IFFI 2017 International Cinema Catalogue

ICFT-UNESCO
Gandhi Medal
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2017 in collaboration with the International Council
for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris, will present a special ICFT prize
consisting of the UNESCO Gandhi Medal awarded to a film which reflects the ideals promoted by
UNESCO.
Broad guidelines for the selection of the films
• Have a strong ethical component
• High aesthetic value
• Exhibit artistic excellence in screenplay, in film technique and music
• Attract a wide audience, especially among youth, whose view of media is distorted by violent
imagery and showy techniques which are devoid of intelligent and critical discernment
• Additionally include an educational component to cope with the flood of inappropriate
imagery commonly marketed
• Awareness of the role of the filmmaker confronting a declining society; because it is
recognized that cinematographic and video images are much more powerful than any other
means of communication
About the UNESCO Gandhi Medal
In 1994, UNESCO issued a commemorative medal marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of
Mahatma Gandhi, India’s “Father of the Nation” and the world’s advocate of non-violence, peace
and tolerance. The General Conference of one of the previous years had adopted a resolution calling
for a series of activities around the “great world personality whose thought and creative modes of
non-violent action have shaped socio-economic and political currents in the 20th century”.
The medal bears a portrait of Gandhi engraved by the French artist Pierre-Yves Tŕemois. Etched
underneath is the Mahatma’s message of hope: “In the midst of darkness light prevails”. The
reverse side carries the UNESCO Logo.