Indian films have found their own voice. And its 24 years or younger.
Indian films have finally found their own voice. And its 24 years or younger.
It started off as a seemingly crazy idea. What if a person could walk in and make a film - no questions asked, no scripts scrutinised, no experience required. And not just make a film, but also get it screened the world over.
In an industry that works on having the right connections or the right amount of money, anyone who wants to make a film knows he or she is in for a long haul. This seemingly crazy idea changed all that.
What began as an experiment at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival in 2003 is now a full fledged platform providing opportunities for young, first time film makers to come out and display their talent. The idea - its called 24x7 making movies - is simple. You send in your film idea, according to the theme given to you. If it gets selected, you are given a Panasonic camera, an Apple editing software and 24 hours to make the film. You have to be 24 years or less and the film can be anything from 24 seconds to 24 minutes.
The program was born when film makers Dev Benegal and Anuradha Parikh were invited to curate the film section of the Kala Ghoda Art Festival in 2003. The festival is set near the famous Watson Hotel, where the Lumiere Brothers first brought film to India. ``24x7 is our way of giving back something to that place,'' said Benegal. The idea was to break away from the existing world of making movies - which according to both Benegal and Parikh, stifles creativity. It was an attempt to get away from the world of producers, finaciers, development bodies, film commissions, just zero in onto the basics and make a film. The onus was on stories and the ideas they bring forth. ``Everyone has a story to tell, but they may not have the required connections. And in an industry that works on connections, these stories never get told,'' said Benegal. ``The young have a unique voice. And regardless of what production houses, industries or governments do, that voice cannot be suppressed, must not be suppressed,'' said Benegal.
But 24x7 is not just about making movies, its also about getting them screened. In 2003, films were screened at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival and the high point came in 2004, when the program was given permission to be a part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Films of young, first time directors, some not yet out of college, were screened along with biggies like Rituparno Ghosh, Sudhir Mishra and Anand Patwardhan to name just a few. Films are also sent to smaller film festivals around the world. However not all films turn out great in the end, which could be called its flipside. Since you are only asked to submit an idea rather than a detailed script, the end product may end up without a focus or being technicaly poor. But Dev insists thats the only way for creativity to survive. ``You have to give them a free hand and stop yourself from interfering. Not all films will be perfect, but its the idea that governs that film that is important. It is important for the world to know what its youth are thinking,'' he said.
24x7 was born of this desire to see how the young generation looks at the world. That the program has been a huge success is apparent from the amount of entries that only seem to increase. While 2003 saw 100 entries, and 2004 saw 500, this year has seen an unprecedented 5000 entries. 100 ideas have been shortlisted for films this year. But for a program this huge, even today, two years later, the core team still consists of only four people. Other than Benegal and Parikh, there is Program Co-ordinator, Sopan Muller and Maulik Mehta, who looks after the financial aspects. ``We did not want to make it into a corporation or an industry. We wanted it to remain very personal,'' is the reason given by Benegal. Till now, the focus was on short feature films, but the next plan is to move into full length feature films - this time the age limit will be more relaxed, but they will again be made by first time directors. ``We plan to make 9 to 15 full length feature films (90 mins) from 2006 to 2008,'' said Benegal. ``You can make the film in any language. Someone mailed us a brilliant idea in Malayalam some time back and we have decided to make it into a full length feature,'' he added.
It started off as a seemingly crazy idea. What if a person could walk in and make a film - no questions asked, no scripts scrutinised, no experience required. And not just make a film, but also get it screened the world over.
In an industry that works on having the right connections or the right amount of money, anyone who wants to make a film knows he or she is in for a long haul. This seemingly crazy idea changed all that.
What began as an experiment at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival in 2003 is now a full fledged platform providing opportunities for young, first time film makers to come out and display their talent. The idea - its called 24x7 making movies - is simple. You send in your film idea, according to the theme given to you. If it gets selected, you are given a Panasonic camera, an Apple editing software and 24 hours to make the film. You have to be 24 years or less and the film can be anything from 24 seconds to 24 minutes.
The program was born when film makers Dev Benegal and Anuradha Parikh were invited to curate the film section of the Kala Ghoda Art Festival in 2003. The festival is set near the famous Watson Hotel, where the Lumiere Brothers first brought film to India. ``24x7 is our way of giving back something to that place,'' said Benegal. The idea was to break away from the existing world of making movies - which according to both Benegal and Parikh, stifles creativity. It was an attempt to get away from the world of producers, finaciers, development bodies, film commissions, just zero in onto the basics and make a film. The onus was on stories and the ideas they bring forth. ``Everyone has a story to tell, but they may not have the required connections. And in an industry that works on connections, these stories never get told,'' said Benegal. ``The young have a unique voice. And regardless of what production houses, industries or governments do, that voice cannot be suppressed, must not be suppressed,'' said Benegal.
But 24x7 is not just about making movies, its also about getting them screened. In 2003, films were screened at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival and the high point came in 2004, when the program was given permission to be a part of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Films of young, first time directors, some not yet out of college, were screened along with biggies like Rituparno Ghosh, Sudhir Mishra and Anand Patwardhan to name just a few. Films are also sent to smaller film festivals around the world. However not all films turn out great in the end, which could be called its flipside. Since you are only asked to submit an idea rather than a detailed script, the end product may end up without a focus or being technicaly poor. But Dev insists thats the only way for creativity to survive. ``You have to give them a free hand and stop yourself from interfering. Not all films will be perfect, but its the idea that governs that film that is important. It is important for the world to know what its youth are thinking,'' he said.
24x7 was born of this desire to see how the young generation looks at the world. That the program has been a huge success is apparent from the amount of entries that only seem to increase. While 2003 saw 100 entries, and 2004 saw 500, this year has seen an unprecedented 5000 entries. 100 ideas have been shortlisted for films this year. But for a program this huge, even today, two years later, the core team still consists of only four people. Other than Benegal and Parikh, there is Program Co-ordinator, Sopan Muller and Maulik Mehta, who looks after the financial aspects. ``We did not want to make it into a corporation or an industry. We wanted it to remain very personal,'' is the reason given by Benegal. Till now, the focus was on short feature films, but the next plan is to move into full length feature films - this time the age limit will be more relaxed, but they will again be made by first time directors. ``We plan to make 9 to 15 full length feature films (90 mins) from 2006 to 2008,'' said Benegal. ``You can make the film in any language. Someone mailed us a brilliant idea in Malayalam some time back and we have decided to make it into a full length feature,'' he added.
posted by another wanderer | Wednesday, May 03, 2006
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