BNHAF Awards and Festival 20th Edition was held in India.

BNHAF Awards and Festival 20th Edition was held in India after the super-success of conjoined 18th and 19th editions in the US and Europe.                                              New Delhi-Amentalio from the USA was the Opening Film of the 20th Edition. It received Honorable Mention from the Jury. The film won Fernanda Vilela, Best Actress Award. Fernanda was also one of the producers of the film.Best director was won by Gopal R for his film Bekaar, a striking narrative about an actor struggling in the film industry after winning gold medal in acting at a reputed film school. The film questioned the very concept of film-schools charging exorbitant fees. Ishika Kumar won the best actor award for essaying the role of the protagonist to perfection. In her speech she thanked Amit R Agarwal and BNHAF Awards and Festival for bestowing the award on her.Best editor award went to Santosh Singh for An Actor in Cannes film-series. Best DOP was won by Ireland based Lindsey B for her fictional short Influencer, she also played the lead in the film. Best Sound Design went to Zarina Buzureva for the Uzbek film The Beach.Ankeeta Singh, one of the jury-members and speakers at the 20th edition said that she is amazed by the various subjects on which films are made worldwide. Winner of a beauty pageant, Miss Ghaziabad 2014 and now an acclaimed theatre actress and producer, she lauded #BNHAF by saying, “BNHAF is doing extremely commendable work by showcasing these films in India”.Rekha Vohraa said the programming of BNHAF is formidable,“with films coming in from across continents and many making a scathing comment on the issues dogging the society”.Amit Gupta, founder, Gem Mines said that he is very happy with the way Gem Mines was promoted during the BNHAF Awards and Festival together with the showcase at the International Editions. “Times square, AMC, Nutley Public Library, Basel Theatre and the biggest of them all, Cannes Film Festival with actors, models and film-makers from eleven different countries praising Gem Mines! As an entrepreneur can I ask for anything more”, chuckles Amit Gupta.Andrea Robbins winner of Best Model award of BNHAF International Beach and Fashion Week Pre-Season during the Cannes Film Festival thanked Gem Mines for the special gift from India. She hoped that she will be in India soon for BNHAF International Beach and Fashion Week Season 1.Amit R Agarwal concluded the 20th Edition by announcing the complete overhaul of BNHAF Awards and Festival, “to return the love I got from film fraternity worldwide, 21st Edition onwards, all the films entered will be selected and screened. Idea is to nurture independent filmmaking with pay 1-time, screen 6-times format”.On being queried about — pay one time, screen six-times — Agarwal said that 99% of the films made worldwide are indie-films; yet almost 90% of these filmmakers don’t ever make their second film. Each film requires a sustained campaign to be visible. “One screening or screening 12-times in a month doesn’t make a film visible. An indie film has to be visible year around to make an impact. This new format of BNHAF helps the film together with its cast and crew achieve visibility and outreach in the most cost-effective manner”.Entries to the 21st Edition of #BNHAF are open now on various submission platforms. “I can only wish all the best to each and every filmmaker and talent out there in the world”.