koraput by profession he is a teacher but he is known better for his numerous short films which have fetched him a number of awards meet vishal patnaik 27 of jeypore a fine arts teacher in the governmentrun adarsh vidyalaya at boipariguda who has directed as many as 10 short filmspatnaiks films are known for their socially relevant content and use of local artists and locally available technology his hard work has fetched him a number of state tele awardsone of his shorts chandalo won awards for best film and best actor at the 5th state tele awards in 2017 another pension depicting the struggle of the parents of a martyr in getting the pension due to them received awards for best film best story and best actor at the 7th state tele awards in 2019in 2013 i made a short film titled on a sunday evening just for fun it was well received by viewers and it inspired me to make a second film said patnaikcompletely unaware of the nuances of film making he surfed the internet to learn more in a couple of years patnaik was successful in establishing himself as a wellknown producer and director in the regionat present he is working on a short film titled maha natak which depicts the slow death of theatre in the country it will be released on world theatre day on march 27 the aim of the film is to show how we are losing our identity under the influence of western culture said patnaikthough producing and directing short films is not commercially profitable the young filmmaker keeps at it simply to make a difference and create awareness on social issues depending on the needs of the script i spend between rs 10000 and rs 150 lakh on making each film i have never thought much of the returns he awardadded