'I AM' - DEMOCRATISING FILM MAKING.... A NEW PATH FOR INDEPENDENT FILM MAKING IN INDIA
Print
Email
Bookmark
Posted By Meenu Chopra
On Feb 1, 2010
Categories:
Society and the Arts,
Over years I have heard stories from friends about being sexually abused as children or teens by friends, relatives and strangers. It has always made me angry. Recently I had come across the story of two child sexual abuse survivors Harish Iyre and Ganesh Nallari. Both brave enough to come out and talk about it.
Read More..
Posted By Meenu Chopra
On Feb 1, 2010
Categories:
Society and the Arts,
“I AM”
DEMOCRATISING FILM MAKING....
A NEW PATH FOR INDEPENDENT FILM MAKING IN INDIA
By Onir
How did “I AM “start? Why ‘I AM”? These are questions that I am asked all the time. I thought it was time I sat down and wrote for you why this film is so very special. And the reason I am writing this for you is with the hope that some of you will feel and see the way I do, or at least try and attempt to understand and make this film a special film for you too.
After my film “SORRY BHAI!” met with a sorry fate at the box office, because it got released a day after the 26/11 terror attack, I was really down for a bit. But the film maker in me did not let Onir feel depressed for too long, it kept whisperings “but there are miles to go before you sleep .....”
I was wondering what should be my next film. The various stories that came to my mind would not have any takers, as in financial backing for the traditional financers and corporate film making houses. Why? You might ask. Because somewhere down the line entertainment and art is thought to be only pop corn, minus its social obligation... that while entertaining (and by that it does not necessarily mean comedy) art exposes to a wider outlook to life and provides a window that make you look, see and hear. It entertains and enriches you as a human being. Since this film would not fall under the paradigm of what is perceived a as project it would not get funding. So what does one do? Cry and sulk about how unfair the system is or think of a way to work around it. That’s how the process of I AM began. It started with the film I AM ABHIMANYU.
Over years I have heard stories from friends about being sexually abused as children or teens by friends, relatives and strangers. It has always made me angry. Recently I had come across the story of two child sexual abuse survivors Harish Iyre and Ganesh Nallari. Both brave enough to come out and talk about it. It pained me to think that not a single mainstream Hindi film has addressed this issue. A society that prides itself for the family structure and value, we show a dismal figure of 53% of children getting abused. Out of which 21% is violent. Why this silence? How can we not raise our voice and fight for stronger laws to protect our children. Why does our national pride make us deny its existence and endanger our children further? It’s not our culture to teach children sex education.... but of course they are made into objects of sex by a huge section of the population.
But then how to make this film? Sanjay Suri, my friend and business partner in Anticlock films, told me that five years ago when I had still not made a film we dared to make MY BROTHER NIKHIL, the first mainstream Hindi film where the male protagonist was gay(The film also dealt with HIV). So what was stopping us now? So maybe I should think of it as a short story and we could raise money from various contacts.
That made me start thinking. Just a short film would not make me happy. I wanted this film to reach out to the cinema going audience. So I decided to work on a film which would have four different stories interconnected with each other through characters.
I AM – is a film on issues and dilemmas that afflict and bruise modern society in India India
I am Omar is a horrific tale on sexual discrimination involving blackmail and prejudice. It reveals how the police uses Article 377(law under Indian Penal code which criminalizes homosexuality) to harasses and blackmail gay men.
I am Abhimanyu is a short film about child abuse, its survivors and their loss of innocence. According to survey conducted by ministry of women and family welfare and UNICEF, 53% of children in India
I am Megha on the other hand is the story of two friends, a Kashmiri pundit woman and a Muslim woman, separated by conflict. In the late 80’s and early 90’s 300,000 Kashmiri Hindi Pundits had to leave the valley because of ethnic cleansing. This film is about loss of home and identity.
What this film portrays are people who are not just good, who do not always know what's right or do the right thing. But, in their vulnerability and brokenness is where their beauty lies.
To raise finance for the films I started to put posts on my facebook about the films and how people could become CO-OWNERS or CO-PRODUCERS by either investing or donating money for a film that strives to make a difference...... now we have over 300 hundred people from over 35 cities across the globe contributing and volunteering to be a part of this film.
I put up the first post in May 2009; by July 2009 we were shooting I AM ABHIMANYU. Today we have completed the shoot of the first three stories of the I AM series and planning to shoot the fourth I AM AFIA in Feb. Meanwhile we are raising funds and are completing the post production of the first three stories. We expect to release the film in the first half of 2010.
This is the story of I AM... A FILM THAT DEMOCRATISES THE PROCESS OF FILM MAKING.
