A TEENAGER from India has won the first prize in a competition for young filmmakers organised by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
The Faith Shorts competition invited entries from aspiring directors all over the world to create a film on the topic of faith. The winners were honoured at a gala ceremony at the British Academy of Film and Television in London on Thursday (July 22).
Shiv Tandan, a 19-year-old engineering university student from Haryana, India, was awarded the prize for best film in the 18-25 Film Pitch category.
His film The Guide won over a panel of judges including the former prime minister Tony Blair, Bollywood actor and producer Anil Kapoor, Hollywood star Hugh Jackman and Queen Rania of Jordan.
Tandan’s tale depicts a tour guide who enthusiastically guides a visitor around the Jama Masjid mosque in Delhi, revealing only at the very end that he is a Hindu.
London’s Tariq Chowdhury, 22, was a joint runner-up in the 18-25 Film Maker category for his film Let Us Show You How Our Faith Inspires Us.
The Muslim filmmaker said, ‘I feel proud to have represented my faith in such a positive way. My film reflects the beauty of London and the many diverse faiths, of the people that dwell within it.’
Blair, who attended the awards ceremony with wife Cherie, said: ‘I am proud to have been a part of providing these young people with the tools to share their faith with the world and I am sure the films they’ve produced will be a powerful resource in breaking down barriers between different cultures and religions.’
He added that as globalisation pushed people together, faith was more important than ever.
‘Too often, we see a focus on divisions between cultures and faiths. But in comparison to these divisions, what unites them is greater. Faith is a positive force in the modern world.’
