International Online Short & Docu film festival competition

The short film Aavruthi (Fence) directed by Sreehari Dharman was chosen as the best film in the IFFT-Orange Short and Documentary Film Festival that concluded on Wednesday, 23 September.

Jury Chairman PN Ramachandra has announced all six winners of the festival as follows: Second best film: Black Mark (director Gokul Ambat), Best Director: Sreehari Dharman (Aavruti-fence), Best Editor: Kiran KR (Atom), Best Cinematography: Arun Sekhar (AAVRUTHI-Fence) and Best Sound Designer: Shaiju M and Sony James (21 Days). Dr. Rekha Raj and Aditya Shankar were the other two jury members. The best film Aavruthi(Fence) was produced by K R Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts.

The three day Online Short and Documentary Film Festival was inaugurated by filmmaker Dr. Biju with an online speech. T. Krishnanunni, Chairman Orange Film Academy, presided over the function and later distributed the awards to the winners. “Any Film festival whether online or offline is judged as successful based on the number of people who watched it. This three day-online festival must have watched around 2,000 people. So, the IFFT-Orange Online film festival was a successful one.”

Festival Director and EMMRC Calicut Director Damodar Prasad presented the festival review. “IFFT-Orange Online film festival was a trend-setter as it was a successful experiment. It will also inspire all to experiment new possibilities. Online platforms will make sure international participation to enrich a festival”, he said. “Orange Film Academy has planned innovative experiments in film studies by taking it into an online venture. The Orange Film Academy is currently planning to bring international scholars and filmmakers to give important lessons and experiences to the students who want to attend film courses of the academy,” Damodar Prasad added. “Online media has opened a wide possibility for the spreading of both the film collectivity and film appreciation. The wider participation of new gen filmmakers in this Online film festival also indicated to what extent the young generation is oriented towards the online platform. There is no doubt Cinema as an industry, aesthetics and collective will have a bright future through the online platform. The newly emerging vibrant OTT platforms are also part of this” he added.

While presenting the jury report, Chairman of the jury, PN Ramachandra said that the online film festival conducted jointly by Orange Film Academy and Research Centre and IFFT was a unique attempt and one of its kind. “This is the first online film festival in India itself by reviving the film festival circuit that was forced to shut shop in the last few months. This is an expression of the time we are currently living in. It is often said that the calamities and distresses will bring the best of expression in ours. And movies are no exception. The 22 movies that participated in the film festival were a reflection of this.” he said.

“It was a great pleasure to watch films ranging from political to poetic, from the amateur experiment to skilled craftsmanship. The 22 films participated in the festival present us a cross section of thought and ideas of the society. Instead of polished work, I prefer a film that makes new enquiries, creates new pathways in Cinema,” said Dr. Rekha Raj, jury member.
“With the lockdown, we have definitely been more isolated than before but this Isolation is not isolation from the crisis of being but more of isolation along with our problems. We have been left alone or stranded to haplessly deal with our issues for instance the issue of living an equal life. Hence, I guess the brand new solitude of quarantine and ailment and healing that we live today is more political and challenging. Or we could say that the new time of the pandemic has only produced or pronounced a set of issues that we have been dealing with. We are deprived of distractions from reality in the hour we are passing. With illusions being bursted one by one we are left to face and witness the violence of governance and the apathy of policing more than before. So, in terms of art, cinema and literature that we encounter or that we create during this phase, I believe this issue should naturally find the nucleus latent in our imagination. This is the approach I had when I approached this film festival. Hence I also believe that the theme ‘Alone Together’ that this film festival puts forward kind of mirrors or echoes the dilemma of our times. We are alone in the crisis and together at least virtually in our protest.” said Aditya Shanker, third jury member.

