Documentary Today #11

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THE OSCAR STORIES

The Cover

Child Actor Aniket Rumade was given a Jury Special Mention for his role in Vinoo Choliparambil’s Vitthal, at the 56th National Awards. The film was also awarded the Second Best Fiction Film (up to 75 minutes) at M.I.F.F. 2010.

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Hrishida’s magnetic personality

U.B. Mathur reconstructs his journey towards making a documentary on the legendary editordirector.

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Documenting A Popular Movement

A review of the controversial film AFSPA 1958 which bagged the top honour at the 56th National Film Festival.

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Reconstructing an Assassination

R.KRISHNAMOHAN writes about the 15-year struggle to document one of the most horrifying moments in contemporary Indian history.

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M.I.F.F.2010: A Visual Journey

The Academy Awards (frequently known as the Oscars) are accolades presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world. It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media, and many other award ceremonies are often modelled from the Academy. In this issue we present interviews with some of Oscars top award winners for the documentary genre.

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Louie Psihoyos talks about the making of The Cove in We were lucky to find this incredible story.

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Roger Ross Williams talks about the travails of making Music By Prudence in Prudence is a compelling character.

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Pete Docter talks about the fun he had making the animation masterpiece Up in It is fun playing with a misanthropic character.

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Francois Alaux, Herve de Crecy and Ludovic Houplain talk about Logorama in We want to talk to people with the languages and technologies of our time.

A visual summing up of the recently- concluded Mumbai International Film Festival.

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From The Editor’s Desk

The Films Division NewsReel “The crackle of the black-and-white reel seemed like the visual equivalent of fizzing soda, but Indira Gandhi dancing with tribals from the North-East did reassure one that India was your country and that all Indians were your brothers and sisters. The ‘Please Stand Up for the National Anthem’ of late has probably replaced this obligatory tribute to Films Division, but the FD newsreel was essential to the cinema-going experience of yore. Never mind if Devendra Khandelwal has tortured us doubly with his insufferable ‘public service’ shorts.”

From Mumbai Mirror, Monday, April 19, 2010

There was a time when the Films Division documentary films used to be a regular feature before the screening of a feature film in cinema halls all over the country. The memories of these nostalgic moments are still fresh in the minds of the people of yesteryear who have been keen watchers of these films in cinema halls. The regular screening of these documentary films served a great purpose of informing and educating the common man about the happenings on the various fronts of the country after independence.

An understanding had been arrived at with the film industry that a nominal one percent of the net collection by the cinema halls was to be charged as a meager contribution towards the distribution cost of these newsreels and documentary films.

This arrangement between Films Division and the theatre owners worked very well for several years … nay, decades … until unscrupulous elements ventured into the “game” with the production of poor quality films with even poorer content and got them exhibited in cinema halls with a tacit understanding that they would demand a reduced percentage of the net collection. Exhibitors, eager to save a few paisa, fell for the trap without realising that their action would sabotage the national cause.

Thus the very purpose for which these films were being produced by spending a significant amount of the taxpayer’s money was entirely lost. Not only did it put a question mark on the very existence of Films Division, it also considerably damaged the cause of the documentary film movement because it was the Films Division which had been on the forefront of creating a documentary film culture when there 4 Documentary Today

had been no private sponsors for documentary films all through the 1960s and 1970s. It was also the organization which had encouraged new documentary film producers while satisfying its first task of informing and educating about 60 percent of the Indian population which had been below poverty line and had no means to either inform or educate themselves.

Of course the Films Division has not been quiet in the meantime. It has been been working hard and actively towards creating alternative additional avenues and taking these films to the masses by organizing film festivals in the nook and corner of the country through its meager resources and manpower. These festivals have created a niche in the hearts of the people who began to realise the value of the cinematic treasure that the Films Division has in its archive. M.I.F.F. is of course a singular success because of this hunger that the common people have for the non-fiction film.

While the production and distribution costs of these Government-sponsored documentary films has increased manifold, the meager decimal point of one per cent has remained constant in 60 years. Speaking at the recently-concluded Mumbai International Film Festival, the Hon’ble Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ms. Ambika Soni has very kindly agreed to consider scrapping the one per cent rental which the Films Division has collected so far. Hopefully when the final decision is taken and implemented the theatres owners will once again resort to the screening of these films as their contribution to society at large. So let us hope that the Films Division documentaries will be back in cinema halls—of course, with a new fervor and flavour.

Kuldeep Sinha Editor Kuldeep Sinha Executive Editor Sanjit Narwekar Assistant Editor Anil Kumar N. Correspondent Ramsahay Yadav Photographers S. S. Chavan, D.S. Naik Printed at Work Center Offset Printers (I) Pvt Ltd. A2/32, Shah & Nahar Industrial Estate, S. J. Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013 Tel.: 24943227 / 24929261 Published by Films Division, 24, Dr.Gopalrao Deshmukh Marg, Mumbai 400026 Tel.: 23510461 / 23521421

The Oscar Stories

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And the Oscar goes to …

Unless you had your head in the sand on March 7, 2010, you already know that the winner of the 2009 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature is The Cove, the film about the illegal and heinous slaughter of dolphins by local fishermen in Taiji, Japan. Earlier, the film was recognized with top awards from the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, many critics groups and numerous film festivals. It had wide theatrical distribution and was also available on DVD.

animation and other stylistic elements to effectively convey their stories and impart information about the important issues being raised.

The Cove, with its spy thriller style and wide distribution, certainly reached audiences who don’t usually watch documentaries, and showed them that non-fiction features can be every bit as exciting and entertaining as narrative films. In fact, all of this year’s Oscarnominated documentaries pushed the verite envelope to varying degrees by making creative use of re-enactments, unusual cinematography, graphics,

Apparently, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and those who were calling the shots on the Oscars presentation, were more concerned with the film’s fine cinematic qualities than with the issue. When The Cove’s director, Louie Psihoyos, spoke of O’Barry’s ongoing mission, and O’Barry raised a sign suggesting that audiences send text messages to oppose dolphin slaughter, the awards show’s

The Cove clearly advocates the termination of the dolphin slaughter and the capture of dolphins for sale to marine theme parks. In the film, former dolphin trainer Richard O’Barry -- he trained the dolphins who played Flipper on the popular television show -- rues his role in making dolphins popular tourist attractions.

Bigelow vs. Cameron? Streep vs.

Bullock? Forget it. The most riveting face-off during Sunday’s Oscar ceremony came early: When producer Elinor Burkett wrestled the microphone away from directorproducer Roger Ross Williams after their film, Music by Prudence won for best documentary short. What really happened? Immediately after the Oscar ceremany, I reached both by cell phone, and got both sides of the story. I first reached Burkett - a onetime journalist who spends much of her time in Zimbabwe – as she took a smoking break as the proceedings continued inside: People are already saying you “pulled a Kanye.” What happened?

BURKETT: What happened was the director and I had a bad difference over the direction of the film that resulted in a lawsuit that has settled amicably out of court. But there have been all these events around the Oscars, and I wasn’t invited to any of them. And he’s not speaking to me. So we weren’t even able to discuss ahead of the time who would be the one person allowed to speak if we won. And then, as I’m sure you saw, when we won, he raced up there to accept the award. And his mother took her cane and blocked me. So I couldn’t get up there very fast.

Can you explain the reason behind the conflict?

BURKETT: The movie was supposed to be about the entire band, Liyana.

And the [band members] were very clear they did not want to participate if it ended up being just about one person. The director and HBO decided to focus solely on Prudence.

Louie Psihoyos (second from left) and his team pose with the Oscar for the Best Documentary Feature.

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And that led to the rift. But didn’t you see him at other events to discuss what would happen if you won?

BURKETT: He won’t talk to me! This whole week, there have been events thrown by the International Documentary Association, and he hasn’t passed

Battlefield Oscar any of the invitations on to me.

The movie was my idea. I live in Zimbabwe. Roger had never even heard of Zimbabwe before I told him about this.

And you know, I felt my role in this has been denigrated again and again, and it wasn’t going to happen this time.

How do you feel about the final product?

BURKETT: The final product, it’s not that it’s bad. It’s not what I envisioned when I came up with this project. And it’s not what we promised the boys in the band. It’s just not what we wanted it to be.

About 15 minutes later, I spoke to director-producer Roger Ross Williams by cell phone as he celebrated backstage with family and friends. We asked for his side of the story.

How did that happen?

WILLIAMS: Only one person is allowed to accept the award. I was the director, and she was removed from the project nearly a year ago, but she was able to still qualify as a producer on the project, and be an official nominee.

But she was very angry -- she actually removed herself from the project – because she wanted more creative control.

But couldn’t you decide ahead of time who would speak?

WILLIAMS: That was handled by the publicist for the academy. I don’t know what they told her. The academy is very clear that only one person can speak. I own the film. She has no claim whatsoever. She has nothing to do with the movie. She just ambushed me. I was sort of in shock.

You seemed to run up there pretty fast. Didn’t you see her coming up the aisle? What did you think was going to happen when she got there?

WILLIAMS: I just expected her to

Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett battle it out at the Oscar ceremony.

stand there. I had a speech prepared.

She claims she found the movie’s story, that she brought it to you.

WILLIAMS: No, not at all. The truth is that she saw the band perform [in Zimbabwe], and told me about that, and then I opened up a dialogue with the [King George VI School & Centre for Children with Physical Disabilities] school and went on my own – which you would’ve heard about in my speech -- and spent $6,000 going to Africa shooting myself. And when people expressed interest in the film, I asked her to come on board. And then I regretted that decision. Then she sued.

It was quite a tussle. Does this diminish the Oscar at all?

WILLIAMS: Absolutely not. It’s such a career achievement, to win an

Academy Award. This is what the business is. There are times when there’s disagreement and dispute and you always hope that people will rise up to the occasion. It doesn’t diminish it. She disowns it and doesn’t want any part of the film. I’m so proud of the movie .

OK, did your mother try and block her with her cane?

WILLIAMS: My mother got up to hug me. And my mother is 87 years old. She was excited. What are people saying about it?

They’re saying it looked like she pulled a Kanye.

WILLIAMS: She did! She pulled a Kanye. And it’s a shame, because this is such positive, happy film.

— Kerry Lauerman Documentary Today 7

Nicholas Schmerkin, producer of Logorama, which bagged the Oscar for the Best Animation Short.

Pete Docter, director of Up, which won the Oscar for the Best Animation Feature.

cameras cut away from the stage and transitional music began to play over Psihoyos’ voice. Oh well.

too, have their Hollywood moments.

In general, the Oscars presentation went smoothly, but there was a jarring glitch that occurred during the acceptance of the statuette for Best Documentary Short. The award was given to Music of Prudence, an inspirational documentary about disabled music makers in Zimbabwe.

Apparently the film’s director and producer had a major falling out during the shooting and editing of the film. Their disagreement took center stage when producer Elinor Burkett interrupted the acceptance speech of director Roger Ross Williams.

In what has been called the “Oscars’ Kanye moment” (referring to Kanye West’s demonstration at MTV’s Video Music Awards), Burkett seized the microphone and delivered a speech of her own. Eventually, both the director and producer pointed to Prudence, who was sitting in the audience, and the cameras focused on her. Matters were settled after the Oscar show with each of the players in the drama explaining their point of view (see box). So, the wide world gets to see that in documentary filmmaking, there’s often as story behind the story -- as there is with narrative features where battles over credits can sometimes hold up the release of a project. Documentaries, 8 Documentary Today

The Oscar for the Best Animated Feature Film was awarded to the Pixar film Up, directed by Pete Doctor. The film follows the adventures of a 78year old widower named Carl (voiced

by Ed Asner) and the wilderness scout who inadvertently tags along after the crusty septuagenarian ties thousands of balloons to his lifelong home and literally sails off into the sky. Doctor is

best known for having written Toy Story 1 and Toy Story 2 and for the direction of Monsters Inc, French producer Nicolas Schmerkin’s Logorama bagged the Oscar for the Best Animated Short Film. Written and directed by the French team of François Alaux and Herve de Crecy, and created over the course of six years, this 16-minute short film features a world full of brand logos and corporate mascots. It even features fictional companies like the Buy N Large logo from Pixar’s Wall-E. In this world made up entirely of trademarks and brand names, Michelin Man cops pursue a criminal Ronald McDonald.

And finally: Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson’s The New Tenants took home the Oscar for the Best Live Action Short Film A prying neighbor, a glassy-eyed drug dealer, and a husband brandishing both a weapon and a vendetta make up the welcome wagon.

Set amidst the as-yet-unopened boxes and the hopes for a fresh start of two men on what might just be the worst moving day ever. Their new apartment reveals its terrifying history in a film that is by turns funny, frightening, and unexpectedly romantic.

Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson’s directors of The New Tenants grab the Oscar for the Best Live Action Short Film.

Louie Psihoyos

‘We were lucky to find this incredible story’ The Cove, which bagged the 2010 Oscar for the Best Documentary Feature, is a story of one man’s quest for redemption wrapped around several larger parallel environmental stories.

What makes the film powerful and what makes it resonate with audiences is that the film proves that one person can make a difference and that a like-minded team can change the world. And the brain behind the making of the film is that of master photographer Louie Psihoyos who spent the first 17 years after college travelling the world shooting for National Geographic. He has won numerous photography awards, had a bit role in the Stallone movie, F.I.S.T, and if all that wasn’t cool enough, has a small, embryonic carnivorous dinosaur named after him. Louie has written books, been the subject of books, and was a main contributor to the Material World Project, a U.N. sponsored travelling show of family portraits depicting 40 families from different countries with their material possessions. Maybe he was always meant for films because he has always been respectful of the great filmmakers and most of his lighting techniques for his still stories have come from studying the films and reading books on the great cinematographers.

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Congratulations! The Cove has proved to be a huge success.

Yes! It is most gratifying. The film has bagged awards at most of the important festivals it has been shown at: Sundance, Hot Docs and so on. And now it has also bagged the Oscar for the Best Feature Documentary but I will gauge its success by the amount of people that come out of the theater feeling transformed and empowered to change. Even if I say it myself I think The Cove is perhaps one of the most beautiful underwater films you will ever see but there are images that will forever burn your retinas, like a Hieronymus Bosch painting came to life You are primarily a still photographer so what lead you to filmmaking?

My motivation to become a filmmaker was inspired by my good friend and dive buddy Jim Clark. When Jim was in college he helped set up the computers that sent Man to the moon, teaching college at Stanford he created the 3-D

Louie Psihoyos

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graphics engine and started Silicon Graphics which ushered in cad-cam and movies like Jurassic Park. He then started the first commercial internet browser, Netscape.

Jim Clark was interested in photography and started Shutterfly, a way to share and print your photos over the web. He told me he wanted me to teach him how to be a good photographer. I told him I would teach him how to be a great photographer if he taught me how to be a billionaire. It was then I had a deeper look into the mind of not just a genius, but one of our generation’s visionaries. Jim did in fact did become a great photographer but got sidetracked on another creation of another enterprise. I’m not much richer but I am a lot more fulfilled, because of the non-profit business Jim helped me set up.

Jim has achieved great success using his genius to look into the future and seeing patterns for business opportunities – he’s also great about recognizing patterns of ecological decline.

For example. he was miserable with the quality of commercial underwater housings and cameras--even the Hasselblad-so he built the best underwater camera ever made by an order of magnitude. David Doubilet came diving with us and declared it the holy grail of the under-

water camera. Unbelievable detail. It’s a 65-mega-pixel back on a view camera with the unbelievable optics.

Now, Jim and I like to dive and we started going around the world on dive trips together on Hyperion. I had some of the most remarkable times of my life diving with Jim. We dive with rebreather teams so we can stay down for up to three hours at a stretch and not have to worry about bubbles or decompression obligations. We take up to 12 lights and light up the best-preserved reefs, in the most remote parts of the world, like a movie set. Places like Papua, Andaman Islands, Silver Banks.

The results are stunning. Jim doesn’t do anything halfway.

We have been diving together about 10 years but both of us have been diving for decades before that and we’ve been witnessing the degradation of the oceans in our lifetime.

But as he would take me around to places he loved to dive some of them were disappearing, or they were completely gone. We are losing the reefs and sea life at an enormous rate. We both felt incredible sadness to go back to these places we called paradise and see them reduced to rubble from dynamiting, bleaching and over-fishing.

On our third trip to the Galapagos we were witnessing illegal-long line fishing in the marine sanctuary, and mother ships waiting for illegal catch in the Cocos (in Costa Rica), another marine sanctuary. Jim said somebody should do something about it and I said, “How about you and I?” Jim came up with the idea of starting a non-profit we call The Oceanic Preservation Society and our mission statement is pretty simple, “We’re not trying to save the whole planet – just 70% of it.” Jim’s only words to me setting out were, “Just make a difference.” We started the Society about 4 years ago, a non-profit foundation with the intent of making documentary films and still projects about vanishing ocean life because we’re losing them fast. Nearly everything I was about

to do with the Oceanic Preservation Society would involve boats and large uncooperative animals.

So how did The Cove come about?

We fell into an incredible story by luck, and the sheer tenaciousness of our team ; this incredible group of editors, producers, writer and composer that Jim helped bring together. Flipper was one of the most beloved television characters of all time. But ironically, the fascination with dolphins that he caused created a tragic epidemic that has threatened their existence and become a multibillion dollar industry.

The largest supplier of dolphins in the world is located in the picturesque town of Taijii, Japan. But the town has a dark, horrifying secret that it doesn’t want the rest of the world to know. Between September and March, the coastal town plays host to a gruesome theater: Fishermen drive dolphins into a small inlet and close off the exit. A dealer selects a few animals, selling them to aquariums around the world, then the leftover dolphins are herded into a secluded side cove and harpooned for meat.

The fishermen defend the slaughter as traditional practice while local police guard the cove from the public.

It was Ric O’Barry, the trainer for original TV series Flipper who first took me to Taiji, Japan and what I discovered horrified me. Security at the cove is indeed very tight. There are guards patrolling the cove, where the dolphin capturing takes place, who prevent any photography. There were people in The Cove who would have every reason to kill us if we were discovered. The only way to stop the evil acts of this company and the town that protects it is to expose them….and that’s exactly what the brave group of activists in The Cove intend to do. Armed with stateof-the-art surveillance equipment, the members of the small group, led by the most famous dolphin trainer in the world, devise a covert plan to infiltrate the cove to document the horrifying events that happen there. Along the way, they uncover what may be the largest health crisis facing our planet— the poisoning of our seas.

The Cove team works out minute details before the filming.

The Cove is a film whose story begins with the adventure of exposing the horrors of a secret cove but escalates to reveal a larger secret that touches us all, one that governments are covering up. My goal was to create a film that would be extremely entertaining, a visual tour de force with a powerful environmental message and a captivating intellectually stimulating story line.

It’s a feature documentary that plays a lot more like a thriller.

How did you actually go about making the film?

