An Indian Catholic priest’s short film ‘Carlo’ won two awards at the Global Taj International Film Festival (GTIFF) in Agra, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on November 17.
The film received two great awards at the GTIFF award ceremony, namely the Best Short Film Award and the Best Line Producer Award, said Father Leslie Bosco Rego, director of the film "Carlo."
"It was a thrilling experience to receive the awards," said Rego, a priest of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, western India.
The film was screened on November 12 at the film festival.
The short film is based on the life of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a young Catholic Italian teenager, who was a computer and internet gem.
"He has shown us a modern way of proclaiming Christ," said Rego.
Carlo had a special love for God, even though his parents were not so devout.
He was a programmer and built a website cataloging and promoting Eucharistic miracles. He was known for defending kids, especially disabled children who got picked on. At a young age, Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia.
He was born in London, United Kingdom, on May 3, 1991, and died on October 12, 2006, in Monza, Italy. He was beatified on October 10, 2020. He is the patron saint of youth and computer programmers.
The journey of the short film was not an easy one; it had lots of ups and downs. However, in the end, everything went swimmingly.
"I thank God for being with us all the time. It was God’s grace that we could do at least something for Him by featuring a young person who loved him more than anything else in this modern world," explained Rego.
The film was created specifically for today's youth and children to teach them how to use modern technology without becoming obsessed with it.
"Carlo is a perfect role model for them, as he demonstrated how to use the internet and modern gadgets wisely," said Rego.
"We are so blessed that our film ‘Carlo’ was selected for the GTIFF in Agra and got two awards," he added.
Over 100 entries were submitted from 10 countries for the GTIFF 2022, but 35 films were selected from India, the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Denmark, Nepal, and Egypt.
As many as 21 films were selected from India. The GTIFF is a unique initiative aimed at connecting filmmakers under one umbrella. It gives filmmakers enough space to understand the world's best cinema.
The international film festival features good and previously unseen stories, innovations that broke stereotypes, and dark patterns in cinema, and an increasing number of filmmakers are experimenting with form and content, making their craft a little more accessible.
The pillars behind the film and awards need a mention: Dadadiraj Shirodar (editor and videographer) burned the midnight oil with sleepless nights, and Sandeep Kotecha (line producer), indeed a prominent personality in the film industry, was behind the film to make things happen.
Rego appreciated the efforts of Jose Pereira, who arranged, recorded, and mastered the music; Nilesh Keni (the videographer), vocalists Father Benjamin Victoria, Elvis Mascarenhas, Cayden Desouza, Jose Pereira, Patricia D'mello, and Noywen, and make-up artist Sairah. With patience and sacrifice, the cast and crew performed flawlessly.
A special mention should be made of the film's leading actor, Sanroy D'Souza, who played Carlo; indeed, he kept the movie's momentum going. - Santosh Digal
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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