A Dark Hall
Rows and Rows of seats
Thousands of people
One Screen which enthralls them all – The Cinema
This is the magic of cinema, which was brought to India by Mr. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, affectionately called, Dadasaheb Phalke.
This is the story of how he made the first film of India, which started the Indian Film Industry, which today employs over lakhs of people, generates crores of revenue, gives birth to stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Kajol, Madhuri Dixit, earns recognition for the country and most importantly reaches out to thousands and thousands of human beings all over the globe to fascinate them with the Magic of Cinema…..
Today, this feature film which tells the Story of How the First Feature Film of India was made, is India’s official entry to the Oscars this year.
Harishchandrachi Factory (Harishchandra Factory)
Director : Paresh Mokashi Year : 2009 Duration : 96 min
Country : India Language : Marathi Subtitles : Yes
• Synopsis
Year 1911. British rule in India. Leader of the Indian Freedom struggle Lokmanya Tilak was in Mandalay prison. Gandhi, Nehru and Ambedkar were yet to arrive in the Indian Political scenario. Things were at a nascent stage.
A simple man, deeply passionate about art and a student of the J.J. School of Art, was working with the Archeological Survey of India.
In 1905-1906, he like many other illustrious Indians gave up his government job, in protest of the Bengal Partition. Unemployed, he started a Printing Business, which he abandoned after a quarrel with his partner. He did not ask for any compensation; on the contrary, he gave his word to the worried partner that he would never enter into printing again and would never compete with him! As a result, Phalke was unemployed and struggling to survive. One day he accidentally came across a tent theatre that was screening silent motion pictures, an absolutely new concept, which no one knew existed. The idea struck him. He decided to make films himself.
With a hardworking wife and two enthusiastic kids by his side, he ventured into a field unknown to contemporary India. The making of India's first feature film, 'Raja Harishchandra', was an amazing adventure. Funny, crazy and grave situations- Phalke family overcame everything. With the help of their cast and crew, not only did they deliver the first Indian film, but also made sure that it became the first super hit film!
• Note on The Director :
Paresh Mokashi has been associated with theatre for the last twenty years. He started as an actor in the well known theatre organization, Theatre Academy, Pune. He was part of main stream Marathi drama as well as Grips theatre, (Berlin) & Theatre Academy coproductions
for children. Then he shifted to writing-directing and received good reviews from critics and tasted wide commercial success. Sangeet Debuchya Muli, Mukkam Post Bombilwadi and Lagnakallol are a few of his plays which are known for experimentations in vivid yet atypical humour. Apart from show business he is involved in objective research on ancient scriptures like
the Vedas, Ramayan and Mahabharat. 'Harishchandrachi Factory' is his debut film.
• Statement from Osian’s-Cinefan
Sometimes history appears right in front of you and you simply cannot ignore it. Harishchandrachi Factory is one such instance. A film, in fact the first film to narrate the story of how the first film of India, Raja Harishchandra, was made in 1913. Raja Harishchandra was
to be the beginning of the world’s largest film industry, churning out over 800 films a year.
So historical was the film – Harishchandrachi Factory – that it had to be the centerpiece of an Outreach Programme which seeks to involve children with cinema. What makes the film delightful is that it portrays the birth of cinema in the most simple, humourous and
enjoyable manner – so that the millions whom cinema has enchanted over the years are fascinated by the story of its birth too.
Harishchandrachi Factory is a tribute to the first feature Film maker of India – Dadasaheb Phalke. An interesting anecdote to mention here is that in the year 1914, after he had made three films, Dadasaheb Phalke had a special screening of his films in London. Following
this he received offers to make films and stay in London. But he refused all of them saying, “I must keep making films in India so that it gets established as an industry at home”. And the rest, as they say, is history…
FILM BRIEFING SESSION
The Wonder of Imagination
Imagine…
Dreams…
Think…
These are the emotions that propel man to go beyond himself. Every discovery, every invention, was a product of imagination & necessity. Without imagination man’s life would have been lifeless. The mind constantly imagines, is constantly lost in thought…
This imagination made man love stories – of Gods, Goddesses and Demons and People, of Places far and wide, of love, belief horror and magic. Stories which made man happy and sad; which inspired and empathized. Through stories man entered a world where his mind was engaged with thoughts – which inspired him to explore life further. This fascination for stories led to dance, drama, music, writing, poetry and ultimately to CINEMA
Today, all of us can make films – technology has made this possible. But what is cinema?
