Two scripts by filmmakers from Assam have been selected for prestigious NFDC (National Film Development Corporation of India) Screenwriters’ Lab 2021.
‘An Unreal Story’ by Utpal Borpujari and ‘Gos Kota Manuh’ (The Woodcutter) by Prakash Deka are the two scripts selected for the NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab. NFDC selected eight scripts.
“Hugely excited that ‘An Unreal Story’, my feature script based on a true incident narrated by @ManojKrGoswamiG, has been selected for the prestigious @filmbazaarindia @nfdcindia Screenwriters’ Lab 2021. It’s among the 8 scripts chosen for the lab,” said Utpal Borpujari on Twitter.
Borpujari is a national award-winning filmmaker and critic based in New Delhi.
A former journalist who made his filmmaking debut with ‘Ishu’, an Assamese children’s feature film, Borpujari has also made several documentary films like ‘Mayong: Myth/Reality’, ‘Songs of the Blue Hills’, ‘Memories of a Forgotten War’, ‘For a Durbar of the People’ and ‘Soccer Queens of Rani’.
The NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab is an annual programme that offers screenwriters the opportunity to experiment with and explore their screenplays under the mentorship of acclaimed international script and industry experts.
Held in collaboration with Film Bazaar, the lab also introduces participants to global industry’s norms and practices. Additionally, the lab trains the participants to pitch and present their projects to domestic and international producers and investors.
“Very excited. It was my very first attempt at the prestigious NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab, and my script got selected!” said self-taught writer-director Prakash Deka who is now based in Mumbai.
Deka’s ‘Fireflies’ has won national award this year. He has completed the script in just four days.
The other scripts which were selected: ‘Construction’ by Akshay Indikar (Marathi), ‘Goonga Pehelwan’ (The Deaf Wrestler) by Vivek Chaudhary (Haryanvi, Hindi), ‘Mandra Saptak’ (The Lower Octave) by Kshama Padalkar (Marathi), ‘Notun Gur’ (A New Sweetness) by Deyali Mukherjee (Bengali), ‘Oranges Smell Like Turpentine’ by Sasha Singh (Hindi, English) and ‘Rekhtaby’ by Himadri Parmar (Gujarati).
