CineKind awards to honour humane storytelling in cinema

In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Film Federation of India (FFI), in collaboration with People for Animals (PFA), has launched CineKind, an annual award platform that celebrates empathy and humane storytelling in Indian cinema. The inaugural CineKind Awards will be held in Kolkata on December 20.

Announcing the initiative in the national capital on Thursday, PFA Chairperson Maneka Sanjay Gandhi said the awards would recognise films and individuals who use cinema to “give voice to the voiceless”.

“Films change the culture of India and influence people. It is important to involve the whole film industry,” she added.

Gandhi described the awards as the fulfilment of her “20-year-old dream” and said the initiative aimed to bring attention to stories that advocated for animals, the environment and ethical living. “When we watch a film, we laugh, we cry, we live the story. But imagine one that asks — what about the voiceless? What about the creatures who share this world but cannot speak for themselves? CineKind will shine a light on those stories,” she added.

Addressing a question on the stray dogs situation, Gandhi said it was “impractical” to expect that animals could simply be removed and confined to shelters, as directed by the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court says remove the dog, remove the cat, remove the monkey, put it in a shelter, sterilise it, but no one can actually do this... it is impractical,” she said.

The CineKind Awards will comprise ten categories.

Those being honoured

Documentary filmmaker Harsha Atmakuri will receive the CineKind Compassion Award for his film Maa Ka Doodh, which exposes the hidden realities of India’s dairy industry.

The Director of Change Award will go to Dolly Vyas Ahuja and Aryeman Ramsay for The Land of Ahimsa, while popular television actor Rupali Ganguly will be honoured with the Actor for Kindness Award for her active animal rescue and adoption efforts. Other honourees include Neha Dixit (In Search of Kasturi) for ‘Cinematic Impact Award for Animal Welfare’ awrad, and Nithin Vemupati and SA Chandrasekhar (Kooran) for ‘The Kindness ina Frame’ award, Kushagra Dixit (Times of India) for ‘Voice for the Voiceless’ award.