Pranab Aich's films Torch and Manayun – My Wonderland nominated for Durban International Film Festival Audience Award

For some time now, Smile Foundation, an Indian social development organization has been deploying good cinema as a medium for sensitizing the masses and engaging them proactively in the process of initiating social change. Their feature films, Torch and Manayun – My Wonderland, produced by Santanu Mishra and directed by Pranab Aich have been nominated for the Durban International Film Festival Audience Award. Torch is a documentary made in the Odia language and is 22 minutes long. The documentary is set in a remote village near the famous Konarktemple in India, and is based on the life of a poor farmer’s son who is amazed by the advent of technology in their lives after the arrival of a steel torch in their home. The second film, Manayun – My Wonderland, is also a documentary made in the Odia language. This 13-minute documentary chronicles the journey of a young village teacher in remote India, who takes up the challenge to bring tribal children of the Kutia Kondh to school. Talking of the filmmaker, Pranab is an internationally acclaimed documentary filmmaker photographer. An alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia AJK MCRC, New Delhi. He is a recipient of Sony World Photography Award Cannes 2009. His 25-min documentary City’s Step Child, which is based on the adventures of urban poor children in India has received more than 24 nominations and 7 awards from film festivals worldwide which includes BJIFF-China, EKOTOP-Bratislava, Bradford-UK, AILFF-Hyderabad, LBI-Los Angeles etc. Telling stories from across India with a global perspective, he has mostly worked with international NGOs and independent producers. Having widely travelled in remote India, he has filmed Trans genders, SHGs, HIVs, Prostitution, Drugs, Rare Diseases, Women, Sports, Tribal, Education, Agriculture etc. Nature, youth and rural life is what fascinates him the most. Some of his popular documentaries are Once My Village, City’s Step Child (2013), I have a Colored Dream (2014), Let’s Play For Peace (2018), Torch (2022), Manayun-My Wonderland (2022). Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .