6th edition of the Dehradun International Film Festival held on 17-19 September in Dehradun

Dehradun : The 6th edition of the Dehradun International Film Festival held on 17-19 September, Friday to Sunday, 2021, in Dehradun.
This festival’s motto is to showcase nationally and internationally acclaimed and award-winning films to the audience of Uttarakand. This is to create the awareness for excellent cinema, which all are usually not available in the small towns of India. Along with cinema, the presentation, discussions, interaction with the film fraternity with the local audience are also very important aspects of this cinematic event. After the great success of last three years, the people from the hilly town far from Mumbai, are very keen to witness another great experience. This shall not only bring the local talent and regional filmmakers and producers closer to Hindi film industry in Mumbai but also it will create a platform to meet the filmmakers from pan India.
Noted actress Ms. Sushma Seth, Veteran actor Late Mr. Om Puri and eminent Film Historian – Critic – Editor – Festival Director Dr. Aruna Vasudev has been mentored at the Dehradun International Film Festival. Last three years Veteran actress Ms. Moushumi Chatterjee, Ms. Sushma Seth, Mr. Sagar Sarhadi and Biswajit Chatterjee have been conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award from Hon’ble former Chief Minister of Uttrakhand and Hon’ble Governor of Uttarakhand. Critically acclaimed Directors / Actors Subhash Ghai, Divya Dutta, Satish Kaushik, Jimmy Shergill, Seema Biswas, Prem Chopra, Himani Shivpuri, Saurabh Shukla, Rajpal Yadav, Pooja Bhat, Raza Murad, Dr. Mohan Agashe, Sharman Joshi, Parvin Dabas, Preeti Jhangiyani, Payel Rohatgi have also attended the festival. Former Chief Minister has highly praised our efforts, and the media along with the local audience, everyone enjoyed the film festival.
On the 6th Dehradun International Film Festival, first time we have collaborated with the OTT platform www.freizeitmedia.com filmmaker Neha Singh also owner of Freizeit, was generously supported the festival with showing the films from 17th to 30th September on the OTT platform Freizeit.
The festival opened with Vinay Pathak starrer film Chintu ka Birthday. The film based on the incidents faced by the Indian family in Iraq during the fall of Saddam Husain regime. In today’s context, what happening in Afghanistan, keeping in mind that, screening of the film is more appropriate.
6th DIFF, showcased a Retrospective of veteran actress Mita Vashisht, with her films like – Siddheshwari, Drohkaal, Khayalgatha, TV series Kirdaar and her directed documentary of Kashmiri poet Lal Ded – She, of the four names.
The 6th DIFF honoured the veteran actor Victor Banerjee with the LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, for his immense contribution towards Cinema. He has acted in films made by veteran Hollywood filmmakers Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, and Indian masters like – Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shyam Benegal, Ram Gopal Varma, Bangladeshi filmmaker Montazur Rahman Akbar. He won the National film award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Ghare Baire. He has acted in Bengali, Hindi and Assamese films besides the English films of Hollywood. In 6th

DIFF, Victor Banerjee and Subrat Dutta acted film Josef – Born in the Grace shown as the Closing Film of the festival. Josef – Born in the Grace directed by internationally acclaimed director Sushant Misra and produced by Ashok Mahapatra. Victor Banerjee said, “many film festivals and organising wanted to honour me with the Lifetime Achievement Award but I refused them gently, but I am happily accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award in Dehradun because of, I made Mussoorie my home 20 years ago. The film entirely based and completely shoot in Uttrakhand, and the festival is Dehradun International Film Festival, so this time I have all the reason to accept the honour.” Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the trophy to the veteran actor at the Closing Ceremony of 6th DIFF.
Santanu Ganguly, Festival Curator and Artistic Director of DIFF said, “honouring the persona like Victor Banerjee is like Ganga pujan with Ganga Jal, means honouring him is in a way being honoured by the blessings of the veteran actor.”
Noted actor Subrat Dutta has bagged the BEST ACTOR AWARD at the 6th DIFF, for his intense portrayal of the character of Josef in the film Josef – Born in the Grace. Uttrakhand’s Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj has handed over the trophy to Subrat Dutta during the Closing Ceremony. Subrat Dutta, National School of Drama Graduate, has acted in Hindi films like films like Talaash, Tango Charlie, Zameen, The Shaukeens, Rakhcharitra, Bhootnath Returns and Bengali films Chaturanga, Bibar and Jor. Subrat has been awarded with the Best Actor Award before at the Osian’s-Cinefan Film Festival in Delhi for Bengali film Bibar and also in the Egypt Film Festival for the Hindi film Madholal Keep Walking.
Santanu Ganguly said, “the film festivals should more and more focus on good content and not only glamour. Artists like Mita Vashisht, Vinay Pathak, Akhilendra Mishra and Subrat Dutta should be the stars of film festivals not the popular actors of Hindi films. We are glad that in a small but with honest intension, we are trying to pay our humble respects to the tremendous performers of the Indian film industries.”
A Homage has been paid to greatest actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who has passed away last year, with his just finished, unreleased Bengali film Jibon Khatar Proti Patay, directed by Dipak Sanyal.
Noted actors Mita Vashisht, Vinay Pathak, Akhilendra Mishra, Vindu Dara Singh, Aisharya Rajnikant, veteran Hindi film producer and director K C Bokadia, former FTII Chairperson Gajendra Chauhan, Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Susant Misra, Producer Ashok Mahapatra were among the guests of the 6th edition of the Dehradun International Film Festival.