BISWANATH CHARIALI, July 2 � Kaafiron Ki Namaaz (The Virgin Arguments), made by two Mumbai-based youngsters, won awards and accolades in the 3rd edition of the Ladakh International Film Festival that concluded in Leh on June 29. The film was produced by Bhargav Saikia, who hails from Biswanath Chariali, Assam, and directed by Ram Ramesh Sharma.
The film, shot in Kashmir, won the best feature film (awarded to the film�s producer Bhargav Saikia), best screenplay (Ram Ramesh Sharma), best actor (shared by Alok Chaturvedi and late Chandrahas Tiwari) and best debut director (Ram Ramesh Sharma) awards at the closing ceremony held at the Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra in Leh on Sunday night. Veteran filmmaker Govind Nihalani was the jury chairperson. Other jury members were Maxine Williamson (artistic director of Asia Pacific Screen Awards) and Klaus Eder (general secretary of The International Federation of Film Critics). The jury praised Kaafiron Ki Namaaz for its gripping and powerful narrative, and interesting storytelling format.
Kaafiron Ki Namaaz was previously screened at the prestigious Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea in May 2014, where it was presented in the international competition section. The film had also won two awards at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2014 in Delhi for best actor (Alok Chaturvedi) and best cinematography (A Vasanth). In Assam, the film received rave reviews at the Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival held in Guwahati last April.
