Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids is a 2004 Indian/American documentary film about the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, Calcutta's red light district. The movie, written and directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman , landed the best documentary feature Oscar in the year 2005.
Making
The children were given cameras so they could learn photography and possibly improve their lives. Much of their work was used in the movie. The widely acclaimed documentary won a string of accolades including the audience award for a documentary at the Sundance Film Festival where it was also nominated for the Grand Jury prize in that category.
Impact
The lives of children appearing in "Born into Brothels" have been transformed through money earned through sale of photos and a book on them. Ross Kauffman, co-director of the documentary, said the $100,000 (about Rs.4.5 million) made through the sale of their photos and an accompanying book has gone into setting them up for their future. [1]
Awards
- 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature - Briski, Kauffman
- 2004 Bermuda International Film Festival - Audience Choice Award - Briski, Kauffman
- Documentary Prize - Briski, Kauffman
- 2004 Cleveland International Film Festival - Best Film - Briski, Kauffman
- 2004 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Audience Award - Briski, Kauffman (tied with World Wars
- 2004 National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary
- 2004 Seattle International Film Festival Golden Space Needle Award - Briski, Kauffman
- 2004 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award - Documentary - Kauffman
Nominations
- Directors Guild of America 2005 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary - Briski, Kauffman
- 2005 Golden Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture - Documentary
- 2004 International Documentary Association Award for Feature Documentaries - Briski, Kauffman, Dreyfous-White, Boll
- 2004 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film
- 2004 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - Documentary - Kauffman, Briski
External links