THE short film ‘Lori – Melancholy of My Mother's Lullabies’, produced by PETRA Films and Underground Talkies Nepal, has been recognised at the Gold List Awards.
The film, written and directed by Nepali filmmaker Abhinash Bikram Shah, received an honourable mention in the Best Live Action Short category, alongside ‘Moshari’ and ‘The Gift’. The category is one of 14 recognised in the Gold List.
Produced under the aegis of PETRA Films, an independent and internationally oriented film company based in Hong Kong, the movie’s executive producers are PETRA Group Chairman Datuk (Dr) Vinod Sekhar, Darren Shaw and Benjamin Grubbs.
The Gold List Awards, created by Gold House and CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment), is an annual event that spotlights and honours outstanding works by Asian filmmakers and talent in the past year.
They are voted on by a panel of prominent creatives and leaders from the entertainment industry.
For the first time, the awards adopted gender-neutral acting categories to be more inclusive of non-binary artists.
The 14-minute short film tells the story of a mother and daughter living in the rural southeastern part of Nepal, the grim realities they face on a daily basis, and how it impacts their relationship.
The film was shot by Uajal Kumar Bastakoti, edited by Suraj Paudel, and features music by Ranzen Jha. The cast includes actors Ankita Yadav, Preeti Jha and Sujita Sah.
Lori previously won the Special Mention of the Jury at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival last year and was selected from among 3,507 submissions from 140 countries.
Also last year, PETRA Film's first feature film, ‘The Sunny Side of the Street’ won Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Leading Actor at the Golden Horse Awards.
These honours and awards collectively mark a historic achievement for the Malaysian film industry.
Incidentally, the recent Gold List Awards also saw Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh winning in the category of Best Performance in a Leading Role for her performance in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.
The science fiction independent film gained in four other categories as well, namely Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Performance in a Supporting Role. – The Vibes, January 21, 2023