‘The 14th February and Beyond’ first Indian documentary for screening at Comic Convention
19 Jul 2022 09:11:01
Staff Reporter
‘The 14th February and Beyond’, a documentary produced by a Vidarbhite is the first Indian documentary to be premiered in an international film festival to be held at San Diego Comic Convention, USA, this year. The premiere show of this documentary will be held on July 21. Shilpa Agrawal, a well-known Psychologist from Gondia, is the Executive Producer of the film. Dr Utpal Kalal is Director and Producer of the film.
The film has been selected for the main competition alongside 50 great films from 7 different pop culture genres including action/adventure, animation, comics-oriented, documentary (pop culture-oriented), horror/suspense, humour, and science fiction/fantasy.
“We have sent an application to the organiser of Comic Convention. Our application was selected and we got entry. We will compete with other films there. Apart from getting an opportunity to compete, the organisers have honoured us as the premier show of our documentary will be held on July 21. As per our knowledge, it will be the first Indian documentary whose premier show is being held at San Diego Comic Convention.”
It is a feature length (1 hour) documentary film ‘The 14th February and Beyond’ which investigates Valentine’s Day. The film was premiered at the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI GOA) and received heartening reception at the festival. The film was honoured with prestigious Indian Panorama at the 51st IFFI. Earlier the film has travelled to more than 6 countries, have won 2 best film awards along with 10 official selections at the international festivals.
Dr Utpal Kalal told ‘The Hitavada’, “The festival is of celebrations for popular arts. Big Hollywood franchise compete there. We are looking forward to win an award. The volume of the festival is so huge that 1.5 and 2 lakh people witness the event.”
Dr Kalal elaborated, “The film is a first ever – and deepest look into Valentine’s Day that exposes the strange face of this global love fest and its impact on the mental health of our society. The film explores the origins of this famous holiday, and how it’s been twisted as a result of consumerism and commercially into a competition and self-esteem checklist. The film brings a full view of the subject through various experts in this eye-opening narrative and shows how this over-hyped day is now a catalyst for negative behaviours, fuelled by consumerism.”
The film is in competition with 49 other films from various countries, including Canada, Germany, Greece, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the United States. “We’re so delighted and proud that for the first time an Indian documentary film is going to be played at the Comic-Con as part of their film festival. The film gives a strong message, don’t be easy prey for corporates and propagandists who manipulate human behaviour for profit’’ expressed Director Utpal Kalal and Co-Producer, Shilpa Agrawal.