“This online film festival is a remarkable movement in the history of spectatorship in Malayalam. For a number of reasons because we are in a very transitional phase of visual culture in our time because of the pandemic and the deadlock of human activity all over the world,” said Dr.C.S. Biju, Director, Centre for Media Studies (St. Thomas College). “At this Online International Film Festival based on ‘Alone Together ‘ designed by Orange Film Academy is immensely remarkable for its cultural intervention in the context of the political and cultural deadlock of the pandemic. And the imagination behind designing such a festival also is immense in the kind of effort and human resource put into it is also unimaginable. This festival is also amazingly interactive and the same time it brought together a significant number of contemporary filmmakers who can intervene in the political and cultural scenario of the moment. And many of the films address the present crisis of mobility, of disease and of terror. And on the other side the horrifying intervention of the state in various contexts,” he added.
“Orange Film Academy is a virtual academy that teaches around 14 film courses online,” said Cherian Joseph, Executive Director, IFFT and CEO of Orange Film Academy. The learning of the courses will be on online platform. In this venture, Orange Film Academy will have a tie-up with the St. Thomas College, Thrissur. The current scenario of Covid19 Pandemic has made it necessary to use online platforms for education. That is what Orange Film Academy is following. And the online platform which the Orange Film Academy has formed now is meant to turn into an OTT platform in future,” Cherian said. He also announced that all the undergoing film festivals of IFFT will be held in future on Orange Film Academy’s online platform. The upcoming folklore film festival and the IFFT, the second biggest film festival of Kerala, will be held online using Orange Film Academy’s online platform. A. Radhakrishnan, Trustee of the Orange Film Academy also spoke on the occasion. Mariam Paul, joint director of the Online Film Festival welcomed the guests. Gireeshkumar P.B., Executive Director of the Online Film Festival proposed a vote of thanks.

Shreehari Dharman (Best film: Aavruthi, Best Director) was awarded certificates and Rs.50000 cash prize (for best film), Gokul Ambat (Best second film: Blackmark) was handed out a certificate and Rs.25,000 cash prize (for the best second film). Arun Sekhar (Best Cinematographer- Aavruthi), Shaiju and Sony James (Best Sound Designers- 21 Days), Kiran KR (Best Editor- Atom) were also given certificates.

On the final day of the festival, apart from the screening of the competition films, Country Focus-Japan, Jury Chairman PN Ramachandra’s films were also screened. A webinar on ‘Creativity and crisis during Covid 19 pandemic’ was moderated by Damodar Prasad. “Covid 19 has made an unprecedented crisis. This has ravaged our economy and life like never before. After the lockdown, theatres and all are yet to open. How this pandemic has affected our creativity? Our creative expressions, creative thinking were all affected. Will this crisis help us to find new mediums and new expressions?,” presenting the subject, he said.
“I am trying to see what would creative imagination, or cinematic imagination be like in post covid? What does Covid experience going through this crisis of covid done to Cinema? What could be the different kinds of trajectories in which Cinema may develop? Basically the subject ‘Creativity and Crisis’ being the theme of this webinar, creativity has been facing a lot of deep crisis- in history deep crises like physical, social political spiritual crisis. Such as plague, war and natural disasters, plague- these crises have actually triggered human imagination. Because it makes uncertain certain status. Make all solutions and answers redundant and obsolete. Questions and crisis of the present pose challenges to humanity and human thought. Maybe that is the reason why people think out of box.
It disturbs the equilibrium of thought, complacency of human life, living and livelihood change track and think differently. Maybe this is a kind of coping strategy of human beings. We are imagining a different way of living together. Presently this Covid crisis has presently affected three core areas- movement, communication of exchange and interaction,” taking the subject to a new level, Dr. C.S. Venkiteswaran said.

Aditya Shankar, bi-lingual poet took this subject to a new level. “It is very far-fetched to say this is normal. New normal is very new. As a person, I feel the wholesomeness of being a person capable of speech and reaction is certainly not the same as before. As a creative person I am looking at an online medium which is always there with a new perspective. .Art and social distancing here probably shares some common genetic traits in the sense that by social distancing I mean a product of social crisis in which a person is denied the right to interact with others in normal ways. But there are invisible channels through art works. Art depends on a clap, or handshake or a pair of criticism…It could also be a response on social media platforms these days. You post a poem online and you get a reaction….Creation of art is done in isolation. An isolated person is also part of social fabric.” said Aditya Shankar.
Adithya Shankar, Dr. Sujith Krishnan, Kshatrimayum Premchand, Subhasis Chakraborty, Rekha Raj, Gireeshkumar P.B. also spoke. Earlier, the open forum based on the screened films in the competition section was moderated by Dr. C.S. Biju.

In the three day online film festival, thousands watched films online. During the Covid-19 pandemic, organising a festival online was a challenge overcoming the limitations created by the pandemic. Altogether around 62 films were exhibited online in the three day festival.
In the festival, there was a competition session that had a theme: ‘Alone, Together’. Altogether 22 films have been contested including 20 short films and two are docs. The eminent panel of jury is chaired by noted documentary filmmaker and teacher, Sri. P.N.Ramachandra and it has Dr.Rekha Raj, Academic, Dalit-Feminist Scholar and Writer and Sri. Aditya Shankar, bi-lingual poet and film critic as members.