Cinema is the science of making still pictures move so that they appear to be in movement. How does this happen? This happens, because as the Roman poet Lucretius explained in 65 B.C., the human eye retains the image of every objects it sees for 1/25th of a second after it moves away also. That means, if you see a pen and if is moved away, you will still see it in front of you for 1/25th of a second. This helps create an illusion of motion in our vision while seeing things, which is the scientific principle of cinema.
So, is Cinema all Science?
No while the principle of cinema is scientific, the concept of cinema, which is storytelling is artistic. Thus cinema is a brilliant symbiosis of science and art where science has been utilized to its optimum to express artistic creativity.
Think of how cinema has mesmerized audiences all over the world. But, do we know that story? Harishchandrachi Factory is the very story of how the first film of India was made. Very simple, without jargon, it is at one level, the story of the struggle of a human mind to explore imagination and use it to bring joy and awe to thousands. At one level, that is what cinema is all about
The film, among other issues, also touches upon the subject of patriotism and duty to the nation. Often this is credited only to industrialists, national leaders and the defense forces. But Phalke demonstrated his own patriotism, much like what a common man can do. In 1906 he gave up his lucrative government job in protest of the Bengal partition of 1905. Later in 1914, after he made his first three films, he turned down an offer to stay and make films in England because as he said, “I must keep making films in India so that it gets established as an industry at home”.
So the next time you go to watch a film, do think of the man whose vision brought cinema to India – Dadasaheb Phalke.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Film Festival - Class VIII
Lights, Camera and ACTION!
Thus begins the action of films - full of energy, enthusiasm and unending passion, cinema is much
more than shooting scenes to narrate a story. While films narrate stories, do you know of
innumerable stories of films itself – of hope, passion, desire and persistence? One such story on the films is Supermen of Malegaon.
A vivid and endearing account of filmmaker Sheikh Nasir’s attempt to make Malegaon’s own version of the Hollywood blockbuster Superman, Supermen of Malegaon pays a tribute to all those passionate men and women in Malegaon who in spite of all difficulties have given creativity and art a chance in their lives!
Supermen of Malegaon (Supermen of Malegaon)
Director : Faiza Ahmad Khan Year : 2008 Duration : 79 min
Country : India Language : Hindi & Urdu Subtitles : Yes
• Synopsis
Over a hundred miles outside of Mumbai in the textile factory town of Malegaon, director Nasir has thrilled the local public with his homemade spoof films. In their most ambitious project to date, Nasir and his hard working group of actors, writers, and crew set out to shoot "Superman of Malegaon", a story about a hero sent down the river to save the town.
Documentary filmmaker Faiza Ahmad Khan chronicles Nasir's hilarious attempts to overcome a myriad of unseen challenges from dropping his camera in the water to his lead actor getting married. Through it all, Nasir and his team use their creativity to forge ahead. SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON will remind even the most cynical moviegoers of the sheer joy and excitement inherent in films and filmmaking.
• Note on The Director
Faiza Ahmad Khan completed a postgraduate diploma in Social Communications media from Sophia Polytechnic in May 2003, after which she worked as a production executive in an advertising company. In 2004 she began her freelance career as an assistant on short films and documentaries. She has worked with Manish Jha as chief assistant director for the feature film Anwar. This is her first full length documentary.
• Statement from Osian’s-Cinefan
This year, the focus of the School Outreach programme (Story of Cinema) was decided by two remarkable films which were submitted to the Festival – Harishchandra Factory & Superman of Malegaon. Both the films are on filmmaking, set in completely different times, yet not very different in its chronicling of filmmaking. Supermem of Malegaon was an inevitable choice – it simplifies the art of filmmaking to this nature that it can inspire everyone to embark on that path: of giving one’s own creativity a chance.
