Mangaluru : ‘Madhyantara’ (Intermission), a Kannada short film written and directed by Mangalore-origin director Basti Dinesh Shenoy, has won two national awards in the Non-Feature Films section of the 70th National Film Awards 2022, announced today by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, at the National Media Center in New Delhi.

Basti Dinesh Shenoy received the award for ‘Best Debut Director,’ which includes a Swarna Kamal (gold medal) and a cash prize of Rs. 3 lakh. Veteran film editor Suresh Urs won the award for ‘Best Editing,’ receiving a Rajat Kamal (silver medal) along with a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh. The awardees will be honored by the President of India. Basti Dinesh Shenoy hails from Thumbe near Mangalore and is presently based in New Delhi.

The 39-minute short film was shot entirely on celluloid using a 16mm camera and is partially a crowd-funded project. Set in 1970s Karnataka, the story follows two boys from a small village who embark on an extraordinary journey, evolving from being mere film buffs to filmmakers themselves.

‘Madhyantara’ was selected for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, held from November 20 to 28, 2022. The film’s cinematography was done by Sunil Borkar, and the music was composed by Sidhant Mathur. The main cast includes Veeresh, Ajay Neenasam, Ramesh Pandit, and Rajkumar Shrinivasan. Senior art director Shashidhar Adapa handled the production design, with Ganesh Shetty serving as the Executive Producer.