The first thing I did was do what Steven Spielberg does much of the time when he makes movies, I called on the services of George Lucas. One of my first assistants at National Geographic went on to become the head mold maker at Industrial Light and Magic, (ILM), which is now called Kerner Optical – they are the 3-D division to Lucas’s CGI division – they make real props as opposed to digital ones.

I showed them pictures of the cove and they created these ingenious fake rocks to hide high-definition cameras and microphones. To set underwater high definition video cameras and microphones, I enlisted the help of my friends Mandy-Rae Cruickshank and Kirk Krack, world class freedivers.

Mandy has won 7 world championships in her lifetime--she can swim down to nearly 300 feet on one breath of air and come back on her own power (that’s her in the image at the top).

Jim Clark’s right hand man is Simon Hutchins, a former electrician for the Canadian Air Force. He helped create a fleet of unmanned drones with gyrostabilized high definition cameras.

Charles Hambleton has been my assistant for the last ten years and he has nerves of steel and a heart of gold--he’ll do anything. On one assignment we did for the owners of the world’s tallest building, he stood atop a steel ball at the top while the building swayed in the wind. Charles was an activist in the town we both lived, Boulder Colorado, which was down the road from Rocky Flats where they made plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs.

Charles was arrested twice on the same day for protesting there – he’s a bit of a pirate. In fact, he was working on the Pirates of the Caribbean teaching pirates how to act like pirates for Gore Verbinski’s films when I called him away to be a real pirate for the making of my first movie.

Charles became OPS’s director of Clandestine Operations and it was his idea to bring a thermal camera to detect if there were guards in the cove. Nothing can hide from a thermal camera, if it has a pulse the camera picks it up – it’s like watching a print coming up in the developer for the first time – it’s like a magic trick. It was a military grade thermal camera, illegal for civilians to bring out of the U.S. and not designed for shooting video. Charles thought it would be interesting to shoot a Documentary Today 11

Cutting through the barbed wires.

making of for the DVD extras and rigged up the thermal camera to shoot video. That camera became the basis for much of our covert footage that became the heart of the film. So the “making of” became a major part of the movie and added this thriller component that makes this wonderful hybrid. Rolling Stone Magazine called it “Bourne Identity meets Flipper.”

To make a successful debut even more improbable, for my first subject I picked a secret cove in Japan, a seemingly impenetrable natural fortress protected by spiked gates, razor ribbon, guards, motion sensors and after I arrived, 24 hour police surveillance on our crew. I pulled together an elite team of activists, pirates, and special effects wizards who used military grade hardware to help penetrate a secret cove in the Japanese National Park where they do nasty things to dolphins.

Please elaborate a bit on your approach to making The Cove.

My first photo assistant went on to become the head mould maker at Industrial Light and Magic (now called Kerner Optical) and in between making “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Evan Almighty” I persuaded them to take up our cause and make fake rocks to hide high definition cameras and micro12 Documentary Today

phones. To get past guards and police we used diversionary techniques and military grade high definition cameras.

Some of my pirate buddies from my days living in the islands helped get the fake rocks into the cove. They had nerves of steel and hearts of gold and their bravery really paid off in the end with footage that I think is some of the most powerful imagery ever shot.

World champion free-divers MandyRae Cruickshank and her trainer husband Kirk Krack helped us set underwater cameras and hydrophones. The only person on our team with military experience was Simon Hutchins, an electronics genius with the Canadian Air Force who helped us create an unmanned drone with a gyro-stabilized camera below it and a Blimp with a high definition camera. We also had the help of DNA scientist Scott Baker who set up a portable DNA laboratory in a Tokyo hotel room. Also helping us was a team of surfers led by Dave Rasta Rastovich. Simon quipped, “We’re all professionals, just not at filmmaking.” But then, “The Cove,” is not like any documentary anybody has seen before.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in developing the project?

The film we made was a result of

watching too many Jacques Cousteau specials and James Bond films as a child. Four years ago, through Jim, I met Steven Spielberg. The great film maker advised me (from his experience with Jaws) to never make a movie on boats or with animals so I was forewarned of the challenge ahead but now I could add this advice for any fledgling filmmaker: never make a movie where the subjects of your film want to kill you and you have to work in the middle of the night to break the law while the police are on your tail. But such was the making of The Cove. We had to evade 24-hour police surveillance in a foreign country to make this film, so the conditions for the last 4 years have been extremely stressful to say the least. A measure of our success is that we escaped detection yet now there are arrest warrants issued for us should we return. We have had death threats.

We had never planned on putting the OPS team in the movie but when we started viewing the covert footage of the OPS team getting past the guards and police we found the footage to be a very compelling part of the story.

A good friend of mine in Colorado, Hunter Thompson told me to never be afraid to become part of the story and I guess this film is one way that we are helping to carry on his legacy by creating a new genre of documentary film making.

It’s an action adventure documentary about activists deciding to uncover a dark secret hidden away in a secret cove in Japan. But our involvement in the creation of the film is one of five parts of the film that weave together to tell a much larger story. Our central character is Ric O’Barry who captured and trained the five female dolphins who collectively played the part of Flipper for the popular TV series. After the main Flipper dolphin, Cathy, committed suicide in his arms (dolphins are not automatic air-breathers) Ric began a life-long crusade for redemption by trying to free captive dolphins around the world. His story humanizes our call to action and weaves around the ineffectual bureaucracy of the

International Whaling Commission, which has the authority to mandate small cetacean protection, but doesn’t exercise it because of loopholes and systematic vote-buying by whaling countries. The bigger story for all of us is that dolphins and people are at the top of the foodchain and if you eat seafood, whether it is tuna or Flipper you are getting massive doses of toxins like mercury, which are rising about 3% a year through the burning of fossil fuels. Coal contains mercury which is the most toxic non-radioactive element in the world.

In China alone, there is a new coal-fired power plant scheduled to be built every week for the next 20 years. Roger Payne, also one of the characters in our film, tells us that because these toxins bio-accumulate in the meat of top predators, dolphins and whales have become, “Swimming toxic dump sites.” Many of the world’s top scientist feel that the pandemic of cancers and diseases may be related to the accumulation of POP’s, persistent organic pollutants, in the environment.

OPS is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado may seem an unusual place for an ocean-based organization but we like to say we’re conveniently located between two oceans. When we took an assessment of what the carbon cost of this film was, we were quite shocked, 646 tons. Lots of gear. Lots of travel.

We turned the studio as green as we

could as soon as we could to start offsetting the carbon debt. We installed 117 solar panels (a 23 Kilowatt system) on our headquarters and I bought fully electric cars for local transportation, a Zenn NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) and a Toyota RAV EV which goes 80 miles an hour and about 120 miles on a single charge – and all powered from the sun. We call it a VUS, Vehicle Using Sun, which is the opposite of a SUV. How did you learn the “craft” of filmmaking?

The Cove is OPS’s first documentary.

Still photography and making a film are similar for me in that I am always trying to find iconic images and stories that define bigger truths. The big difference in still photography as opposed to shooting movies is you need a large crew. The director John Ford said that making a film is like painting a picture with an army. With The Cove, we needed an army of pirates because the story we took on would have deterred any traditional fiImmaker.

Sp, is filmmaking your new direction?

Are you still shooting still images?

I don’t want to disparage still photography, I certainly couldn’t have pulled this without working as long and hard as I did in this field, but I feel like I’ve been wandering around in the wilderness in comparison to filmmaking.

Film is the most powerful medium in the world, the ultimate weapon of

mass construction. I have been shooting at the top of my profession for nearly 35 years but I’ve never seen whole theaters of people crying then laughing then cheering and then raising up to give a standing ovation. But this happens routinely with The Cove.

I still love shooting stills but I feel I’m in the save the world business now. I really think we are one of two generations left that has a chance at saving the planet from human destruction until it’s too late. Ocean acidification, from the burning of fossil fuels and overfishing is destroying the marine environment at such a ferocious clip that it may already be too late. But I believe film and it’s co-conspirator music may be the last chance we have to galvanize the best of humanity together to save it from the rest.

What’s next for you?

Another feature documentary, this one on the sixth major extinction in the history of planet, the one we’re in the middle of now which for the first time is caused by a single species – us – rather than some cataclysmic event like a meteor but just as devastating.

The challenge of course will be to make it hopeful and uplifting and provide solutions rather than point out all the problems - and to make it more humorous rather than a tragedy. It is kind of funny because the solutions are so simple that all we have to do is embrace change rather than greed.

The dedicated team of underwater cinematographers that made The Cove the most awarded film of the year.

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Roger Ross Williams

‘Prudence is a compelling character’

Roger Ross Williams with Prudence.

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Roger Ross Williams is an American television news, documentary and entertainment director, producer and writer who started working in 1985 and has worked for ABC News, NBC News, MSNBC, BBC, CNN and PBS. He has produced shows for ABC, CBS, Comedy Central, Food Network, Sundance Channel, TLC, VH1 and Michael Moore’s Emmy Award winning series TV Nation. He has directed primetime reality (for ABC and CBS) and produced a documentary series for Discovery Networks and a lifestyle series for Scripts Networks. Bored of working in television he asked his neighbour writer and journalist Elinor Burkett to find a story for him – preferably in Africa. The amazing story Williams and Burkett worked on together followed Liyana, a band of disabled musicians in Zimbabwe, featuring a limbless lead singer named Prudence. Somewhere along the way the two had creative differences but the result was an award winning film. Here Ross talks about the making of the documentary Music by Prudence.

How did you hear about this band, and about Prudence?

My producer lives part-time in Zimbabwe, and had seen the band Liyana perform. She wrote to me and told me she saw this amazing singer that she thought would make a great story. She put me in contact with Inez Hussey, the director of Prudence’s school. Inez sent me footage of the band and of Prudence. I watched the tape and knew that I had to make a movie about them and about her.

How did the film come together?

I flew there [and] spent two weeks following Prudence and the band around, filming them. I raised some money, then went back and filmed another two months with the band, came back and cut a 20-minute trailer for IFP’s (Independent Film Project) Independent Film Week.

When you first told the band members you wanted to film them, what was their reaction?

They live in Zimbabwe, which is a tough place to live for the disabled, and…for anyone. People [always] promised them things and…never come through. So the band didn’t believe it was real until I showed up with a camera.

Did you hit it off with the band members immediately?

Because I’m African-American, that

helped. It gave me an intimacy with the subjects…and there’s a certain connection that gets made. My ancestors were slaves imported from the western lowland coast of Africa to the lowlands of the Carolinas. They were rice cultivators, which is why they were imported to America: to cultivate rice before cotton took over.

Malaria hit, but they were immune, and survived to settle.

So they treated you as their own.

Well I still had to win them over. There’s [still] a divide because I’m AfricanAmerican, and they’re African.

Was your crew white, or black?

Derek Wiesehahn, the Director of Photography is white. But my everyday cinematographer Errol Webber was a young Jamaican kid who had just graduated from film school. It was important that I have an AfricanAmerican cameraman who was young.

The band members saw him as their peer. Most of the time, it was just me and Erroll.

Is there a folk tradition to Liyana’s music?

Prudence is very religious so a lot of Liyana’s songs are religious songs.

So she sings traditional songs and religious songs. She also likes to write songs using the the traditional Ndebele clicks.

What does Liyana mean?

“It’s raining.” Rain is a gift from God. When Liyana is on stage, they’re “raining.”

Who writes the songs?

Prudence writes and composes all of her songs.

Does she sing only in Ndebele, her native language?

She sings in five languages: Ndebele and Shona—native Zimbabwe languages.

Spanish. French. And English.

Prudence is a compelling character.

What keeps her so playful and funny, despite everything?

She finds strength in the members of her band, such as her friend Marvellous.

They’re all in it together. They’re a family. They understand each other; they’ve all been through the same trauma. Many have been rejected by their families and their cultures.

They’ve persevered. Together they find strength. Prudence has this unique ability to laugh and still find joy around her. She’s this positive and joyful person. She has this inner strength and an innate, inner light. She’s funny and edgy, and she makes fun of herself.

Were you immediately comfortable around the band, and around Prudence?

I hadn’t been around a lot of disabled people. I had to get used to [it]. It Documentary Today 15

I could do. It’s not my fault.” Prudence says, “That wasn’t the best you could do. It is your fault.”

What was your interview with the mother like?

She cries. She tells the story blow by blow in the most excruciating, painful detail. The nurse says your baby isn’t right. Her arms are bent, her legs are bent. She says she was crying, that God had cursed her, how could this happen to her. It was all about her. None of her friends would speak to her. Her husband left her. She was like a pariah.

The world came to a standstill. And then she turned to her mother.

lasted about five minutes. Prudence’s disability is called arthrogryphosis. It’s genetic, and it deforms her joints, bones and muscles. No one knows why she has it. At birth, she was twisted so badly that her legs were bent backwards. She had to have both her legs amputated.

Farai—Liyana’s keyboard player—has the same disease. He plays keyboard with twisted hands and fingers. You quickly forget Prudence is disabled because she’s such an amazing, dynamic person.

She is. Was it apparent to you from the beginning that you would be focusing on her in the film?

Yes. Even before I went there, I knew that the film had to have a central character, and it was obvious it’d be Prudence. It became more obvious when I met her. Oh my God, I thought, she’s charismatic and brilliant, and engaging. The camera loves her. When I met the other seven members of the band, I realized there were three main characters. Marvelous (Prudence’s best friend and sidekick) was also charming and funny. He’s always juggling multiple girlfriends—all able-bodied, while he has muscular dystrophy.

He’s a player, a lady’s man. Then there’s Tapiwa. Tapiwa is the smooth16 Documentary Today

talking front man for the band. He and Marvelous get into a fight over a girl.

Tapiwa steals Marvelous’ girlfriend, who Marvelous is in love with and proposes to. They end up in this huge fight. Inez says you guys should deal with this in a song. In the end, they laugh about it and Tapiwa gives up the girl. We cut that part out for the short but watch for it in the special features section of the DVD. Did you speak with Prudence’s parents?

Yes. I interviewed them – even the “evil stepmother”. In the DVD version [of the film], Prudence confronts her mother.

She’s gained so much strength. You weren’t there for me before, and now here you are. It’s not done in Zimbabwe to confront your parents. Prudence’s mother says, “You’re not following your cultural traditions.” Prudence had seven aunts living with her in the one room. Prudence has a salary from the school since she teaches there. She gets board too. They were eating her food. They said to her: “How dare you complain and tell on us? You’re going to need someone to take care of you.

You’re going to die alone.” Prudence was disturbed by that. Her mother, the leader in the family, said, “I did the best

What about Prudence’s father?

He was closed off. “I’m really happy for Prudence.” He pretended everything was fine. Ironically, his wife (the evil stepmother) had a stroke and ended up in Prudence’s old wheelchair!

In contrast, Prudence’s grandmother loves her so much. It’s a fairy tale.

Prudence’s grandmother is very religious and an amazingly enlightened woman.

Can you tell me about the scenery s h o t s ? Yo u j u x t a p o s e t h e s e extraordinary scenes of clouds and trees and green fields next to images of poverty and suffering.

Africa’s a beautiful place. Africans are such beautiful people and so close to the earth. Where Prudence comes from—near Victoria Falls (one of the world’s seven wonders)—is breathtaking. I spent a lot of time [at Prudence’s grandmother’s rural home], sleeping in a hut. There’s no water.

There’s no electricity. I had literally gone back to my roots. I loved every minute of being there—sitting by the fire, singing songs. It was a spiritually enlightening experience. It was easy to capture that.

The shoot took place at Bulawayo which is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and it’s run by the opposition party.

It’s a laid-back place. It’s a tough place to live, because there’s sporadic everything. The water pipes break

and there’s no one to repair them. The government doesn’t pay the workers.

A lot of times there’s no running water and electricity blackouts. You never know if you’ll have electricity and running water, and you have to store up water in case it runs out.

I was living in what they call a lowdensity suburb with the wealthy Africans and white people but that too is not without its risks. Bands of armed robbers came into these wealthy white people’s houses. You lock the doorway, there’s a security guard, gates everywhere. You’re always living on the edge. If you do get robbed, you have to pick up the cop. Cops in Zimbabwe don’t have cars and if they do they don’t have petrol to run them.

What kind of equipment were you using?

I decided to shoot in high-definition, high-resolution format on HD 1080i, using p2 cards. I did that for a number of reasons. I wanted the resolution and quality. Also, I wanted to not have tapes. I thought it’d be harder for the government, if I got caught, to figure out what the cards were. “What is this?”

They don’t really have HD: they don’t know what it is. It’s easier for me to explain away and get them through customs and security.

How many hours of footage did you shoot?

I shot hundreds and hundreds of hours of footage. So much it was ridiculous.

A lot of it is concert footage shot on multiple cameras and stuff.

What will you do with all that extra footage?

There’s a wealth of material that I plan to release in the director’s cut. There were a lot of scenes that we had to edit out because of the constraints of making a short.

Prudence says that moving away from Zimbabwe would mean independence.

What does she mean by that?

There are so many limitations in Zimbabwe, and it’s so difficult to live there. There’s extreme discrimination against the disabled, which doesn’t exist in America. There’s some, but it’s not like she’s cursed and no one will go near her. Here, we have the Americans with Disabilities Act. Even if you’re disabled, you can ride buses and get

around. There’s disabled bathrooms, and elevators. All that stuff doesn’t exist in Zimbabwe. We just take it for granted. They have to be carried up stairs. They can’t get anywhere. There’s no freedom for disabled people.

What do you think is in store for her future?

Traditionally, people with her disease don’t live long lives. But her will is fine and surviving. She wants to have a career in music. She wants to leave Zimbabwe, and come to America, and have a career as a working musician.

That’s her dream. I think things like an Academy Award win would help her realize her dream. She’s such a talent, and the world needs to see. She can have a career. There’s a circuit of world musicians that perform. She could be part of that community. It could change her life.

Do you think Prudence has hopes for a normal life? To have a family, to fall in love?

That’s tough. She’s a normal young girl.

She sees guys, and thinks they’re cute.

It would take an extraordinary person to look beyond her disabilities.

— Jean Tang

The Band Liyana... Prudence and the boys

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Pete Docter

‘It is fun playing with a misanthropic character’ Brad Bird and Andrew Stanton may have opened the gates for directors of computeranimated features to be taken seriously as filmmakers in their own right, but it was Pete Docter who served as the medium’s first great shepherd. After writing both Toy Story and Toy Story 2, Docter wrote and directed 2001’s Monsters, Inc., a film that was not only a watershed moment in computer animation’s history, but the real proof that Pixar – not to mention the studio’s contemporaries – was a creative force that could transcend franchises and familiar characters to create something unique and memorable. In the following interview Docter speaks about the process of mounting his second directorial effort. In addition to talking about the challenge of constructing a compelling story, Docter explained how he managed to tie so many disparate ideas together so well in Up.

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Up is the first real Pixar movie that takes place within “our” world, as it were. Was that a conscious decision on the studio’s part to move away from fictional worlds like the fish world or the insect world?