Three open forums based on the competition films in the festival held in the three days. On 21 September, EMMRC Director and the Film Festival Director, Damodar Prasad was the moderator for the opening day’s open forum. All 22 directors who participated in the competition section also participated other than the specially invited guests. The second day’s open forum was moderated by Parshathy R Nath. Dr. C.S. Biju, the director of the Centre for Media studies, was the moderator of the final day’s open forum session.

The highlight of the festival was the inauguration session, at 5.30pm on 21 September, which was opened by Dr. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the renowned filmmaker who made a 7 hour long documentary on Czech New Wave Cinema’s pioneer Jiri Menzel, who came online from Mumbai Central and delivered a speech. Dr. K. Gopinathan, Academic Council member and faculty, Orange Film Academy invited Dr. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur for inaugurating the festival.

“I am happy to introduce a filmmaker who is a unique contributor to the art of cinema, that is Mr. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. His contribution to cinema does not only include making films that are very unique kinds of experiments in filmmaking. It is not just the length of the film he has made that make his film unique. The uniqueness of his films constitute the subject, the way he treats the film, the way he organizes the film are unique. He not only make films like ‘Czechmate: In search of Jiri Menzel’, or the ‘Immortals’ a long documentary of 100 years of odd history of Indian Cinema, but many other films also he had made – all these are a kind of deep delving into the soul of the subject that he is treating on the celluloid. In 2012, he made his first documentary, that is “Celluloid Man’ and that was a homage, a kind of recapturing of our beloved PK Nair’s contributions to cinematic art that is preservation and archival efforts of the doyen of Indian film history. Inspired by this great archivist PK Nair, he started an academy, a kind of foundation of Indian cinematic heritage and he has almost collected more than 500 films not only Indian films but films from all over the world which might have lost forever unless he approached and taken care of these prints and took custody of all these films and keeping in his custody, “ said Gopinathan.

“He was smitten by Jiri Menzel during his studentship in FTII and following that interest he travelled all over Europe and met hundreds of filmmakers from Europe in order to create this epic documentary on Czechoslovakian New Wave. Many of the film lovers may not be knowing that the Czechoslovakian New Wave during the 50s and 70s had a unique place in history of the world of Cinema. The glamourous movements of Italian Neo realism and French New Wave might have got all accolades but Czechoslovakian New Wave also deserve a big hand to the contribution to the cinematic art. Differing all the censorship, dictatorship of the then existing Communist regime, Jiri Mezel, Miloš Forman, Vera Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Pavel Jurácek and any other Czechoslovakian filmmakers made use of all kinds of genres absurdist humor, documentary realism, to subvert the operation of the existing regime in Czechoslovakia. “Czechmate: In search of Jiri Menzel made by Dugarpur will be screened in the festival. Born in Patna, he moved to Doon School and then to St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi and then to FTII. He followed cinema and Cinema also followed him. It was an exciting journey of filmmaking and an exciting creative journey and dedication to cinematic art which is represented by the person that is Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. I am particularly privileged to introduce this great filmmaker. “- Gopinathan added.

In his inaugural talk Shinvendra Singh Dungarpur explained about the incident which led him to make a 7 hour long documentary on Jiri Menzel and Czech New Wave Cinema.

“I would like to talk a bit about why I decided to do a film on Czech new wave. What is so special about Czech New Wave? So the story was years back when I was studying in the film institute in Puna. I was shown these wonderful films. But one particular film which I saw – Closely guarded trains’ by Jiri Menzel. When I finished seeing that film I had never seen a film which was talking about such a serious subject, literary about the war, about the time Czechoslovakia was in…but it was such lightness…such a comic timing…I think it was like feather falling off…It was a romantic comedy. At that point I was familiar with Bohumil Hrabal who was instrumental in being the source of many Czechoslovakian films and Jiri Menzel films. And it was Jiri Menzel who established Harbal as a writer. That film stuck in my mind. And I kept watching that film again and again. And I was fascinated with Czech New Wave. We were very familiar with French New Wave and German New Wave and Polish New Wave But my desire to meet Jiri Menzel was always there. When I became a successful filmmaker, I thought one day I will travel all the way and will meet Jiri Menzel, if he gives me time and allows me to meet him. After eight months of attempts, finally in 2010 I got an appointment to meet him at a cafe. That 30-40 minutes long meeting was the beginning of our relationship what went on to a film called Czechmate: a way to Jiri Menzel,” he said.

