3rd Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF) 2014 inaugurated .

The third edition of Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF) kicked off on June 27. The ongoing film festival offers an interesting mix of international and Indian films. The three-day fest was inaugurated by His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche, the spiritual regent of His Holiness Gwalyong Drukpa, the head of the Drukpa Lineage that has 267 monasteries in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The inaugural lamp was lit by a few Ladakhi students . The fest opened with the screening of Kamal Swaroop's National Award winning non-feature film "Rangbhoomi", which is based on Dadasaheb Phalke’s eponymous semi-autobiographical play of the same name. Indian film personalities including Govind Nihalani, Deepti Naval, Rajit Kapur, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Amole Gupte attended the inauguration ceremony of the  LIFF  held at Sindhu Sanskriti Centre. The ceremony also saw the presence of officials of the South Korean Embassy ,Delhi, regent of His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa (head of Drukpa lineage). Shilpa Shukla, whose acclaimed film, Nazarudheen Sha starrer, "The Coffin Maker",  is also present. This film will be screened in the fest. Melwyn Williams Chirayath is the founder and Festival Director. The film , ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’  directed by Michael Bay was screened subsequently.Lumicel ,a Trivandrum based animation company created the signature film for the 3^rd LIFE.

SIGNS 2014 (Signs Short and Documentary Film Festival 2014): John Abraham National Awards winners

SiGNS 2014 : John Abraham National Awards winners

Best Film - Documentary:
'Candles In The Wind'
Directors: Kavita Bahl & Nandan Saxena
The film is extraordinary in its consistency, perseverance and empathy in exploring the effects of the current crisis of non-remunerative farming and phenomenon of farmers' suicide in Punjab. While following the trajectory of investigative documentary the filmmakers have made every effort to maintain and enhance the dignity of their ill-fated protagonists. The oft-repeated story in the media of the farmers' suicide takes a new turn in this film through the testimonies of the farm-widows who are left behind to navigate through the hostile terrains of the land and the devastated familial life. The enquiring camera blurs the line between the role of the protagonist and that of the investigator and reverses their roles by the end of it.
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Best Short Film - Fiction:
'Makhi (The Fly)'
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
This film is distinct in its sarcastic depiction of the contemporary social system and playful ways of subverting the same. The contention over the market -driven system gets revealed through an extremely contrived and sardonic chain of events. The film is enriched with a unique intelligence and humour prevalent in its texture, characterisation, dialogues, and inter-personal relationships. The rampant instances of sordid manipulation of the issues of environment, public health, urban development and retrenchment come to stand on its head in this delightful film on resistance.
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Cinema Experimenta - Fiction:
'Aisa Nahin Hua Tha Tahira (Jumbled Cans)'
Director: Rajula Shah
The highly stylised and lyrical film simultaneously travels through multiple narrative tracks and different temporalities. Through a structure that coalesces the locations, spoken words, quotes from literary works and memories of mutations into a narrative the film manages to weave in a composite tale of human relationships and desires.  
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Jury Special Mention - Fiction:
'Thutse Kyume (Ordinary Times)'
Director: Takapa Karma
The jury would like to congratulate the filmmaker for successfully weaving in a fine political intention into the standard format of a crime thriller.
'A Dream Animal'
Director: Sanyukta Sharma
The film most unobtrusively turns the act of a sound recordist recording the ambience sound of a jungle into an exercise of learning to listen to the nature, for the spectators. The filmmaker's method of questioning our standard response to the nature is inconspicuous yet provocative.
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Jury Special Mention - Documentary:
'Shepherds Of Paradise'
Director: Raja Shabir Khan
The film, extensively shot in the treacherous climate and terrain of Pir Panchal range, not only documents the precarious livelihood practice of the Himalayan shepherds but brings forward the dignity in their lifestyle and finds humanity in their livestock.
'...Ebang Bewarish(...And The Unclaimed)'
Director: Debalina
While investigating the suicide-murder of a lesbian couple the film diligently unearths a hostile social milieu that accomplishes such crime. It is poignant to see that the filmmaker restores the legacy of the abandoned / dead couple into a diverse group of people who practice same sex love.