No, it was more just a sense of, “Okay, what have we not done?” Every time we approach a project, we want to make sure that we’re doing something new, that we haven’t covered this territory already. And in this case, there is just something to Bob Peterson and I – Bob is the head writer and co-director on the project – we were thinking there is something really appealing about a grouchy old guy, who is the “get off of my lawn,” keeps-your-baseballs kind of guy. So we just started playing with that, and it did seem like it had a lot of comic potential, as well as great emotional appeal as well. So it wasn’t so much a desire to move away from anything, it was just move towards something different.

What was the original story idea or theme that you particularly wanted to explore in this film?

The initial kernel was based on that desire that I feel a lot to escape the world. There are plenty of days when you hate humanity, you’re so sick to death of everybody and you want to get away – and then at the end, you realize well, that’s what really makes the world go ‘round, is human connection. So just kind of exploring that theme, and the idea of floating away, was kind of the genesis of the whole discovery of the movie.

This movie does a wonderful job putting together scenes which build from and pay off details from earlier ones.

How difficult was it to accomplish that?

Well, that’s part of the fun of it. You start with ideas that appeal to you, and then as you work back and forth through the film, you find ways to set them up and pay them off and hopefully do it in a subtle enough way that as an audience member you’re not aware of that. But when you succeed, it’s really satisfying – it feels like good craftsmanship.

Pete Docter...Up in the clouds after the Oscar.

How difficult is it to create that kind of curmudgeon in the main character, and then construct a more sophisticated kind of adventure given how exciting the story would ending up being?

It was fun playing with this sort of misanthropic character, but then trying to ask yourself the question how did he get that way and what’s leading him to do what he’s doing, I think to me that was the most fun of the film and in a way a really powerful and hopeful kind of theme. Similar to Rick in Casablanca or Scrooge in A Christmas Carol for that matter, it’s finding characters that have lost their sense of purpose and really coming back to life. There’s something really powerful about that, and we hoped that early on, once he starts caring about this kid that he becomes kind of an action hero and then we got to play with all of the conventions of what comes with those type of films but with the twist of the fact that he was 78 years old. So all of these fun opportunities for doing something that we’d never explored before.

Did the story come together easily?

One of the things I was most stricken by in the film is how I was always entertained but never knew what was going to happen next.

Well, first of all, thank you – that’s like the greatest compliment to me and

that’s something that we really strove to try to achieve, that sense of “where is this going?” and yet it’s still hopefully engaging. I think in part that was accomplished by our faulted way of approaching the film. We started kind of with a list of things that we wanted to do and wanted to play with, and it was really a struggle to get them to all fit together thematically. Hopefully you don’t even think about that now that it’s done – that it feels kind of all of one piece – but it was a real struggle just to find out, “now why is there a talking dog and how does that relate to a floating house?” All of these elements that we wanted to play with, a giant bird and things, were initially not all very well integrated. As is typical, the story was really difficult.

Narratively or directorially, what was the most difficult sequence to bring to life?

That’s easy. There was one [sequence] called “Muntz’s Lair,” which is where Carl has dinner with the Charles Muntz character. We must have rewritten or re-storyboarded that thing at least 50 times from scratch with numerous variations in the middle, and it’s nuts.

I think it was really difficult because there were so many collisions of themes and threads and characters and even to some degree worlds that all needed to land in this one place and not just be a Documentary Today 19

strong filmmakers but animation is a necessarily collaborative medium, even moreso than live action filmmaking.

bunch of exposition but also be entertaining. The character of Muntz doesn’t actually have a whole lot of screen time, at least as a character – you know, he shows up at the beginning, and then there’s that big chunk in the middle and at the end he’s mostly running around chasing. So that was our chance to really, in a very short amount of time, explain all of this back story and what he’s been doing and why it’s important to Carl and how it relates and all of that.

So it was tricky, very tricky.

This is your first directorial effort in eight years, and most Pixar movies, by my estimate, take anywhere from three to five years to put together. Was there a specific reason for the delay between movies, or was it just a matter of waiting your turn?

Well, on this one, let’s see…I guess by the time I got done with Monsters, it was late 2002. And then I started in on a project that kind of didn’t go, that became “WALL·E.” Andrew [Stanton] took that on, and was able to make certain things work that I was having trouble with. And then I worked on Howl’s Moving Castle, the English translation of that. And then [there were] a couple of other projects that kind of sputtered for a little while and 20 Documentary Today

then finally caught fire, and that was in early ’04 on this one. So it just took whatever time it took. Longer than I would have wanted, for sure, but I got to do some interesting stuff in the interim.

Does Pixar have any house rules in terms of what they absolutely will not put into a movie?

Not that I know of, no. I mean, we did early on in Toy Story; this was [made] as animation had been boxing itself off a little bit. Or at least that’s the way people were perceiving it. “It’s animated? Well, where do the princesses go, and where’s the ‘I Want’ song,” and all those things. So on Toy Story, we made a list of things that we did not want. We wanted to break free of any sort of genre that people were putting animation into. It’s a medium; you could do anything with it. You could do horror films, you could do whatever.

Anything is possible. But now, as we go forward, I guess the only rule we have for ourselves is to try to make it unique and different from what we’ve done, so that you’re not traveling down a road that you’ve already been down.

How difficult or easy is it to maintain a sense of authority over a production like this? Pixar is obviously driven by

Well, I kind of look at it as everybody at the studio has a really unique set of skills. Like, if I was building a house, for example, I could probably do it myself to some degree, or at least teach myself, but why not get the greatest craftsmanship that I possibly could for every part of that house? So you have these amazing animators, as opposed to me coming in and saying, “okay, now on frame 14 I want his hand on the glass, and 12 frames later I want him to lift it.” I’ll talk more generally about “he’s really thirsty – he hasn’t had a drink in three days,” and other information they need to know about the scene, and let the animator bring his own acting choices to it and really make the picture much more rich because of it. So at every stage, whether it be lighting or special effects or design, whatever, you have these amazing artists who are bringing their own ideas to the picture and plussing it – just making it better. I look at my job as giving them the information they need almost emotionally to do the job that they are doing.

Do you have a sort of consummate or essential summer movie experience that you were obsessed by, or was perhaps influential to you?

Well, there’s a couple. Of course Indiana Jones, the first one, was pretty amazing, but it does seem like the quintessential summer movie. It’s got everything you want, and to me what works so well about it is you also, beyond all of the great action, which is of course what I was attracted to, it had a really cool thread for that character.

He grows and changes and becomes a richer person in a very simple way; it doesn’t take a whole lot of screen time but it adds this richness to the thing.

E.T. was another one, that’s such a great film. This seems to be all Spielberg movies (laughs).

Well, they’re great choices. Is it meaningful to you, or is it intimidating, to

have your film released during the summer?

I guess it doesn’t really affect the way I was thinking about the film, because the film at some point kind of find themselves and start to inform you what they need, but at the beginning you’re kind of shaping them and at some point you kind of step back and they tell you where they need to go. But I didn’t do anything intentionally more or less because of the time at which it was being released.

Of course, but in terms of its commercial potential, is it exciting or intimidating to think about the competition you might face?

Well, there’s certainly a lot of stiff competition this summer; there’s a lot of movies, and a lot of movies that people will want to go out and see. But I think this one has a unique balance of things that you probably won’t see anywhere else. I hope people check it out. I don’t know if this is so much a summer thing or it happens to be this year, but there’s a lot of movies out there.

Is there anything that got cut from the film that you’re excited might get seen on the Blu-ray when it comes out?

Yeah, I mean, we’ve been able to – and we’ve do this throughout the whole filmmaking process – whenever something has to get cut from the movie, we save it and tag it for the making-of stuff. We had this amazing opportunity of going down to South America on this film to research the mountains, and we put together a pretty cool documentary which is going to be on there. We have this [feature] they call Cine-Explore where it kind of goes along with Bob Peterson and my commentary, and there’s all sorts of tons of art, amazing artwork, as well as animation tests and things that you can poke at and look at in terms of if you’re really into how these things get made. It’s a glimpse of that, so that’s pretty fun.

Tell me about approaching the 3D aspect of the movie? Was there a part of you that wanted nothing to do with it on general principle?

Well, it was definitely…to me, I guess, whenever you come across new technology like this, it’s like, “Oh, this is a kind of cool new toy…how can we break it? What can we do with this?”

Pixar had done a couple of 3D films before, one in 1989, Knick Knack, the short film. So it’s definitely something

that everybody was intrigued by. And then we just started putting together a great team that tried to figure out what makes things work and when do things break. To me, the things that bug me about 3D, as cool as it is when things come out at you in to your face, I end up being very conscious of “Hey, I’m watching a movie with glasses on.” Do you know what I mean?

So we made a conscious effort to try not to do that, to treat it more subtly.

Almost like a window looking in, as opposed to coming out at you. And in that sense, it’s just more of a story coming to life. We can use it to emphasize certain scenes. When we want Carl to feel closed off and alone, we sort of squash the space. And then when he takes off, we really want to emphasize how grand something is, so you make it real dynamic and deep. So it just ended up being another tool in which to tell the stories.

Legend has it that every Pixar movie has hit a point where the people working on it think it’s awful and unfixable.

Did Up hit a similar spot?

Well, obviously we don’t think that it’s unfixable, or we would dump it.

But “Up” had its most difficult time – now that it’s done I can look back on it – I think it was the early, early days.

And getting back to your last question of why has it been so long [since my last directorial effort], you know, it just had trouble…I was really pushing for something more otherworldly and abstract. It just took us a while to figure out what elements we need to appeal to people, to move forward. So once we locked in on the old man and the floating house, that’s where we started hitting strides.

So what do you have planned next?

Next for me is some time off, and then hopefully get back in there and do another film before another three, four years go by. I’ve got some ideas that are tumbling around back in my head, but nothing that I want to talk about at this point.

—David Mediker & Tod Gilchrist Documentary Today 21

Francois Alaux - Herve de Crecy - Ludovic Houplain

‘We want to talk to people with the languages and technologies of our time’ Back in 1996, Francois Alaux, Herve de Crecy and Ludovic Houplain co-founded a graphics and animation studio called H5. Focusing primarily on music videos and luxury advertising, the Parisian creative collective has grown rapidly in recent years, branching out into the world of short filmmaking. H5’s first short, Logorama, received international recognition last month, when it was awarded the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. After the making of the film three partners went their separate ways. Hervé de Crécy and Francois Alaux have gone solo while Ludovic Houplain has remained with H5.

Co-founders of H5 (from left to right) Herve de Crecy , Ludovic Houplain and Francois Alaux.

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and we had to pay the guys working on animation and rendering. And all the sound design and the dialogue were produced in LA. RSA helped us a lot, especially their department, Little Minx, run by producer Rhea Scott, who helped us work with [screenwriters] Gregory Pruss, Andrew Kevin Walker and even David Fincher.

Where did the idea for Logorama come from?

Ludovic Houplain: The genesis of the concept first arose when Antoine Bardou-Jacquet and I collaborated on a video for Alex Gopher called The Child that was based on the idea of creating New York City completely out of logos. After that we were put forward for a music video for Télépopmusic. We realized that we could apply a similar principle but develop the concept further. Our world can be represented with logos. They can symbolize everything: characters, animals, vehicles, plants, graphic shapes…

We scripted a concept about a culture clash between the East and the West using logos as the language and tools of that conflict. An opposition of logos, identities, politics, colours between these two super powers. This time, though, the project never took off.

Nicolas Rozier for producers who would have the guts to produce such a film, without any censorship.

Herve de Crecy: Then we met producer Nicolas Schmerkin through festivals and we talked about this idea of making a film with logotypes and he thought the idea was brilliant, so he proposed to be the producer of the short and he went to see public firms and many other financiers. And then we went to see Mikros Image, the postproduction company in Paris, where we’ve done many commercials and music videos, and they liked the idea and they invested a lot in the project because everyone worked almost for free, and they spent two -and-a-halfyears to make all the animation.

Francois Alaux: And Ludovic, Hervé and I also kept some money from works we did before to continue the project because it took three years to make,

What were their contributions?

HDC: They loved the story and Pruss and Walker helped push the dialogue and made it funny and cynical. They worked on it for three weeks. And Walker voiced Hot and Spicy and Fincher voiced the original Pringle.

And when did the film go into production?

LH: We started the production in 2006.

We succeeded in putting together a production team who agreed on the signification, meaning not censoring ourselves in terms of the brands we chose or the icons and logos we were going to use. We had to take the idea to its logical conclusion without fear of the possible reaction.

From there the project became about creating a real picture of modern and contemporary society through two of its most powerful visual elements: logos and visual medias. The film is based on the same concept as Pop Art. And what software did the animators use?

HDC: Maya, but Mikros used a very special rendering system for the logotypes, because, as you know, there is a

Later we were asked to make a video for George Harrison and reworked the core idea of a city made of logos, brand mascots and instantly recognizable corporate identities. The story was about the destruction of the city – cyclones, floods and torrential rain stripping these logos from the environment and carrying them away as a sort of cleansing, a new beginning.

Then, sadly, George passed away and the idea disappeared with him. That is when I realised we would never sell the idea; H5 had to produce the film directly ourselves. I then looked with Documentary Today 23

kind of outlining and a lot of complexity. And in the same frame, you have to show logotypes in 3D. And so you have different types of shaders at the same time. And we spent about a year trying to figure out how we wanted to show logotypes in the film: when to use shadow and when not to use shadow.

FA: And this process was complex because logotypes come from different designers. Some have big outlines, others don’t have any outlines. Some use shadows, some don’t.

HDC: And when you use the Michelin guy in a copter or Ronald McDonald in a a van or using the weapon, you have to think about the best combination of logotypes so you have something easy to understand.

Can you talk a little about the animation process? What was involved exactly?

LH: Firstly, we took the illustrated storyboards and converted them into an animatic. From there, with our editor Sam Danesi, we refined the sequences using camera movement references taken from blockbuster action films. That allowed us to define the dynamics of each scene more tightly. When there was a particular camera pass or movement that we couldn’t find we actually shot mood and reference footage ourselves using a Sony 3CCD camera – for instance some of the scenes with the Pringles in the restaurant.

Once that first pass was complete 24 Documentary Today

we gave the footage to the 3D team at Mikros Images to use as a basic animation for rotoscoping. At the same time they had some people working on modelling the logos we had selected for the main characters in 3D. The first footage we created was without dialogue so there was a separate process to refine the facial animation, focusing on lip movements and so on, once we’d finished recording the vocal performances.

And what was it like researching and compiling all the logos?

LH: We compiled a database of 45,000 logos. And at the end we only used 2,500. And then we had to draw all the logos from all the different angles and modeling in 3D. And at the same time we worked on an animatic. And we worked on the edit for each scene in order to place all the modeled logos in different camera angles.

HDC: We made a first version of the film with basic After Effects animation.

Plus we used ideas from Hollywood blockbusters just to get the right cameras, the right action, etc. From there we did the edit and were ready to start the animation when we finished these steps, and that’s the moment when we went with Mikros Image. And so we gave our 2D animatic to the animators -- we don’t animate ourselves. We just directed all the animation and also for the animation we used Rotoscopicbased animation, which means we filmed ourselves doing basically all the movements and playing all the characters in the film and gave that to the animators so they could have a reference and also to reinterpret our moves to make it work with characters that don’t necessarily have a human shape.

For example, it was funny for The Pringles. We put them into situations where you don’t have to see their bodies, so whether they are driving a truck or sitting at the table, we used every trick to make it possible to have them without being weird, because if we had to see them walk on their hands, it would’ve been really bizarre.

And also we spent a long time with the animators to redo all of the cameras because we didn’t want it to look too cartoonish but real: our reference was live-action blockbusters. The idea was to use cameras that were not from animation but could have been possible.

FA: They are references from John

McTiernan movies or Tony Scott or Ridley Scott. There is some stuff from Black Hawk Down in the film.

But it was important for us to use a universal language because we were in a very bizarre world of logotypes.

And we wanted the audience to stay in the story.

HDC: Because there are so many levels of understanding in Logorama but it had to work as a story first. What we like is when people just dive into the story and at some point realized that it’s a world made out of logos. They don’t even have the time to concentrate on the logos. And we wanted the story to be as iconic as the logos themselves.

The narrative is also a logotype because it uses all the tricks of Hollywood.

LH: The whole film is filled with logo associations, playing on the opposition of signification, and the competition between brands. It’s really very playful. We allowed ourselves everything that was forbidden on TV or in films or advertising. Everything was allowed.

There were no limits.

So, how did you handle the rights issue?

HDC: We didn’t think about the rights -- we weren’t looking to make money.

We just wrote the story and wanted to make a good film. We weren’t against the brands: we love logotypes. It’s like the best casting in the world to make the biggest blockbuster movie. And, of course, there is some chemistry between logotypes and some action that happens -- that’s life.

Have any of these corporations come after you?

LH: No, they haven’t. Actually, it’s more of the opposite with some brands asking why they aren’t in the short.

The film is full of cultural references, how do you expect them to be interpreted?

LH: I think this is something that will largely be dependent on the particular cultural references of the viewer and the country they live in, whether America or France or Switzerland for instance.

Ronaldo, the main villain of Logorama.

The same logo can mean different things to different people depending on their contextual associations. I think a good example of that is the fact that Ronald McDonald is depicted carrying the gun used by the RAF (Red Army Fraction/Baader Meinhof), and that obviously won’t have the same meaning or evocative power for someone who isn’t German. On top of those associations there are the ones we can’t predict, and those will only emerge as the film continues to receive a wide audience who have their own personal response to it.

Do you see the film as more of a condemnation or a pastiche of our consumer culture?

LH: Having come up against so many barriers along the way we decided to develop the concept into a short film because it was the only way to avoid censorship. As our lawyers told us, it was a mistake, and they all tried to prevent us from doing it. That only made us want to develop the concept even more. And whether it was Hervé or I, and then the co-producers, everybody got behind the film and pushed us to remain true to the idea.

So, in answer to your question, the film is not merely a critique of brands or an anti-capitalist statement, it also

highlights the importance of fighting for complete freedom in the creative process.

In the modern world, where everything adheres to rules, and obeys laws about intellectual property, let’s at least keep this freedom, the freedom of speech, that should be above all the laws. It should be one of the Human Rights.

How can a brand hypothetically forbid or attack this film? I think it would be crazy. So, yes, in that respect, the film is subversive. To be honest, I do find it strange that this kind of film hasn’t been made before though. However, and this is really important, the film is also a tribute to the logos, but not to brands.

Considering that Hollywood is built on a capitalist model, what do you make of the irony of the film receiving recognition for the Academy?

LH: There is a certain irony, but it shows above all that they had to assess themselves with a sense of humour.

Perhaps also because they are immersed in this world of brands longer than us they’re in a better position to really enjoy the self-referential game playing that’s part of the film’s objective.

What do you hope people will take away from the film?

Documentary Today 25

The world of Logos … some companies wanted to know why they were not there.

