Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 10: A feature film shot entirely in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will represent the archipelago at the 5th World Film Festival in Kolkata, bringing an island-made production to one of the region’s prominent cinema venues.
Handumaan, directed by Prashant Rasaily and produced by Andaman-born filmmaker Samhita Veda Acharyaa, has been officially selected for screening at Nandan in Kolkata. The film is scheduled to be screened on September 11, placing an Andaman-made feature before audiences at a festival featuring films from across the world.
The 5th World Film Festival is being organised by the Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI), Eastern Region, in collaboration with the embassies of Brazil, Costa Rica, Spain and Venezuela in India. The festival has curated 38 films from different parts of the world.
For the Andaman film community, the selection also puts local talent at the centre of a production that has travelled beyond the islands. Handumaan features island-based actors including Geetanjali Acharya, Madan Gupta, Ehtesham Ahmed Khan, Anil Kumar and Ashwini Muralidharan.
Acharyaa, who was born and raised in the Andamans, is an independent director and producer. She has produced 22 films, with several of her documentaries previously selected for film festivals across India.
Handumaan had earlier been screened at the Sikkim International Film Festival and the Jalgaon Film Festival this year before its selection for the Kolkata festival.
The film’s Kolkata screening at Nandan is significant for a production created entirely in the islands, particularly as its journey has included festivals outside the region. The selection provides another platform for the film and its creative team to present stories and performances rooted in the Andaman Islands to audiences beyond the archipelago.
The filmmakers said the opportunity to screen Handumaan at Nandan represents a long-held aspiration and could create further avenues for filmmakers from the islands. The festival’s international participation also places the Andaman production within a wider programme of films from different countries.