Creativity is inherent to all – it sees no barriers of age, caste, social standing, education or the like. But many of us in the grind of life and in our own nonchalance often ignore this God Gifted quality and allow it to decay. Supermen of Malegaon is above all a Tribute to Creativity and the passion to pursue it.
FILM BRIEFING SESSION
A superman within each of you!
Listen to this story…
In a corner of the country, in a small town, there are over one lakh power-looms. This city produces 1 crore meters of cloth daily with lakhs of people working in them. These people repeat the same mechanical action for over 14 hours everyday in hot, humid and difficult conditions. Very poor, this is their only source of livelihood. This is how life is for majority of the population in this town.
Every Friday is eagerly awaited, though. For it is the weekly off, when the power loom workers give vent to the tiredness of the week and relax. Though they have little money they engage in small pleasures which give them respite from the drudgery of the week. One such engagement is cinema. Films run house full in this town. Every other person is a film buff. Salons are specialized in giving Shah Rukh Cuts & Amitabh Hair makeover. Video parlours flourish. In this town there is a growing group of people who have take forward their passion for films – they have begun to make films. Innovative creative films, based on the Bollywood Blockbusters, have been the hits in this town. Everyone participates – the loom worker, tea shop owner, and grocer, tailor – become camerapersons, technicians, light men and production assistants – and go on to make films that are simply loved by the local audience. They face a lot of problems, though – financial constraints, outdated equipment, lack of knowledge – but still they move on in the belief that the film has to be made and their creativity has to be nurtured. They work on Fridays and many a times at low or no pay – for the satisfaction that the film gives them. Such is the story of creativity.
Listening to this story how many of you feel inspired to explore your own creative urges? We do not have such constraints, yet how many of us are willing to walk the extra mile to fulfill our hobbies? The story narrated above is that of Malegaon, a town which has seen over the years unemployment, communal tension, worker unrest, economic downturn, degradation of quality of life and more recently, as you would know, the horror of terror. Yet they stand up against all odds to make something that will make them happy and see life, even if for brief moments in a lighter shade.
This story is one which inspires each of us to give the Superman inside us a chance to express and explore – who knows where this journey may take us!
Thus begins the action of films - full of energy, enthusiasm and unending passion, cinema is much
more than shooting scenes to narrate a story. While films narrate stories, do you know of
innumerable stories of films itself – of hope, passion, desire and persistence? One such story on the films is Supermen of Malegaon.
A vivid and endearing account of filmmaker Sheikh Nasir’s attempt to make Malegaon’s own version of the Hollywood blockbuster Superman, Supermen of Malegaon pays a tribute to all those passionate men and women in Malegaon who in spite of all difficulties have given creativity and art a chance in their lives!
Supermen of Malegaon (Supermen of Malegaon)
Director : Faiza Ahmad Khan Year : 2008 Duration : 79 min
Country : India Language : Hindi & Urdu Subtitles : Yes
• Synopsis
Over a hundred miles outside of Mumbai in the textile factory town of Malegaon, director Nasir has thrilled the local public with his homemade spoof films. In their most ambitious project to date, Nasir and his hard working group of actors, writers, and crew set out to shoot "Superman of Malegaon", a story about a hero sent down the river to save the town.
Documentary filmmaker Faiza Ahmad Khan chronicles Nasir's hilarious attempts to overcome a myriad of unseen challenges from dropping his camera in the water to his lead actor getting married. Through it all, Nasir and his team use their creativity to forge ahead. SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON will remind even the most cynical moviegoers of the sheer joy and excitement inherent in films and filmmaking.
• Note on The Director
Faiza Ahmad Khan completed a postgraduate diploma in Social Communications media from Sophia Polytechnic in May 2003, after which she worked as a production executive in an advertising company. In 2004 she began her freelance career as an assistant on short films and documentaries. She has worked with Manish Jha as chief assistant director for the feature film Anwar. This is her first full length documentary.
