Kashmiri filmmaker Bilal A Jan’s documentary “JL Kaul A Man of Action” has been selected for the 16th International Documentary Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) 2024, in a short documentary focus section.
The festival will be held between July 26 and July 31 in Kerala.
The 30-minute-long documentary is based on the life of a well-known social worker and Padma Shri awardee, Jawahar Lal Kaul, and his social work. It discusses Kaul’s life struggles as a visually impaired man and delves deep into his accomplishments.
Kaul is the founder of the All India Conference of the Blind, an NGO working towards the rehabilitation of the blind. He was awarded the fourth-highest civilian award in 2014 for his services to the field of social work.
In 2018, Jan’s documentary “Daughters of Paradise” was selected for the short documentary competition section of the 11th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala.
In 2008, his other documentary film, “The Lost Childhood” (in the Kashmiri language), was selected for the Tehran International Short Film Festival in the competition section and the 10th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF). In 2010, the film won him the Nina Sugati SR Award for “Best Director” in conceptual art in cinema.
Jan has worked with Shyam Benegal and Vidhu Vinod Chopra in their films, including Mission Kashmir, Netaji, and The Forgotten Hero—(KNO)