Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards Honours Independent Films
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Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards (LBMA) hosted their 6TH annual LIVE screening and award event at Rotary Sadan, Kolkata on February 17, 2023.This annual event is put on by LBMA with the goal of showcasing and highlighting the work of independent filmmakers all around the world. In the rush of huge-budget commercial films, it is frequently observed that independent filmmakers do not even get an opportunity to screen their films. By exposing independent filmmakers' work to a global audience, LBMA fervently pursues their advancement.
The venue witnessed a glamorous red-carpet entry by filmmakers, film enthusiasts and film critics from across the world like Spain, Toronto, the United States, Taiwan, Israel, and also from different states in India who had come down to participate in this massive event.
The enthusiasm was evident from the sparkly eyes and active engagement of filmmakers from around the world. One of the participating filmmakers concurred, saying, "Kolkata is experiencing such an event that spotlights the work of independent filmmakers for the first time." Additionally, some of the directors stated, "It is a well-organized event. That gives us the courage to continue producing more movies.
Some of the screened films included Everything I Could by Ben Cable from United States, All Good- Shahar Saul by Roman Buchatsky from Israel, Paani by Bud Patel from United States, The Alliance 2: The Hunt for Breeze by Robert L. Butler Jr from United States, Forest Island by Ryosuke Handa from Japan, Beautiful Violence by Joey Medina from US, Ayrton:Childhood in the Heart of Brazil by Vicentini Gomez and Hugo Casarta from Brazil, The Door by Fella Cederbaum from United States, Ballesteros On My Mind- The Film by Karlo Garcia Gino from Philippines, Vertigo by Haruo Inoue from Japan, Tierra del Fuego by Oleksandr Lozytskyi from Ukraine, Lady Samurai- The Final Cut by Fay Yvonne Goodman from United Kingdom, Routine by Russell Emmanuel, Unconditional Love by Wallis Liu from Taiwan, Hispania- Land of Rabbits by Jose Luis Rodriguez from Spain.
The Broken Frame by Sannidh Raychaudhuri, Sayan Roychowdhury, The River by Suramya, Mom and Us by Raja Ram Mukherji, ATMAN by Hariharan Raju are some of the outstanding Indian films screened at the event.
One of the filmmakers said, “I applaud the jury members for selecting films which has something every filmmaker could learn from.” He added, “It is great to see that young people are so serious about the art of filmmaking.”
The most important and exclusive part of the event was the panel discussion that came after the screening. The conversation provided insight into the struggles that indie filmmakers encounter on their journeys. As one of the creators aptly put it, "Filmmaking is ignited by passion. One need not have a degree in film to present his ideas.
For some of the filmmakers, the event served as a great platform for interacting with other filmmakers and exchange ideas. He said, “This event helped us to get in touch with many more Indie-filmmakers who have the same passion within them.” The session also gave an insight of how they want the audience to see their creativity in their films.
After an instructive panel discussion, it was time for a cultural dance performance and an award presentation ceremony for honouring all the winning filmmakers. The winners received certificates and trophies along with a detailed review of their creation by leading international film review aggregator Cult Critic.
The event ended with a group photo of filmmakers and crew members in the frame, followed by bytes of the filmmakers sharing about their experience through the event, and their reactions after emerging as winners. The creators were ecstatic and expressed, “It is always great when you get recognised for your work. It is like our hard work has finally paid off.”
Filmmakers and organisers wrapped up the fantastic festival with hearts full of joy and memorable moments, hoping for greater participation and enthusiasm the following year.
