An award for Innovative use of Media for Social Causes
The award is being instituted by Cinema Rendezvous Trust to celebrate Mr. Bala Kailasam’s spirit and visions.
The award will carry a citation and a cash portion.
The recipient for the first Bala Kailasam Memorial Award 2015 is Mr. Haobam Paban Kumar for his documentary film Phum-Shang (Floating life). Floating life, a 52 minutes film produced by Film Division is a quiet and fair-hearted investigation of the fishermen communities and their floating dwellings in Loktak Lake, North East India. In 2011, Manipur government burnt down hundreds of huts in the pretext of cleaning the lake and blaming the locals for the pollution of the lake.
The film won the Silver Lotus for the Best Investigative Film, 62nd National Film Awards 2014 and the Best Long Documentary, 8th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala 2015. He was one of the six emerging talents to represent India at Cannes film Festival 2011 supported by National Film Development Corporation India.
Bala Kailasam, fondly known as BK was a highly respected television professional and an activist documentary film-maker. He was a man of vision who could foresee the impacts of mass media well ahead of the times. His visions of using media for social well-being, environmental upkeep & improvement of human conditions remain unfulfilled by his untimely demise in 2014.
Award will be for individuals or organisations working in any of the following platforms::
The work done by the nominee should have impacted India in a tangible manner and brought about a betterment in a society/ a state / the country.
Award will be for individuals or organisations working in any of the following platforms:
All Entries should have: