Marathi film 'Godavari' tops Shanghai Cooperation Organisation film festival

Marathi Film Godavari was judged the best film at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Film Festival which concluded in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Released in 2021, the film is directed by Nikhil Mahajan and produced by Jitendra Joshi, Mitali Joshi, Pavan Malu and Nikhil Mahajan under the banner of Blue Drop Films.

Starring Neena Kilkarni, Jitendra Joshi and late Vikram Gokhale the film tells a story of a family living on the banks of Godavari river in Nashik.

Xiaozhi Rao, director of Chinese film Homecoming won the award for the best director.

Kazakh actor Askar Ilyasov won the Best Actor (male) for Paralympian while Rano Shodiyeva from Uzbekistan won the Best Actor (female) award for The Fate of a Woman.

Russian film, Don’t Bury Me Without Ivan directed by Liubov Borisova bagged a Special Jury Award while the Kyrgyz film The Road to Eden directed by Bakyt Mukul & Dastan Zhapar received special mention from the jury for the message of hope and warning about the risk of losing cultural values in turbulent times.

The Jury also found it pertinent to award a special mention to Tajik film Fortune directed by Muhyiddin Muzaffar for the remarkable actor’s ensemble immersing the audience into experiencing the value of true friendship.

Organised through the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), the SCO Film Festival is being organized to mark India’s Presidency at SCO.

A total of 58 films from 14 countries were showcased under competition and non-competition sections. In the competition section, 14 feature films are competing and will be screened and the Non-Competition section will showcase 43 films.

Lyricst and Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification(CBFC), Prasoon Joshi and celebrities from the film industry were in attendance at the closing ceremony.

NFDC MD & Joint Secretary (Films) Prithul Kumar felicitated Joshi. Among those who graced the occasion included actor R. Madhavan, singer Shreya Ghoshal and veteran filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker. The ceremony closed with dazzling performances by Taufiq Qureshi, Anirban Roy and Kailash Kher.

“The exchange of ideas the festival has witnessed will lead to further cooperation, co-production and co-creation in the field of cinema in the SCO region,” Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said in a video message.