Short films about Mumbai submitted for the Dimensions Mumbai contest by under-25s surprise Deepa Gahlot by their dark tones.
"Mumbai… the city of dreams" is a line that recurs often.. a city always in a rush, is a theme that attracts young filmmakers.
To recap, the International Film Festival of Mumbai, in its 10th edition, introduced a Dimensions Mumbai, a contest of five-minute films on the city, open for film/media professionals or students below the age of 25. The response was overwhelming—82 films at last count, some had to disqualified because the filmmaker was too old or too young, or submitted the film in the wrong format.
But 82 different young visions of Mumbai threw up quite a few surprises. Except for local trains, crowded streets and beaches, there were none of the clichés about Mumbai one might – no films about the dabbawala or Ganpati, for instance! The local train blasts popped up often, but not a single film about the Page 3 culture, Bollywood or shopping frenzies in malls—hardly a glance condescended to the glamour or glitter of Mumbai.
The young filmmakers mined the streets and hovels of the city to come up with films that dripped sympathy for the underdog, the lonely immigrant, the street urchin, the homeless, the poor and the hungry. All the people our commercial and even multiplex films and prime time television has long forgotten.
This is probably not the Mumbai we'd like to sell as a tourist destination—but this is the aspect of the city that most concerns young people.. perhaps a few of them picked up dark subjects because they had the impression that festival juries go for 'cause' films.
But it's not possible that all of them had the same idea at the same time.
The other remarkable thing was that almost all the films were well-shot, well-edited, often with creative use of sound. And they all had a point of view.. some could state it clearly, some in heavily-accented muddled voice-overs, but their compassion shone through. 'Amateur' or 'immature' are not words that would come to mind easily to describe these films.
At least some of these young people will seek careers in films and television… so maybe the future is not as hopeless as it seems today.
(Deepa Gahlot curated the Dimensions Mumbai package for the MAMI Festival. The short-listed films will be screened at Imax, Wadala, on March 11 at 11 am, the three winners will be announced on March 13)
Courtsy: Hindustan Times & Deepa Gahlot
"Mumbai… the city of dreams" is a line that recurs often.. a city always in a rush, is a theme that attracts young filmmakers.
To recap, the International Film Festival of Mumbai, in its 10th edition, introduced a Dimensions Mumbai, a contest of five-minute films on the city, open for film/media professionals or students below the age of 25. The response was overwhelming—82 films at last count, some had to disqualified because the filmmaker was too old or too young, or submitted the film in the wrong format.
But 82 different young visions of Mumbai threw up quite a few surprises. Except for local trains, crowded streets and beaches, there were none of the clichés about Mumbai one might – no films about the dabbawala or Ganpati, for instance! The local train blasts popped up often, but not a single film about the Page 3 culture, Bollywood or shopping frenzies in malls—hardly a glance condescended to the glamour or glitter of Mumbai.
The young filmmakers mined the streets and hovels of the city to come up with films that dripped sympathy for the underdog, the lonely immigrant, the street urchin, the homeless, the poor and the hungry. All the people our commercial and even multiplex films and prime time television has long forgotten.
This is probably not the Mumbai we'd like to sell as a tourist destination—but this is the aspect of the city that most concerns young people.. perhaps a few of them picked up dark subjects because they had the impression that festival juries go for 'cause' films.
But it's not possible that all of them had the same idea at the same time.
The other remarkable thing was that almost all the films were well-shot, well-edited, often with creative use of sound. And they all had a point of view.. some could state it clearly, some in heavily-accented muddled voice-overs, but their compassion shone through. 'Amateur' or 'immature' are not words that would come to mind easily to describe these films.
At least some of these young people will seek careers in films and television… so maybe the future is not as hopeless as it seems today.
(Deepa Gahlot curated the Dimensions Mumbai package for the MAMI Festival. The short-listed films will be screened at Imax, Wadala, on March 11 at 11 am, the three winners will be announced on March 13)
Courtsy: Hindustan Times & Deepa Gahlot
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