Anand Patwardhan donates IDSFFK award prize money to Wayanad landslide victims

Well-known documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan recently garnered accolades at the 16th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) by winning the Best Long Documentary and Best Editing awards for his film ‘The World is Family (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam).’ The awards, which carried cash prizes of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 20,000 respectively, were donated by Patwardhan to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) in response to the recent Wayanad tragedy.

In his acceptance speech, the director expressed solidarity with the affected people, hoping they could rebuild their lives soon. The Wayanad disaster, marked by multiple devastating landslides, has led to significant loss of life and property. In response, several prominent figures have stepped forward to offer support.


Reports of several celebrities contributing to the relief fund in the past few days have been doing the rounds.

According to reports, these landslides represent the most severe natural disaster in Kerala since the catastrophic floods of 2018, which claimed over 400 lives. On August 1, the last day of IDSFFK , the organizers canceled some of the events due to the calamity that shook the state, and some awards are expected to be delivered without an official ceremony.