MUMBAI: After winning six international awards, Gujarati film Harun-Arun has won the Audience award at the Freeze Frame Film Festival, Canada.
Harun-Arun, produced by the Children‘s Film Society and directed by Vinod Ganatra, is the story of Harun, a young boy who is extremely fond of Indian films and songs. The rough life in a hostile environment has taught Harun a lot of survival skills. He has been hearing stories about his family in India and is keen to visit them. The visit excites him, but when the two are separated while crossing the border, Harun is compelled to undertake the rest of his journey to Lakhpat on his own.
On the Indian side, Harun comes across three Indian children who take him under their wings, hiding and protecting him without the knowledge of their mother Valbai, until he finds a new home. An exuberant game of hide-and-seek ensues in this heartwarming story of youthful courage and powerful friendship in a divided nation.
After winning prestigious Liv Ullmann Peace Prize at Chicago in November, 2009, Harun-Arun was conferred with Best Juvenile Audience Award at Dhaka International Film Festival in January last year and Transmedia Critics Jury Award in March the same year.
The film has also travelled to film festivals at Chicago, BamKids-New York, Munich, Stuttgart, Giffoni -Italy, Lamatatena Festival-Mexico, Sri Lanka, RimouskiI–Canada and scheduled for Rio-Brazil, Rohodos-Greece, Iran, Moscow and many festivals to come.