Indian film 'Trapper's Snare' nabs Locarno prize

The Open Doors has a special focus on India this year. 12 Indian projects or scripts have been selected for the Open Doors Co-production Lab projects. The directors and producers of these films have met upto 30 international co-producers with the intention of raising funds for making the films. There were also four outright awards in prize money.

Raman's movie is produced by Rucha Pathak and shot in India and Sri Lanka. The film is about the spiritual journey of a 15-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil boy during the civil war.
The film won the top Open Doors Grant of 30,000 Swiss francs (Rs 15 lakh).

"I never expected the award. 'The Trappers Snare is a coming of age story set in Sri Lanka at the peak of its civil war. It came from my inquiry into a place of conflict. It was good to spend time with 11 other independent Indian filmmakers, and it helped me come out of my shell. Also, as I made a pitch to about 30 producers, the story became clearer to me," Raman said.

Documentary 'Burqa Boxers', directed and produced by Alka Raghuram, won the second Open Doors grant of 20,000 Swiss francs (Rs 10 lakh).

Anup Singh's 'Lasya-the Gentle Dance', produced by Johannes Rexin, won the CNC development grant of Rs 3.5 lakh while Sourav Sarangi's 'Char-The Island Within' won the Arte development grant of Rs 3 lakh.

Commenting on his experience at the Locarno Open Doors, Anup said, "My film 'Lasya' is about the relationship of people in Mumbai to the city, especially of the people on the streets of Mumbai, to the city. It grew out of a young woman, I knew who lived on the streets with three children, two of whom disappeared."