Venkat Raman
Auckland, May 18, 2023
Swastika Ganguly, a well know person in Bengali and other community circles for her creativity, has won several awards at international festivals recently for her film, ‘Aparthivo,’ a short film based on mental health awareness.
Ms Ganguly said that the film is about the main character who adopts an alter ego as a part of self-love and self-healing.
“That itself is the title of the film. ‘Aparthivo’ means Unearthly. The film describes how a person can think of himself or herself as a separate entity which helps in reducing anxiety and recovery from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This process accrues major benefits such as confidence and determination,” she said.
According to Ms Ganguly, adopting an alter ego is an extreme form of ‘self-distancing,’ taking a step back from immediate feelings to view a situation dispassionately.
“The film is about the quest of a man (a writer suffering from PTSD and writer’s block) who is in pursuit of his lost identity following his divorce and how his interaction with a mysterious woman in a hill station changes his life forever,” she said.
Awards and Citations
Aparthivo brought the Best Actress Award for Swastika Ganguly at the following:
Tagore International Film Festival (Critic Choice Award), Virgin Spring Fest, The
Royal Society of Television and Motion Picture Awards (Outstanding Achievement Award), Golden Fern Film Awards (Outstanding Achievement Award), The Calcutta Heritage Film Awards and Special Selection at Lift Off Global Session
Ms Ganguly said that the film is still competing in several international film festival platforms worldwide.
