Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: A four-day retrospective showcasing acclaimed Konkani films by award-winning Goan directors will begin on May 14 at ManoShobha Kalaghar in Loliem, Canacona, under the banner of the ‘Prashanti Film Fest’.
The festival will feature films by internationally recognised filmmakers Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, Miransha Naik and Manguirish Bandodkar, along with National Award-winning director Dinesh Bhonsle. The selected films focus on significant social concerns affecting Goan society.
Actor Prashanti Talpankar, the first Goan performer to receive two awards at international film festivals, features in prominent roles across all four films. The festival is also being presented as a tribute to her cinematic journey.
The opening film on May 14 will be Amori, directed by Dinesh Bhonsle, which won the National Award in 2019. The film centres on environmental concerns, particularly water conservation and the deteriorating condition of Goa’s traditional water sources.
On May 15, audiences will get to watch Baga Beach by Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, a National Award-winning film that examines the darker realities linked to Goa’s beach tourism, including cultural erosion, migration-related tensions and paedophilia.
Miransha Naik’s Juze will be screened on May 16. The film, which earned the Special Jury Award at the Minsk International Film Festival in Belarus, recently won 14 awards at the Goa State Film Festival. It highlights the exploitation faced by migrant labourers in urban slums.
The final screening on May 17 will feature Ancessao, a Konkani short film by Manguirish Bandodkar. The film won Best Film and Best Actor awards at the International Film Festival of South Asia in Toronto and explores themes of loneliness, ageing and mental health among elderly women living alone.
Each screening will be followed by interactive discussions moderated by young theatre artistes Padma Bhat, Venkatrai Naik, Samyukta Pagi and Prasad Pagi.
The concluding day will also feature an interview with Prashanti Talpankar conducted by Shri Nirakar High School headmaster Urvee Phaldesai.
According to a press note issued by ManoSobha Kalaghar Trust secretary Sudesh Prabhudesai, all screenings will begin at 6:30 pm and are open to the public.