After explaining his personal experience, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur shifted his talk to the subject- “The Magical World of the Czechoslovakian New Wave”.

V.K. Joseph, Executive Council Member of Kerala Chalachitra Academy made a felicitation speech. “Orange-IFFT Online film festival will be marked in the history as a way how can we overcome a crisis and how can we use some possibilities to overcome a crisis. Through these online experience, we as human beings are overcoming a huge crisis,” Joseph said.
Orange Academy Chairman T. Krishnanunni, EMMRC Director and IFFT-Orange Online Film Festival director Damodar Prasad, St. Thomas College Principal Dr. Joy KL, Centre for Media Studies (St. Thomas College) Dr. C.S. Biju, Orange Film Academy CEO Cherian Joseph also participated in the inaugural ceremony. “This online festival is unique and different. There is homage to Jiri Menzel and Gaston Roberge. There are different films to be watched. This festival is very rich in content. All are going to be watched on an online platform. This will be sort of a benchmark for all film festivals. This festival is being conducted in association with Orange Film Academy also. Orange Film Academy is a new concept where we have various online courses on filmmaking. Courses are there in every department of filmmaking- sound design, editing, direction, cinematography, film appreciation, folk and cinema etc. Admissions are going on and the courses will be started from November 1,” said Krishnanunni.

“”It is a historical moment. I said it is historic in the sense that we are just six months after the Covid 19 pandemic lockdown. During the pandemic we all were forced to go back to our homes. In that time, all kind of human communications have been migrated to online platforms. Many international film festivals announced their interest in going online. Online streaming platforms also became very active. At this historical moment, the IFFT-Orange film academy film festival comes online. This will be noted historically for three things. This festival has a competition section with specific focus. This festival is very rich in content. The third thing is that this festival is organised by Orange film academy which is an academy which is going to start online programmes on film studies, filmmaking and film production etc. “ said Damodar Prasad.

“”I thank Orange Film Academy Chairman T. Krishnanunni for arranging an online venue of the film festival in the name of Jiri Menzel, who was a representative of Czech New Wave films, at St. Thomas College that is also a centre for creative freedom and free thought,” said Principal K.L. Joy. Festival E-Book was launched by Cherian Joseph by handing over it to C.S. Biju, Director of St. Thomas College Media Study Centre.

Mariam Paul welcomed the guests. GireeshKumar P.B., Executive Director, Online Film Festival proposed vote of thanks.

His 7-hour long documentary on Jiri Menzel, ‘CheckMate, the film that searches the roots of Czech New wave cinema through the life of Jiri Menzel,’ was exhibited on 22 September from morning 11am to 8pm. Many from different parts of India watched this documentary online.
On the inaugural day at 11AM, the festival began with the screening of Rabindranath Tagore, a documentary film made by Satyajith Ray in commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of India’s great filmmaker.
The festival held on two online venues named after late Dr. Gaston Roberge, the father of film studies in India and Jiri Menzel, the pioneer of Czech New Wave Cinema. The three day Online Film Festival had a competition and non-competition sessions. The major highlight of the festival was the tributes to two recently expired film personalities- Gaston Roberge, who is known as the father of film studies in India and Jiri Menzel, the filmmaker who is a pioneer of the Czech New Wave cinema. A retrospective on great Chilean documentary filmmaker Patricio Guzman held on 21 September from 11am to 4 pm in which his films- Astronomers from my Neighbourhood (Doc) 2010, Jose Maza, Sky Traveller (Doc) – 2010 , Maria Teresa and the Brown Dwarf (Doc) 2010m Oscar Saa, Technician of the Stars (Doc) 2010 and Chile- A Galaxy of problems (Doc) 2010- were screened.
In country focus-Japan three films- on 21 September Terrarium- Locker room (Short film) – 2019 and on 23 September The Sleeping Insect (science fiction)/ 2020 and Dead Vacation- were screened., Masters & classics on Norman Mclaren, select documentaries produced by the EMMRC, Calicut University and a session on jury chairman, PN Ramachandra’s short and documentary films.
As part of paying homage to one of the pioneers of Indian film and media studies, Fr. Gaston Roberge, a documentary ‘Master Preacher of film studies’. made on Fr. Gaston Roberge’s life directed by Sri. K.G.Das was screened on 22 September at 2pm. Before the screening of the film Dr. SomeshwarBhowmik, author and film scholar talked about the contributions of Fr. Gaston Roberge. Director KG Das and the documentary film’s producer Dr. Basudeb Mondal made an introductory speech from Kolkata online.

