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Indian Filmmaker Picks Up Award At Ridgefield Independent Film Festival

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. – Indian director Samar Salam made his first-ever trip to the United States from India to attend the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival and to accept the award for Best Documentary Feature for his work with Sudeshna Sharma on "The Ides of Childhood."

"The Ides of Childhood" director Salam Samar accepting his award for Best Documentary Feature

"The Ides of Childhood" director Salam Samar accepting his award for Best Documentary Feature

Photo Credit: Michael Graham

The documentary is a journey through Kashmir, a country at war for decades, and tells a story of tragedy, courage and hope for a land and a people. 

This year, the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival presented 55 films from 19 countries at five venues over the course of three days (May 19-21). Jurors for RIFF 2017 included screenwriter/filmmaker Katie Torpey, animation producer John Donkin (Blue Sky Studios) and writer/director/producer Brian DeCubellis, whose film Manhattan Night was featured at the festival last year.

Other RIFF award-winners were:

  • Best Student Film: An Evening of Eternity (Germany) - Directed by Constantin Maier
  • Best Web/New Media Series: Two Guys (USA) - Directed by Michael Kohlbrenner
  • Best Animated Short: Lion Dance (USA) - Directed by Tim Pattinson & Zheng Kang
  • Best Documentary Short: The Other Side (Spain) - Directed by Griselda San Martin
  • Best Documentary Feature: The Ides of Childhood (India) - Directed by Sudeshna Sharma and Samar Salam
  • Best Narrative Short: The Bouquet (France) - Directed by Julien Segard & Romain Carciofo
  • Best Narrative Feature: Cold Breath (Iran) - Abbas Raziji
  • Grand Jury Prize: What Children Do (USA) - Directed by Dean Peterson

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