The Storytellers Inc

Just That Sort of a Day. The former student of St Xavier’s,Mumbai,stated that the genre of filmmaking that he is experimenting with is yet to be defined. “It is a hybrid form of film making,with video and handmade 2D characters and live action… I believe in interpretative form of film making. You make just enough and leave just a little,in the hope that the audience will take back something and ponder over it. That way,a film acquires a life of its own,” said the filmmaker,who has roped in music director Loy Mendonsa’s (of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio) son,Shane Mendonsa,for the original soundtrack. The movie has earlier been reviewed by Shekhar Kapoor,Deepa Bhatia,Amol Gupte and Zack Hemsey and will soon travel to Japan,Italy,USA,Germany and Spain.

Some other filmmakers used the platform to deliver a social message. The girls from Government College for Girls,Sector-11,for instance,screened the movie Amar Deh,based on the subject of organ donation. “It is our first film and it was a difficult task,” said 19-year-old Shuchita Sharma and Ankita Sharma in unison. The second year students,pursuing their Bachelor of Arts,procured the list of donors from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and later went door-to-door to convince people to speak on the subject. “It took us six months to make the 13-minute documentary. One of reasons was that we did not have any phone numbers on the list,” said the duo. Former engineer Ankit Kapoor showcased the movie Half the Truth,that deals with child labour. “We keep saying child labour should be banned,but we never realise that these children need money and they want to work — it is a vicious circle and a necessary evil,” stated Kapoor,24,about the movie that won the runners-up prize at an online competition in 2007. The teaser of his next sci-fi film,screened at the festival,also had the audience on the edge.

The challenges faced by filmmakers too featured in the discussions. “You rope in a producer and there is constant pressure of money riding on your back,” said Kumar,who feels that short films prepare one for bigger projects. “You learn a lot,including how to manage funds,people and shots,” he added. Filmmaker Varundeep,who screened the movie Papa Kehte Hain at the festival,said,“The internet has been a boon. Even if one doesn’t have the resources to release a film,it can be uploaded on any social networking site and the viral effect follows.” Kumar also had a word of advice. “Make sure you never take comments from friends and find people who provide constructive criticism. Never get attached to a film — cut the umbilical chord,move on and explore,” he added.