Sonapur cleaner tops 70 short films made in UAE

A short film starring an Indian worker from the Sonapur labour camp was selected as the best short film in the three-day Sharjah International Film Festival.

Obsession, directed by Salim Rahman and Harshan, featured Ramraj from Tamil Nadu, a labour camp resident of Sonapur, who played the lead role.

The movie has already bagged five short film awards from the UAE and India.

In the UAE section, about 50 short filmmakers have submitted their entries and the jury has shortlisted the best 10 movies and the final three winners are given cash prices and certificates.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Saleem Rahman, one of the two directors of Obsession said: “We are happy to get the best short movie award from a list of 50 short films in different languages short listed for the Sharjah International Short Film Festival. The movie has received four more awards earlier.”  

Ramraj, who is a cleaner in Dubai, received much applause for his role in the movie that tells the story of an ordinary worker’s dream. In the international section, there were many international entries and from the UAE sector, 10 films were short listed.

The second best short film award at the Sharjah International Short Film Festival was bagged by director Rupesh Thikkodi in Forbidden, a 5.5-minute movie starring a rat.

“A rat is the hero in the move, Forbidden, which is only 5.5 minutes contains a strong message about food adulteration and food contamination due to excessive pesticide use in fruits and vegetables as well  as from fast food. It was a tough time to shoot the movie with a rat. To tame the rate and shoot, it took a long time to shoot the 5-minute movie. We are happy to have received the second best movie award,” said Thikkodi.

“The International Short Film festival is a good opportunity for the local short film makers and an interaction with Gautam Ghosh and Beena Paul was useful.” We are happy a new movie culture is coming. This is the 17th short film that I have made in the UAE,” he said.

Omer Sharief, another Indian expatriate in the UAE, won the third best short film award for his short movie, Porul. The winners were honoured with cash awards and certificates from Beena Paul, an eminent film personality form India. The Indian Association, Kerala Chalachithra Academy and the Indian Consulate in Dubai plan to make it an annual short film festival in Sharjah.

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