KOCHI:
A thought-provoking package of experimental films
on a range of topics, as conceived by students of film schools across the country, is being screened at the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB).
Around 25 diploma films by students of eight schools are contained in the package titled ‘Undiplomatic Tales’, which has been curated by renowned filmmaker Umesh Kulkarni. The screenings – part of the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s ‘Artists’ Cinema’ programme – began on Thursday and will run till Sunday (Feb 5).
The shows start at 6.30 pm at the Pavilion in Cabral Yard.
“My intention was to present a kind of collage of the geographical spaces, experiences and mindscapes of young filmmakers. I have tried to include a variety of perspectives, by including films by women as well as maintaining a diversity of locales and subjects. Consequently, every film presently has a unique way of looking at forms and subjects,” Kulkarni said.
While the majority of the works come from Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, and Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata, the package also includes films from lesser known and newer institutions like K.R. Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts in Kottayam and State Institute of Films & Television in Rohtak, Haryana.
“With new schools opening up, we have a flood of new perceptions and narratives. The school in Rohtak, for example, is bringing out stories we have never seen or heard from a Haryanvi perspective. The same goes for Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication in Delhi,” said Kulkarni, who has included three films each from these institutes in his package.
A FTII graduate, Kulkarni mentors young filmmakers by producing their works. His own short films, such as the critically acclaimed Girni and Three of Us, have received national film awards and garnered recognitions at international film festivals.
“Short film is a unique and fascinating form. It creates a space for young minds to express, experiment and break the conventional norms. The package is an attempt to bring together the diploma films, and other exercises of film and media school students, which not only widens the possibilities of this medium but also questions the ways of looking at it,” Kulkarni said.
“There are some films that can only be made in a film school. These films may not be accomplished but they are authentic. Such films are exciting because you can see the budding filmmakers inside the students who are looking to find their own voice – in terms of sound, cinematography, image creation and what one tries to convey. As well, the schools have resources – studios, equipment and people – that you can’t replicate outside,” he added.
The package also features diploma films by students of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, L.V. Prasad Film Academy, Chennai, Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Bengaluru and Department of Communication Studies, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
