Six Short Films on Human Rights awarded by the NHRC out of 137 entries in 2022

• Films can be very useful instruments for impacting  minds for creating positivity: Mr. Justice Arun Mishra, Chairperson, NHRC
• The Commission is committed to ensuring how best to utilize its award-winning films for creating awareness about human rights: Mr. Bharat Lal, Secretary General, NHRC

New Delhi : The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India, today organized a function at its premises in New Delhi to present awards to its short film competition-2022 winners.   The NHRC Chairperson, Mr Justice Arun Mishra, Members, Dr. Dnyaneshwar M. Mulay, Mr. Rajiv Jain presented the awards in the presence of Secretary General, Mr. Bharat Lal and Director General (Investigation), Mr. Manoj Yadava.

Mr. Nilesh Ambedkar’s film, “Chirbhog”, in the Marathi language, was awarded the first prize. The film highlights the caste and vocation based continued discrimination in society through the story of a boy and his humiliating struggles until he decides to stand up and expose the contradictions in theory and practice to ensure the rights of liberty, equality, dignity, and education.

The second prize was given to Mrs. Bhawani Doley Tahu for her film “Enabled” in the Assamese language. Through the story of a differently abled child, the film emphasizes the need to change mindsets about Divyangjan and discrimination in their upbringing by parents undermining their rights to life, liberty, equality, and dignity.  

The third prize was given to Mr. T. Kumar for his film “Atcham Thavir” in Tamil language. Through the story of a girl, the film pitches in to build awareness among students about inappropriate touch and sexual harassment in school and the need for the teachers and school administration to be vigilant about it to ensure their right to dignity and education are not violated. 

The three films were awarded ‘Certificate of Special Mention’. These included Rajdutt Revankar’s ‘Lost in Progress’, Abdul Rashid Bhat’s ‘Don’t Burn Leaves’, and Haril Shukla’s ‘U-Turn’.

‘Lost in Progress’ depicts how the overarching expectations of parents from their children to make them all-rounders create unwarranted pressure and rob them of natural growth. ‘Don’t Burn Leaves’ is a documentary highlighting the problem of air pollution due to the burning of dry leaves and the scientific method to dispose of these without affecting the environment, and ‘U-Turn’ depicts society’s double standards in dealing with the problems of domestic violence against women.

Apart from a trophy and a certificate, the first three award-winning films were given cash awards of Rs. 2 lakh, 1.5 lakh and 1 lakh, respectively. The ‘Certificate of Special Mention’ films got a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 each.

Congratulating the winners, Mr. Justice Arun Mishra said that the films have evolved as a very effective medium of expression on human life and sentiments, crossing the geographical boundaries of nations. These can be very useful instruments for impacting minds for creating positivity. He appreciated all the winners and said that their films had raised various vital issues concerning inequality, child education, and the environment. 

Earlier, NHRC Secretary General, Mr. Bharat Lal, giving an overview of the Commission’s short film competition, said that it was instituted in 2015. Over the years, the competition has generated much interest, reflecting the significant number of entries from various parts of the country in different Indian languages. The Commission has about 50 award-winning films and has been referring them to different government departments in the Centre and States to utilize them for human rights awareness.

Mr. Lal said that in 2022, the Commission received 137 films, of which 123 met the criteria. These were put through the process of selection for the awards. He said that the Commission is committed to ensuring how best to utilize these films to create awareness about various human rights aspects. 

Besides the teams of award-winning films, senior officers of the Commission, including the Registrar (Law), Mr. Surajit Dey, Joint Secretaries, Mrs. Anita Sinha & Mr. Devendra Kumar Nim and DIG, Mr. Sunil Kumar Meena and senior officers and staff were present on occasion.