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Sharma’s ‘Final Solution’ wins award at HongKong film fest
MUMBAI: Rakesh Sharma’s documentary film Final Solution won the silver award in the Best Documentary category at the 28th Hong Kong International film festival.
Eight films from all over the world were chosen to compete for the Humanitarian award for documentaries and Final Solution is the first ever Indian film to win this award.
Other films included Checkpoint, Gift of Life, Memories of Rain, Pictorial Letters, Power Trip, S21, The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine and Shattered Dreams.
Final Solution was also picked as Critics choice a list of 15 must-see films among the over 300 movies from 40 countries at the HongKong film festival.
Earlier Final Solution was rejected by MIFF 2004 (Mumbai International film festival) and was screened at Vikalp: Films for Freedom, a parallel festival organised by the Campaign Against Censorship.
Sharma has been an active member of the campaign since its inception in July-August 2003. Sharmas previous film Aftershocks: The Rough Guide to Democracy was also rejected by MIFF in 2002. It went on to participate in over 90 international film festivals and won 10 international awards including the prestigious Robert Flaherty prize in 2002.
Final Solution was premiere internationally at the prestigious Berlin International film festival in February 2004, where it won two awards. The first award the Wolfgang Staudte award. Sharma’s film is the first Indian film to win this award which was instituted in 1990 at the Berlin film festival.
Final Solution has been invited to several international film festivals including the prestigious Canadian film festival HotDocs, Durban International film festival, Zanzibar international film festival, Dokfest (Munich), Flanders (Belgium), Fribourg international film festival (Switzerland), Commonwealth film festival (UK), One world filmfest (Prague), Istanbul 1001fest, Singapore, World Social Forum (Mumbai; Indian premiere) etc.
Final Solution is now awaiting certification from the Censor Board for public exhibition within India and is a study of the politics of hate. Set in Gujarat during the period February 2002 – July 2003, the film examines the consequences of Hindu-Moslem polarisation in the state in the wake of the Godhra tragedy and the genocidal violence against Moslems in Gujarat.
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CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
