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Sathyam Cinemas in association with the
Indian Independent Filmmakers Foundation will launch with the
first annual indie film festival and unconference, titled 'i'
between September 3 and 7, 2007 at Six Degrees.
The curtains for 'i' will go up on Monday
morning with the premiere of Kaushik Roy's 'Apna Aasman',
starring Irrfan Khan, Rajat Kapoor and Shobana.
Bharatbala's much-acclaimed 'Hari Om' will premiere as the
closing film for the week-long festival of independent films and
shorts.
What is i? "It's 'i' with a lower case, a
small, humble i… It’s an attempt to bring the focus back to the
film-maker in a largely star-driven system,” says K Hariharan,
film-maker and director, L V Prasad Film and TV Academy, as he
explains the need for a movement for indie film-makers.
"Out of the 825 films we make, 600 are
disasters. And they are not art films," Hariharan points out.
"So, we can't say only formula films work and the niche films
don't. This platform is to bring different kinds of film-makers
together for a common cause - to create an environment that is
conducive for new stories and fresh storytelling."
Most films made in India are independent
films because we don't have the studio system. Instead, we have
a star-based system.
"The idea of the unconference is to bring the
film-maker back to the limelight and to collectively understand
the system better, just so that we can see what can be done from
within to promote the spirit of free thought and original
ideas," says
Balu Mahendra, veteran indie film-maker.
Opening session:
The unconference and film festival will begin
with a panel discussion on 'Freedom from Formula' led by Balu
Mahendra, director Cheran, Kaushik Roy and the 'Bheja Fry'
director Rajat Kapoor. The stars of the film, Irrfan Khan and
Dhruv P. Panjuani, will attend the premiere.
"What is indie cinema? Is it defined as the
work of an auteur or a result of an economic distinction?" asks
Mahendra.
Director Cheran believes it is time for indie
filmmakers to come together to create a system that will empower
them through information. "Where do we find information on
box-office collections, theatre occupancy or film festivals?
With the right kind of information, I could have taken my films
the extra mile," he says.
Discussion on data banks:
The Chennai Chapter will soon tie-up with a
movie portal to collate data on local movie halls and
multiplexes along with reservation details for the sake of
coordinating scheduling of films. This will be a challenging
task but with a powerful network spread throughout the country,
we will be able to put together a system that will let any
film-maker member in any city to access the theatre charts and
see which film has been scheduled/booked for what time of the
year.
The Information Bank will also make available
updates on film festivals along with guidelines and deadlines
for film-maker members to be a part of the IIFF delegation from
India. The IIFF is also planning on involving multiplexes in
supporting independent cinema through ad support, visibility and
theatre space.
Film Clubs and Script Clinics:
The unconference will also address the need
to groom and nurture indie cinema and film-makers with a
brainstorming on Film Clubs and Script Clinics.
"There are 153 visual communication
departments in the state," Hariharan observes. "Many of them
have fantastic auditoriums. The need to start Film Clubs that
will provide the platform and revenue for short and documentary
filmmakers."
Film-maker Revathy is excited about the
concept of Script Clinics.
IIFF is in the process of getting on board a
panel of 20 established, critically acclaimed, reputed,
award-winning film-makers from the industry and through an
auditing agency ensure that any writer can send in his script
(in a standardised format within the guidelines set -
one-page-a-minute on Final Draft/Celtx) and get it evaluated by
a committee of 5-6 experts from the panel which would rate it
objectively (more so when they don't know whose script they are
reading).
The writer could either take those
suggestions and submit them back to improve his rating, discard
their observations completely or use the rating to convince a
producer about the merit of the script.
"Quality scripts will push fresher ideas,
convince stars/producers and help produce quality cinema," says
Anand Krishnamurthi, film-maker.
"We're also looking at creating awareness for
people to become script entrepreneurs - promoters who would
commission scripts by writers and push the writer hard to
improve ratings and graduate to becoming executive producer of
the film or selling it to a film-maker and producer by getting a
good deal for the copyrighted script."
"One of the advantages is that we get to
share resources and information with each other," says Chetan
Shah, director of 'Framed'.
Closing session:
The festival will close with Bharatbala’s
highly acclaimed ‘Hari Om’ starring Vijay Raaz, that has won the
audience award in eight of the 40 film festivals it has been
showcased at around the world.
The final session of the unconference will
focus on the activities to keep the IIFF movement going in
Chennai. The IIFF aims to start a conversation with the industry
with the launch in September. The idea is to involve the biggest
multiplexes, film production companies, film-makers, stars and
distributors in a dialogue to support indie cinema and work from
within the system rather than be seen as a rebel cinema or
bitter outcasts nursing grudges against big banners.
The seating is free, on a first come first
served basis. For bookings, call 4224 4224/ 9382118103 or email
iiffchennai@gmail.com.
R Rangaraj |
