The Norway Tamil Film Festival (NTFF) falls nothing short of being a high profile hub for filmmakers, creators and artists. It paves the way for newcomers and those more established in the game, fresh talent to choose from, to add to their creative industries.
Taking place on April 27-30 in Oslo, the four day festival screened shortlisted movies, feature films and international short films. The zenith of the festival was the variety show and awards ceremony. Entries were submitted from all corners of the globe, including Africa, North America and Asia. With film styles varying from abstract to traditional and with a variety of themes addressed, there truly was something for everyone.
Sitting in the hotel lobby, Vaseeharan Sivalingam, the founder of NTFF, fondly recounts how his vision for the event came to him during a work engagement. In its 8th year, it forms a credible platform for filmmakers to showcase their capabilities. He credits its growing success to his committee and their relentless commitment to cultivate talent among Tamil diaspora youth.
April 29th marked the awards ceremony and entertainment show where Kollywood’s famed D. Imman’s musical prodigy, Luksimi Sivaneswaralingam, serenaded the crowd with her incredible vocals. She was honoured the Midnight Sun Singer award at the ceremony, her first international prize for her voice on Senthoora.
Karthik Naren, renowned for directing Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru, at the age of 21, graced the stage to speak of the blessings and difficulties he has faced in his journey to bring his vision to fruition. The young director projected inspiration to artists in the crowd aspiring to an international career.
On top of the array of celebrities from abroad, the event showcased local talent, including Oslo’s Jeyasanth Lingam (singer) and Vincent Nagul (actor), both of whom now have international recognition in their respective domains.
True to tradition, the Tamil variety show kept the audience engaged with dance and musical performances, all of which were of an exceptional standard. The event organizers pride themselves on creating an evening that lives up to the red carpet expectation, and endeavour to improve year after year.
As the recipient of the Short Film – Best Actress award for newcomer Navi Ananth’s short film, Don’t Look Back, the event has set a new bar for me, and put into perspective that international recognition (with the right determination and support) isn’t a farfetched dream.
-Raji N.
