From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Self-taught filmmaker from Assam, Rima Das, whose film Village Rockstars will be India’s official contender for Oscars 2019 in the Best Foreign Language Film category, says her dream to see her creation in big festivals has already come true.
“It’s a wonderful feeling that Village Rockstars, first-ever Assamese language film selected (among 28 films) as India’s official film to the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. But the recognition at the national film awards and the film having premiered at global film festivals, including Toronto Film Festival last year, is like accomplishing what I had once dreamt,” Das told reporters hours before the premiere here on Thursday.
“Besides, the support, be it through appreciation or through funds from various sections of society, has already made me feel like a winner. About Ocsars, I would say we have to be practical at this stage and not emotional as there will be a number of films in the category. I would say that even if the film is nominated, I would not be less than the award itself,” Das, who also has two other films to her credit, said.
The film, which follows the dreams of children in rural Assam, is a fiction and will be released across cinemas in the country from Friday.
The 37-year-old from Chaygaon in south Kamrup, where the film was shot and the cast picked from, had made the movie on a shoe-string budget. There was no professional crew and it took Das four years to complete the film.
“I cannot tell you the exact amount spent on the film. I just had a digital camera which was my lone partner and the money was required every three months, four months and six months. It was on sound recording that a substantial amount from the budget was spent. So I guess, the total expenses including transportation would be between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh,” Das said.
The film, according to the jury, she said, would require about Rs 3 crore for promotion ahead of the Oscars. The Assam government has recently announced Rs 50 lakh for promotion of the film in the run-up to the Oscars next year.
“I am grateful to the state government for the support. Besides, I am thankful to people who encouraged me to make the film. So far, no money has been spent on marketing and promotion of the film and whatever has been done has mainly happened through the media,” she said.
On the inspiration to make Village Rockstars, Das said, “Children and their simple joys of life, their ways of experiencing nature and their dreams inspired me to come up with the story.”
Village Rockstars follows the story of a 10-year-old girl, Dhunu, who dreams of owning a guitar and forming a band with a group of boys.