September 18th, 2007
Filmmaker Nikhil Prakash won the Columbine award for best short film
at the Moondance International Film Festival, which was held from
September 7th to 9th, 2007, at the Universal City Walk in Hollywood.
The film, "Name Day", which follows an Agnostic Arab-American's
journey from the dusk of murderous revenge to the dawn of spiritual
awakening after his devout Muslim brother is killed in a hate crime
during the aftermath of 9/11, is both powerful and timely.
"I hope people see this as more than just another nine-eleven story,"
comments Prakash. "My vision for the movie was to observe a man wade
through the ocean of hatred, depression, and loss that is drowning him
to finally experience a glimpse of the pure, pristine state that's at
the core of us all. The current world with its anti-Muslim hostility
and fear of terrorism is simply a backdrop for this character's
journey."
"Name Day", which was made for a thousand dollars with limited crew,
was one of many projects Prakash made while he was attending the San
Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking. The film premiered earlier
this year at the Arclight Cinemas as part of the Indian Film Festival
of Los Angeles. This marks the first project where Prakash
simultaneously wore the hats of writer, director, producer, and lead
actor.
Moondance International Film Festival's primary goal is to present
films and scripts that have the power to raise awareness about vital
social issues and that inspire positive action. The Moondance
Columbine award is intended to recognize films which reflect
non-violent conflict resolution.
Prakash is currently working on multiple feature scripts while
actively seeking fresh projects. He was recently invited to shadow the
director for an episode of the hit CBS show, "Cold Case"; having found
the experience very rewarding, he is also focusing his efforts on
opportunities within television.
His website is www.atmafilms.com, and he can be reached by email at
nikhil@atmafilms.com, or by phone at 510-299-9437.
Nikhil Prakash
SFSDF Graduate
1-Year Digital Filmmaking Program
