'Gandhi & Co.' wins 'Golden Slipper' at Zlin Film Festival
National Film Award-winning director Manish Saini has made India proud at the 62nd edition of the Zlin Film Festival in the Czech Republic. His acclaimed Gujarati film Gandhi & Co. has bagged the coveted "Golden Slipper" award, which goes to the best feature film in the children, junior, youth, and animation category. The film is produced by Mahesh Dannanavar's MD Media Corp. Congratulations!
- The Zlin Film Festival, established in 1961, is one of the oldest global film festivals.
- It is also known as the International Film Festival for Children and Youth.
- The Golden Slipper is the highest honor at the festival, which also recognizes talent in categories such as Best Visual Concept and Best Student Film.
- This year, the prestigious festival showcased 280 films from 49 countries.
Announcing the award, jury member and Czech actor Jitka Cvancarova said, "We are awarding the main prize to the movie which is full of truth and love, which is human." The 44-year-old added, "The movie brings to the spectators, to the children as well as to the adults, with a good dose of humor." She lauded it for being bereft of any "compulsive cliches."
Sharing his excitement over achieving the milestone, an exhilarated Saini said, "This is a memorable landmark for me. I feel a sense of encouragement to learn that a film is received so warmly irrespective of the language and culture." Saini, who has previously helmed National Award-winning Dhh, also said it is an honor for him to represent Gujarati Cinema on such a global scale.
The film follows the life of two children—Mintoo and Mitra—who find it extremely monotonous to learn about Mahatma Gandhi. However, the twist in the tale occurs when a friend tells them that Bapu is actually India's superhero. Gradually, it dawns upon the duo that Gandhi's life is not merely a chapter to be crammed, but a way of life to take lessons from.
The film debuted at the Bengaluru International Film Festival in March 2022 where it was honored with the second-best Indian Film Award, competing with over 200 films from 55 countries. Child artists Reyaan Shah and Hirnaya Zinzuwadia also won the Best Child Actor awards at the New York Indian Film Festival 2022. It had also made it to the 2021 Film Bazaar Recommends list.
