| Trailblazer Award | Srinjan Majumder |
| Dreamspinner Award | None |
| Mastercrafter Award |
Nandita Basak Shreoshi Neogi Sourav Halder Ujan Chatterjee |
| Budding Weaver Award ( for new comer) |
Pranab Dhal Suman Das |
Trailblazer Award
“Nothing happens in this film” by Srinjan Majumder.
“Really nicely done. Very good attempt. Soothing too. Attention to details is really good. A girl in somewhat pensive mood, with dreamy eyes now vacant, amidst discordant sounds from nature. Nothing to do but watch mundane things on a typically summer afternoon. Fingers imitating movement of a spider in the room, a puppy with dreary look in her lap, all the while the door to the room is locked from outside. Movement of the camera is slow and measured. The background music is excellent, though could have been used better to accentuate the theme. The film beautifully conveys the solitude of an emotionally sensitive being. Self-awareness is one of the best attributes a film could possess. It’s a signal that makers know exactly what they’re making, and therefore they could tinker with audience expectations. The makers here seem to address their intent in the title itself, and yet the meticulously crafted visuals seem to inform the film overall.”- JURY
Mastercrafter Award
“Remove” by Nandita Basak.
“Very interesting idea about how social media has allowed people to sculpt an idealist persona of themselves, thereby erasing their real selves. It throws up a very pertinent question ‘why should I conceal my identity through video manipulation?’. But, with no effort made to dig deeper, the makers have failed to elicit the intended theme effectively. This is perhaps because of absence of score and not following the convention of silent movie, though modern video tools are utilised. We wish the makers would explore such relevant ideas with fitting application of techniques and finer wit in the future.”- JURY
“Rainy Day” by Shreoshi Neogi.
“Rain-soaked, wind-swept leaves and flowers leave the audience longing for something. Melancholy sets in. But not for all, as raindrops do not exude universal happiness. Background score and photography nicely done. Even though the idea of observing the mundanities around us isn’t novel, most of the visuals are framed vividly. But, with the scheme behind the juxtaposition of shots lacking clarity, the film fails capture the theme of misery and ordeal of people. With more purposeful use of editing tools, we expect the makers to present us with more arresting films in the future.”- JURY
“Myriad” by Sourav Halder.
“Jaadughar” by Ujan Chatterjee.
“Good attempt. Perception difference between virtual and real world depicted in a very innovative way. Satirising social media relationships, where hardly anyone is their true self, the film is also nicely written to a rhythm. No line feels like a dialogue as it organically flows. Our known world, our relations – in fact everything – will go topsy turvy when virtual reality takes over the ‘real’ reality. This transformation, even then would deceptively appear to be entertaining though the real things will be reduced to tatters and will lie in dilapidated state. The film gives us a foretaste of the nature of things to come. The background music is superb. The dialogue is powerful enough to hammer in the warnings. Great payoff too!”- JURY
Budding Weaver Award
“Stopmotion” by Pranab Dhal.
“Skilfully executed stop motion form, with simple elements. The filmmaker seems adept at animation, but the film might have made a little more sense if it was woven into a narrative. Perhaps, something like the paranoia of playing basketball in the midst of a pandemic. That would have been an interesting film by itself, even if we only see the ball changing hands. We expect to see more captivating creations by the makers in the coming days.”- JURY
“Everything” by Suman Das.
“The trauma of pandemic will last for long. Not bounded by four walls, mobile cameras from the rooftops captured the solitude and fear and gave vent to the creative urges. The background music was slow and fittingly subtle. Even though Thom Yorke and Radiohead seem to be doing the heavy-lifting in this film, given the song that lends the name to this film, however the film succeeds as a mood piece. It elicits a peculiar kind of melancholy that seems more apt in a (hopefully) post-pandemic world. Expect to see more honest and speaking-to-oneself creations in the future.”- JURY
