KOCHI: The silent cry of the helpless often goes unheard. Johnse Martin Jose was so moved by the plight of animals that decided to make a film about the cruelties they face, apart from saving some of them. His 15-minute debut short film ‘Jeevan’ has won him international accolades.
Jeevan bagged the best original song award at the Seattle Film Festival and Accolade Global Film Competition and got an honourable mention from Hollywood New Directors, an organisation that celebrates filmmakers who challenge the conventional ways of filmmaking. It was also one among the 11 nominated for the final round of the Seattle Film Festival.
The song that bagged the award was penned by poet and Mollywood lyricist S Rameshan Nair, who passed away recently. “The song titled Adi Kaviyude Ashruvakyam.. echos the essence of Maa Nishada and was sung by my sister Cinobi Annet Jose. The music director is Prashant A S,” he added. The short film is based on a real incident, said Johnse who is an animal rights activist. “My abhorrence for meat and associated products began some 21 years ago,” said Johnse. “When I encountered the pain endured by the animals in the cattle or poultry industry, I no longer could continue eating meat. That was 21-years ago,” he said.
The script for the film was formed from an incident on February 14 where Johnse rescued a buffalo and two goats from a being butchered. “I happened to come across a buffalo and two goats tied in front of a butcher’s shed. The animals looked so pitiful, I wanted to rescue them,” he said. He knew talking to the butcher wouldn’t help. “So, I deputed two persons to negotiate with the butcher and buy the animals off him. Those were some tense moments,” he added.
“I managed to save the three animals. However, there are many more that need saving and this can happen only when people decide to give up eating meat,” he added. So, to spread awareness about this, Johnse decided to make a film based on the incident. The film is available on Youtube at Cinema Screen Jeevan.