LH: We played with brands, identities, and created a world that speaks of our time. Above and beyond anything else we want people to enjoy the film. I think we’ve managed to do something that a lot of people would have liked to by taking these brands into a huge visual playground and then breaking the down and rebuilding them to create something new out of the chaos. In a way it feels like we’ve used logos like Lego.

What is the ongoing objective of H5?

LH: We want to continue to experiment.

We have another short film set in Russia and the Arctic Circle that’s in progress. Visually it’s very different from Logorama in the sense that the aesthetic is very clean. On top of that we’re developing exhibitions with museums and working on new material with other people, musicians, designers and so on. I think it’s really important that H5 doesn’t get locked into a system. Over the last 10 years we’ve gone from movie clips, to music promos, advertising projects and now short films. Now we want to move on to experiment with other media and 26 Documentary Today

explore different historical periods.

It’s about being playful with what we create and maintaining a rigorous focus on developing strong ideas.

What inspires you as a creative collective?

LH: Showing romanisation. You have to fight the ease of falling into a kind of habit, and try to talk to people with the languages and technologies of our time. This is not to be modern, but to be contemporary. To avoid traditionalism.

At the same time it’s really important for us to retain independence because that’s when we create the most effective and stimulating work for our clients – whether they’re luxury brands or musical artists.

Alongside those sorts of projects we’re working on our own concepts and that can take a lot of time and energy when you’re trying to push ideas that go beyond the current understanding of production processes or protocols.

Logorama was a good example of that, I think. The hardest thing is not to have the idea, but to pull it off and take it to where it needs to go. I think that’s what motivates people at H5. Different projects with different combinations of

people. It takes passion and desire.

Since leaving H5, what are you both working on next?

FA: We’re doing a 30-minute film for a videogame company that’s linked to the Tom Clancy franchise. It’s live action but it’s a good opportunity to work in a longer format. Logorama was new for us too after working on commercials and music videos.

And, you, Ludo, any more shorts at H5?

LH: We are doing more commercials and exhibitions and a new short as well. The action takes place in Russia and outer space and is an interpretation of Russian Constructivism as if it was created today. Obviously, it is totally different from Logorama. It’s about dehumanization and also plays with the roots of cinema.

Who is doing the animation?

LH: Forêt Bleue, which worked on I, Robot.

And the name of your short?

LH: This is the End. —Adam Woodward & Bill Desowitz

memories

An Undying Friendship This is the story of a friendship and a documentary which was never made! The friendship was between two of the most creative artistes that India has given to the world: Ravi Shankar and Satyajit Ray. And the documentary was the one the filmmaker had planned on the great maestro!

The two had met at a time when one already had the world within his grasp and the other was on the threshold of greatness. In the autumn of 1954, Monroe Wheeler, a director of Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York was in Calcutta for putting together some Indian highlights for an exhibition. In a chance meeting, Ray showed some stills of Pather Panchali. Wheeler offered to hold a world premier at MOMA. Six months later, John Huston had come to India in search of locations for ‘The Man Who Would Be King’. He had been asked by Monroe Wheeler to check the progress of the film. After seeing about 1520 minute long silent rough-cut, John Huston gave rave reviews to Wheeler. The film was scheduled to premier at MOMA. The pressure was now on Ray to complete the film in time for the MOMA showcase. It was 1955 and postproduction for Pather Panchali was progressing at a breakneck pace.

Ray wanted Pandit Ravi Shankar, renowned Sitar maestro, to compose the music for the film. Ravi Shankar, due to his tight touring schedule, was able to see only about half of the film and recorded the music in a non-stop session of about eleven hours.

“It was a marathon session and left us exhausted but happy, because most of the music sounded wonderful”, Ray would write in My Years with Apu, many years later. Due to shortage of time, however, Ravi Shankar could not provide music for a few sequences.

Subrata Mitra, Ray’s cinematographer, devised music for the sweetmeat seller as he goes peddling his sweets. Mitra also played sitar for a sequence.

To meet the MOMA deadline, Ray and his editor worked ten days and nights continuously in the final stage of post-production. The first print of Pather Panchali came out at night before it was to be dispatched. There was no time or money for the subtitles. Weeks after the scheduled screening at MOMA, a letter came from MOMA describing at length how well the film had been received by the audience.

This was the first time the two greats collaborated.

Years later when Pandit Ravi Shankar was asked to comment on whether Satyajit Ray and he had changed

Ravi Shankar

Satyajit Ray

Documentary Today 27

the concept of film music Panditji very humbly said, “It’s much more the credit of Ray than me. I am extremely lucky that he utilized me for the Apu Trilogy and Parash Pathar. Satyajit Ray had full confidence in my abilities and gave me ample scope to compose the background scores of his classical music as much was rigid in his need for music and gave me exactly that much of freedom which the moments in his script required for composition.

“Composing for films in very different than performing on stage or creating an album of pure classical or fusion music. Film music is to large extent bound by the script and choice of the director. My melodies in Anuradha and Godaan were popular but not to the extent of the tunes of SD Burman or Madan Mohan. They were ideal composers for films. I understood my limitation in this arena very well.”

These images which appear alongside are selected from the sketchbook on the Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar The sketchbook contains thirty pages in all of the shot compositions. It is said that he had designed this storyboard before he launched his filmmaking career. Ray first saw Ravi Shankar play the sitar in 1945, and an abiding, long-lasting friendship formed between the two. It is unclear what prompted Ray to make this storyboard. Perhaps Ray wished to make a documentary on Shankar, or visually capture Shankar playing a complete raga from beginning to end, or perhaps a film incorporating both.

Although there are many ragas, some say thousands, they can be classified as six male ragas with six female counterparts known as raginis. The aesthetic, emotional, sensual and seasonal elements in the system of pairs of ragas and raginis greatly appealed to painters, who saw in it a potential feast for the eye. Ragamalas, miniature paintings inspired by such music, were popular in the sixteenth through nineteenth centuries.

Ravi Shankar is represented in the storyboard playing the Todi Raga, which is usually played in the late morning. It is noted for its great power, pathos and dignity. It begins on a slow note (alaap), then accelerating to a medium and then to a faster madhya, and druta laya rhythmic cycles. Ray attempts to show the ragamalas that Shankar’s recital of the Todi formed in the listener’s imagination. These sketches highlight Ray’s working methods and the extent of his involvement in designing the visual aspects of his thoughts.

This documentary was never made.

28 Documentary Today

Pages from

Ray’s sketch-book on Ravi Shankar Sketch-book Photos © Ray Family

Documentary Today 29

REPORT

Capturing Hrishida’s Magnetic Personality

By U.B Mathur brink because of ego problems. We all worked on it in our own ways but it was much later that we realized the potential of the idea when we saw Hrishida’s version: Abhimaan. After I passed out of the Film Institute and started my rounds in search of work I would often find myself on the sets of a Hrishida film. The serene atmosphere on his sets was in sharp contrast to the sets of other directors. No noise, no shouting, calm and well organized. In between shots Hrishida would play chess with some actor or unit member.

U.B.Mathur with Amol Palekar

“Am I that important?” asked Hrishikesh Mukherjee when I first approached him with the request to accede to my desire to make a film on him for the Films Division. That one question sums up the humility of the man who had been accorded the highest honours that the nation could bestow upon him: the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Vibhushan. This was the filmmaker who had made 42 feature films, spanning almost half-a-century of cinema. This was an editor who had reached the peak of his craft and eventually made the President of his association, the Association of Film Editors. This was a man who the entire film industry looked up to for advice on things cinematic.

I first met Hrishikesh Mukherjee (or Hrishida as the entire industry fondly called him) when I was still a student at the Film Institute in Pune. He had selected one of my classmates to play the lead in a film called Guddi and he had come there to shoot a few scenes 30 Documentary Today

for the film. He was dressed in light brown handloom kurta, white pajama and sandals. His sharp eyes were peeping from his spectacled face.

He had a simple but warm magnetic personality. His simple attire and manners caught my attention instantly.

He was already a name to reckon with in the Hindi cinema and so we all wondered: could such a big name director be so simple?

Of course we all wanted to share our ideas with him. So, after the shoot we cornered him and discussed the new trends in Indian Cinema. He stressed that good writing was the basis of good cinema. Since I was doing the course in scriptwriting I felt vindicated at my choice. His bold and frank views made a deep impression on me. Sitting on the parapet on the hostel road that night gave me a new high and imbued me with a sense of purpose.

Much later he came as an examiner and asked us students to develop the idea of a marriage which comes to the

I dreamt of working on Hirshida’s film as a scriptwriter but it was never to be.

Soon after Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kate was ready a group of friends were planning a film based on a story The Dressing Table written by Salil Choudhury. We wanted Hrishida to direct the project but he was already ailing and unable to do much work. We pursued the idea for quite some time but soon became clear that he would never be able to take up the strenuous task ever again.

Reluctantly we shelved the idea.

But I did work with Hrishida though in an administrative capacity. In 1989 Montage International produced a biographical feature film on our beloved first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. I was the Executive Producer of the film and Hrishida was the consultant. Towards the end of the film he underwent a knee operation but he still came to see the first print of the film at the Gemini theatre in Bandra. He was on crutches but his spirit indomitable.

After the show the director, anticipating praise, sidled up to Hrishida and asked for his opinion. Not the one to mince words Hrishi quickly told him what was wrong with the film: it was too verbose and lacked crisp editing. “Trim

the length of the film,” he advised.

The director of the film was also the Commissioner of Income Tax. His ego was probably bruised. He decided to simply ignore Hrishida’s advice and released the film. No need to record that the film failed miserably. But it was a huge learning experience for me. If I looked up to Hrishida till then I began to worship him.

So, in 2003, when the idea to make a documentary film on the great filmmaker was mooted I jumped at the proposal. After all, who knew him as closely as I did, I reasoned and grabbed at the proposal. I was awarded the film but getting his okay to the idea was much more difficult. He asked me the question with which I began this memoir and I was left to give the right answer which would get him to sign on the letter which would make the documentary a reality. Finally, with the help of his editor Subhash Gupta, who has also edited many of my own films, we got him to agree on the condition that he would not participate in the making of the film “actively or passively”.

through all that took quite a while.

Then there was the task of acquiring and viewing all of Hrishida’s films.

Fortunately the advent of VCDs and DVDs had made that task simpler. My visit to the National Film Archives at Pune also yielded rich rewards. Slowly I began to finalise the film clippings I would need and use.

There was also a matter of other clippings: on the deadly Bengal Famine as well as the violence that accompanied the Partition of the country – important events in his life. In the Films Division archives we found a long interview of Hrishida as the chairman of the Board of Film Certification. His incisive thinking gave the interview a different dimension. Censorship is not easy to defend in any culturally advanced society but Hrishida had thought deeply about it. His words are engraved in my mind: “We issue driving licenses and yet, traffic policemen are needed to ensure that the law is followed

…A single drop of poison can spoil a bucketful of milk. Thus, a film laced with large doses of sex and violence should totally be banned.”

And then began the interviews. Subhash Gupta was a huge source of information on Hrishida’s working style. It was he who told me of Hrishida’s economical style of shooting. I discovered that he made films in minimum shifts and consumed lowest possible raw stock. “Being an editor he made his films without lot of angles and with his simple technique- no gimmicks he made successful films with lot of economy,” said Subhash Gupta, who had worked with him on 35 films.

More than technique Hrishida’s star management techniques were worth talking about. He never used Amitabh Bachchan’s “angry young man” image or Dharmendra’s “he-man” looks. He used both of them to great effect in Chupke Chupke, revealing hitherto

Desperate to get his okay I agreed instantly and ran with it to the Films Division. A little later I asked him, “Dada, I understand you can’t participate actively due to your illness but what do you mean by not participating passively?” Hrishida merely smiled benignly. In my happiness at having bagged the project I did not quite realise the meaning that lay behind the Mona Lisa smile. It was only much later that I realized what the words meant. Hrishida would not even call up anyone – particularly the stars – to grant me an interview for the film. He saw that as unduly blowing his own trumpet.

There was so much work to be done. I had to catch up with the work he had done in more than fifty years of working.

My subject expert Rajan Prabhu was then writing a book on Hrishikesh Mukherjee. He had recorded many interviews with him. He also had a huge collection of photographs. Sifting

Moments of respite … Hrishida contemplating a shot.

Documentary Today 31

unknown talents. “They are boys from good families. Why show them as goondas?” he often said about them.

In Bemisal Amitabh gives just one slap to the man who is teasing Raakhee.

Any other director would have found this to be an excuse for a fight scene.

Questioned about it Hrishida said, “Violence is not the theme so why use it?”

In real life,too, he would never lose his temper. When Rajesh Khanna turned up late for the shooting of his Anand song “Zindagi kaise hai paheli”, Hrishida didn’t utter a word of reprimand.

Instead he used his genius as an editor and selected angles which would complete the work in a matter of hours.

Rajesh Khanna’s late arrival mattered not a jot to him. Without uttering a word he had sent home the message of the star’s irrelevance in the face of a superior director. Very few know that Dharmendra was first approached for the role of Anand but he did not have the dates and so the newcomer Rajesh Khanna was selected. To Rajesh’s credit he gave a performance which has gone down in Indian film history.

The script was final for Hrishida. In Namak Haram Amitabh Bachchan wanted the final death scene for himself but Hrishida would have none of it. For him the film was his only concern and he would do what was best for it. Hrishi Da was totally against sycophancy and uncalled for demands of the stars. In Dharmendra’s words, “Hrishi Da was the star of stars and along with me;

U.B.Mathur with Manmohan Shetty 32 Documentary Today

U.B.Mathur with Gulzar

Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan were fighting to work in his films.”

At last the shooting for the documentary began. Hrishida’s eldest daughter Jayshree Banerji became my guide in Kolkata and it is she who took me around the city pointing out the buildings which dated back to Hrishida’s struggling days: the residence, the school, college and studios. She also introduced me to the friends of Hrishida’s struggling days: Tapas Sen and Mrinal Sen, also a filmmaker of international fame, with whom he used to have meetings and discussions on a cup of tea at Paradise Café-Calcutta.

Back on the western coast there were other interviews in Pune (with Tripurari Sharma, then Director of the Films Institute) and Mumbai: with Gulzar (his

writer and also a Bimal Roy assistant who called him as “Masterji”), Amol Palekar, Manmohan Shetty and many others. The interviews added meat to the bare bones of Hrishida’s biography.

But the one interview I craved for and which was an essential part of the film never happened. Hrishida refused to speak about himself and his films.

Of course his health had deteriorated further and he was on dialysis but it was not only that. He reminded me that he had said he would help me neither actively nor passively. This is what he had meant. Pleadings were of no avail he refused to be filmed either talking or mute. I recruited the help of his daughter Jayshree and his devoted brother Neno (K.P.Mukherji), who was serving him in his sickness, but even they drew a blank. I was stuck with a promise I had made without understanding its full import. How would I ever make a film on him without a single frame of his?

But God has strange ways of showing His Presence. Out of the blue I learned of the Indian Film Directors’ Association (IFDA) having honoured Hrishida on his fiftieth year in films. I also found that the entire function had been shot on low quality VHS tape.

I immediately contacted Opender Chanana, then secretary of IFDA, and asked him about the tape. He was

more than helpful. He made the tape available to me. Unfortunately, with the passage of time the quality of tape had further deteriorated. But the material was exactly what I wanted.

The tape showed P.C.Alexander, then Governor of Maharashtra, felicitating Hrishida, presenting him with a trophy and an angavastra. Important personalities like Basu Bhattacharya, Jaya Bachchan, Shakti Samanta and B.R.Chopra were seen seated on the stage and then speaking later, showering their praise on the great editor-director who first and foremost a “good man”. Towards the end, the tape showed Hrishda thanking the audience giving the credit of his success to his mentor Bimal Roy who brought him from Calcutta to work in Do Bigha Zameen. In the tape he narrates another incident of how he came to be known as Hrishida. After the death of his wife in the 1970s he decided to work untiringly for his other family: the film industry. Thus everyone started calling him Hrishida (Hrishi, the elder brother) – even his seniors. Thus he became the universal Hrishida.

The tape had enough material to give life and soul to my little documentary.

With great difficulty and thanks to new techniques we upgraded the film, transferred it on 35 mm and used the clippings from it as an invaluable presence of Hrishida in the film. The gap of Hrishida’s absence was thus filled and my documentary acquired some credibility and substance. The nayak of my film at last made his presence felt.

Then came the time to record the background music and many suggestions came from all quarters but I was adamant that we should not swerve from the original theme: I was convinced we should use only the music contained in Hrishida’s rich repertoire of films. At the end when the then President K.Narayanan confers the Padma Vibhushan on Hrishida the soundtrack comes alive with Sub kuch seekha hamne naa seekhi hoshiyari/ Such hai duniya-walon ki hum hain

anari from Hirshida’s early film Anari.

The idea clicked and when the film ended everybody in the auditorium applauded.

One comment I would definitely like to make and that is about collecting the relevant clippings of the films I had referred to. My documentary was not for commercial use and in many cases what I needed ran for only a few minutes. How much should a filmmaker pay for such clippings? The Copyright Act itself is very unclear in all these matters. Getting No Objection Certificates from the copyright owners of the films (the producers) was a tiresome task. In many cases the producers themselves were not alive and the copyright had descended to people who had not been connected with either the film or Hrishida. Of course many of the copyright holders and producers co-operated because it was a film on Hrishida and though he said not a word to any one of them his name was enough to open doors and get permissions.

The clock was ticking along with it, my tension was increasing. The next evening, my telephone rang. It was Hrishida asking me to see him urgently.

All kinds of thoughts flitted through my mind. Did he like the film? Or was it totally useless? Did he want changes to be made? I immediately rushed to his Bandra flat. Ushered into his presence he tried to sit up. For the umpteenth time I thought of how frail he had become. He asked a servant to prop him up with another pillow. Then he signaled me to come close to him. As I sat down next to him he patted my hand and whispered, ‘I am happy to see that you have done justice to the film. It is a good film. I refused to give you any shots of myself because I did not want to immortalize this fragile body and toothless on celluloid but I am proud of you since you have circumvented the restrictions.” Hrishida hugged me.

Both of us had tears in our eyes. That was the best tribute I had ever received for any film in my life.

The rough-cut of my film was approved by the competent authorities of Films Division but my happiness was shortlived as Films Division now demanded a N.O.C. from Hrishida himself. Hrishida was very sick and bedridden. He was on dialysis and had bouts of coma. A personal meeting was not possible. As there was no alternative, I left a CD of the final film with his brother Nenoda requesting him to show it to Hrishida whenever he was a little better.

What will my next move be? Hrishida thinks of strategy.

Documentary Today 33

nATIONAL AWARDS Documenting a people’s movement

Suspected insurgents … AFSPA 1958

In 2004, Thangiam Manorama, a thirty-two-year-old woman from a village in India’s eastern state of Manipur, was arrested and reportedly raped and killed in police custody. The circumstances of her death and its subsequent cover-up sparked widespread outrage and a popular uprising against the army-run government.

