Factual
‘Fireflies in the Abyss’ by Chandrasekhar Reddy gets selected at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
MUMBAI: Chandrasekhar Reddy’s acclaimed Indian documentary Fireflies in the Abyss has been selected to be featured in Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival this year. The festival will be held from 28 April to 6 May 2016.
The film is selected among 38 best features from across the world to be screened in the world showcase section, marking its North American premiere at the festival.
The 23 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America’s largest documentary film festival, conference and market that is held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Reddy’s feature captures the dream of an 11-year-old boy who fights his way out of life in the rat-hole coalmines, to put himself in school.
The film made its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival and made its India premiere at the 14 Mumbai International Film Festival where it won two top awards the Golden Conch award for best documentary feature film and the best cinematography in the national competition category.
Delighted with the selection at Hot Docs, Chandrasekhar says, “After the response and appreciation at the Busan and Mumbai fesivals, it is a great opportunity for the film to get a platform at Hot Docs, which will help reach the North American audiences and market. The Toronto audiences are known to be hugely appreciative and I am really looking forward to present the film there. There is also a brilliant selection of films this year to watch, including Herzog’s new film and am hoping to catch some of them.”
The short documentary titled Amdavad Ma Famous directed by Hardik Mehta is competing in the international shorts category.
Synopsis of Fireflies in the Abyss:
The ‘rat-hole’ mines in the Jaintia Hills of Northeast India, are hostile pits where men and boys risk their lives everyday to scratch coal out of hard rock. Burrowing into narrow tunnels, they are armed with nothing more than a pickaxe and a torch.
Each of them comes to the coal pit for different reasons. But once there, all of them are looking for a chance to breakout. Some are able to escape, most can’t. Even with the odds stacked against him, Suraj, an 11-year old boy, grapples his way out of this abyss to eventually put himself in school.
The film follows Suraj and several other miners whose lives intertwine with his, to reveal lives under extraordinary circumstances and the brutal choices they are forced to resolve at every turn of their lives
MUMBAI: India’s most famous hot seat is about to welcome an unlikely first-timer. For the first time on Hindi general entertainment television, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla will appear on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the iconic quiz show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
The special episode marks a rare meeting point of boardroom heft and prime-time television, bringing one of India’s most influential business leaders face to face with the country’s most enduring screen legend. It is a crossover that blends intellect, leadership and popular culture, all under KBC’s familiar spotlight.
Birla’s appearance dovetails neatly with the show’s current theme, Jahaan Akal Hai, Wahan Akad Hai, which celebrates the confidence that comes from clarity of thought and knowledge. His presence lends weight to the idea that sharp thinking and conviction are as vital in life as they are in the quiz chair.
In a thoughtful conversation with Bachchan, Birla shared an upbeat view of India’s economic journey, pointing to the nation’s rapid growth and the scale of opportunity opening up across industries and communities. He spoke of momentum, ambition and a future shaped by enterprise and ideas.
The episode is not all serious talk. In lighter moments, Birla confessed his long-standing admiration for Bachchan, calling him his favourite actor and admitting to a touch of nervousness at answering questions in front of the Shahenshah himself. The candour adds a human touch to a man more often seen in headlines than on television sets.
The special episode airs on Monday, 29 December at 9.00 pm on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV.
