversity, resilience and human connection.
The filmmaker, Anwesh, currently serves as a Joint Commissioner in the GST department in Pune.
His film was screened under the Asian Select Netpac category of the KIFF. Cinema has always been my way of understanding people and their struggles.
"I wanted to tell stories that mirror ordinary lives quiet yet powerful," he told PTI.
The film has already earned international recognition winning Best Film (No Budget Category) at the International New York Film Festival (INYFF), Best Film at the Director's Cut Film Festival in Canada and British Columbia, and Best International Feature Film at the Director's Cut International Film Festival, Vancouver, Anwesh claimed.
Completed in two-and-a-half years, the film was made on a "crowd-funded" budget of under $15,000.
More than 200 independent and tribal artists, including members of the Hill Kharia community, worked voluntarily on the project. -- PTI
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