Jury Chairman, P.N.Ramachandra’s documentary and short films was screened as a separate package titled “Jury Chairman’s Films” on 23 September. In this session double life (short film), The Unbearable Being of Lightness (documentary), TikuTiku Director (Short film), COVID ANAND 2020 (short film), Heart Troubles of RamchandYavatmalTiruchinapalliAzamghar (short film), India Now !!(documentary) Our daily muck (documentary), Out of tune(short film) and Selfies with Siri (Short film) were streamed.

Select documentaries produced by the EMMRC, Calicut University and which have won recognitions will be presented in a separate session. Six documentaries- Diaries on blindness, Mangroves, She Paints, The Rhythms of Kerala – Maddalam, WayanadanRamayanam, and The pesticide trap- will be shown.

22 films to watch at IFFT-Orange Online Short and Documentary Film Festival

The International Online Short and Documentary Film Festival Competition jointly organize by Orange Film Academy & Research Centre and International Film Festival Thrissur (IFFT) will be held on 21,22 and 23 September. Altogether 22 films include both short films and documentary films, have been selected to the competition section of the film festival.

The list of films are as follows:

Titles and directors:

1. I want to learn(short film) – Premchand Kshetriyum
2. Unseen Angels(short film) Akhil Sasi
3. Late Nights (Short film) – Hari
4. My Screen is Black (Documentary film) – Subhasis Chakraborty
5. How much does your breath cost?(Short film)- Aneesh VP
6. Along With (Short film)- Sreevarun
7. Next You(Short film)- Rahul Ravi
8. Survive (Short film)- – Rejeesh Sarovar
9. #Rajesh (Short film)- Sumesh Mundakkal
10.21 Days (Short film)- Ramdas Kadavallur
11. ORACLE- A Travelogue of an Innocent Man (Documentary film) – Murali Krishna
12. Toddy Shop(Short film)- V K JINESH
13.I am fine (Short film)- Abhilash
14.1 Million Dollars (Short film)-Anoob Afsal
15. Nature striped (Manathukanni)(Short film)- Anandhu
16. Atom (Short film)- Kiran KR
17. Chathra (The student)(Short film) – Job Master
18. Black Mark (Short film)- Gokul Ambat
19. Worse than disease (Short film)- Rafiq raja
20. Fence (Short film)- Sreehari Dharman
21. Baton (Short film)-Dr. Sathish Malappuram
22. Life in Lockdown (Short film) -Eshan Harsh

The theme of the festival is ‘Alone Together’. “We have selected this theme of ‘Alone, Together’ as an emotion, feeling that could capture the virus infected times that we pass through. With the lockdown, the States were resolute in keeping people safe at their homes. But the homeless were an abandoned lot. Contact and Positive became words with negative and bad consequences,” the organisers said in statement here. “However, this deeper crisis also made us deeply aware of the importance of coming, joining and keeping together. ‘Alone, Together’ is about this struggle to reinstate and rekindle our passions for worldliness,” it added.

The best film will be given Rs.50, 000 and a certificate and the second best film will be given Rs.25,000. Certificates also will be given to the best director, the best cinematographer, the best sound design and the best editing. A national three-member jury was chosen to judge the best films and directors. The jury members include P.N. Ramachandra (Chairman, Jury), Rekha Raj (Jury member) and Aditya Shankar (Jury member).

Orange Film Academy is a virtual academy that gives training on various filmmaking courses such as Sound Design, Editing, Cinematography, Digital Film Making etc. The academy conducts UGC approved courses, certified courses and short term courses on film making. The online classes will begin from October 1.

This online film festival is considered as one of the pioneering attempt of conducting a short and documentary film festival on online platform. The festival is expected to bring the best works in both the short and documentary sections. The directors from all parts of India are participating in the festival. The link to watch the festival live will be given on the orange film academy website (www.orangefilmacademy.com)