‘Dostojee’ wins top prize in Japan film fest, Prasun offered to make 8 crore-budget film

It’s a proud moment for Kolkata filmmaker Prasun Chatterjee and why not? His debut directorial ‘Dostojee’ has now won the top prize, the Golden Shika Award in the Nara International Film Festival, Japan, in the international competition. There’s another interesting aspect other than the Golden Shika trophy. Prasun will get the chance to make a film in Japan which will be fully funded and produced by Nara IFF as a part of this prize.This initiative is running under the successful leadership of the world famous Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase.

In Nara IFF, ‘Dostojee competed in the international competition section with other seven brilliant films from around the World.

The film will be released in theatres on November 11. Meanwhile, its festival round continues as ‘Dostojee’ will have its American and UAE Premiere in the international competition of the 39th Chicago International Children's Film Festival and Sharjah International Film Festival. The film has also been invited for the main competition in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, which is the biggest film awards' event of this region.

The slice-of-a-life drama, starring child artists Asik Shaikh and Arif Shaikh alongside Jayati Chakraborty and Swatilekha Kundu, captures the innocent friendship of two boys in a remote border village in West Bengal, separated from Bangladesh by river Padma. The thick-as-thieves friendship of the eight-year-olds Palash (Asif Shaikh) and Safikui (Arif Shaikh] transcends the barriers built by religion and society.