India has been hosting the International Film Festival IFFI for 52 years. From year 1975, the festival has become an annual event and this year the 53rd edition will commence. The festival showcases a plethora of films amongst which there will be a short film Clinton in the Indian Panorama section. The short film will be premiering on November 26th at 3:30 PM in Inox Panjim. Until now, Clinton has got fifteen official selections and seven awards in seven different countries. The Indian film was also shown in different countries including South Korea, France, Russia, Bangladesh, Turkey and many more. It also won the best film award at the International Short Film Festival of India 2022 and the best film award at Kidz Cinema 2022. A special mention was also given to it at the International Children Care Film Festival in Paris.
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Clinton is written and directed by Prithviraj Das Gupta, produced by Raghav Diwan and Nishith Dhimant Shah and co-produced by Vivek Bhadra, Jigar Gori and Prithviraj Das himself. Even Prithviraj's first film Green Blackberries premiered in IFFI’s 51st edition and now Clinton is his second film to be showcased in IFFI. Clinton is inspired by real-life incidents of the director himself who also received Patronage from UNICA Korea for this film. The story is set at a boarding school in Kalimpong, where on one winter Sunday, 10-year-old Clinton experiences the hardest day of his life. He gives up his most valuable thing and displays his own untapped strength in order to preserve himself. There are four main characters in the film, Jason Rai as Clinton who is the protagonist, Priyanka Chopra’s TIFF awarded film Pahuna’s main lead actor Anmol Limboo as Roxy who is the antagonist, Nursang Tamang as Dichen Palden and Tenzein Choden (who was last seen in Amazon Prime’s web series The Last Hour) as Leena. Tenzein Choden also won the best actress at the International Short film festival of India 2022.
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While talking about the film, the director Prithviraj Das Gupta stated, “Films have always had a great influence on my life, they have helped me transform into a better person over time. So when I got into filmmaking, I wanted to ensure that my stories make people feel connected deeply. Clinton was also a story that came from a very personal space, it made me revisit my own childhood and I tried my level best to tell the story with utmost honesty without fictionalizing it much. The process to bring the movie together was full of ups and downs, however, the constant dedication of the whole was what helped me bring my vision into reality. Special mention to Raghav Diwan who acted as a knight in shining armour for us by stepping in when the resources were seeming insufficient. He also helped us take the film to numerous international film festivals. I am also very excited for the film’s premiere at IFFI 2022.”
Gaurav Roy who won the best Cinematographer award at National Short and Documentary film festival in Kerala is the director of photography of the film. He did an exceptional job when it came to the visual treatment of the film. Even the tone and treatment of the film were all set with a thought in mind. The contrasting hues are used to represent the cool winter blues and the warmth of the winter sun, ultimately showing positivity in the face of gloom. Even a few images which depict the straightforward complexity of a Charles Dickens novel like Oliver Twist or David Copperfield. The production designer Bipasna Rai also played a significant role in bringing the desired theme. The people who are a part of the entertainment industry have the power to bring untold stories in the most amazing way. Clinton is also an example of the same, the simple and innocent story has already touched many hearts and has garnered many nominations for the same. Now with its premier in the 53rd International Film Festival of India on November 26th at 3:30 PM in Inox Panjim, the story of childhood and nostalgia, Clinton will reach many more people.
