Indian documentary and short film triumph at 11th Tribeca Film Festival

The World Before Her, a documentary by Indo-Canadian director Nisha Pahuja won the World Documentary Competition while Café Regular, Cairo, a short film by Ritesh Batra won a Special Jury mention at the 11^th Tribeca Film Festival.

The Jury commented on The World Before Her: “With unprecedented access, great compassion, and a keen eye for the universal, this year’s winner takes a hard and clear-eyed look at the trials of growing up female in today’s fast-changing world. Following young women who have taken diametrically opposed decisions on how to tackle the influence of global forces in their communities, the filmmaker takes us on a journey to examine how the pressures of faith, fashion, and family are bringing up a generation of women who are desperately searching for meaning amidst a reality of few real choices.”

The World Before Her weaves together the stories of the Miss India beauty pageant and a fundamentalist Hindu camp for girls portraying the situation of women across contemporary India. The documentary won an award comprising cash prize of $25,000.

Indian filmmaker Ritesh Batra won a Special Jury Mention for Café Regular, Cairo (India-Egypt) in the Best Narrative Short category. The 11 minute film takes a look at modern-day relationships in Egypt.

To read Nisha Pahuja’s interview, click here.

To read Ritesh Batra’s interview, click here.

Posted by NewsDesk on Apr 27 2012. Filed under Features & Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.