‘24 Days’ by two Kerala merchant navy officers is about a journey to find oneself

The film, which was in the final round competing for the state awards, won the best foreign film award at the Switzerland International Film Festival.
‘24 Days’ by two Kerala merchant navy officers is about a journey to find oneself
‘24 Days’ by two Kerala merchant navy officers is about a journey to find oneself
Written by:

When the big day comes and the awards are given away, you celebrate the winners, appreciate the nominees and probably never hear about the other contenders. The film 24 Days, interestingly made by two merchant navy officers, was in the final 20 competing for the Kerala State Film awards.

Director Sreekanth EG, who is now on a break from work and at his home in Kannur, says it is the work of two film enthusiasts including him and his dear friend Adith US. Adith, writer, producer and actor in the film, is now on a ship in the sea, on work. When one reaches the land the other has to be in the sea. That’s how they take turns to work on their film dreams. “We met each other while studying Nautical Science in Mumbai. Those days we had made a short film for a competition and won the first prize too. And then we got busy with the training (for Merchant Navy) but met again for a course one-and-a-half years later. We made two short films together – Will You Be Me and I Am Flying,” Sreekanth says.

Sreekanth and Adith

When they thought of making a feature film together, they didn’t try knocking on the doors of producers. They knew it’d be in vain, to expect someone to fund a movie of newcomers. That’s when many colleagues and friends came forward with funds and support. 24 Days became a crowdfunded movie. “The storyline had originally come from my wife Uma. She told me about this story she read, of a child who is hospitalised with an eye injury and feeling bad about it. The person in the next bed then tries to comfort the child and tells him about the beautiful sights outside that he could see once he heals. When the child does heal, he finds that the person in the next bed was blind. It is that concept we use in the film – not the story itself but just the idea that you can’t really see when your eyes are wide open,” Sreekanth says.

The film tells the story of Stephen whose big dream is to go for the 24-day Greater Himalayan Rally. But then he ends up going through another kind of journey for 24 days. “You might call it a travel film but it is not a road movie or a biker movie. It is rather a metaphorical trip he takes.”

The film has won the best foreign film award at the Switzerland International Film Festival. 

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com