Haoban Paban Kumar, a native of Manipur, bears witness to astonishing acts of brutality and courage as unarmed protesters—many of them women leaders—are repeatedly beaten, shot at, teargassed, and humiliated. Rüdiger Suchsland reviews the film.

Director Haoban Paban Kumar 34 Documentary Today

At the beginning, there is a “simple” event: Manorama Devi, a 32-year-old woman is arrested by soldiers of the “17 th Assam Rifles” Regiment from her home. Later she is found dead under suspicious circumstances, her body raped and shot. In the region of Manipur, one of the “seven sisters”, seven smaller federal states in the very northeast of India, events like this are usual. But the desperate fate of Manorama Devi was the last straw. It provoked protests throughout the state against the excesses of the so-called “security forces”.

This people’s movement was very strong and spontaneous. There was no leader, no political party behind the protestors, nobody forced them to do what they did. After a few days, and after the indifferent reaction of the federal government, as well as after new army excesses, the protest grew into riots and the aim of the demonstations was not just the case of The Manorama Devi, it was the general conditions in Manipur and the “Armed Forces Special Powers Act” which had been in effect since 1958, and which gave special rights to the army.

The young filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar, born and raised in Manipur, and studying film-direction in his final semester at the SRFTI-film school of Calcutta, immediately went to Manipur, when he heard the news of the riots. From the first days, he followed the protests with his digital camera.

His fabulous documentary AFSPA, 1958 is the first exciting result of this journey; with astonishing footage, this promising director shows a part of Indian reality, which has been hidden for years. Kumar gives a voice to the mute, to the ordinary people of his home region.

One remarkable aspect is that the film shows that the movement was led by women. They were the first to spontaneously react to the rapemurder. Stripping in front of the army headquarters, they shouted, “Here we are, rape us too”. They forced the authorities to react and mobilized the population. They were the first people, who embarrassed the new Indian government in such a manner. Also in Kashmir, where, in the past, there were many cases of molestation, rape and murders. But in the north-eastern part of India, the matriarchy works very well. In the demonstrations, the men are always behind the women.

Even more thrilling is the material in the second part of Kumar’s movie.

He shows the brutal reaction of the challenged military, and the very common and almost incidental brutality

The army in action … AFSPA 1958

of the daily life in Manipur. Even when we can see that some soldiers help and save people from their army comrades, we see others molesting and beating the people without any reason.

We knew it in theory, now we see in practise that the troops in the border areas of India molest, torture, rape and sometimes murder. These pictures are extraordinary, they show events which are still dangerous to shoot and to publish.

So, AFSPA, 1958 certainly deserves the awards it has garnered for its humanistic approach and its obvious human rights engagement, just as much as for its point of view on women’s empowerment, its encouragement of women standing up against the

The death of an innocent … Manorama Devi.

repressing forces of society and for its open accusation of the army’s crimes over the people of Manipur.

But that is not all. When judging a film, some political and humanistic guidelines may play its role, but in the end a FIPRESCI-jury should always give the award for cinematic qualities.

And cinematographically, AFSPA, 1958 definitely convinces in its approach and style. The movie is a raw, frank, direct piece of cinema verité.

Director Haobam Paban Kumar narrates and observes. He knows the difference between a film and a political manifesto.

Besides his personal partisanship and engagement, as a filmmaker he always stays behind the camera. This makes the great difference. The film itself has to impress us, not the director in person.

Overall, Haobam Paban Kumar’s AFSPA, 1958 is an impressive piece of cinema.

(Rüdiger Suchsland lives in Munich and Berlin. He is a regular contributor to the German newspapers “Frankfurter Rundschau”, “Tagesspiegel” and “Berliner Zeitung” as well as to the magazine “Filmdienst”. He also works for other German newspapers, radio and TV-stations, for the film festivals Mannheim-Heidelberg and Ludwigshafen, and is the correspondent of the “Critics Week” in Cannes for German speaking countries.)

Documentary Today 35

Reconstructing an Assassination

By R.Krishnamohan in less than a fortnight.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed under Inspector General D.R. Karthikeyan to investigate the diabolic crime. But by then the Tamil Nadu government’s forensic team headed by Dr. S. Chandrasekaran had gathered a lot of forensic evidence. In a couple of days he expressed his theory of a “human bomb” – there was no precedence of that kind on the Indian soil until then.

The accord that started it all … Signing the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, July 1987.

I vividly remember that day-Tuesday 21 May 1991. I was in Chennai on a holiday and had gone to Mahabalipuram (the Pallava dynasty monuments of 7th. century) with my family.

Just about 11 pm, on the way back, our car touched Chennai city limits.

Suddenly, it seemed the normal crowds had disappeared from the roads. Mostly men in small groups near ‘bunk’ shops stood listening to radio. Tamil Nadu was in the grip of General Elections as the rest of the country.

The staff at the petrol pump where we stopped was edgy. We heard the murmurs, ‘Rajiv Gandhi died in a bomb blast’ in Sriperampudur – over 50 kilometers away from Chennai where he had gone to address an election rally.

Stunned, I contacted my friends in local Press Information Bureau and Doordarshan. They confirmed the deadly news. But Doordarshan telecast said Rajiv Gandhi was wounded and taken 36 Documentary Today

to a hospital in Kancheepuram, closer to Sriperampudur.

Political hooligans had unleashed terror over night. The wayside election offices and flags of a rival political party were set on fire. People remained inside their homes. The next day no coverage was possible at the site of the blast as it was sealed –only Doordarshan was allowed.

Those were the days, Doordarshan was the only electronic media in India.

I was Joint Chief Producer – Newsreel at that time. The Assistant Police Commissioner at Adyar police station helped me to reach the airport against all odds.

I was on the second flight to Delhi after the mortal remains of Rajiv Gandhi was taken in an early morning flight. We did an elaborate coverage of the mourning and cremation. I interviewed the then Prime Minister Mr. Chandrasekhar and grieving public. A news magazine as a homage to Rajiv Gandhi was released

The media stirred a lot of issues and raised questions. ‘How come there was no other important Congress leader around Rajiv Gandhi at the time of the blast? Not even the Congress candidate Maragatham Chandrasekhar for whom he had gone to campaign? None of the leaders of the political parties that were allies of the Congress in that General Election, was present why?’ Who killed Rajiv Gandhi?’ I began a close watch on the news and events.

I went back to Chennai to interview Dr. Chandrasekaran. He still had in his custody the ‘jacket bomb’ and the brasserie that was supposed to have been worn by the alleged suicide bomber. That interview was explosive. On a table, he unfolded a plastic sheet that contained the remnants of the jacket bomb. He pieced the bits together for the camera and explained how RDX and iron pellets could have been packed. This formed a crucial part of my film.

Thus began my quest to follow the story of Rajiv Gandhi assassination and film every aspect of the investigation not knowing it would take 15 years to complete it, as it took that long for the final verdict by the Supreme Court.

In the making of the film – historic reconstruction- the biggest hurdle was lack of visuals of the key event – the dastardly act on that fateful day. To my knowledge no movie/video camera

captured live the blast that killed Rajiv Gandhi and 17 others and wounded over 40 people. The second hurdle was inaccessibility of those held under TADA inside the high security prisoncum-special court in Poondamalli.

Ironically the only visual recording of the actual killing was from a still camera and that those photos were clicked

by Haribabu, a person who was said to have been hired to do so for the record of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). The last frame in the roll had captured the bright red flame of the blast. Eventually, 10 frames of the roll in that camera helped identify the perpetrators of the crime. The photographer Haribabu was too close to the action and perished in the blast. He was supposed to have been party to the killing but if he was aware what was to happen would he have been too close to the human bomb? No answer.

SIT generously shared those 10 frames of photographs with the media that formed the second crucial visual strength of my film.

As the investigation of the crime progressed, I with my F.D. Newsreel Cameraman N. Stanley and subsequently K. Sukumaran kept following the movements of SIT and visited all the locations of the killers’ hideouts and kept building up the visual support to reconstruct the case.

A bird’s eye-view…

R.Krishnamohan at work.

That fateful day … Rajiv Gandhi being greeted on his arrival at Sriperampudur.

In January 1998 we did our next major coverage - the day of the judgment at the TADA court in Poondamalli High Security prison. With the help of all the evidences I had gathered from SIT I wrote a curtain raiser article and it was published in The Sunday Observer (now defunct) on the day of the judgment. I was happy to see many of the journalists carrying the paper at the location. (In 1996, I had voluntarily quit F.D. to do freelancing and requested Films Division to assign me the film to complete it).

It was a drama of high voltage. All the 26 accused under TADA were sentenced to death. The media was

stunned. There were protests from the relatives and local supporters of the LTTE. The heavy police force posted took care of it.

After the judgment, I interviewed at length SIT chief D.R. Karthikeyan and CBI legal advisor Jacob Daniel.

Their words helped enormously in reconstructing the case as it unfolded – the meticulous planning of the LTTE months before the crime was committed, the way various LTTE men and women were moved to strategic places in Chennai and Tamil Nadu, the recruiting of the local sympathizers as support to Sri Lankan Tamils in carrying out their task; just two weeks before on May 7, 1991, the daring dry run done by the same LTTE team that killed Rajiv Gandhi at a similar election rally of V.P. Singh, the former Prime Minister of India and so on.

Jacob Daniel the CBI legal advisor spoke of the strong motive which was clearly established by SIT both at the TADA court and the Supreme Court and accepted as clinching evidence of the involvement of LTTE chief Prabhakaran, his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and the LTTE cadre of Sivarasan, human bomb Dhanu, the standby bomb Subha and others, for example, the wireless experts positioned in Trichi, Coimbatore and Rameswaram. I had to resort to use of still photographs, movie visuals from my earlier 4 films Documentary Today 37

on Sri Lankan Tamil issue and India’s involvement to present the motive part of the film.

Virtually the chase of the culprits ended at their final hide out at Konanakunte in the outskirts of Bangalore. It happened so sudden, my Newsreel cameraman posted in Bangalore was alerted and Ahmed recorded on film the aftermath of the shootout in and outside the hideout, the dead bodies of Rajiv Gandhi killers-Sivarasan, Subha and driver Anna who committed suicide by biting into cyanide capsules (the hallmark of LTTE cadre) Incidentally, unlike a Qasab in the case of 26/11 dastardly act in Mumbai, none of the real killers of Rajiv Gandhi could be captured alive (they all committed suicide) to give unequivocal evidence of LTTE leader Prabhakaran’s involvement. Those 26 convicted ordered to be hanged by the lower court were people who mostly aided and abetted the crime. The Supreme Court first and foremost observed TADA sections are not applicable to the convicted. Secondly it released 22 of the convicts who had already served 10 years or more prison term under various sections applicable to them. Only 4 – Santan and Murugan alias Sriharan (both LTTE men), Perarivalan and Nalini (local Tamils) were given death sentence.

Quite often I am asked: “Why did you choose to document the Rajiv Gandhi killing?” My answer is simple. The assassination of Indira Gandhi has been part of news and analysis but there was no comprehensive film on the subject.

As JCP Newsreel, professionally I felt it was important to document the tragic killing of the youngest Prime Minister of India in such a brutal manner.

Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, the President of the

It took me 15 long years to make the

Moments before the assassination… the plotters wait for Rajiv Gandhi.

Congress Party and wife of Shri Rajiv Gandhi generously pardoned Nalini as she is a mother of a girl child (delivered in prison) and recommended that her sentence may be converted to life imprisonment.

Mr Kathikeyan, who would investigate the assassination, greets Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi a few weeks before the tragedy 38 Documentary Today

film but the effort has been well worth it. The Jury of the 56th National Film Awards for Non-Feature Films very aptly summed up my effort in its citation: “Traversing vast stretches of time and geographical space, this film deftly puts together strands of information, perception, evidence and historical contexts to reconstruct a compelling narrative about the gruesome assassination of a world leader.”

I think the Films Division by producibng this film has lived up to its primary role of an institution that documented current events as the future history of the country.

(R. Krishnamohan is a documentary, corporate filmmaker and Media consultant. He was Former Chief Producer in-charge, Joint Chief Producer, Director and Scriptwriter of Films Division (1976-1996) and Director of BIFF-1994. Some of his noteworthy films include ‘A Matter of Worship’ (on the demolition of Babri Masjid), Crisis in Sri Lanka, Give Peace A Chance, Tears and Smiles (on the return of refugees to Sri Lanka), India –A Nuclear Power and a series of films in different languages demystifying agricultural biotechnology. Earlier he has won 5 National awards as creative producer for documentaries and News Features.)

news

AFSPA 1958 bags top honour at 56th National Film Awards

which transcends documentation and makes the viewer participate in the process.

AFSPA 1958

Best Non-Feature film (Swarna Kamal) AFSPA 1958 Producer: Bachaspa Timayun Sunzu & Haobam Paban Kumar Director: Haobam Paban Kumar Citation: A courageous depiction of the non-violent resistance of the people of Manipur to protest against a legislation, which undermines the values of self respect and the fundamentals of democracy. The documentation process by various crews and the way it is chronicled offers multiple perspectives.

Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director (Rajat Kamal) VITTHAL (Marathi) Producer: Vinoo Choliparambil & Manu Pushpendran Director : Vinoo Choliparambil Citation: A sensitive portrayal of the latent violence building up in a child against the ritualistic social norms which are forced on him. The filmmaker demonstrates maturity and dexterity in handling the script and the actors, bringing out the complexity of a child’s mind trapped in a world of adults.

Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film (Rajat Kamal) BOLIAY PITAIER SOHOKI SOOTAL Producer: Altaf Mazid, Zabeen Ahmed & Susanta Roy Director : Altaf Mazid Citation: A film which uniquely depicts the long arduous struggle of a community to build check dams using their indigenous engineering skills. An experiential journey

Best Biographical/Historical Recon struction/ Compilation Film (Rajat Kamal) THE ASSASSINATION OF RAJIV GANDHI – A RECONSTRUCTION Producer: Films Division Director: R. Krishna Mohan Citation: Traversing vast stretches of time and geographical space, this film deftly puts together strands of information, perception, evidence and historical contexts to reconstruct a compelling narrative about the gruesome assassination of a world leader.

Best Arts/Cultural Film (Rajat Kamal) KARNA MOTCHAM Producer: MGR Film & TV Institute Director: S. Murali Manohar Citation: Using powerful imagery and ironical juxtaposition, the film depicts the life of a Koothu artist. With subtlety, it captures the frustration and the hopelessness of a performer whose art is a misfit in a changing cultural world.

Best Scientific Film (including method and process of science, contribution of Scientists etc.)/Environment Conservation/Preservation Film (including awareness) (Rajat Kamal) TRIP Producer: Film & Television Institute of India Director: Emmanuel Palo Citation: The film with a simple, almost lighthearted, treatment evolves into a powerful message of conservation.

Using an unconventional music track and animation, the film jolts the viewer to relook at waste and pollution.

Best Promotional Film (to cover tourism, exports, crafts, industry, etc.) (Rajat Kamal) LOST AND FOUND Producer: Harshavardhan G. Kulkarni, Kirti Nakhwa & Amitabh Shukla Director: Harshavardhan G. Kulkarni Citation: Using a bottle as a metaphor for a journey of discovery, the filmmaker finds an innovative style to explore various locations through people and their experiences, challenging the classical promotional style of selling tourism.

Documentary Today 39

Best Agriculture Film (to include subject related to and allied to agriculture like animal husbandry, dairying etc.) (Rajat Kamal) THE LAND OF RUPSHUPAS Producer: Films Division Director: A.K. Sidhpuri Citation: With breath taking images of the higher Himalayas and the nomadic people living in this harsh climate and terrain, the film effectively explores the relationship of the Rupshupas with their livestock and how critical it is for their survival.

Best Film on Social Issues (such as prohibition, women and child welfare and dowry, drug abuse, welfare of the handicapped etc.) (Rajat Kamal) THE FEMALE NUDE Producer: PSBT Director: Hemjyotika & Devi Prasad Mishra Citation: A compelling portrait of a woman who rises above her circumstances in an unconventional way, carving out a position for herself irrespective of how others view her.

BURU GAARA Producer: PSBT Director : Shriprakash Citation: The journey of two adivasi women from Jharkhand, finding their identity and dignity using language - one through poetry and the other through grassroots journalism. The film creates a space where the narratives of the women emerge as powerful tales of their struggle for empowerment.

Best Educational/Motivational/Instructional Film (Rajat Kamal) POLIO VS. POLIO VICTIMS Producer: Gulshan Sachdeva

Director: Aman Sachdeva Citation: An innovative campaign for the eradication of polio - the film follows the polio afflicted who take the initiative for mass awareness by going door to door.

Best Exploration/Adventure Film (to include sports) (Rajat Kamal) SHINGNABA Producer: Bachaspa Timayum Sunzu Director: Bachaspa Timayum Sunzu Citation: The film is an inspiring portrayal of an HIV positive person who dramatically transforms his life and becomes a champion body builder. A first person narrative, it provides a new perspective on AIDS and our understanding of sports.

Best Investigative Film (Rajat Kamal) DISTANT RUMBLINGS Producer: Ms. Rongsenkala Director: Bani Prakash Das Citation: The film evokes painful memories of World War II as experienced by people of North East India, after the Japanese invasion. Through war wreckages found in the jungles and first person accounts, the film stitches together a moving story of affected families long forgotten.

Best Animation Film (Rajat Kamal) PRINCE AND THE CROWN OF STONES Producer: Children’s Film Society of India Director: Gautam Benegal Animator: Gautam Benegal Citation: A well knit theme-oriented film, complemented by 2D graphics and a restrained colour palette. A strong message about leadership emerges through the film making it relevant to the contemporary times.

Special Jury Award (Rajat Kamal) Director of CHILDREN OF THE PYRE Producer: Rajesh S. Jala Citation: Constrained by the stifling and searing world of children working in cremation grounds, the film helps them to recreate a world of their own. The director captures rare reflexive moments of the children and makes the viewers live their pain, joys and dreams.

Children of the Pyre 40 Documentary Today

Short Fiction Film (Rajat Kamal) STATIONS Producer: Film & Television Institute of India Director: Emmanuel Palo Citation: The film weaves a complex contemporary form of expression, through fragmented stories of a few sparsely connected lives in transit, over an omnipresent dark urban reality of economic disparity, alienation, and bad faith.

Citation: Using highly sophisticated texture and tonal work, with deep anticipation into the flow and narrative of the film, the cinematography strives to redefine ways of image making and experience.

Stations

Best Film on Family Values APPUVIN NAYAGAN- SPOTTY (My Hero) Producer: A.V. Anoop Director: Madhavan Citation: The film scores with a very tender story that transforms into a moving portrayal of a child’s attachment to her toy and her grandfather’s dilemma when he loses it. A sensitive film that offers fresh insights into a child’s imagination and needs.

