NFDC Film Bazaar ends, several awards announced

Panaji: The conclusion ceremony of the 12th edition of the NFDC Film Bazaar at the 49th International Film Festival of India (Iffi) saw multiple awards being announced for projects selected in the ‘Film Bazaar Recommends’ and the ‘Work in Progress’ sections.

The awards recognise cinematic excellence and promote upcoming talent.

The Prasad Digital Intermediate and the newly introduced Moviebuff Appreciation awards were given to Saurav Rai’s ‘Nimtoh’ (Invitation) and Jadab Mahanta’s ‘Rukuni Koina’ (The Holy Bride) in the Work in Progress section, while in the Film Bazaar Recommends section, the award was given to Kislay’s ‘Ajeeb Budhee Aurat’ (Strange Old Lady).

Recipients of the Prasad Digital Intermediate award will receive free Digital Intermediate (DI) for three feature films. Prasad Labs is also extending their support by offering 50% discount on the DI to all participants of the Work in Progress Lab at the Bazaar.

Recipients of the Moviebuff Appreciation award will receive Rs 3 lakh worth of sponsorship for their first film. The award also includes Rs 2 lakh worth of trailer promotion at Qube cinema theatres. This will help new filmmakers to reach more theatrical audience and create visibility for their movies.

The Facebook Awards were given to Prateek Vats’ film ‘Eeb Allay Ooo!’, which was part of the Work in Progress section, and to Bhaskar Hazarika’s ‘Aamis’, which was in the Film Bazaar Recommends section of the Viewing Room.

The Facebook Award offers advertising credits worth $10,000 to the winning film, which can be used in the promotion of the official Facebook page of that film.

This award was given based on the most viewed film (by duration) in the Viewing Room. Recipients were selected by a jury comprising internationally acclaimed festival programmers/directors, producers and industry executives.