An Indian filmmaker, Achyutanand Dwivedi, made amends for his nation's disappointing no-show in the 72nd Cannes Film Festival
An Indian filmmaker, Achyutanand Dwivedi, made amends for his nation's disappointing no-show in the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. His three-minute film, Seed Mother, won the third prize in the international section of Nespresso Talents 2019 in Cannes on Friday night.
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Held annually as part of the Cannes Critics' Week to encourage new perspectives in filmmaking, Nespresso Talents is now in its fourth year. It is a contest limited to films shot in a vertical 9/16 video format.
This year's theme was 'We Are What We Eat', aimed at exploring the world, experiencing diversity, and sharing experiences and knowledge through food. It received 371 videos from 47 countries in three broad categories: Farming and Biodiversity, Food Heritage and the Value Chain and Food in Popular Cultures.
"Seed Mother" celebrates the exceptional spirit of Rahibai Soma Popere, a woman who champions the use of local seeds and traditional methods of farming in villages of Maharashtra.
The Nespresso 2019 first prize in the international section was won by New Zealand's Josh Morrice for "Subak", about rice cultivation in Bali, while the second prize went to Mexican filmmaker Marco Aurelio Celis' "Ruffo".
Dwivedi, born and raised in Mumbai, now lives in Pondicherry. "I realised that the pace of life in Mumbai was killing me," he says.
He discovered the work of Rahibai Soma Popere when he went looking for good seeds for his kitchen garden, a central part of a sustainable model of living that he is developing for himself and his friends. Even as a cameraman, Dwivedi, who shoots commercials, favours employing vintage lenses. "I shot 'Seed Mother' with a mirror lens, which helped the quality of the images," he says.
In 2016, he won a prize sponsored by Getty Images during the Cannes Lions for the 90-second film "Internal Fight", about the struggles of Mumbai-based mixed martial arts fighter Farhan Siddiqui.
"I see myself doing experiential documentaries to express myself through interesting themes and subjects," Dwivedi says.
Best of Cannes Film Festival 2019:
- Cannes 2019: Kangana Ranaut dazzles in white ensemble for a gala
- Cannes 2019: Priyanka Chopra takes Victorian look a notch higher as she walks with Nick Jonas
- Cannes 2019: Kangana Ranaut's latest gown is all sorts of dreamy
- Cannes 2019: Deepika Padukone shows off her radiant side in this bright couture
- Cannes 2019: Kashmera Shah makes debut with her directorial film
- Cannes 2019: 'Elegance ki moorat', 'Baby': Ranveer Singh praises Deepika Padukone's look
- Cannes 2019: Hina Khan stuns in a lavender gown at the soiree
- Cannes 2019: Huma Qureshi shimmers in a black Balmain blazer-dress
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