01-10-2024, 05:21 AM
Film Title (English and/or Native): Kalapara
Nomination Categories: Best Documentary Film
Nominating Nation: Andhrapur
Language: Andhran
Run Time: 1 hr 23 mins
Director: Rajiah Masum
Producing Studio/Company: Kyphina Rush Animation Studio
Cast:
Hasna Begum as Salma Saha (voice)
Rahat Morshed as Aminul Saha (voice)
Brief Summary:
Kalapara is a documentary film produced in the style of Andhrapuri animation, retelling the story of archaeologist Salma Saha’s discovery of the lost ancient city of Kalapara in 1929. Presented in a striking, stylized manner produced by the acclaimed animators at Kyphina Rush, Kalapara introduces Salma (voiced by Hasna Begum), who along with her husband, acclaimed archeologist Aminul Saha (voiced by Rahat Morshed), is taking part in an expedition deep into the remote jungles of Faridpur fief, meant to find the 13th century Kalapara palace complex of the great emperor Surya Mutam, long since lost to the time and the jungle. The narrative is based primarily on Saha’s diary, and rather than featuring a narrator, Saha herself describes and narrates the obstacles encountered by the expedition (including dense overgrowth, wild animal encounters, and extreme humidity), frequently speaking directly to the camera.
The initial winter 1928 expedition is unsuccessful and forced to turn back without having found the city’s location after a sudden storm destroys the Sahas’ sensitive equipment. Returning to the metropolis of Sughatta, Aminul falls ill with a tropical malady, likely from an insect bite, and dies. A now-widowed Salma pledges to fulfill her husband’s dream of finding the lost city, even as many dismiss the expedition as a wild goose chase. Winning over a sympathetic nobleman as sponsor, Salma leads a second expedition to the Faridpur highlands in the winter of 1929, discovering the fabled city in a secluded valley after feeling an inexplicable sense of certainty that Kalapara lies there. As the expedition begins to excavate the site, a vast city gradually takes shape, complete with houses, temples, bathhouses, and a vast palace complex. As it becomes clear that this remarkable archeological find will revolutionize studies of the premodern Andhrapuri civilization and reignite a sense of national pride among Andhrapuris, Salma falls into a deep sleep where she dreams of how the city of Kalapara may have appeared at its heyday, based on modern archeologists’ understanding.
What makes this film special? Why was it nominated for this/these category/categories?:
Kalapara is nominated for Best Documentary Film for its enrapturing and historically-accurate depiction of the Salma Saha expedition and the discovery of the ruins of Kalapara, presented in eye-catching Andhrapuri animation. Viewers will find the visuals impressive and the historical narrative engaging as it sheds light on the practice of archeology nearly a century ago as well as premodern civilizations in modern-day Andhrapur.
Nomination Categories: Best Documentary Film
Nominating Nation: Andhrapur
Language: Andhran
Run Time: 1 hr 23 mins
Director: Rajiah Masum
Producing Studio/Company: Kyphina Rush Animation Studio
Cast:
Hasna Begum as Salma Saha (voice)
Rahat Morshed as Aminul Saha (voice)
Brief Summary:
Kalapara is a documentary film produced in the style of Andhrapuri animation, retelling the story of archaeologist Salma Saha’s discovery of the lost ancient city of Kalapara in 1929. Presented in a striking, stylized manner produced by the acclaimed animators at Kyphina Rush, Kalapara introduces Salma (voiced by Hasna Begum), who along with her husband, acclaimed archeologist Aminul Saha (voiced by Rahat Morshed), is taking part in an expedition deep into the remote jungles of Faridpur fief, meant to find the 13th century Kalapara palace complex of the great emperor Surya Mutam, long since lost to the time and the jungle. The narrative is based primarily on Saha’s diary, and rather than featuring a narrator, Saha herself describes and narrates the obstacles encountered by the expedition (including dense overgrowth, wild animal encounters, and extreme humidity), frequently speaking directly to the camera.
The initial winter 1928 expedition is unsuccessful and forced to turn back without having found the city’s location after a sudden storm destroys the Sahas’ sensitive equipment. Returning to the metropolis of Sughatta, Aminul falls ill with a tropical malady, likely from an insect bite, and dies. A now-widowed Salma pledges to fulfill her husband’s dream of finding the lost city, even as many dismiss the expedition as a wild goose chase. Winning over a sympathetic nobleman as sponsor, Salma leads a second expedition to the Faridpur highlands in the winter of 1929, discovering the fabled city in a secluded valley after feeling an inexplicable sense of certainty that Kalapara lies there. As the expedition begins to excavate the site, a vast city gradually takes shape, complete with houses, temples, bathhouses, and a vast palace complex. As it becomes clear that this remarkable archeological find will revolutionize studies of the premodern Andhrapuri civilization and reignite a sense of national pride among Andhrapuris, Salma falls into a deep sleep where she dreams of how the city of Kalapara may have appeared at its heyday, based on modern archeologists’ understanding.
What makes this film special? Why was it nominated for this/these category/categories?:
Kalapara is nominated for Best Documentary Film for its enrapturing and historically-accurate depiction of the Salma Saha expedition and the discovery of the ruins of Kalapara, presented in eye-catching Andhrapuri animation. Viewers will find the visuals impressive and the historical narrative engaging as it sheds light on the practice of archeology nearly a century ago as well as premodern civilizations in modern-day Andhrapur.