Gurgaon filmmaker's award-winning film gets piracy scare

Gurgaon-based actor/filmmaker

Hemwant Tiwari

created history last year when he made '

Lomad

', a 93-minute

film

that is billed as the world's first black-and-white one-shot film. Over the last one year, the film has been screened in various film festivals around the world and won a number of awards too. The film is yet to be released in India, with its release being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, earlier this month, Hemwant received word that the film may have been leaked online. "There was a link online purportedly showing the whole film and they had used a poster as the thumbnail too," informs Hemwant.

Upon checking, it turned out that the link was fake and merely clickbait. But Hemwant is aware that other such links may exist and is trying – with his team – to ensure the film doesn't get leaked online. He says, "I have seen bigger films being leaked online and being pirated but mine is a small venture so I was surprised at that. This is flattering too on some level because it means that people outside the niche cinephiles know about this small film too. But I want it to reach the audience in the proper manner. It has won so many laurels overseas and I want our audience to see why an Indian film has done so well everywhere."

'Lomad' was shot in January 2019 in Mumbai with a cast and crew comprising largely of FTII graduates. The entire feature-length film has been filmed in a single uninterrupted shot and according to the makers, is the first black-and-white film in the world to be filmed in such a manner. Since its release in film festivals, it has been the official selection at three festivals and earned 10 nominations at festivals globally.