• Statement from Osian’s-Cinefan
This year, the focus of the School Outreach programme (Story of Cinema) was decided by two remarkable films which were submitted to the Festival – Harishchandra Factory & Superman of Malegaon. Both the films are on filmmaking, set in completely different times, yet not very different in its chronicling of filmmaking. Supermem of Malegaon was an inevitable choice – it simplifies the art of filmmaking to this nature that it can inspire everyone to embark on that path: of giving one’s own creativity a chance.
Creativity is inherent to all – it sees no barriers of age, caste, social standing, education or the like. But many of us in the grind of life and in our own nonchalance often ignore this God Gifted quality and allow it to decay. Supermen of Malegaon is above all a Tribute to Creativity and the passion to pursue it.
FILM BRIEFING SESSION
A superman within each of you!
Listen to this story…
In a corner of the country, in a small town, there are over one lakh power-looms. This city produces 1 crore meters of cloth daily with lakhs of people working in them. These people repeat the same mechanical action for over 14 hours everyday in hot, humid and difficult conditions. Very poor, this is their only source of livelihood. This is how life is for majority of the population in this town.
Every Friday is eagerly awaited, though. For it is the weekly off, when the power loom workers give vent to the tiredness of the week and relax. Though they have little money they engage in small pleasures which give them respite from the drudgery of the week. One such engagement is cinema. Films run house full in this town. Every other person is a film buff. Salons are specialized in giving Shah Rukh Cuts & Amitabh Hair makeover. Video parlours flourish. In this town there is a growing group of people who have take forward their passion for films – they have begun to make films. Innovative creative films, based on the Bollywood Blockbusters, have been the hits in this town. Everyone participates – the loom worker, tea shop owner, and grocer, tailor – become camerapersons, technicians, light men and production assistants – and go on to make films that are simply loved by the local audience. They face a lot of problems, though – financial constraints, outdated equipment, lack of knowledge – but still they move on in the belief that the film has to be made and their creativity has to be nurtured. They work on Fridays and many a times at low or no pay – for the satisfaction that the film gives them. Such is the story of creativity.
Listening to this story how many of you feel inspired to explore your own creative urges? We do not have such constraints, yet how many of us are willing to walk the extra mile to fulfill our hobbies? The story narrated above is that of Malegaon, a town which has seen over the years unemployment, communal tension, worker unrest, economic downturn, degradation of quality of life and more recently, as you would know, the horror of terror. Yet they stand up against all odds to make something that will make them happy and see life, even if for brief moments in a lighter shade.
This story is one which inspires each of us to give the Superman inside us a chance to express and explore – who knows where this journey may take us!
FILM FESTIVAL - CLASS VII
The whole of life is but a moment of time.
It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it.
Greek Scholar Plutarch
The essence of life is to keep trying to better what you are, better what you have, so that when you come to the end of it you have made the best of life. This is what every human being tries to achieve in this journey called life. Since childhood one is taught to work hard, avail every opportunity, make best of every available resource so that you climb a step above where you were when you were born.
The aspirations from this struggle are different –
A child in a well to do family in a metropolitan city aspires to establish a business when he grows;
For an old woman in the rugged landscape of Afghanistan, this never went beyond being able to buy a blanket to protect her from the cold winds at night; For a landless labourer in the deep interior villages of India, it is to have a small piece of land he can call his own And
In Belitong Island, Indonesia: for two dedicated teachers and a group of ten motley students it was all about having an opportunity to make education a part of their lives…
And they build the story of the Rainbow Troops!
Rainbow Troops (Laskar Pelangi)
Director : Riri Riza
Year : 2008
Duration : 124 min
Country : Indonesia
Language : Bahasa Indonesia
Subtitles : Yes
• Synopsis
The island of Belitong, Indonesia. Two teachers, Muslimah and Harfan, eagerly await the beginning of the new school year and the arrival of their new pupils. At least ten pupils need to attend their Muhamaddiya Islamic primary school, otherwise the educational authority will close them down. No wonder they are both nervous. Fortunately, ten students end up registering for school - most of them being children from families of poor day laborers at the tin factory. Muslimah decides to call the group of first graders the "rainbow troops." Following the children over a period of five years, we observe as these children struggle for the right to make their
dreams a reality.
