Eminent filmmaker and author Sanjit Narwekar has been conferred with the coveted Dr V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation Films.
The V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award carries a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh, golden conch and a citation.
This award is instituted in memory of legendary filmmaker V Shantaram, who was closely associated with the Films Division as Honorary Chief Producer during the 1950s.
Narwekar has written and edited more than 20 books on cinema, including ‘Marathi Cinema: In Retrospect’, which won him the Swarna Kamal at the National Film Awards.
“Donning multiple hats as an insightful film historian, a prolific author as well as a dextrous editor and filmmaker, Narwekar has rendered a seminal contribution to the uplifting of good cinema and fine art and of the documentary film movement in particular. Through his lifelong and passionate engagement with the past, the present and the future of films, Narwekar has touched many a heart, stirred many a soul and ignited many a mind towards the good, the great and the beautiful,” the citation reads.
He is credited with directing Films Division’s ‘The Pioneering Spirit: Dr. V Shantaram’, a biopic of the legendary filmmaker, and writing and directing several documentaries on varied subjects. He has also served on the selection committee and Jury of many national and international film festivals, including the National Award Jury for Writing on Cinema.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal inaugurated the seven-day festival organised by the Films Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur in his video message said: “Documentary cinema creates the most significant impact. It not only educates, inspires and motivates a change in the society, but also acts as a tool that transcends cultures and boundaries."
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan; Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Raosaheb Danve; Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale; Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Kapil Moreshwar Patil; Minister of State for Finance, Dr Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad; award-winning filmmaker Shaji Karun; Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Neerja Shekhar; filmmaker Kiran Shantaram; filmmaker Rahul Rawail; actor Dalip Tahil were prominent among those present.