- The festival will be inaugurated by Ramon Magsaysay Award winner, Padma Shri Dr. Ravi Kannan R, who revolutionized cancer treatment in Assam
- Opportunity to watch 31 short films and documentaries during the festival
PUNE: The Health Film Festival, organized annually by the P. M. Shah Foundation and Vardhaman Pratishthan in Pune, will be held this year on Friday, December 12, and Saturday, December 13 at the NFDC – National Film Archive of India on Law College Road. This was announced by Adv. Chetan Gandhi, Director of P. M. Shah Foundation.
Adv. Chetan Gandhi also mentioned that this is the 14th year of the festival, and 31 selected short films and documentaries from more than 145 short films and documentaries from India and abroad will be screened during this festival. The organizers have also informed that the Health Film Festival is free, and entry will be given on a first-come, first-served basis only.
The 14th Health Film Festival will be formally inaugurated on Friday, December 12, at 2 pm in the presence of Padma Shri Dr. Ravi Kannan R, a Padma Shri awardee and director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Assam, who has revolutionized cancer treatment in the region. This will be followed by the screening of short films and documentaries from 3 pm. The next day (Saturday, December 13), those interested will be able to watch short films and documentaries from 10 am, and then the festival will conclude at 4 pm. The closing ceremony and prize distribution ceremony of the winners will be presided over by well-known actress Renuka Daftardar. Awards will be given to the best short films and documentaries on this occasion.
Giving more information about the festival, Adv. Chetan Gandhi said, “Like every year, this year too, we are organizing the 14th Health Film Festival in association with P. M. Shah Foundation and Vardhaman Pratishthan, and we have received a spontaneous response from the contestants this year as well. This year, more than 145 short films and documentaries from across the country and abroad have registered their participation for the festival, and out of these, the attendees will get the opportunity to watch a select 31 short films and documentaries. These include topics such as mental health, child health and child sexual abuse, women’s health issues, organ donation, cancer, social health, cleanliness, health issues of senior citizens, etc.”
Along with India, entries for the festival have come from countries all over the world, including Dubai, Australia, Germany, America, Pakistan, Algeria, England, Bangladesh, Senegal, Philippines, France, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Africa, Serbia, and Iran. The selection process of all these documentaries and short films has been done by renowned critic and social activist Anuja Deodhar, Dr. Leena Borude and social activist Neeta Mehta. Adv. Gandhi also informed that even though the short films and documentaries screened in the festival are in different languages, they will have English subtitles.