A UAE resident’s short film was among those nominated for best international short film at Hollywood’s International short film festival last month.
Shaji N. Pushpangathan’s The Money Box is a story about a child living in the Gulf today. A longtime UAE resident, Pushpangathan works as a divisional manager with a health-care group.
The Money Box refers to money boxes that are stolen from people who are in need and draws attention to how the education system run by corporations has become a lucrative business today.
“If you are not able to pay the school fees in time, the next day your children will be kept away from the classroom, which goes against the ethics of education,” says Pushpangathan.
“We often blame the young for spending time on gadgets but it’s the children who are our teachers,” adds this native of Chettuwa, Kerala, who has also directed a video album named Recession.
The Money Box, made in Malayalam, was produced by Ghaf films. The cast of the film includes UAE residents Athil Nisar, Shanitha Shajith, Jayaram Swami, Devi and Asharaf.
Retheesh Raveendran is the cinematographer and Prathik Abhayankar has composed music. Pushpangathan’s next dream is to direct a feature film soon.
