The Cloud and the Man | |
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মানিকবাবুর মেঘ | |
Directed by | Abhinandan Banerjee |
Written by | Abhinandan Banerjee |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Anup Singh |
Edited by | Abhro Banerjee |
Music by | Subhajit Mukherjee |
Production company | Little Lamb Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 97 Minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Bengali |
The Cloud and the Man (also known as Manikbabur Megh) is a Bengali film directed by debutant director Abhinandan Banerjee and produced by Buaddhayan and Monalisa Mukherji. [1] Actor Chandan Sen who portrayed the title role bagged the Best Actor Award at the 19th Pacific Meridian Film Festival, Russia. [2] [3]
Using monochrome cinematography, The Cloud and the Man is a surreal and philosophical reflection on one recently-bereaved middle aged man and his accidentally complex yet meaningful relationship with a cloud. It is about Manik Babu, who makes friends with a cloud which he feels, keeps following him. [4] In the beginning, he is terrified but with time, he feels a strange bonding with the same cloud which strips him of his utter isolation, his loneliness and his alienation from the world around him. [5] This surreal relation brings out a new Manik in him and propels him into a roller coaster journey of faith, betrayal, belief, and warmth. [6]
The film released in theaters in West Bengal on 12 July 2024. [7]
It had its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival [8] where it opened the First Feature competition in Nov 2021. The Indian Premiere was at IFFI, Goa [9] and the North American Premiere took place at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
The film finds place in the coveted list of FIPRESCI India's Top 10 Films of 2021 [10] and has won the NETPAC award for the Best Asian Film at the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival, 2022. [11] It also bagged the Chidananda Dasgupta Award and a citation for a feature film by a debut director for the 2nd year of the Chidananda Dasgupta Centenary Awards. [12]
Aparna Sen is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards East and thirteen Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. For her contribution in the field of arts, the Government of India honoured her with Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award.
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Deep6 is a 2021 Indian Bengali drama film written and directed by Madhuja Mukherjee. The film, produced under the banner of Rising Sun Pvt Ltd production and Editfx Studios, stars Tillotama Shome, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Maya Ghosh, with pivotal roles by Sumanta Mukherjee, Soumitra Chatterjee and Sumeet Thakur. It premiered under the "A Window on Asian Cinema" section at 26th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2021 and was also screened in 'Indian Cinema Now' section at 26th International Film Festival of Kerala.
The 28th Kolkata International Film Festival was held from 15th to 22nd December 2022 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata, India. The festival opened with 1973 film Abhimaan, by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. 183 films including 130 feature films and 52 short and documentary films from 42 countries were screened during 7 days of the festival. The opening ceremony was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Mahesh Bhatt and cricketer Sourav Ganguly.
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Abhinandan Banerjee is an Indian film director, scriptwriter, author, essayist, magazine editor, publisher, illustrator, painter and graphic designer. His debut feature The Cloud and the Man, which premiered at the 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, 2021 won the NETPAC award for Best Asian Film, at the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival.
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