Best Direction (Swarna Kamal) THREE OF US Director: Umesh Kulkarni Citation: With immense sensitivity, the film offers a slice of life of a physically challenged person, which transcends into a telling cinematic practice of minimalism and control.

A poetic exploration that breathes the indomitable spirit of these real characters playing themselves, way above its bleak mise-en-scene.

Best Cinematography (Rajat Kamal) THREE OF US Lab: Filmlab, Mumbai Cameraman: Shariqva Badar Khan Citation: With amazing discipline and sensitivity, the cinematography provides an intimate insight into the lives of a small family, living in a confined space, with exquisite use of composition, rhythm, lensing and lighting.

WHEN THIS MAN DIES Lab: Adlabs, Mumbai Cameraman: Jayakrishna Gummadi non-feature film Jury 99 non-feature films were viewed by a jury comprising Arunaraje Patil (chairperson), Krishnendu Bose, Anirban Dutta, Sandeep Marwah, R.V. Ramani, Sarfaraz Siddiqui and Reena Mohan.

Best Audiography (Rajat Kamal) CHILDREN OF THE PYRE Re-Recordist: Mateen Ahmad Citation: With multiple layers of sound, and the incessant crackle of funeral pyres that cease to sleep, the film grips its audience with a sense of entrapment around the life of children working inside a cremation ground. It is a telling example of digetic sound design keeping its truth to the reality of the location.

Best Editing (Rajat Kamal) STATIONS Manoj Kannoth Citation: A delicately interwoven edit of three sparsely connected contemporary urban tales of alienation.

Developing a rhythm with parallel and simultaneous stories, the cutting sculpts an extremely powerful contemporary form.

Best Music Direction (Rajat Kamal) NARMEEN Vipin Mishra Citation: A sensitive and evocative musical score, with an amazing use of the violin ensemble, which is both a deeply personal and universal experience.

Best Narration/Voice Over (Rajat Kamal) SANA KEITHEL Elangbam Natasha Citation: A gentle and intimate voice which leads you to a great treasure house of insights on markets run by women in Manipur.

Jury Special Mention Child actor in (Certificate only) VITTHAL (Marathi) Child Actor: Aniket Rumade Citation: For his excellent portrayal of a young boy, Vitthal, dealing with ritualistic norms forced on him and his struggle to contain the anger brewing within.

Narmeen Documentary Today 41

Restrepo & The Red Chapel bag awards at Sundance Sundance 2010 US Competition Grand Jury Prize Restrepo, directed by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington Audience Award Waiting For Superman, directed

by Davis Guggenheim Direction Award Leon Gast for Smash His Camera

Restrepo is about an American platoon in Afghanistan.

Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington’s Restrepo topped the US Documentaries Competition while Danish filmmaker Mads Brugger’s The Red Chapel (Det røde kapel) topped the World Documentaries Competition at the Sundance 2010.

Restrepo follow a platoon of American soldiers through their deployment to Afghanistan while The Red Chapel is about a Danish-Korean theater troupe that travels through North Korea, presenting quirky skits and gathering impressions of a closed world. Brugger is the troupe’s tour manager, as well as the film’s director.

The complete list of winners at Sundance 2010 is given alongside.

Editing Award Penelope Falk for Joan Rivers-A Piece Of Work Cinematography Award Kirsten Johnson and Laura Poitras for The Oath Special Jury Prize Gasland, directed by Josh Fox

Sundance 2010 World Competition Grand Jury Prize The Red Chapel (Det Røde Kapel), directed by Mads Brügger Audience Award Wasteland, directed by Lucy Walker Direction Award Christian Frei for Space Tourists Editing Award Joëlle Alexis for A Film Unfinished Cinematography Award Kate McCullough and Michael Lavelle for His & Hers Special Jury Prize Enemies of the People, directed

by Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath

The Red Chapel is about a Danish-Korean theater troupe 42 Documentary Today

The Cove dominates Cinema Eye Awards 2010 It has been a complete sweep for The Cove. It has bagged every award announced during the year – well, almost!

The Cinema Eye Awards 2010 ceremony held at the Times Center in New York City on January 15, 2010 was no different from the others. The Cove bagged awards for Outstanding Achievement in Non-fiction Feature Filmmaking, Outstanding Achievement in Production and Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.

The annual Cinema Eye Awards, unique in recognizing the individual skills required to make documentary films, honor outstanding achievement in directing, cinematography, editing, music, graphics and animation and producing, as well as naming the year’s outstanding feature and debut feature documentary.

Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking The Cove Directed by Louie Psihoyos - Produced by Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens Outstanding Achievement in Direction Agnès Varda, director.of The Beaches of Agnes Outstanding Achievement in Production Paula DuPre Pesman and Fisher Stevens, producers of The Cove Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Brook Aitken for The Cove Outstanding Achievement in Editing Janus Billeskov-Jansen and Thomas Papapetros for Burma VJ Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Animation (Tie) • The Team at Bigstar Food Inc • - Francis Hanneman, Darren Pasemko, Kent Hugo, Omar Majeed, Brett Gaylor + The Open Source Cinema Community for RIP: A Remix Manifesto

Ross McElwee, director of Sherman’s March which bagged the Legacy Award

Oustanding Achievement in Original Musical Score Danny Grody, Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri and Kenric Taylor for October Country (This is a juried prize. The Jury Members were: Natalia Almada, Laurie Anderson, Brendan Canty, T. Griffin and Craig Wedren) Outstanding Achievement in an International Feature Film Burma VJ - Directed by Anders Østergaard - Produced by Lise-Lense Møller Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film October Country - Directed by Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher Spotlight Award Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo - Directed by Jessica Oreck (This juried award, presented for the first time in 2010, is intended to focus attention on a film that has not yet received proper attention in the U.S. The Spotlight Jury comprised: Pernille Rose Gronkjær, Jason Kohn, David Polonsky and Jennifer Venditti) The Legacy Award Sherman’s March - Ross McElwee, director (Peesented for the first time in 2010, the Legacy Award recognizes an outstanding documentary classic that has influenced documentary filmmakers and filmmaking.).

October Country

Audience Choice Prize The September Issue - Directed by RJ Cutler Documentary Today 43

Indian bags top honour at 3rd Gulf Film Fest Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture). Now in its third edition, the Festival’s Official Competition showed as many as 37 short films from across the Middle East region including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, among others.

A scene from Soniya Kripalani’s Dobuy: The Fabric of Faith (UAE-India), which bagged the top award at the recently concluded Gulf Film Festival.

Dubai-based Indian filmmaker Soniya Kripalani’s Dobuy: The Fabric of Faith (UAE-India) bagged the First prize in the Official Competition (Documentary) at the recently concluded Gulf Film Festival held in Dubai from April 1 to 14, 2010. The film details a cultural revolution, led by three Emirati women, to launch national brands that will erase the socio-political baggage shrouding their veiled canvas. Protecting their fabric of faith from being bleached by globalisation, seeking equal opportunities in their mall-aminute culture, the women use design as a vehicle to usher change and their veils as cultural armory.

The other winners in the Official Competition (Documentary) were all from Iraq: Luay Fadhil’s Pastel bagged the Second Prize while Hameed Haddad 80-82 bagged the Third Prize. A Special Mention was made of Richard Latham’s cinematography of To Fly A Dream also from Iraq. The Jury for the Competition section comprised legendary Moroccan actor, director and writer Jillali Ferhati (President), Emirati director and actor Ibrahim Salem, Yemen’s first woman filmmaker, Khadija Al-Salami, Saudi director Mohammad Aldhahri and Mat44 Documentary Today

thieu Darrashas, Artistic Director of the International Film Festival Bratislava in Slovakia.

Aayesh, the story of a lonely morgue security guard whose life is changed because of a slight alteration in his daily routine one day, bagged the First Prize in the Official Competition (Short Films). This film from Saudi Arabia is directed by Abdullah Al-Eyaf.

The other winners were: Ahd Kamel’s Al Qundarji (The Shoemaker) from Saudi Arabia bagged the Second Prize while Jassim Mohammed Jassim’s Thumma Matha?(So What?) from Iraq bagged the Third Prize. The Special Jury prize was awarded to Sahar Al-Sawaf’s Um Abdulla from Iraq.

Hussam Alhulwah was awarded the prize for the Best Script for Awdah (Return) from Saudi Arabia. A Special mention was made of Solo by Ali AlJabri, Hares Al Layl (Night Guard)

by Fadel Al Muhairi and Ghaimat Shrooq Ahmed Zain – all from UAE. A wide array of short films were unspooled at the recently concluded Gulf Film Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin

Festival Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said: “The short-listed films offer a unique insight into the Arab world.

The subject matters in these films are a reflection of contemporary realities approached from an individual and collective perspective. These shorts also highlight the strong evolution of filmmaking in the region, and how more young talent are coming forward with narratives using the medium of films, one of the most powerful entertainment tools for social change.”

The Festival also showed 25 short films in the Lights section which sought to capture the multi-faceted identity of the Gulf region. The 25 films screened in the Lights section ranged from tales set against the backdrop of politics to the triumphs and travails of individuals.

Together, they offer a perfect kaleidoscope into the contemporary Gulf society, captured on camera in a crisp, no-frills manner.

Mr Masoud Ali said that the films selected for the ‘Lights’ segment perfectly encapsulate the modern-day social and political dynamics of the Gulf region. “By their very nature, short films need to be creatively structured to convey a powerful idea in a relatively short period of time. Our showcase this year shows how the filmmakers have experimented with diverse subjects and have succeeded in connecting with the audience.”

The recent winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film Logorama was also screened at the Festival in the Intersections segment, which showcased movies from Europe, bringing in the

best of global contemporary cinema has movies from as far afield as Japan, the US, Canada, the Middle East, Levant, Pakistan and India. The Indian film shown was the M.I.F.F.2010 award winner Umesh Kulkarni’s Gaarud (The Spell), which portrays glimpses of people trapped in the room of a shady lodge, near the railway station in a small town. Intersections is not an exclusively short film section.

The festival also showcased the work of promising student filmmakers from the region. The Students Competition comprising Short Films and Documentaries.was open to works produced or made by students of Gulf nationality during their academic study or as part of a university project. Students of other nationalities are also eligible to apply towards the competition with a film that centres around life in the GCC. Student films showing at the festival were selected from hundreds of entries sent in for the students’ competition.

Commenting on the entries the Festival Director Masoud Al Ali said, “The rich canvas of films submitted by students for Gulf Film Festival is a testament to how deeply they are connected to social realities and how they make strong in-

terpretations for the cinematic medium.

The films are a clear indication of the evolution of student talent in the region and one of the goals of the festival is to introduce their work to a wide spectrum of audience.”

The winners in the Students Competition (Short Film) are:  First prize: Amjad Al Hinai and Khamis Ambo-Saidi for Tasreeb (Leaking) – Oman  Second prize: Muzna Al Musafir for Niqab – Oman  Third prize: Malak Quota for Set In Solitude - USA  Special Mention for Shhh – UAE,

by Hafsa Al Mutawa and Shamma Abu Nawas  Special Jury prize: Mohammed Al Tamimi for Al Jantta (The Bag) Saudi Arabia The winners in the Students Competition (Documentary) are:  First prize: Hashim Al Efari For Ghuraba’a Fi Watanihem (Strangers In Their Homeland) – Iraq  Second prize: Moath Bin Hafez For Ahlam Taht Al Insha’a (Constructing Dreams) – UAE

 Third prize: Mohammed Naeem for Al Hallaq Na’eem (Na’eem The Barber) – Iraq  Special mention: Mahar Al Mahera (The Dowry) – UAE, by Maitha Hamdan Nayla Al Khaja bagged the first prize in the Script Competition for Emirati Short Films with his script Malal (Bored). Mohammed Hassan Ahmed bagged the Second Prize for Sebeel while Muhsen Suliman Hassan was awarded the Third Prize for Film Hindi.

The jury for the Script Competition comprised Qatari scriptwriter Widad Al Kuwairi, Saudi columnist Badriya Abdullah Al Bashar and UAE writer Amina Abu-Shehab.

DGA Award for The Cove Louie Psihoyos bagged the prestigious Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentaries for the year 2009 awarded by the Directors Guild of America (DGA). He was awarded for his film The Cove. The DGA Awards were presented at the 62nd annual DGA Awards dinner on January 30, 2010, at the Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

The other nominees contending for the award included: l Sacha Gervasi for Anvil! The Story of Anvil l Mai Iskander for Garbage Dreams l Robert Kenner for Food, Inc l Geoffrey Smith for The English Surgeon l Agnes Varda for The Beaches of Agnes All of the directors on the list were first time DGA nominees.

A scene from Aayesh, which bagged the award for the Best Short Film.

A DGA statement accompanying the announcement underscores the unique importance of documentary filmmaking. To quote: “The fine work of these talented nominees demonstrates why audiences are increasingly seeking out documentaries and why distributors are releasing more documentary films theatrically.”

Documentary Today 45

Eight international docus selected for SXSW fest Pelada - Directors Luke Boughen, Rebekah Fergusson, Gwendolyn Oxenham and Ryan White discover soccer that’s played away from arenas and bright lights. l

l War Don Don - Director Rebecca Richman Cohen investigates what happens when war is over and the trials begin.

Camp Victory, Afghanistan

Eight international documentaries were selected from as many as 741 submissions for the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, held from March 12 to 24, 2010 in Austin, Texas. The documentaries premiered were: Beijing Taxi - Director Miao Wang follows three Beijing cabbies as they carry their fare through a city in the throes of transition and modernization.

l

an inspired and inspiring group of musicians who struggle with disabilities in order to follow their dreams and perform. l Marwencol - Mark Hogancamp, left

brain damaged and broke by a vicious attack, retreats to Marwencol, the name of the 1/6th-scale model of a World War II-era town that he created in his back yard. Director Jeff Malmberg records his remarkable path to recovery.

l Camp Victory, Afghanistan - For three years, director Carol Dysinger focused on the formation of the Afghan National Army by following its new officers, and the US National Guardsmen who were there to mentor them/

The Canal Street Madam - Following the FBI raid on her infamous New Orleans brothel and her ensuing legal difficulties and social stigma, Jeanette Maier struggles to create a new life for herself. Director Cameron Yates is there to document the process.

l

Dirty Pictures - Director Etienne Sauret’s documentary is all about the life and work of Dr. Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, the famous chemist who is considered to be the ‘Godfather of Psychedelics.’

l

l For Once In My Life - Directors Jim

Bigham and Mark Moormann follow

46 Documentary Today

Dirty Pictures is based on the life of the famous chemist Dr Alexander Shulgin, better known as the Father of Psychedelics.

SXSW is an important North American showcase for documentary films.

In addition to the documentaries in competition, nonfiction features and mid-length films are also shown in the festival’s Spotlight Premieres, SX Global, Emerging Visions and Lone Star States categories. The 24 Beats Per Second category features documentaries about music and musicians.

One highly recommend film is Iron Crows, South Korean filmmaker BongNam Park’s documentary about the men and boys who endure horrific and life-threatening conditions to work at Bangladesh’s largest ship dismantling yard, where they risk life and limb to earn $2 per day -- most of which is sent home to their families who would otherwise starve. This extremely well-crafted film, which won the 2009 Mid-length Documentary Jury Award at IDFA last year, follows one worker as he leaves the shipyard’s grime, grit and slick to travel home for a very emotional family reunion to mark his child’s birth. Back at the shipyard, preteen boys who are supporting their families survive on oil-tainted rice. Iron Crows is an eye-opener.

Traveling in another direction, this year’s SXSW festival also boasts the first-ever public showing of Hubble 3D, filmmaker Toni Myers’ IMAX 3D spectacular in which Leonardo DiCaprio narrates an amazing journey through the Hubble lens into distant galaxies to follow the exploits of astronauts working in outer space, and explore the great mysteries of our solar system and beyond.

Oberhausen to profile Amit Dutta

The work of the young experimental filmmaker Amit Dutta will be featured in the Profiles section of the 2010 International Short Film Festival of Oberhausen. The Profiles are traditionally dedicated to individual filmmakers or important movements in the history of short film. There will be two programmes on his work on 30th of April. The 56th edition of the Oberhausen Short film festival will run from 29th April to 4th May. The works of Amit Dutta oscillate between Indian mythology and a personal symbolism whose distinctive pictorial language is often compared with that of Sergei Parajanov.

Born in 1977, the graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India is already regarded at his young age as one of the prime experimental filmmakers on the Subcontinent.

He made a name for himself in Europe as well when Keshkambli was screened in Oberhausen in 2003.

He won the FIPRESCI Award at the festival in 2007 for Kramasha which was shown recently at the Mumbai International Film Festival 2010 .

Indian film wins People’s Choice award R(evolution), an eighty minute feature film directed by Mustafa Zaveri has won the People’s Choice Award at the 3rd European Spiritual Film Festival which was held in Paris from February 15 - March 15, 2010. The European Spiritual Film Festival showcases films (feature films and short films : fictions, documentaries and animation films) that explore spiritual traditions from around the world and their different practices.

R(evolution) follows the journey of the book and its role in the lives of several people, tracing the way in which human destinies are bound together in time and space. The tormented protagonist searches for the meaning of life in books. In one that he buys in a bazaar, he finds a marked passage that paints a precise picture of his situation. The address of the book’s previous owner is written inside and the hero sets out to find him. He turns out to be the equable owner of a restaurant situated on a sunny beach in the middle of a captivatingly serene bay, who tells him that he was not the one who marked the passage.

R(evolution) had had its world premiere at the 43rd Karlovy Vary Film festival in Czech Republic in July 2008. It

was screened in the section Forum of Independents. R(evolution) is Zaveri’s first feature film under the banner of his production house Revolution Films which aims to break new grounds in Indian cinema.

Documentary on women empowerment A documentary on the impact made by self-help groups (SHGs) on empowering women in some villages in Dakshina Kannada district was released at Nitte in Udupi district on December 26, 2009 by Mr M. Narendra, Executive Director of Bank of India.

The documentary is jointly produced by the Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management and the Canada-based York University.

The documentary titled BuyingCconfidence on Credit captures the views of the eminent personalities such as Dr C. Rangarajan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, Dr D. Veerendra Heggade, President of the Shree Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, and Dr N.K. Thingalaya, former Chairman of Syndicate Bank, on the role of SHGs in bringing about the socio-economic changes in rural areas.

The other profiles in the 2010 festival are- The New York No Wave movement of the 1970s and 1980s, Gunvor Nelson, SwedishAmerican avant-garde film pioneer, and American artist and filmmaker Fred Worden.

Philosophy under the sun … a still from R(evolution) Documentary Today 47

Leaving Home: The Life and Music of Indian Ocean

First documentary to be theatrically released

Cartwheel Features and Jaideep Varma’s Leaving Home: The Life and Music of Indian Ocean became the first Indian feature-length documentary to get a regular theatrical release in India.

Big Cinemas released the 115-minute film in several theatres in Mumbai and five other Indian cities on April 2, 2010.

