Day two of 17th Manhattan Short
Film Festival created quite a stir as film lovers and short film aspirants
thronged to Sitara Studio, a quintessential theatre platform which is hosting
the Indian chapter of this festival that travels across six continents.
Screenings of ‘Vote For India’ short film winners and global finalists coupled
with a one of its kind opportunity to interact with film personalities made day
two a must-attend for every avid film lover.
Saturday afternoon commenced with
an exceptional workshop with acclaimed film critic Bhawana Somaya who recently
debuted as a film maker in collaboration with ‘Vote For India’ initiative
winner Stalin Massey. The workshop ‘Film Critic turns Filmmaker’ charted out an
atypical transition of a film critic to film making. The attendees at the workshop welcomed a
chance to gather the thought process of a seasoned film critic but a novice
film maker and her off the beaten path change over. The chai break that
followed bustled with energy as the conversations among the budding short film
makers appearing to giving shape to many more creative ideas besides the
exchange of takeaways from the festival workshops and screenings so far.
Soon the short film genre took
centre stage as the day progressed with a big screen showcase of another ‘Vote
For India’ winner ‘Seductive Berozgaari’ directed by Stalin 'Bertie' Massey.
The film with a fantastical touch is the story of an unemployed young man who
encounters a genie in a radio who grants him three wishes. The treatment of the
events that unfold appealed to the audience who decided the fate of films that
participated in the Manhattan Short ‘Vote For India’ initiative organised in
collaboration with Vivanta by Taj, and made ‘Seductive Berozgaari’ emerged as
one of the winners.
Besides the value adding
workshops, film buffs seized the opportunity to watch ten crème de la crème
short films that are the global finalists in the competitive category of this
travelling short film extravaganza. The exhilarating lineup of films that compete
on a global map proved to be an inspiration and an incredible learning
experience for every aspiring film maker in India. Film goers came together to
watch films that were all under 18 minutes starting from Ben Brand’s Dutch film
‘97%’, Alix Lambert’s & Sam Chou’s American graphic-novel-style documentary
titled ‘Crime’, Josh Soskin’s Mexican film ‘La Carnada’, Bexie Bush’s British
film ‘Mend and Make Do’, London based filmmaker Sameer Patel’s drama ‘On the
Bridge’, French director Thierry
Lorenzi’s thriller ‘On/Off’, James Croke’s Australian film ‘Shift’, Moon
Molson’s American emotional drama ‘The Bravest, the Boldest’, Andreas Thaulow’s
Norwegian thriller ‘The Fall’, to director Erik Schmitt’s German film ‘Rhino
Full Throttle’.
The evening session opened with
the workshop on ‘Rainbow Stories - Queering Indian Shorts’ with Sridhar
Rangayan from Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. He emphasized
on the importance of encouraging independent cinematic voices of ‘queer’
subjects, an umbrella term used with pride within the homosexual and
transvestite, transgender and lesbian community. Rangayan who is the festival
director of India's only mainstream LGBT festival suggested that such subjects
are often gripped in the clutches of discomfort and disdain in our country and
need to be viewed in a different and more comforting light. ‘Silvatein’
directed by Arati Raval-Pandey was another gem, winner of the ‘Vote For India’
initiative that was screened late evening on Day two. The subject which is skillfully dealt with
and appealed everyone present at the screening, brought out the relationship
based intricacies of a couple who get confined together due to an indefinite
curfew as a result of communal riots.
On receiving an overwhelming
response on Day two, Mr Anil Sadarangani, Festival Director of Manhattan Short
in India shared, “The joy of seeing Manhattan Short India prosper year after
year is inexplicable. The India chapter in its 5th year is being looked upon by
patrons as well as participants of short film genre as an integral platform to
showcase and hone the young talent. It was Vivanta by Taj’s unfailing
commitment and support to the ‘Vote for India’ initiative that helped us march
forward with the unique idea to let the audience be the ultimate jury. The
encouraging results are for everyone to see.”
After a day full of movies and
some master tips on a wide array of movie making, the vibe at Sitara Studio was
filled with love and passion for cinema. Manhattan Short 2014, India chapter,
scheduled from 3rd October 2014 to 5th October 2014 at Mumbai is casting a
spell on the Indian movie buffs and opening their horizons to the world short
film cinema genre. The first two days delivered more than what they promised as
film buffs soaked in every bit of the cinematic delight offered by the three
day festival. The the short film genre enthusiasts in particular were looking
forward to what day three has in store. Whether the magic continues on the last
and final day of the festival, day three will unveil.
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