Nagnath Kharat’s Marathi short film Disad Dis, which was shot entirely on a mobile phone, won the Golden Butterfly Award at the Viva Film Festival in Bosnia-Herzegovina on September 17, The Indian Express reported. Since the 23-year-old student did not have equipment or funds to produce the film, he borrowed a friend’s Android phone, and shot the 14-minute long film in his village in Motewadi in Solapur.
Disad Dis, which narrates the story of three children from a drought-stricken rural area, was shortlisted for competition in the ecology section of the international film festival along with 35 other short films. Kharat’s film has reportedly won seven awards at local and state-level festivals so far, and has also been nominated for film festivals in Washington and Bangladesh.
“I spent all of my savings, amounting to Rs 7,000, while shooting this film… I didn’t even have the courage to tell my parents what I was doing. In fact, I kept it a secret from everyone, including parents of the children who were starring in the film. I just wanted to make a film to fulfil my dream… at that time, I had no idea how far the film would reach,” Kharat told The Indian Express. The Savitribai Phule Pune University student also thanked the authorities at his university for sponsoring his travel to the festival.
