A film is an art, a friend, tool and passion, says Ibankyntiew Mawrie ahead of Shillong’s first festival showcasing the creativity of independent filmmakers of the Northeast
Film as dream, film as music. No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.
– Ingrid Bergman
SINCE ITS introduction in the 1880s, whether it was during our good times or bad, films have often played an unappreciated yet supportive role in our lives. When we were bored and stuck at home, a good comedy was always there to make us laugh. As a teacher, films have helped us increase our knowledge about the world without having to step out of our homes. History, geography, travelling or even dating tips, a film was always there to provide us with the answer. An evening out to a good film helped many impress their dates, thus playing the role of what we now know as a wingman.
I for one, am pretty sure that many of my fellow earthlings wouldn’t have been around if one parent had failed to impress the other by choosing to go someplace else rather than the Cinema Hall. In other words, films have often been the best friend for those who didn’t have dogs, diamonds or a reliable human around them.
Apart from being a good companion, film also happens to be a powerful tool. A tool, which when used, has helped in shaping many thoughts and ideas throughout the years. A tool used in both constructive and destructive ways.
While Adolf Hitler used the documentary film “Triumph of the Will” as propaganda to garner more support for his cause in Germany, Al Gore made people realise the threat to our planet from Global Warming with his documentary film, “An Inconvenient Truth”. In India, films like “Rang De Basanti”, “Lage Raho Munnabhai” and “Baghban” encouraged the Indian public to stand up against government apathy on various occasions and taught them to form a stronger bond with their aged parents.
While the films mentioned above had big names and financing to back them up, one cannot avoid the importance of smaller independent films (Indie films) these days. Among recent times, one independent film that made its previously unknown director, cast and itself famous and turned the spotlight on an important issue is “The Hurt Locker”. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film bagged six Oscars in 2010 including one for best director and directed the audience’s attention to the regular troubles and risks faced by the often ignored soldiers of the bomb squad in a war zone. Other actors that have made a name for themselves through Indie films include Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (Good Will Hunting), Ellen Page (Juno), Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World) and Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs).
In India, independent film making was introduced in the 1940s with pioneers like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Chetan Anand, Mrinal Sen, Guru Dutt and V Shantaram making films with strong social messages that grabbed both the audience’s and the critics’ attention. Chetan Anand’s “Neecha Nagar” (1946), based on Russian writer Maxim Gorky’s “Lower Depths”, and dealing with the issue of the differences between the rich and the poor in society, bagged the grand prize at the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Since then Indie films in India started growing steadily winning several international awards before facing a decline in the early 1990’s due to rising costs, piracy and the growth of commercial films with big star casts and television. Indie films were also ignored as they lacked the so-called “entertainment value” which commercial films had and producers were not interested in financing something that did not guarantee any investment returns.
Independent films started to experience a resurgence in the country in the early 2000s with the coming in of new directors and the audience’s willingness to open up and accept different genres of films. A few of the Independent Films that were widely appreciated and talked about include: Mani Ratnam’s “Yuva” (2004), Aparna Sen’s “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” (2002), Nagesh Kukunoor’s “3 Deewarein” (2003), Anurag Kashyap’s “Dev.D” (2009), Vikramaditya Motwane’s “Udaan” (2009) and Sooni Taraporevala’s “Little Zizou” (2009).
Northeast India, which has been often ignored or thought about as a militant hub and underdeveloped has also had its fair share of independent film makers who have struggled hard to follow their passion of independent film making. Cultural issues, financial insecurity, personal security, under development, lack of proper facilities, transport, equipment, understanding, enthusiasm and support from the government are regular hurdles that these few film makers overcome to follow their dream. Their films focus on several issues and are a window to the region for the national and international audience. A few of them have also bagged several awards like Oinam Doren’s “Songs of Mashangva” and Thokchom Borun Singh’s “The Silent Poet”, which have been recognised at the national awards.
These film makers are not only following their dreams and working for social awareness but also are an encouragement to the other aspiring film makers who want to follow their dreams and are constantly discouraged. Their films also help in bridging the gap between the Northeast and the rest of the country.
From August 1-3, the Mass Media Department of St. Anthony’s College, Shillong, will hold the first Indie8 Film Festival. The festival will be a platform for showcasing and celebrating the work of several independent filmmakers from the north-eastern region, and is aimed at recognising their work, spreading awareness about filmmaking and encouraging other aspiring filmmakers. The festival comes at a time when Meghalaya is undergoing a change in film culture. The state this year witnessed the introduction of the first ever Khasi Film Awards, a huge step forward for the film industry of the state which has come a long way from only film viewing to film making.
The Mass Media Department, established in 1995, has trained several filmmakers and students involved in the process of filmmaking. This year, with the Indie8 Film Festival, the department aims to promote a serious film viewing culture among the audience and further help and encourage students and aspiring film makers understand film making and create future opinion makers who could shape a better country/world.