• Note on The Director :
Born in 1970, Riri Riza graduated from the Jakarta Arts Institute in 1993, where he majored in film directing. His final film project, Sonata Kampung Bata, won third place in the 1994 Oberhausen short film festival. He has worked on several documentaries, music videos and TV films. Riza directed his first feature film, Kuldesak, in 1998, collaboratng with Mira Lesmana, Nan Triveni Achnas and Rizal Mantovani. His solo debut project was Sherina's Adventure. Together with Mira Lesmana, he has also become a film producer. Riza studied screenwriting in
England, and then wrote his first screenplay Eliana, Eliana. His other films include Gie, Untuk Rena and Three Days to Forever.
• Statement from Osian’s-Cinefan
The true nature of life is to exceed oneself in all of our efforts. Rainbow Troops, is chronicles the endless efforts of the children and teachers at the Muhammadiyah elementary school to make the best out of life and to live it to the fullest. Their ups and downs, achievements and
failures are reminiscent of the struggle that each of us undertake to fulfill our dreams in life. And this commonality establishes a universal understanding of one man for another and an empathy for each other’s dreams, aspirations and struggles. This film has been chosen not for the educational component which is the crux of the story but for the larger emotions and journeys it portrays – which in due course of time become the true lessons of life.
FILM BRIEFING SESSION
Reach for the Rainbow
Many of you would have asked yourself or been asked this question: What do you want to be in life? Doctor, who can help everyone get better; or Teacher who would impart knowledge to others; Engineer, and build great buildings and superb machines; or probably a Filmmaker, and make films that mesmerize audiences. Some will not have an answer just as yet – nothing specific they would say, but something good…
We all need a purpose in life – a purpose that motivates us, inspires us to work hard to attain it. Do you remember how hard you worked to come first in the exams, or your endless practice sessions for the dance competition; or how many books you read for the Quiz Competition or the endless practice sessions and workouts for the cricket tournament. Through all this you would have encountered numerous obstacles, which you would have tried your best to solve and move ahead. Think of all these things when you see the children in Belitong work hard to fulfill their dreams… Do you find any similarity in their and your struggles?
Do you remember that friend who while taking a brilliant catch injured his hand and could never play in the school team again? Or the young boy who works in your neighbour’s house as a servant so that he can earn money for his family in a remote village in the country? Have you seen laborers tolling in the heat of the day to build flyovers whose children can never go to school since their parents are perennially being displaced? Do you think that they have failed in life?
What is the true meaning of success? Is it being able to attain your dreams? Or is success something which can only be understood in relative terms, and never judged? Ask your parents if they have ever left a dream they had? Why did they do it, what were the reasons?
Many things are taken for granted in our life – a happy home, loving parents, good education, tasty food, birthday gifts, enjoyable outings and much more. But there are many children in many parts of the world who do not have these things for granted. In fact these very things are a luxury for them. Do you wonder what life for them must be like?
Look around, think about how different life appears for you, the boy form the nearby slum who begs at the traffic signal, the old aunty who sells tea at her small shop in the corner of the road and your parents who have been able to give you the life you live today.
Doesn’t life seem very different to you now? Yet what is similar in all these lives? That one keeps trying keeps working so that when we come to the end of life we feel that it is a time well spent.
This is the premise of Rainbow Troops!
It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it.
Greek Scholar Plutarch
The essence of life is to keep trying to better what you are, better what you have, so that when you come to the end of it you have made the best of life. This is what every human being tries to achieve in this journey called life. Since childhood one is taught to work hard, avail every opportunity, make best of every available resource so that you climb a step above where you were when you were born.
The aspirations from this struggle are different –
A child in a well to do family in a metropolitan city aspires to establish a business when he grows;
For an old woman in the rugged landscape of Afghanistan, this never went beyond being able to buy a blanket to protect her from the cold winds at night; For a landless labourer in the deep interior villages of India, it is to have a small piece of land he can call his own And
In Belitong Island, Indonesia: for two dedicated teachers and a group of ten motley students it was all about having an opportunity to make education a part of their lives…
And they build the story of the Rainbow Troops!
