Siddharth Chauhan wins ‘FFSI K.R. Mohanan Award’ for ‘Best Debut Director from India’

Award-winning filmmaker Siddharth Chauhan’s debut feature film set in his hometown Shimla, Amar Colony wins ‘FFSI K.R. Mohanan Award’ for ‘Best Debut Director from India’ at the distinguished 27th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), recently held in Thiruvananthapuram.

The film had its India premiere at IFFK as part of the ‘Indian Cinema Now’ section in which 7 Films were selected. This is the second award bagged by Amar Colony which won a Special Jury Award at 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival where it had its World Premiere in the ‘First Features Competition’ section in November. 

The first project from a local filmmaker of Himachal Pradesh to make it to NFDC Film Bazaar’s Co-Production Market in 2018, Amar Colony features CORRECTION: features Nimisha Nair, Ayush Shrivastava, Sangeeta Agrawal, Deepak Sharma, Usha Chauhan, Sreejith Vijay, Yash Thakur and Rohit Agrawal in the lead roles. Produced by ‘Indie Film Collective’, a film initiative launched by Nisheeth Kumar and his friends in India in 2018. The film is produced in association with ‘Goopy Bagha Productions’. 

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Excited about second win in a row, writer-director Siddharth Chauhan says, “I am certainly one of the most fortunate independent filmmakers of my country because though there are many who dream of making films, there are so many who try so hard, may be even harder than me to make films, only a few succeed. I also feel I am very fortunate because the most amazing team of people could come together leaving many important tasks and higher paying jobs to make this film with me. Though we just won an award in Tallinn to be awarded in our own country by such a prestigious festival at our Indian Premiere means a lot to me. My award became all the more special also because I got to share the stage, even if for a moment – with one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the world, Mr Bela Tarr.”

Thrilled, producer Nisheeth Kumar says, “Amar Colony crafts a unique cinematic language to tell a story with multiple layers.”