A peep into the Wonderous World of Cinema Hyderabad
www.cfsindia.org
Issue: 4
November 17, 2011
Chase your dreams…. but family support is essential
P
Children wanting to join the arts should have the courage to tel their parents and teachers.
ursuing a career in the arts is like chasing a dream. Unless one is relentless and determined, one will not be able to make it.
Gajju’s Programme today Gosh, when Nandita Aunty wanted me to take part in the workshops, I was hesitant. After all, it is not so easy for a little baby elephant to run from one Workshop to another. But after I attended one, I became so fascinated that I wanted to attend them all.
That was the consensus of the Open Forum at Sampradaya Vedika on the relevance of art in a child’s development. All the speakers on the dais – Ms Nandita Das, Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society, India; actor Raj Zutshi who is featuring in two films here – ‘Stanley ka Dabba’ by Amol Gupte and ‘Woh’ by Buddhadeb Dasgupta; Jon Gustafsson who is both the producer and editor of the film ‘In a Heart Beat’ from Iceland; and Ms Michaela Hinnenthal who has scripted the film “Winter’s Daughter” which is a German-Polish co-production – felt that it was also necessary that the child should have the support of the family to pursue his or dreams. Jon said that he makes films ‘because something pushes us’. This was his first attempt at a film for children, but his visits to many children’s festivals had given him new experiences. He said it was always important for someone taking to any art form to get the support of his or her parents. Michaela said she used to listen to stories told by her mother as a child and that inspired her to go into theatre. But she was unable to find anything interesting. However, when the Berlin Wall came down, she learnt of a theatre group in East Berlin which she joined. As for herself, she felt that if one wanted to do something, one could always find a direction.
Children's Film Society, India
Five workshops are continuing at different venues in Shilparamam which will go on till 19 November. All my young friends can still register by calling Satish at 9703160004.
Workshops l Film Making
Art Gallery, Shilparamam, 2.30-5.30 pm l Script Writing
Dormitories (behind Sampradaya Vedika), 2.30-4.30 pm & 4.30-6.30 pm l Film Appreciation
Shilparamam Gardens, 2.30-4.30 pm l Animation - Basement
Shilpakala Vedika, 4.30-6.30pm
Asked about how one can get over the fright of becoming a writer, she said one simple way was to start with a personal diary which no one else could read but which helped the writer gain confidence. Raj, who began acting at the age of five, said he learnt to think as an actor much later and was fortunate that he performed naturally. He personally felt that the role of an artiste is to build bridges, and an actor is often like a balm for troubled souls. But going into the arts is a two-way street and the parents have to support the child and cooperate. He had realized that acting was a science: it could not be taught, but it could be learnt. However, some training is necessary. Therefore it was important to learn something about related arts like music, dance etc. and to pursue one’s direction with clarity and focus. Nandita, who commenced her acting career with the controversial film ‘Fire’, had acted in around thirty films and also made a film herself. She said the section on ‘Little Directors’ at the Festival was aimed at encouraging young minds, and the script writing and film appreciation workshops were also aimed at helping young creative minds.
l Puppet Making
Art Gallery, Shilparamam, 3.30-5.30 pm & 4.30-6.30pm
Press Meet Media Centre, Shilpakala Vedika, 11.00 am Rajendraprasad, Director of ‘Hero’ in Telugu
Open Forum Sampradaya Vedika, 4.30-6.00 pm Challenges of Screen writing for children
Speaking about herself, she said her father who is an eminent artist and her mother who is a writer always gave her enough space to think the way she wanted, though she had never planned to become an actress. Arts have played a huge role in her life, she said, and this has been possible because of the support of her parents. Unfortunately, arts was not seen as a subject or an activity but only as an extracurricular activity in schools and colleges. Answering a question, she said that no one can be happy if he or she only looks up with envy at others. It was important to carve out one’s own niche.