Eminent children’s filmmaker Vinod Ganatra has become the first Indian to be conferred with South Africa’s prestigious ‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his outstanding contribution to children’s cinema. The award was presented to him at the 7th Nelson Mandela Children’s Film Festival.
Vinod Ganatra: A Trailblazer in Children’s Films
Illustrious Career Highlights
- Globally renowned filmmaker and editor from Gujarat, based in Mumbai
- Edited and directed about 400 documentaries and newsreels
- Produced 25 multilingual television programs for children and youth
- His first TV program, ‘Baingan Raja,’ won the ‘Janakinath Gaur Award’ from Doordarshan
- His Gujarati film ‘Harun Arun,’ made on the India-Pakistan border, received the ‘Liv Ullmann Peace Prize’ at the 26th Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
- The only Indian to have won the prestigious ‘Liv Ullmann Peace Prize’
- Recipient of 36 national and international awards
- Awarded the ‘Dadasheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Association of Film and Video Editors
- Served as a jury member for over 100 national, regional, and international film festivals worldwide
Nelson Mandela: A Global Icon of Equality and Freedom
Life and Legacy
- Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was the first black President of South Africa
- Born in South Africa, which followed the official apartheid policy of racial segregation
- Joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944 and actively participated in the anti-apartheid struggle
- Arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 for plotting to overthrow the government
- Spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years on Robben Island
- Became a symbol of the anti-apartheid movement and a prominent black leader in South Africa
- Released from prison in 1990 after negotiations led to the end of apartheid
- Elected as the first black President of South Africa in 1994 elections
- Shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Frederik Willem de Klerk in 1993
- Conferred with India’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in 1990
- His birthday, July 18, is observed as Nelson Mandela International Day