KUALA LUMPUR: Aspiring local film documentary director Sanadtkumar Ganesan was named Silver winner for Best Feature Documentary at the recent Tokyo Film Awards in Japan.
The 21-year-old talent won the second-place award for Wanted: Shades Of Life Episode 2 which features Indian classical dance teacher and performer, Agnesmary Selvaraj.
The episode in the documentary series was released four months ago.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that anything that I ever produced would be recognised, let alone on a global stage.
"I was just a kid who loved movies. These are things that a kid like me can only dream of, but a lot of good-hearted people were patient with me and guided me to see that dreams can become a reality," said Sanadtkumar in a statement recently.
The director, who is also co-founder of the international youth movement, Ascendance, released the documentary during the pandemic on a limited budget with meagre resources.
"I am still in awe and so overwhelmed that this film that had close to no budget, limited time and very limited resources to make, was recognised by many different countries.
"If young filmmakers like me had more support, funds, and resources, I am very sure we can cultivate great talents right here in Malaysia," he said.
Wanted: Shades Of Life Episode 2 was also nominated as a semi-finalist at the Stockholm City Film Festival in September.
The documentary series that tells the story of everyday Malaysians who take the road less traveled to follow their heart and are living their lives to the fullest.
Wanted: Shades Of Life hopes to inspire individuals to live their lives in a more truthful and meaningful manner and shine light on the stories that are not being told.
Sanadtkumar is currently producing documentaries to support his education at the Toronto Film School in Yorkville University, Canada.
Visit https://wantedtheseries.com for more details on the documentary series.