Mumbai filmmaker Vinod Ganatra receives ‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award’

Globally acclaimed filmmaker Vinod Ganatra has made history as the first Indian to receive the prestigious ‘Nelson Mandela Lifetime Achievement Award’ from South Africa. This significant accolade, awarded during the ongoing 7th Nelson Mandela Children’s Film Festival, recognizes Ganatra’s outstanding contributions to children's cinema.

Ganatra’s illustrious career is marked by a collection of 36 national and international awards. Notably, he has received the ‘Janakinath Gaur Award’ from Doordarshan for his children’s program ‘Baingan Raja’. His achievements extend internationally, where he earned the ‘Liv Ullmann Peace Prize’ in Chicago for his Gujarati film ‘Harun-Arun’.

Over the past three decades, Ganatra has been a prominent figure in the global film festival circuit, having been invited to serve on the jury of over 100 national, regional, and international film festivals. His prolific body of work includes editing and directing more than 400 documentaries and newsreels, along with producing 25 multilingual television programs for children and youth.