THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Renowned short film-maker Sanjeev Sivan has bagged the second best short length film award in the Ecofilms festival 2010 in Greece. It was Sanjeev’s short film ‘Underground Inferno’ that fetched him the prestigious honour.
The short film was produced by Umesh Agarwal for the National Geographic channel. The film, that portrays the plight of villagers living in Jharia coal fields of Jharkhand, has earned Sanjeev Sivan many laurels, including the best documentary award at the 2009 Goa International Film Festival. ``It was really a surprise. National Geographic had sent the entry and I was aware of the award only when I got a call from the Indian Embassy on Tuesday,’’ Sanjeev Sivan told ‘Expresso’.
The 30-minute short film has succeeded in inviting the attention of the world to a small village which has been reeling under coal mine fires.
Though coal mine fires happen everywhere where there are coal fields, the volume of human tragedy in Jharia is graver than in other countries, said Sanjeev. This was why he chose the theme for the documentary.
Through human stories of those who lost their dear ones and all possessions to the fire, Sanjeev Sivan beautifully narrates the plight of Jharia locals in ‘Underground Inferno’. The awareness on the tragedy spread by Sanjeev Sivan’s film also prompted the Union Government to announce, earlier this year, a special package for rehabilitating the victims of the fire.
trivandrum@expressbuzz.com