JORHAT, April 26 - Internationally acclaimed US-based musician, Rupam Sarmah � originally from Assam (Jorhat) � has won the �Best Film for Inspiration Award� for making the movie One Little Finger, at the Riverside International Film Festival held in Los Angeles, recently.
Rupam�s younger brother Nayan Jyoti Sarmah, a State Bank of India official and treasurer of the Assam Table Tennis Association, told The Assam Tribune today that Rupam has directed and also written the script for One Little Finger, which has been made with 80 persons with disabilities.
Nayan said that One Little Finger which is a Hollywood feature film (English) is co-produced in India with the theme �Ability in Disability�.
Stating that the movie has been based on real-life stories, he said that it was now receiving international acclaim. �The film has been officially selected in various international festivals including France, New York, San Diego, Florida, Los Angeles, Delhi and other places and will be premiered at March� du Film Festival de Cannes in France on May 16 and 17,� Nayan further said.
The film will be officially released in the United States on August 16 and India release is in September. The YouTube play link for the trailer is: https://youtu.be/xtMceQBQBow.
The film has been completed after five years of planning and shooting in various locations in India and US, Nayan said. He said some of the shooting locations in India were in Jorhat, Sivasagar, Guwahati, Hajo. The cast and crew are from Assam, Kolkata, South India, Mumbai, and the US, he said.
All the characters with disabilities are played by the real-life roles. Tamela D�Amico, a Hollywood star is playing a lead character in the film.
Oscar nominated actress and composer, Siedah Garrett is playing the role of Dr Claudia. Abhinaya, a hearing-impaired girl, is a South Indian actress who is playing the same role in the film, he stated.
Den, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a rare genetic disorder, is also playing the same role in the film. Jeeja, a national award winner, who has cerebral palsy, is playing a similar role in the film, Nayan said. Some of the noted actors from Assam are, national award winning actress Malaya Goswami, Jaya Seal Ghosh, Pabitra Rabha, Surajit Sarmah and others.
�The music therapy is an integral part of this film. Many Grammy and Oscar winning artists are involved with the soundtracks including Quincy Jones, Julian Lennon, Siedah Garrett, Kechi Okwuchi, Kevin Mackie, Padmashri Sumitra Guha, and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt,� Nayan said.
He said that the background score is composed by Pulitzer-nominated Stephen Melillo and Rupam Sarmah.
The film has been edited by Arghyakamal Maitra and Debojit Dutta of maZumba Studio. The Media Engineers, Ankur Pathak (sound), Sanjay Hazarika (music) of maZumba have also been actively involved with the film. Sound design is by Anup Mukherjee and Rupam Sarmah. The costume designers are Nang Anne Gogoi (Assam), Gabrielle Sciabbarrasi (Hollywood).
The film soundtracks include songs in various genres and languages � Assamese, English, Bengali, Hindi including Bihu, Borgeet, Rabindra Sangeet, Baul Geet, Satriya.
It may be mentioned here that Rupam Sarmah is an award winning filmmaker, singer, songwriter, scientist and social activist who has earned international recognition for his creative work toward Peace and Human Rights through media initiatives.
