‘Highway Nights’, starring Prakash Jha and Mazel Vyas and directed by Shubham Singh, won the first runner up prize for the Best Short Film at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival (DPIFF) Awards in Mumbai last month.
‘Highway Nights’ is a heart-warming story that talk talks about women’s abuse. The film is about an aging, overworked lorry driver who gives a lift to a young, chatty sex worker one night and how they develop a bond over a small journey of few hours.
“I’m immensely grateful that the Jury and team at DPIFF liked our film. This has been an extremely emotional journey for me. I am extremely happy that the message from this film will reach to maximum audiences,” said the film’s director Shubham Singh, upon receiving the award.
Prior to the DPIFF recognition, ‘Highway Nights’ was awarded the grand jury prize at the Best of India Short Film Festival 2021. It will have a theatrical release in Los Angeles, which will qualify it for the prestigious 2023 Oscars consideration.
“It is my first short film and to receive such acclaim is heartening. I am thankful to Prakash ji to have agreed to act in our film. It's a moving story that people all over the world can relate to,” director-producer Singh added.
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Outstanding Contribution To Film Industry: Asha Parekh
Best International Feature Film: ‘Another Round’
Best Director: Ken Ghosh for ‘State of Siege: Temple Attack’
Best Cinematographer: Jayakrishna Gummadi for ‘Haseen Dillruba’
Best Actor in Supporting Role: Satish Kaushik for ‘Kaagaz’
Best Actress in Supporting Role: Lara Dutta for ‘Bell Bottom’
Best Actor in a Negative Role: Aayush Sharma for ‘Antim: The Final Truth’
People's Choice Best Actor: Abhimanyu Dassani
People's Choice Best Actress: Radhika Madan
Best Film: ‘Shershaah’
Best Actor: Ranveer Singh for ‘83’
Best Actress: Kriti Sanon for ‘Mimi’
Best Debut: Ahan Shetty for ‘Tadap’
Film of The Year: ‘Pushpa: The Rise’
Best Web Series: ‘Candy’
Best Actor in Web Series: Manoj Bajpayee for ‘The Family Man 2’
Best Actress in Web Series: Raveena Tandon for ‘Aranyak’
Best Playback Singer Male: Vishal Mishra
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The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival was created to furthers the art and craft of storytelling by inspiring and championing the work of writers, filmmakers, and all the artists who use written and visual language to tell a story. Its mission is to celebrate the cinema and work of aspiring, young, independent and professional filmmakers.
