KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Jalal-u-Din Baba, Kashmiri film-maker, bagged Golden Beaver award for his documentary Saving the Saviour at the 6th National Science Film Awards in Mumbai.
Baba’s documentary was appreciated for its simplicity, treatment and the narrative.
Baba’s film was selected by a jury of eminent film makers like Dr Mike Pandey, Director MCRC, Jamia Milia Islamia Iftikhar Ahmad, and some top notch nuclear scientists, physicists and Bollywood script writers and film editors. The panel was chaired by Shyam Benegal.
Saving the Saviour is about an orphaned boy Billa who cleans the plastic and trash from Wular lake for his livelihood. He sells whatever he collects and feeds his family.
Shortly after receiving the award, Baba said it was great to receive such a “prestigious national awards” for the effort one make. “Awards of such stature provide you with enormous impetus and confidence,” said Baba. “These awards don’t belong to me only, but to Billa (The Film’s protagonist)”.
Film, Baba said, is a effort to draw to the attention of civil society in general, Govt. agencies concerning environment conservation and preservation, Govt. of India in whole, UNESCO in particular as it stands depository under Ramsar Convention on wetlands conservation, to take practical and honest steps for its conservation, restoration and beautification, thus saving Kashmir and world from manmade catastrophe we saw in the form of 7 September 2014 Floods.
“I am doing documentary films since last 15 years,” he said, “my first documentary too was about Wular Lake way back in 2002-2003.”
