When the National Film Awards were announced, cheers erupted at Pulloorampara native Joshy Benedict's home. The reason? Joshy's work 'A Coconut Tree', was declared as the Best Animated Short Film at the 70th edition of the National Film Awards.
The short film was Joshy's debut work and revolved around a small family, who finds relief from a coconut tree when crisis hits the house. The eight-and-a-half minute film was written and directed by Joshy, while popular musician Bijibal composed the music. The film is driven entirely by music and sound effects, with no conversations or narration. According to Joshy, the aim of the film, was to highlight man's correlation with nature.
The film was shot by the director in 2021 and sent for censorship in 2022. Joshy is a freelance animator and illustrator who formerly worked in several private firms. He also worked as a creative director for a collection of stories by M T Vasudevan Nair, and also did the animation work for 'Kalkkandam', a collection of short poems by Kunjunni Mash. Benedict started his career as an artist and completed his degree from the Government College of Fine Arts in Thrissur. Ancy Thomas is Benedict's wife while Benet Joshy is their son.