Documentary filmmakers are hoping that this will set a trend of releasing documentary films in regular shows though many skeptics point out that the film is based on a popular subject.

Feature length documentaries on popular subjects like sports (particularly cricket) have been released in regular shows in the past.

Ashish Saksena, COO (South & West), BIG Cinemas, said, “BIG Cinemas is always on the lookout for quality content that will inspire, enlighten, educate and above all delight our audiences.

We believe that Leaving Home: The Life and Music of Indian Ocean will do just that. It’s a documentary that reflects the reality of the Indian Middle Class, before the economic boom, and it will connect to most of the people regardless of whether they follow the music or not.” Indian Ocean’s manager Dhruv Jagasia commented, “This film is a 48 Documentary Today

testament to an extraordinary musical journey and to our incredible fans all over the world.”

The film is a revealing portrait of the 19-year-old band Indian Ocean’s music. Indian Ocean is unarguably India’s most significant band. The film has been made to celebrate this oncein-a-couple- of-generations musical phenomenon. The idea is not merely to document but to provoke, enrich and, above all, entertain. That is why the film has been made for the big screen.

By showcasing the band’s music for the first time, the film provides a stir-

Jaideep Varma, the director

ring account of the four men who make music together as Indian Ocean in a contemporary India where commercial concerns are overriding. The band has released less than 30 songs during the last 19 years, with no single filler amongst these.

Leaving Home is, very simply, the story of four men who make music together in a contemporary India where commercial concerns are overriding.

Their inspirational story of how they kept the creative fires burning without compromising their essential vision is told with the same energy and lightness of touch their unique music is imbued with. Their music is showcased in three different ways – in concert with all their stage finery, a casual performance in their own neighborhood, and raw improvisations from inside their rehearsal room. The music created by Indian Ocean has a mix of acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums along with tabla that blends the improvisational depths of Indian classical music and cathartic intensity of rock.

The project began in 2006 with very little pre-production. Most of the shooting happened in 2006 itself. It

took place in 3 schedules, including a travelling schedule to Simla where the band performed.

The film was shot on HDV. Sifting through the 197 hours of rushes took a long time and the edit process went on right through 2007 and 2008. A 300-minute version became 162 mins, which became 139 mins. Finally, the theatrical version has been cut to 115 mins. (There is a crackling 235-minute version, which is the director’s favourite cut. If the theatre version is even a moderate success, it will pave the way for the release of that version.)

Making the film, however, was the easy part. The real struggle began then as there was ostensibly no outlet to release the film. At least that’s what the powers-that-are in the industry said repeatedly. “There is just no place to show this.” 150 channels on television but not sure where this fits in. Scores of multiplex screens all around India but not sure if even one can be spared to accommodate this. That’s what the recurrent theme was when the rounds of producers’/ distributors’ offices began.

We were laughed out of the room most times…once or twice, quite literally.

There can be a hundred reasons to do something but in our entertainment environment just one reason to not do it assumes precedence over all those 100 reasons.

However, after some persistence, in 2008, a premier multiplex chain showed interest in releasing the film as an “experiment”. Trips were made to Delhi to confab with the band, meetings held, deals thrashed out, contracts made and then…the recession blew everything to smithereens. Leaving Home was all dressed up with nowhere to go.

this film, whatever the circumstances, in 2010. It was not about getting our money back anymore (which was unlikely anyway) but just getting this work out. If it meant releasing only on dvd or just on television, so be it.

Magically, Big Cinemas came into the scene in January 2010, and offered a limited release.

People make all the right noises, say all the right things, about how delighted they are about a new alternative coming up in entertainment – “Wow, a music film getting released”…“A non fiction film hitting the big screen…times are changing!”…“How delightful…I love Indian Ocean…to see a full film on their music!”… but when the time comes for these same people to walk their talk, to take the trouble to make their way to the theatres…our guess is that many of them will find excuses not to go. The theatre will be too far, the timing will be inconvenient, there will be work pressure or they’ll just be out-of-town.

At the end of the day, the biggest risk with such a film getting released is not that very few will actually make it to the theatres but that no one will ever attempt such a film again. All those know-alls who are convinced that the audience does not want such films will be proved right.

John to produce film on the tiger Film stars can also have their secret passions – and John Abraham’s passion, apart from jeans and fast motorbikes, is Nature. And he is now actively setting about to do something about it. He will now produce a film on tiger preservation to be directed by internationally renowned Nairobi-born Indian filmmaker Mike Pandey. The documentary film entitled The Return Of The Tiger will address itself to the alarming and almost complete disappearance of the species.

Through the film John and his director Mike Pandey hope to create a certain amount of global awareness about the urgent need to preserve the tiger.

John says he feels very strongly on the subject. “I decided to produce the film because I truly believe tigers are one of the most magnificent creatures on this planet. And if we don’t take quick and immediate action to preserve them there will be no tigers left.”

John decided to produce it after I met Mike Pandey. “He’s such a lovely man so committed to capturing the essence of Nature on camera. I just decided to get committed to Mike’s level of commitment.”

Mike Pandey

We were advised to not even try to release the film in this environment as it was deemed to be a waste of time.

Moreover, satellite television revenues had fallen dramatically thus making it “impossible” to get our money back.

Asheem’s illness and subsequent death in 2009 made us determined to release Documentary Today 49

India in focus at Academy’s Contemporary Documentaries Series

Docu on resilient women A Mumbai-based NGO Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) is bringing out a documentary film titled Resilient Women to mark the completion of five years of its works in tsunami-affected areas in Tamil Nadu. This 18-minute documentary narrates how tsunami affected women from Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts become changemakers for their families after five years of tragedy.

Directed by Bangalore-based filmmaker Sunil Kupperi, the film explores how imaginative, meaningful and longterm interventions change the lives of women and community. It showcases how women in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam overcame their socio-economic and physical vulnerabilities to contribute to the overall development of their communities.

Forgotten Woman

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 28th annual “Contemporay Documentaries” series will screen two films, The Final Inch and The Forgotten Woman, on Indian themes on April 7, 2010.

Following American survivors and Indian vaccinators, The Final Inch tracks the massive mission to eradicate polio. The stories of those working in the poorest corners of our planet challenge our most basic assumptions about disease, poverty and health as a human right. Directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky and produced by Brodsky and Tom Grant, The Final Inch earned an Academy Award nomination for Documentary Short Subject.

short documentaries drawn from the 2008 Academy Award nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year.

All films will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The filmmakers will be present at screenings whenever possible.

Directed by Dilip Mehta and produced

by David Hamilton and Noemi Weis, The Forgotten Woman aims to bring about an understanding of the destitution and marginalization of many of the millions of widows in India today, who are forced by age-old traditions to live out their remaining years isolated and shunned from society at large.

The 28th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series continues through June 9, showcasing feature-length and 50 Documentary Today

The Final Inch

According to P Chandran of the NGO, these resilient women came together in small groups to successfully complete the process of rehabilitation and rebuild safer communities with longterm sustainable livelihood. He noted, “Today, about three thousand women in these disaster hit-villages contribute to the income of their families with a wide range of activities.” They are encouraged to earn independently and participate more meaningfully in the matters of their families, communities and villages, he added.

Kerala documentary is a hit at Copenhagen

Kerala filmmaker Arun Bose’s oneminute documentary My Paper Boat was selected the winner among 174 films from across the globe in the ‘One Minute to Save the World 2009’ competition. The film tells the story of a boy who uses a string to drag a paper boat on a dry surface to drive home to the world the ill-effects of climate change.

Twenty seven-year-old Bose said that he was invited by the British Council to make the one-minute film. The film proved to be so popular that it was screened every day at the Copenhagen summit. “I was told that the film was being screened on a screen which was a cube and placed in the middle of a lake,” he quipped.

“My friends and the seven-year-old who played the role in the film went to a dry lake in Chennai’s Velacheri and the entire filming was done in 45 minutes.

We headed home and by evening, the one-minute film was ready. It was shot using a friend’s mini DVD handycam and the entire film costed us Rs 2,000,’’ said Bose.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Bollywood director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has revealed plans to make a biographical film on the life of Indian ace athlete Milkha Singh.

“There is so much darkness in today’s society. The youngsters today are looking for too much and, here in our backyard, we have something. There are some examples, which were burning once, but for me, burning even brighter today,” Mehra said. “His story has more relevance in today’s time then it had when he was winning all medals and breaking all world records,” he added.

Nicknamed the Flying Sikh, Milkha Singh is the only Indian athlete till date who has broken an Olympic record. Milkha Singh won Gold medals in both 200m and 400m events at the Tokyo Asian Games in 1958. At the Cardiff Commonwealth Games held the same year, he improved his 400m timing to 46.16 seconds, and grabbed a Gold medal again.

Titled Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Run Milkha, Run) the film would portray

75 years of Singh’s life right from his childhood in Pakistan and the Partition, apart from his achievements in sports.

Singh had lost his parents during the partition of the Indian subcontinent.

Ad filmmaker and lyricist Prasoon Joshi will team up with Mehra in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, which is the first biographical film to be made on a sports icon. “It is not a eulogy, it is not an attempt to make a documentary on him; this is an attempt to really see what goes behind the making of a great person,” said Joshi. The duo had worked earlier in Bollywood film Dilli 6 and the National Awardwinning movie Rang De Basanti.

Mikha Singh said the film would inspire youngsters to become great players. “I would be happy when India will produces more Milkha Singhs from its soil...I want that parents should watch the movie and inspire their kids to become more great players and make their country proud,” said Singh.

Milkha Singh

Bose, who hails from Muvattupuzha in Ernakulam district, entered the world of filmmaking after his B.Sc in Computer Studies and Masters in Communication from the Madras Christian College.

“My passion is to make films which can be used as an education tool, one for the community and not the usual commercial films. I have done a short film on the tribes of Gond in Orissa,’’ said Bose. He has by now made 10 short films, five documentaries and been an assistant director to leading Kerala adfilmmaker A.K.Vinod.

Documentary Today 51

Short filmmaker alleges plagiarism the storyline of LSD. After knowing about the whereabouts of his daughter Shruti, the father sends his kin to kill her husband and her. It is Shruti’s brother who chops the couple into pieces and buries them leaving no evidence, an incident inspired by a true story. In Udaan, the couple is shot dead in broad daylight on a beach and their bodies are left floating in the ocean.

The only relevance in Abhay Kumar’s claims is that both the films have been given the same treatment. But there are so many aspiring filmmakers who shoot the way LSD has been made, holding the camera freestyle.

Chandigarh-based short filmmaker Abhay Kumar has alleged that Dibarkar Banerjee’s path-breaking film Love Sex aur Dhokha’s first story was inspired from his short film Udaan, which has done the round of festivals in the last year and had won the Jury Award at the 2010 MAMI Film Festival. Abhay Kumar also claimed that he had gone to meet Dibakar at his office a few months back to assist him, but couldn’t meet him.

The first story of LSD has characters Rahul and Shruti, who are students of a film academy. Rahul is an aspiring director and falls in love with his heroine during the process of making their diploma film. In Udaan, there is no aspiring filmmaker and a heroine from an institute.

Dibarkar Banerjee has attempted to make a film, which never before has been made in the history of Indian cinema. PD cameras, CCTVs and a spy cam were used to make the entire film. Most of the visuals are shaky, as the camera is not supported by a tripod and is held by the characters.

Rahul and Shruti fall in love, run away and tie the knot because Shruti’s possessive father would have never allowed them to get married. In the short film, the lead actors run away and come to Mumbai because the hero of the film had stolen money from the heroine’s father. Still no connection to LSD.

Following his allegations Mehul Thakkar and Shweta Parande of IBN Movies, a Network 18 website, saw Udaan to find out if any of his allegations were true and came up with a comparative report.

52 Documentary Today

Moving ahead, Rahul meets Shruti’s father, and gives him a role in the film so that he allows his daughter to be a part of it. In the short film, no such thing....

Shruti calls her dad to confess she is married to Rahul, following Rahul’s advice to reveal their whereabouts to her father. Abhay Kumar does not have any such scenes nor does his plot touch

Anshuman Jha, who played the role of Rahul in the film LSD to get his point of view. After watching the film Udaan he said, “I didn’t see any love between the couple unlike Rahul and Shruti in LSD. The two characters in the short film are on the run - that’s it.

Maybe the filmmaker will get some mileage by this but it is not going to help in the long run. No doubt, his short film is very good and I am sure he is a very good filmmaker. I have gone to film institutes and I see people filming each other in the canteen, so-called making a film. That is how aspiring filmmakers start. Only thing which is common in Udaan and LSD is voyeurism”.

Shruti, who was paired opposite Anshuman Jha in the first story of LSD said, “I saw the film and there is no history about the characters in the film, there is no proper script. I would have been happy if the filmmaker would have made a full fledged story out of it. I don’t know what to say about this filmmaker. We are just actors who have done what we were told to do it. If he wants credit, just walk into the maker’s office. There is no point making unnecessary noise otherwise.”

CERN documentary film on the birth of the universe Bharat Gyan, a research compilation initiative by a Chennai-based couple along with an Indian scientist from CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research) have produced a film - Srishti Vjyana - that shows similarities between scientific findings and what’s written in Indian scriptures about the origin of the universe.

“We are trying to find parallels that will corroborate Indian scriptures and mythology related to universe with science. It’s quite a wonder to know that much of knowledge about the birth of universe already exists in India. And, this I find to be very intriguing,” said Dr Archana Sharma, an Indian physicist and a permanent staff member of CERN, Switzerland.

“We believe that perhaps the instruction manual of the Universe is present in our scriptures. However, it is written in a language that not many know of. For instance, Rig Veda written 3000 BC questions the birth of universe and also provides answers,” said D K Hema Hari, one of the founders of Bharat Gyan.

has been consistent for the last 20 years).

“The machine will start showing results only in another two years. You should understand that it took us 20 years to build the machine, which is 27 km in circumference and 100 metres below the earth surface,” said Dr Sharma.

She explained that the LHC grind will also revolutionise the Internet.

“We are still working on it. In another two decades, a person can plug the computer at any plug point and can access data,” said Dr Sharma, who added that the Internet was created at CERN to share data within the organisation.

Meanwhile, India, which is an observer state at CERN, may soon become an associate state with some flexible benefits.

Indian experimental film in Ann Arbor fest A short experimental film about the salt fields of Central Kutch in India was shown in the short films competitive category in the 48th edition of the Ann Arbor Film Festival of USA held from March 23-28, 2010.

Titled Scene 32, this 6 minute film by Shambhavi Kaul, maps the indistinct terrain that lies between a beloved place and the objects that represent it. The salt fields of Central Kaatch are examined through High Definition video and hand processed Hi contrast 16mm film to become another thing altogether: neither a specific place in India nor its representation, but a new landscape of unrecognizable precipices and gullies, an inhospitable territory of longing.

The bare frankness of HD alternates with the flawed beauty of the hand processed film to create a rebuilt world of untouchable textures and unfathomable scale, just as memory reconstructs places beyond their existence.

Bharat Gyan has just set up a fullfledged studio in the Art of Living premises in the City. It intends to produce a film and book on the knowledge of India every month. Hari also revealed plans to set up a museum displayingmodern and traditional view points about the universe and serve as a platform for both people from both viewpoints to interact.

Two weeks ago, CERN had announced that it had succeeded in creating the Large Hydron Collider (LHC), which could create as much energy as was present when the Big Bang is said to have occurred 13.7 billion years ago (a figure that

Shambhavi Kaul Documentary Today 53

Sexual Violence is central to Kanwar’s work Wayne, Ind., one of whom tracks down the émigré poet Tin Moe (19332007), a prison survivor. The third part is archival, with films secretly made in Myanmar of pro-democracy demonstrations. In one astonishing sequence, thousands of red-robed Buddhist monks fill city streets in silent protest.

Viewers are overwhelmed by Kanwar’s installation.

Although the filmmaker Amar Kanwar is highly regarded internationally, he’s not much seen on the glamour circuit.

He continues to live in New Delhi, where he was born in 1964. And his documentary-based art is unswervingly grounded in what he once called “issues of justice,” meaning social justice.

Amar Kanwar’s poetic and contemplative films explore the political, social, economic and ecological conditions of the Indian subcontinent. Interwoven throughout are investigations of family relations, sectarian violence, gender and sexuality, philosophical and religious questions, and the processes of globalisation. At the same time, however dark the content of his work, he is a vivid shaper of narratives, as the two ambitious pieces he has created in the past attest.

Kanwar’s first installation was an eight-channel video piece called The Lightning Testimonies, made its debut at Documenta 12 in 2007, and seeing it there was an intense experience. The installation wrapped around a dark, smallish room, so you had to keep changing positions to take in the images flashing by on different screens.

The experiences of female victims of 54 Documentary Today

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, under a brutal military dictatorship.

The show is dedicated to a Burmese bookstore owner named Ko Than Htay, who was imprisoned in 1994 for tearing out the first pages — on which were printed slogans from the military dictatorship — of all the books and magazines he sold.

Kanwar’s focus is on other single and collective examples of resistance inside and outside the country. The first and most complex section has six short films playing more or less simultaneously. Two are tributes to political martyrs: a high school student killed by Burmese soldiers in 1988, and a student leader who died in Mandalay Prison in 2006. A pair of segments was filmed in New Delhi. In one, the leader of the Burmese military scatters flowers at Mohandas Gandhi’s cremation site; in the other, a dissident Burmese artist carries a painting of Gandhi in an Indian political march. Finally, there are segments set in Oslo, where democracy advocates in exile have formed a small radio station called the Democratic Voice of Burma.

The installation’s second part is devoted to interviews with members of a Burmese community in Fort

The entire piece requires about an hour of viewing. With its three sections physically separated in a large gallery, it requires even more movement than The Lightning Testimonies. And because several segments are always playing at once, details are easy to miss. Perhaps in anticipation of this, Mr. Kanwar has produced a little book with the basic material in condensed form.

Among the first to have studied his work was the technician Gregor Luft who had supervised the installation of The Torn First Pages together with Sharon Lerner and Hansel Sato, two Documenta 12 art mediators from Peru. He pointed out that installing such a work requires continual study of it. He described how during the installation he grew ever closer to the piece, becoming fascinated by the factual details which Amar Kanwar uses to relate the story. Initially he only took notice of the aesthetic images, remaining unaware of the story they told. This approach, he warned, can only succeed for a few seconds, before you are drawn inexorably into the work.

Although the piece was unexpectedly relentless in its depiction of suffering, he nevertheless was not tempted to avert his gaze.

The installation, he contended, operates on three levels: Initially, it shows how narratives are passed on from generation to generation and eventually merge into the collective memory; secondly, it details the abstract and artificial manner in which such traumatic experiences are dealt with, e.g. translated into a theatre piece; and thirdly; it serves an educational function by helping

sexual violence is central to Kanwar‘s work. For example, in 1947 some 75,000 women were abducted and abused in the wake of the political unrest following the partition of the Indian subcontinent into Islamic Pakistan and Hindu India. The subject matter was harrowing, and the accumulation of first-person accounts of rapes, abductions and murders felt relentless even when relieved with images from nature.

