Little Terrorist
Encyclopedia
Little Terrorist is a 2004 Indian short film directed, written and produced by Ashvin Kumar
. It was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
. Ashvin Kumar is the son of fashion designer Ritu Kumar
, and made his debut with Road to Ladakh (2002), starring Irrfan Khan and Koel Purie
.
, Sushil Sharma is a clerk in the government service in Delhi
and Megnaa was a 12th standard student at the time of shooting the movie.
The production of the film commenced in November 2003 and was completed in March 2004. The crew were selected by Alipur Films via Shooting People
, the online filmmakers community and worked free of cost for the movie and even travelled to India
at their own expense.
The movie was shot in the deserts of Rajasthan
on a very tight budget. The crew faced various difficulties due to the multilingual production team, remote locations and the shoestring budget. These were further complicated when a tent with the reel burnt down. The crew were however able to salvage the reel from the tent. At another time, a herd of cows stampede
d through the shooting location.
i Muslim boy. While playing cricket
near the Indo Pakistani border, the cricket ball is tossed over to the Indian side of the border separated by a fence.
Jamal crosses the fence to fetch the ball. He is however spotted by the Indian security forces and shot at. He hides in an Indian village where he is provided shelter by Bhola (Sushil Sharma), a devout Hindu
Brahmin
. Both Bhola and his niece, Rani (Megnaa Mehtta), are sceptical about allowing a Muslim boy in their home.
However, when the security forces come looking for Jamal in the village, he is protected by Bhola and Rani.
Jamal does manage to return to Pakistan in the end.
Chief among them was the nomination for Academy Awards
, USA in the Best Live action short films
category. It was also nominated for the best short film award in the European Film Awards.
It went on to win the audience award in the Almería International Short Film Festival, the UIP Ghent Award for European Short Films in the Flanders International Film Festival, the grand prize in the Manhattan Short Films festival and the first prize in the Short Films category in the Montréal World Film Festival
.
The movie was officially mentioned and selected in various other competitions. It also won an honourable mention by BAFTA LA. It is the first Indian short film to get a theatrical release in India.
The film features on the list of "10 Shorts You Must See" at | url = http://www.making-short-films.com/ |
Ashvin Kumar
Ashvin Kumar is an independent Indian filmmaker who has produced and directed several films and documentaries, including Inshallah, football ; Dazed in Doon ; The Forest ; Little Terrorist and Road to Ladakh...
. It was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
. Ashvin Kumar is the son of fashion designer Ritu Kumar
Ritu Kumar
Ritu Kumar is an Indian fashion designer, based in Delhi.-Early life and education:A native of Amritsar, Ritu attended Lady Irwin College, in New Delhi, graduating in 1964, and Briarcliff College, New York, USA in 1966.-Career:Kumar has been designing the wardrobes comprising swimwear,...
, and made his debut with Road to Ladakh (2002), starring Irrfan Khan and Koel Purie
Koel Purie
Koel Purie Rinchet is an Indian film actress who made her debut with Rahul Bose's directorial venture Everybody Says I'm Fine! in 2001 and later featured in Road to Ladakh starring alongside Irrfan Khan...
.
Production
The leading cast of the movie consisted of Zulfuqar Ali (Salim), Sushil Sharma and Megnaa Mehtta. None of them had ever acted in a movie before this and while Zulfuqar is a street childStreet children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
, Sushil Sharma is a clerk in the government service in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Megnaa was a 12th standard student at the time of shooting the movie.
The production of the film commenced in November 2003 and was completed in March 2004. The crew were selected by Alipur Films via Shooting People
Shooting People
Shooting People is an international social network for independent filmmakers that was founded in 1998 by Cath Le Couteur and Jess Search. With over 35,000 subscribers in the UK and NY, members share resources and knowledge to get their films made and seen....
, the online filmmakers community and worked free of cost for the movie and even travelled to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
at their own expense.
The movie was shot in the deserts of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
on a very tight budget. The crew faced various difficulties due to the multilingual production team, remote locations and the shoestring budget. These were further complicated when a tent with the reel burnt down. The crew were however able to salvage the reel from the tent. At another time, a herd of cows stampede
Stampede
A stampede is an act of mass impulse among herd animals or a crowd of people in which the herd collectively begins running with no clear direction or purpose....
d through the shooting location.
Synopsis
The movie revolves around Jamal (played by Salim), a 10 year old PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i Muslim boy. While playing cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
near the Indo Pakistani border, the cricket ball is tossed over to the Indian side of the border separated by a fence.
Jamal crosses the fence to fetch the ball. He is however spotted by the Indian security forces and shot at. He hides in an Indian village where he is provided shelter by Bhola (Sushil Sharma), a devout Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
. Both Bhola and his niece, Rani (Megnaa Mehtta), are sceptical about allowing a Muslim boy in their home.
However, when the security forces come looking for Jamal in the village, he is protected by Bhola and Rani.
Jamal does manage to return to Pakistan in the end.
Awards
Since its world premiere in September 2004, the film has been invited to 103 film festivals and has won awards in fourteen of them.Chief among them was the nomination for Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, USA in the Best Live action short films
Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
category. It was also nominated for the best short film award in the European Film Awards.
It went on to win the audience award in the Almería International Short Film Festival, the UIP Ghent Award for European Short Films in the Flanders International Film Festival, the grand prize in the Manhattan Short Films festival and the first prize in the Short Films category in the Montréal World Film Festival
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
.
The movie was officially mentioned and selected in various other competitions. It also won an honourable mention by BAFTA LA. It is the first Indian short film to get a theatrical release in India.
The film features on the list of "10 Shorts You Must See" at | url = http://www.making-short-films.com/ |
Won
- Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film FestivalThe Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
: 1st Prize. - Manhattan Film Festival: Best Film.
- Flanders Film Festival: Best Film.
- Tehran International Film Festival: Grand Prize
- Reelworld Film FestivalReelWorld Film FestivalReelWorld Film Festival is a five-day film festival held annually in downtown Toronto. The festival screens "features, shorts, documentaries, animation, music videos from the Aboriginal, Asian, Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, South Asian and other multi-racial communities."-History:ReelWorld was...
: Bell Expressvu Award. - Satyajit Ray Foundation: Satyajit Ray Award, Best Short Film.
- Lucania Film Festival: Winner.
- Salento Film Festival: Winner.
- Aspen Shortfest: Honorable Mention by BAFTA/LA.
- Almería International Short Film Festival: Audience Award.
- Temecula Valley International Film FestivalTemecula Valley International Film FestivalTemecula Valley International Film Festival is a film festival held in Temecula Valley, California.Begun September 1995 and held every September since, it is a celebration Film and Music. It drew 600 attendees in 1995 and more than 20,000 in 2008...
: Special Jury Prize. - Mumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
: Silver Conch. - Sousse International Film Festival: Winner.
- Buff Film Festival: Winner, Audience Choice.
- São Paulo International Short Film Festival: Audience Favourite.