Goa Chief Minister, Mr. Digambar Kamat has declared a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh for filmmaker Laxmikant Shetgaonkar.

Recently, Shetgaonkar's film ‘The Man Beyond the Bridge’ won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) prize in the Discovery Section of the 34th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Commenting over this, an elated Shetgaonkar said: “The award is for Konkani, Goan literature and Goan talent. If you surf the internet, it says that Konkani is the language spoken in a small place called Goa. That is a great achievement for Goa."

The film ‘The Man Beyond the Bridge’ depicts the story of a widowed forest ranger who build up a close relationship with a mentally ill woman.

Notably, ‘The Man Beyond the Bridge’ is the first ever Konkani film to have won laurels in an international event held outside India.

Interestingly, the 96-minute film was disapproved by the Goa Government Screening Committee for Film Finance Scheme under Department of Information and Publicity.