The Lightning Testimonies explores ways to visualise and find a language to express such traumatic experiences.

It examines the possibility of forging an image as a memory and of showing how victims of violence can find a haven of contemplation and deeper understanding – beyond their trauma and its representation. All the biographies and personal accounts collected by Amar Kanwar on his travels through India and Bangladesh inform his video installation in a variety of ways: In the form of facts, poetry, song, theatrical performance and poetic images – such as a tree, a blue window or leaves. It is the lyricism of these images which facilitates an understanding of, and access to, the traumatic events of the past.

silent – which should not, of course, imply that these traumas do not exist.

According to Kanwar, the image of the blue window is intended as a metaphor for a repository which contains these narratives, whereas the installation overall acts as the confluence of these various individual narrative threads and experiences. Such an image, he explained, must also have the potential to symbolise the many unknown victims. For, as he pointed out, these experiences and the accounts of them appear to be disappearing from collective memory as there is no real place for them, and it precisely this which he is seeking to create with his installation.

Kanwar reported on one very intensive

experience which revealed to him that it is possible to express pain through beauty, or rather transform pain into wonderful images. This, he explained, manifests itself primarily in the image of the old woman who is weaving her friend’s agonising tale into the red fabric. At the same time, Amar Kanwar stressed that the manner in which she spoke about it revealed not only that it was a gruelling experience but also that there is way to come to terms with it.

But the real news is the recent New York premiere of an even more elaborately scaled piece, The Torn First Pages, a 19-channel film installation, which Kanwar worked on from 2004 to 2008 and that comes in three sections, each divided into several short segments. The subject is the struggle for democracy in

Talking about the production of The Lightning Testimonies Kanwar says that the circumstances and genesis of his video installation and on his search for an audience and meaning in images. He subsequently formulated two essential questions which were axiomatic in the creation of the art work: How can one come to terms with such brutality and how can one visualise it? And the second key aspect in his study of violence concerns the issue of what forms, words, images and vocabulary can be applied to relate the narrative.

Essentially he learned how individuals and societies deal with the traumatic events and adopt different approaches in coming to terms with the past.

Some suppress their feelings, other seeks solace in writing, singing or drawing, whilst many simply fall

Amar Kanwar Documentary Today 55

The Torn First Pages … Kanwar’s second video installation.

to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

Of all the images, the one which impressed him the most was that of the women protesting in front of a military base, which enabled him for the first time to empathise more closely with protesters. Having viewed all the images, he explained, he found himself becoming so emotionally involved that he could almost feel the pain etched in their faces, and sense not only the anger but primarily the strength, which lay behind it.

The two art mediators Sharon Lerner and Hansel Sato, in contrast, spoke of the significance of the work against the backdrop of Peru’s own recent violent history. Between 1980 and 2000 there were frequent armed conflicts between the State and terrorist groups such as Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path), claiming the lifes of over 70,000 56 Documentary Today

people.

Reports of the crimes and human rights violations were never made public, and the population never learned just how many people actually died.

Only as a result of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, which was set up in 2001, were people confronted with the past. And it was through these “public hearings” and the accompanying exhibition that the story was eventually reconstructed.

Contemporary eye-witnesses related of their painful experiences, forcing people to listen and reflect.

With images drawn from over 80 archives, the exhibition forged a visual path into the country’s recent history and rekindled once-forgotten memories. And it is this form of memory, argued Sharon Lerner, which offers an opportunity to find closure and healing.

Several visitors were shocked by the images, others angry. Some refused even to talk about what they had seen.

Hansel Sato spoke of the difficulties he encountered in describing the work without becoming emotionally involved. Kanwar ’s work holds relevance for everyone, everywhere, irrespective of country or language, he said. The crucial question now is what will happen to the work after Documenta 12. In his view, the installation no longer belongs to the artist, but in a certain way to each and everyone of us.

We are not a patient culture. We want our art fast, tasty and complete. Mr. Kanwar’s art, like much of the best video art today, just doesn’t work that way. You have to slow down, adjust to his time frame, and trust that he has memorable experiences to deliver. He does.

“Who is M.V.Krioshnaswamy?” Many had asked this question soon after the name had been announced for the prestigious V.Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award for 2010.

The present generation has not heard of him and with him ailing in Bangalore, unable to come to the festival in Mumbai to accept the high honour that had been bestowed upon him, it was impossible for them to realize who MVK was once upon a time. To those who can still remember those days – and there are very few of them – MVk was among the lesser known members of what came to be called the “Mysore Generation”, which included cultural greats like the Kannada icon Kuvempu, essayist Murthy Rao, writer Rajaratnam, philosopher Hiryanna, advisor to Indian prime ministers H Y Sharada Prasad, English professor C D Narasimhaiah, scholar T N Srikantaiah, cartoonist R K Laxman, novelist R K Narayan and photojournalist T S Satyan.

He was on August 8, 1923 at Belkavadi where his father was posted as the headmaster of the local school. In spite of that he started schooling fairly late and stayed long enough to complete three grades. He was then sent to Mysore to give his lower secondary examination. His grandmother, who

stayed there, entered his date of birth as December 8, thus “deleting four months of my existence”.

he wanted the state where he was in command to be the best in the world and not just India.

Those were wonderful days. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar was on the throne, albeit in his last days, and everything was right with the world.

MVK acquired an education because it was the right thing to do but there was no great emphasis on it. As he would recall years later, “That attitude was also seen in the high school examination of those days. People who did not get 35 per cent in all the papers got EPS (Eligible for Public Service), if you passed in all papers you were ECPS (Eligible for College and Public Service).”

Recalling his college days, MVK says, “I entered Maharaja’s College in the last decade before Independence. I was part of that institution from 1938 when I entered for my intermediate, till 1948 when I left for UK. For 10 years I was there as a student and a lecturer. I taught the last 3 years of my stay. That period was full of joy and happiness.”

According to MVK the most wonderful experience of that time was his vice presidentship years. Because it gave me a position, I was known among the students community.

MVK studied at the prestigious Maharaja’s College and though he got an EPS in the first year but soon graduated to the ECPS level. Of course, the ICS was the most valued examination but even more valued than it was the examination for the Mysore Civil Services, the MCS, which gave the person the opportunity to work with the Dewan Visvesvaraya who had a lot of say in how the state was run. Public life for him was not about serving the Maharaja, or the state of Mysore, but

Recalling the moment he says, “I became vice president in 1941 and (H.Y.) Sharada Prasad contested for the secretaryship in 1942. He was in Bangalore Central College as a science student, but he came to Mysore and took English Honours. By August ‘42 the Quit India movement started and Gandhi for the first time asked students to participate in the movement.” To cut a long story short the participation landed MKVK in jail. H.Y,Sharda Prasad recalls the moment, “The first two students to be picked up in Mysore

M. V. Krishnaswamy

A life well lived Documentary Today 57

were me and a friend called M.V. Krishnaswamy. I was the secretary of the University Union in 1942 and Krishnaswamy had been its vicepresident the previous year. Both of us were arrested early one morning well before sunbreak and taken to the Mysore sub-jail as detenus under the Defence of India Rules.”

With the Maharaja of Mysore Sri Jayachamerajendra Wodeyar.

With Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini in Italy

With Satyajit Ray and other cinema luminaries.

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Another memory of his college days is the time he acted in a film. Recalling his first film connection MVK says, “It was called Bharati and shot at the Navjyothi Studio. Since I asked them to seek permission from the university for me to be involved, in the credits line I was introduced as a ‘guest artist from the University of Mysore.’ The legendary Padmini was my co-actress.

There was also Surya Kumari. Film people were treated like scum. They had no respect in society. Because I was an actor nobody would respect me, with the result I decided not to miss a single lecture of mine. I would go give my lecture and come back. No student ever asked me questions about my acting in the class. We used to shoot all night from 12 to 4 a.m. then I would go home take bath, prepare for the class and be at the college by 10 a.m.”

Soon after graduation MVK marred Srirangamma who was the first women graduate from the Mysore State University. But marriage did not seem to hold him back. After a brief stint as a Professor of English he left for Europe for formal training in Cinema.

He is probably the only one from the Mysore state who went to Paris, London and Rome in the late 1940s to study film direction. In London he studied the production of documentary, instructional and children’s films and trained under greats like John Grierson (the legendary documentary filmmaker who pioneered the British documentary) and Mary Field (who was then head of the Rank Organisation’s Children’s Entertainment Division).

Moving to Rome he worked with the legendary Italian filmmaker Roberto Rossellini, thus becoming the first Indian to do so. He worked on the sets of the Ingrid Bergman and George

Award-winners at MIFF 2010 Best Film/Video of the Festival: Burma VJ Reporting From a Closed Country Best Debut: The Hunted – In Search of Home and Hope Best Student Film: Bejinxed Critics Award: Nero’s Guests

With Dr S. Radhakrishnan, then President of India.

Sanders starrer Viaggio in Italia. He returned to India in the mid 1950s and worked briefly with UNESCO on the use of film and audio visual aids.

He joined the Films Division in 1955 as Director and made his first films: Village and Women (1956), Vigil On The Seas (1956), Freedom on Wheels (1957), You and the Railways (1958), Bonds of Commerce (1959), Foreign Trade for Prosperity (1959), Promotion of Efforts (1959), Loveliest Fibre (1959), Mysore (1960), Dr Viswesvaraya (1960), Two Decades of Irrigation (1869), Towards Healthy Motherhood (1970), Self Reliance in Aeronautics (1975), In Step With The Future (1982).

In the 1960s he was promoted to the position of Assistant Producer. His best documentaries of this period were the ones on the former Dewan of Mysore Sir M Vishvesvaraya and veena maestro Doraiswamy Iyengar.

Both films are perennial classics of the genre.

During the late 1960s he also directed two Kannada feature films Subba Sastry (1966) and Paapa Punya (1971).

He tried to imbue a certain discipline in feature filmmaking but the films did not fare too well at the box office. He made a few more documentary films

but was made Executive Director of the newly-formed Directorate of Film Festivals in 1981. A story, , told of this time is that he made no less a filmmaker than Satyajit Ray stand in line with the others for the tickets to the festival. The story is probably apocryphal because it is doubtful if the courteous MVK would ever do such a thing or Ray would ever approach anyone for a favour.

The Directorship was his last official posting and he retired to his beloved Kusum Bhavan which stands at the intersection on Malleswaram 17th Cross in Bangalore. A couple of years ago a Films Division colleague former newsreel cameraman and director H.S.Advani, now no more, made a definitive biographical on him The Ripening Seed. His greatest fear is that he will become a “vegetable” just like Dr Radhakrsihnan did after his retirement. But at 87 he still has a razor-sharp memory. Though his body has become fragile his spirit is still indomitable.

He was probably the only one from Karnataka who had such a major presence in the country’s film institutions like the Films Division, the National Films Development Corporation, the Censor Board, the national film awards jury, the Film and TV Institute.

DOCUMENTARY (ABOVE 30 MINUTES) Best Documentary (Above 30 min): 17th August Second Best Documentary (Above 30 min): The Sun Behind the Clouds Special Mention: Nero’s Guests & Anwar—Dream of a Dark Night DOCUMENTARY (UPTO 30 MINUTES) Best Documentary (Upto 30 min): (Not Awarded) Second Best Documentary (Upto 30 min): I Found a Thread & Khanabadosh: A Vagabond In Spririt and In Reality ANIMATION Best Animation Film: Raah Second Best Animation Film: Ukadi Pukadi Special Mention: Lost Home SHORT FICTION Best Short Fiction Film: The Spell Second Best Short Fiction Film: Vitthal Special Mention: Are You Listening? & Ali and The Ball

Photos on page 62-63 Documentary Today 59

M.I.F.F. 2010: A Visual Journey

Festival Director Kuldeep Sinha welcomes Filmmaker Subhash Ghai who inaugurated the section on Students Films

Composer Ravi and filmmaker Basu Chatterji with Kuldeep Sinha at the inauguration of the Cinema Legends section.

Kuldeep Sinha escorts Randhir Kapoor and Parikshit Sahni to the screenings of the films on their legendary fathers.

Wildlife cameraman and filmmaker Naresh Bedi addresses a press conference while Media Co-ordinator Nitin Sapre looks on.

Shabana Azmi glances through the DVDs of Films Division films which were on sale at the FD counter.

Noted puppet filmmaker Sanjit Ghosh addresses a press conference while Festival Director Kuldeep Sinha looks on.

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M.I.F.F. 2010: A Visual Journey

Member of Parliament Ms Priya Dutt is greeted by composer Anandji while Festival Director Kuldeep Sinha, singer Sudesh Bhosale and Shameer Tandon look on.

Welcoming santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and his wife. Films Division has produced a film on the maestro directed

by Dr. Jabbar Patel, partially seen at the back.

Anil Kumar N. welcomes Mubarak Begum while filmmaker Bipin Chaubal looks on. Chaubal had earlier made a film on the singer for Films Division.

Film star Nandita Das released Vijaya Mulay’s, book From Rajahs and Yogis to Gandhi and Beyond. Also seen at the release are (from left) Kuldeep Sinha, a guest, Gargi Sen and Vijay Jadhav, Director, NFAI.

Festival Director Kuldeep Sinha welcomes veteran film star Biswajit to the festival.

Hindi film star Preity Zinta, Chhagan Bhujbal, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Shri K. Sankarnarayanan, the Honorable Governor of Maharashtra, at the closing ceremony.

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Open Forum

Rahul Jain, Mayura Amarkant, Father Lawrie, Jeroo Mulla, Jane Swamy and Priti Chandriani speak at an Open Forum on ‘Creating Documentary Culture’ held on February 4, 2010.

Nilotpal Majumdar, Lucia Rikaki and Beena Paul at an Open Forum on ‘Pitching: Getting Finance for Global Projects’, held on February 5, 2010.

Rada Sesic, Gargi Sen, Nikos Nikolaids, Rajat Barjatiya and R. Seshan at an Open Forum on ‘Taking Documentries to the Audiences’ held on February 7, 2010.

Manoj Srivastava, Heinz Dill and Lucia Rikaki at an Open Forum on ‘Single Window Clearance for Documentary Films’ held on February 8, 2010.

interactive sessions

Kuldeep Sinha, Mohan Sharma, Shabana Azmi and Moderator Dr. Satrupa Sanyal at the interactive session on ‘Changing Style of Acting’.

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Moderator Dr. Satrupa Sanyal, Anandji, Shameer Tandon, Ila Arun and Sudesh Bhosle at an interactive session on ‘Film Music Then and Now’.

Seminar

Suneet Tandon, Anand Patwardhan, Jahnu Barua, Madhushree Dutta, Bishakha Dutta and Mani Kaul at the first seminar on ‘Re-Defining the Documentary’.

Suneet Tandon, Deepa Dhanraj, R. V. Ramani, Miriam Chandy Menacherry and Kuldeep Sinha at the second seminar on ‘Working Environment of the Documentary Filmmaker’.

Suneet Tandon, Dr. Jabbar Patel, R. Krishnamohan, Reena Mohan and Beena Paul at the third seminar on ‘Establishing the Credentials of the Documentary Filmmaker’.

Suneet Tandon, Manoj Srivastava, Dr. Jabbar Patel, R. Krishnamohan, Jahnu Barua and Kuldeep Sinha at fourth seminar on ‘Creating a Mechanism for Government Accreditation’.

NFAI Sessions

The National Film Archives of India, Pune participated at M.I.F.F. 2010 with an elaborate exhibition of rare film posters.

Another NFAI presentation was the staging of the historic magic lantern show Shambarik Kharolika. NFAI Director Vijay Jadhav can be seen playing the tabla. On his right is Urmila Joshi.

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Award-winners at M.I.F.F. 2010

Alexander Gutman, Scriptwriter-Director of 17 August, collects the award for the Best Documentary—Film/Video (Above 30 minutes). All the awards were given away by Mr. K. Shankarnarayanan, Governor of Maharashtra in the presence of Festival Director Kuldeep Sinha.

Ritu Sarin, co-director of The Sun Behind The Clouds (with Tenzing Sonam) collects the award for the Second Best Documentary—Film/Video (Above 30 minutes).

Anwar Jamal, Director of Anwar - Dream Of A Dark Night was awarded a Special Mention in the category of Best Documentary—Film /Video (Above 30 minutes)

Deepa Bhatia, Director of Nero’s Guests was awarded a Special Mention in the category of Best Documentary—Film/Video (Above 30 minutes). Nero’s Guests was also awarded the Critics Awards by a FIPRESCI Jury.

Tulika and Mahvish Rahman, co-directors of Khanabadosh: A Nomad In Spirit And In Reality collect the award for the Second Best Documentary—Film/Video (Upto 30 minutes.)

An official of Whistling Woods International collects the IDPA Trophy for the Best Student Film/Video awarded to Bijinxed! made by the students of the Class of 2009.

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Sound recordist Lipika Singh collects the award for the Best Fiction Film/Video (Upto 75 minutes) for Gaarud (The Spell) on behalf of director Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni.

Director Vinoo Choliparambil and Child Artiste Aniket Rumade collect the award for the Second Best Fiction Film/Video (Upto 75 minutes) for Vitthal.

Scriptwriter-Director Geethu Mohandas is awarded a Special Mention in the category of Best Fiction Film/Video (Upto 75 minutes) for Kelkkunnundo? (Are You Listening?)

Scriptwriter-Director Alex Holmes is awarded a Special Mention in the category of Best Fiction Film/Video (Upto 75 minutes) for Ali And The Ball.

Sanjay Jangir collects the award for the Best Animation Film/ Video for Raah (Wait).

Avinash Medhe, Swarup Deb, Dhruva Rao, Anuj Kumar collect the award for the Second Best Animation Film/Video for Ukadi Pukadi.

All M.I.F.F. 2010 Photos clicked by

S.S. Chavan, A.J. Nakhwa , D.S. Naik Documentary Today  65

Competition Jury

The Competition Jury walks into the NCPA for the inauguration of the Festival. From left are Hindi film star Ms Asha Parekh, US-Vietnamese filmmaker Trinh T.Minh-ha, Indian filmmaker Dr S.Krishnaswamy, Italian filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi and (behind Ms Minh-ha) Dutch documentary producer Peter van Huystee. In the next photograph Jury members attend the inauguration of the Jury Retrospectives.

The Jury members attend a tea party hosted by Shri K. Shankarnarayan, Governor of Maharashtra. In the next photograph Jury members finalise the list of awards just before the closing ceremony. With them is Jury Secretary V.Pakirisamy

fipresci Jury

Kuldeep Sinha welcomes Ashley Ratnavibhushana (Sri Lanka) and M.C.Rajanarayanan (India), two of the three members of the FIPRESCI Jury. The third member was Necati Sonmez (Turkey).

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