The acclaimed documentary filmmaker Rakesh Sharma has been selected for the 17th International Documentary organized by Kerala State Chalitra Academy and the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Small Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFK). Manyata is in honor of his fearless filmmaking, strong commitment to social justice, and his transformative effects of his works on Indian documentary cinema. The award which includes ₹ 2 lakh, a certificate, and a statue, will be presented during the festival from 22 to 27 August in the Carley Theater Complex in Thiruvananthapuram. A retrospective of his films will be displayed at the festival.
He is most known for his ground-breaking 2004 documentary the final solution Gujarat Pogrom in 2002. Through intensive analysis of the genocide and documenting the travels of the victims, he discovered the rise and consolidation of hard-line Hindutva politics and bare the film to clinical precision, with violence with violence. The documentary is displayed at more than 120 international film festivals and is a seminal work among Indian documentaries. Despite the initial ban by the Censor Board of India, the film was later approved without cuts after public outrage. The final solution won the National Film Award in 2006.
Shyam Benegal starts his career as an assistant Bharat a searchSharma worked on several projects for Dorshan, BBC and Channel 4, UK. He later played an important role in the early years of the Indian satellite television, contributing to the launch of major channels including the channel. [V]Star Plus India and Vijay TV. He returned to independent filmmaking with Robert Fleharti Award winner 2002 documentary Affersox: The Rough Guide to DemocracySearch for resistance at the grassroots level in post -earthquake.
Despite facing institutional pushbacks, their work reached the audience through alternative platforms. the final solution The Independent Protest Festival was a premiere in India at the ‘Vikal’ and made history at the Berlin International Film Festival, which became the first documentary to win the Best Debut Feature Award. His work is displayed extensively in more than 100 cities and dozens of universities worldwide, and is shown on TV channels such as BBC, NHK, DR2, Yale etc.
For more than two decades, Rakesh focused on his work on hatred politics and filmed extensively in Gujarat, Maharashtra and other places. After prolonged an autoimmune-related implemented medical sabbatical, Rakesh has now resumed postproduction and is close to the completion of his half-taiyar, long-delayed films, including the much awaited follow-up for the final solution, the much awaited follow-up to the final solution.
The IDSFFK Lifetime Achievement Award was first given to Anand Patwordan (2018), Madhusri Dutta (2019), Ranjan Palit (2021), Reena Mohan (2022), Deepa Dhanraj (2023), and Naresh Bedi and Rajesh Bedi (2024).
Published – August 16, 2025 08:19 pm IST
