At
the IFFI 2016, there are seven films competing for the International Council for Films, Television and Audio-visual
Communication (ICFT)-UNESCO Gandhi Medal Prize from the
International Film Section and one film from the Indian Panorama Section.
Shri
C. Senthil Rajan, Director DFF, said that he is thankful to ICFT-UNESCO for
giving this medal. He announced the contestants for ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal
prize. These include ‘The
Apology’ (Canada), ‘Beluga’
(Iran), ‘Cold of Kalandar’ (Turkey), ‘Exiled’ (Latvia),
‘The Family –Dementia’ (Spain), ‘Harmonia’ (Israel), ‘A
Real Vermeer’ (The
Netherlands) and ‘Allama (India).
Addressing the
media today, Ms. Lola Poggi Goujan, Secretary General of ICFT
and Jury Member, said that she is glad to be a part of
IFFI 2016. She added that ICFT, an official partner of UNESCO established in 1956, is an NGO
aiming to stimulate the production and distribution of high quality
audio-visual work, especially of young artists and media avocations at large. She
further said that the criteria for the Gandhi Medal will reflect UNESCO’s fundamental
mandate of Building peace in the mind of men and women, particularly human
rights, intercultural dialogue, promotion and safeguard of diversity of
cultural expressions.
Ms. Xueyuan Hun,
Associate, ICFT, said that this year they have received a lot of good films
from the 47th IFFI and therefore it has become difficult to decide
upon the awardee. The award will not only be based on the film but also on the
idea. She further said that the collaboration is a joint venture of ICFT
and IFFI. Giving her views on Indian films she said that message of the film
and technical aspects of the film is what she likes.
Talking about the Gandhi medal in further
detail, the panel informed that in 1994, UNESCO issued commemorative medal
marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the
world’s advocate of peace, tolerance and non-violence. The medal bears a
portrait of Mahatma Gandhi engraved by the French artist Pierre-Yves Tremois.
Etched underneath is the Mahatma’s message of hope: “In the midst of
darkness light prevails”. The reverse side carries the UNESCO Logo.
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UM/VM/IFFI-PC