International award for Kunju Daivam

Jeo Baby’s film

Kunju Daivam

garnered attention when its protagonist Adish Praveen bagged the National Award for the Best Child Actor last year, as the heartwarming story of Joseph was brought alive through his performance. The director of the film, now has a reason to rejoice as Kunju Daivam became the winner of the Remi Awards at the 51st World Fest -Houston International Film Festival. He says, “Our film grabbed the award for the Best Foreign Film and I was honoured with the Grand Remi Special Jury Award. It was a moment of great pride. This is a huge honour because its earlier awardees include Life of Pi director Ang Lee and Steven Spielberg, and Kunju Daivam was selected from among 4500 selected films.”
Looking back at their journey and how far they have managed to come, he says, “While the making part came quite easily, getting the required funds was a tad difficult.”

The film revolves around how all of Joseph’s prayers started becoming a reality, and how his unreasonable invocations had a heavy toll on the people around him. It then takes the audience through a realisation he gets, and the difference he can make to the world.

Jeo adds that despite all the international attention, such films call for more visibility among the regional audience. “The film was released in around six to seven theatres in Kerala last year, and it had a theatrical run of 50 days. Most people prefer to watch ‘mass’ films in theatres and keep such kind of films for secondary viewing, through online media. But it does not mean there is no interest for them. The fact that we got a lot of good reviews from people is in itself an indicator of the change that has come about in Malayalis,” he concludes.
Kunju Daivam is now all set for the Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival in South Korea.