Rainbow Troops (Laskar Pelangi)
Director : Riri Riza
Year : 2008
Duration : 124 min
Country : Indonesia
Language : Bahasa Indonesia
Subtitles : Yes
• Synopsis
The island of Belitong, Indonesia. Two teachers, Muslimah and Harfan, eagerly await the beginning of the new school year and the arrival of their new pupils. At least ten pupils need to attend their Muhamaddiya Islamic primary school, otherwise the educational authority will close them down. No wonder they are both nervous. Fortunately, ten students end up registering for school - most of them being children from families of poor day laborers at the tin factory. Muslimah decides to call the group of first graders the "rainbow troops." Following the children over a period of five years, we observe as these children struggle for the right to make their
dreams a reality.
• Note on The Director :
Born in 1970, Riri Riza graduated from the Jakarta Arts Institute in 1993, where he majored in film directing. His final film project, Sonata Kampung Bata, won third place in the 1994 Oberhausen short film festival. He has worked on several documentaries, music videos and TV films. Riza directed his first feature film, Kuldesak, in 1998, collaboratng with Mira Lesmana, Nan Triveni Achnas and Rizal Mantovani. His solo debut project was Sherina's Adventure. Together with Mira Lesmana, he has also become a film producer. Riza studied screenwriting in
England, and then wrote his first screenplay Eliana, Eliana. His other films include Gie, Untuk Rena and Three Days to Forever.
• Statement from Osian’s-Cinefan
The true nature of life is to exceed oneself in all of our efforts. Rainbow Troops, is chronicles the endless efforts of the children and teachers at the Muhammadiyah elementary school to make the best out of life and to live it to the fullest. Their ups and downs, achievements and
failures are reminiscent of the struggle that each of us undertake to fulfill our dreams in life. And this commonality establishes a universal understanding of one man for another and an empathy for each other’s dreams, aspirations and struggles. This film has been chosen not for the educational component which is the crux of the story but for the larger emotions and journeys it portrays – which in due course of time become the true lessons of life.
FILM BRIEFING SESSION
Reach for the Rainbow
Many of you would have asked yourself or been asked this question: What do you want to be in life? Doctor, who can help everyone get better; or Teacher who would impart knowledge to others; Engineer, and build great buildings and superb machines; or probably a Filmmaker, and make films that mesmerize audiences. Some will not have an answer just as yet – nothing specific they would say, but something good…
We all need a purpose in life – a purpose that motivates us, inspires us to work hard to attain it. Do you remember how hard you worked to come first in the exams, or your endless practice sessions for the dance competition; or how many books you read for the Quiz Competition or the endless practice sessions and workouts for the cricket tournament. Through all this you would have encountered numerous obstacles, which you would have tried your best to solve and move ahead. Think of all these things when you see the children in Belitong work hard to fulfill their dreams… Do you find any similarity in their and your struggles?
Do you remember that friend who while taking a brilliant catch injured his hand and could never play in the school team again? Or the young boy who works in your neighbour’s house as a servant so that he can earn money for his family in a remote village in the country? Have you seen laborers tolling in the heat of the day to build flyovers whose children can never go to school since their parents are perennially being displaced? Do you think that they have failed in life?
What is the true meaning of success? Is it being able to attain your dreams? Or is success something which can only be understood in relative terms, and never judged? Ask your parents if they have ever left a dream they had? Why did they do it, what were the reasons?
Many things are taken for granted in our life – a happy home, loving parents, good education, tasty food, birthday gifts, enjoyable outings and much more. But there are many children in many parts of the world who do not have these things for granted. In fact these very things are a luxury for them. Do you wonder what life for them must be like?
Look around, think about how different life appears for you, the boy form the nearby slum who begs at the traffic signal, the old aunty who sells tea at her small shop in the corner of the road and your parents who have been able to give you the life you live today.
Doesn’t life seem very different to you now? Yet what is similar in all these lives? That one keeps trying keeps working so that when we come to the end of life we feel that it is a time well spent.
This is the premise of Rainbow Troops!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
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