Feature film ‘Son of Adam’ wins Best Musical Film award in Madrid, Spain

Bhubaneswar: Odisha-based director-producer duo of Amartya Bhattacharyya and Swastik Choudhury’s sixth venture ‘Son of Adam’ has recently won the “Best Musical Film” award at the Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente de Madrid 2024, popularly referred to as FICIMAD 2024.

The award was announced at La Filmoteca Española (Cine Doré) in Madrid, Spain.

The festival, in its official magazine, highlights the film mentioning – “Amartya Bhattacharyya makes a heterogeneous, omnivorous film that can be broken down into independent parts thinking about the wonderful songs of the iconic singer Rupam Islam, but that is best viewed from a distance, admiring the whole.”

“From a bird’s eye view, Amartya Bhattacharyya’s megalomaniacal project could be infinite and universal: since he decides to explain all the Indian history and mythology, everything can fit inside, all the stories, all the lives. With a low-budget guerrilla filming, the ancestral dances serve as a transition between distressing reality and impotent fantasy.”

“The sequences are pure hedonism and audiovisual pleasure, poetically bewitching us on our journey with the multifaceted Swastik Choudhury and the beautiful Priyanka Ghosh Roy.”

‘Son of Adam’ has been shot in some exotic locations of Odisha including places in Keonjhar, Puri, and Sundargarh. Some portions of the film have also been shot in Kolkata, Darjeeling, and the Andamans, exploring never-before-seen places. The film is the cinematic adaptation of rock-icon and National Award winner Rupam Islam’s path-breaking album ‘Aami’ which he released in 2020 in collaboration with guitar maestro Amyt Datta.

Produced under the banner of Swastik Arthouse in association with FilmStop Entertainment, the film is a unique attempt to explore cinema as a medium. ‘Son of Adam’ has been written and directed by Amartya Bhattacharyya, also a national awardee whose earlier films like Adieu Godard, Khyanikaa, Runanubandha, etc have been critically acclaimed and awarded.

Swastik also plays the protagonist in the film, and Priyanka Ghosh Roy plays the female lead.

The film had its world premiere last December at the 77th International Film Festival of Salerno in Italy, one of the oldest film festivals in the world. Later this month Son of Adam will premiere in South America at the San Antonio Independent Film Festival 2024 in Ecuador. It’s the only Asian Film in Feature Fiction Competition and is the only Indian film at the festival.

Rupam Islam, the presenter and inspiration behind the film, says – “I am not surprised at all. I chose to present the film as the subject is very dear to me, and the way the film has been conceptualized, it thoroughly justifies the visualization of the songs in the album. I feel the film has the potential to win several more awards. I extend my congratulations and best wishes to everyone who has been a part of this film.”

Elated by this win, director Amartya Bhattacharyya, added – “This is the first award for Son of Adam, and what better way to start than an award for Best Musical Film. This film is an attempt to adapt a musical album into cinema, and I’m so happy that our efforts are getting some acknowledgment at the global platform. No words are enough to thank Rupam Islam for putting his trust in me.”

Lead actor/Producer Swastik Choudhury, expressing his excitement said – “This award validates the cinematic vision of this film and is a testimony to the power of music. Rupam Islam is a magician who can mesmerize people from across the spectrum. It is indeed an honor to get this opportunity to collaborate with him through such a beautiful film.”