India’s ‘Algorithms’ wins best film trophy at FSA

Kathmandu, Oct 7 (IANS) "Algorithms", a documentary about blind chess players in India, won the Ram Bahadur Tamang Best Film Trophy at the 9th Film South Asia (FSA) festival here.

The fest cocluded here Sunday.

The documentary tells the story of three visually impaired chess players, who compete at championships around the world.

Going beyond sight and story, the documentary, produced by Geetha J., delves into the hidden realms of subjectivity.

Directed by Ian MacDonald, it was completed in three years.

Chairman of the FSA jury, Sadanand Menon, an art critic from Chennai, said the film deserved the trophy for taking the audience into an extraordinary world of the protagonists.

Another Indian documentary, Deepa Dhanraj-directed "Invoking Justice", which showed optimism in midst of grimness surrounding women issues in India and the rest of South Asia, won the QFX Jury award.

The film shows Muslim women in Tamil Nadu challenging the traditional male-only Islamic judicial council, or Jamaat, by forming their own.

"Are You Listening", a film from Bangladesh was another recipient of QFX jury awards.

A total of 55 documentaries and non-fiction films on the diverse issues from across the South Asia were screened at the festival.

The festival landed in controversy after Sri Lankan government pressurised the Nepal government not to screen three films from their nation. Later, these films were screened outside the venue.