Come and join us and become a part of I AM
To view the I AM videos, please click on the following links
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/30/I-AM-AFIA/1
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/28/I-AM-ABHIMANYU/1
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/29/I-AM-OMAR/1
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/27/I-AM/1
Onir is a filmmaker, producer, writer and editor who strives to reflect the more uncomfortable truth of our society through his cinema. Confronting sensitive and difficult subjects like homosexuality and sodomy, child sexual abuse in India and AIDS, his movies have certainly been a reflection of the rarely spoken of truth. www.iCOZFLIX.com, the public advocacy cinema venture fund promoted by iCONGO - Indian Confederation of NGOs, has been a pivotal partner in the I AM democratisation of Bollywood cinema initiative and intends to make this a long term model to promote meaningful cause related movies for sensitising public to social issues plaguing our nation and the world.
|
|
Posted By Meenu Chopra
On Feb 1, 2010
Categories:
Society and the Arts,
Over years I have heard stories from friends about being sexually abused as children or teens by friends, relatives and strangers. It has always made me angry. Recently I had come across the story of two child sexual abuse survivors Harish Iyre and Ganesh Nallari. Both brave enough to come out and talk about it.
Read More..
|
|
Posted By Meenu Chopra
On Feb 1, 2010
Categories:
Society and the Arts,
“I AM”
DEMOCRATISING FILM MAKING....
A NEW PATH FOR INDEPENDENT FILM MAKING IN
By Onir
How did “I AM “start? Why ‘I AM”? These are questions that I am asked all the time. I thought it was time I sat down and wrote for you why this film is so very special. And the reason I am writing this for you is with the hope that some of you will feel and see the way I do, or at least try and attempt to understand and make this film a special film for you too.
After my film “SORRY BHAI!” met with a sorry fate at the box office, because it got released a day after the 26/11 terror attack, I was really down for a bit. But the film maker in me did not let Onir feel depressed for too long, it kept whisperings “but there are miles to go before you sleep .....”
I was wondering what should be my next film. The various stories that came to my mind would not have any takers, as in financial backing for the traditional financers and corporate film making houses. Why? You might ask. Because somewhere down the line entertainment and art is thought to be only pop corn, minus its social obligation... that while entertaining (and by that it does not necessarily mean comedy) art exposes to a wider outlook to life and provides a window that make you look, see and hear. It entertains and enriches you as a human being. Since this film would not fall under the paradigm of what is perceived a as project it would not get funding. So what does one do? Cry and sulk about how unfair the system is or think of a way to work around it. That’s how the process of I AM began. It started with the film I AM ABHIMANYU.
Over years I have heard stories from friends about being sexually abused as children or teens by friends, relatives and strangers. It has always made me angry. Recently I had come across the story of two child sexual abuse survivors Harish Iyre and Ganesh Nallari. Both brave enough to come out and talk about it. It pained me to think that not a single mainstream Hindi film has addressed this issue. A society that prides itself for the family structure and value, we show a dismal figure of 53% of children getting abused. Out of which 21% is violent. Why this silence? How can we not raise our voice and fight for stronger laws to protect our children. Why does our national pride make us deny its existence and endanger our children further? It’s not our culture to teach children sex education.... but of course they are made into objects of sex by a huge section of the population.
But then how to make this film? Sanjay Suri, my friend and business partner in Anticlock films, told me that five years ago when I had still not made a film we dared to make MY BROTHER NIKHIL, the first mainstream Hindi film where the male protagonist was gay(The film also dealt with HIV). So what was stopping us now? So maybe I should think of it as a short story and we could raise money from various contacts.
That made me start thinking. Just a short film would not make me happy. I wanted this film to reach out to the cinema going audience. So I decided to work on a film which would have four different stories interconnected with each other through characters.
I AM – is a film on issues and dilemmas that afflict and bruise modern society in
I am Omar is a horrific tale on sexual discrimination involving blackmail and prejudice. It reveals how the police uses Article 377(law under Indian Penal code which criminalizes homosexuality) to harasses and blackmail gay men.
I am Abhimanyu is a short film about child abuse, its survivors and their loss of innocence. According to survey conducted by ministry of women and family welfare and UNICEF, 53% of children in
I am Megha on the other hand is the story of two friends, a Kashmiri pundit woman and a Muslim woman, separated by conflict. In the late 80’s and early 90’s 300,000 Kashmiri Hindi Pundits had to leave the valley because of ethnic cleansing. This film is about loss of home and identity.
What this film portrays are people who are not just good, who do not always know what's right or do the right thing. But, in their vulnerability and brokenness is where their beauty lies.
To raise finance for the films I started to put posts on my facebook about the films and how people could become CO-OWNERS or CO-PRODUCERS by either investing or donating money for a film that strives to make a difference...... now we have over 300 hundred people from over 35 cities across the globe contributing and volunteering to be a part of this film.
I put up the first post in May 2009; by July 2009 we were shooting I AM ABHIMANYU. Today we have completed the shoot of the first three stories of the I AM series and planning to shoot the fourth I AM AFIA in Feb. Meanwhile we are raising funds and are completing the post production of the first three stories. We expect to release the film in the first half of 2010.
This is the story of I AM... A FILM THAT DEMOCRATISES THE PROCESS OF FILM MAKING.
Come and join us and become a part of I AM
To view the I AM videos, please click on the following links
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/30/I-AM-AFIA/1
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/28/I-AM-ABHIMANYU/1
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/29/I-AM-OMAR/1
http://www.idishoom.com/VideoComments/5/27/I-AM/1
Onir is a filmmaker, producer, writer and editor who strives to reflect the more uncomfortable truth of our society through his cinema. Confronting sensitive and difficult subjects like homosexuality and sodomy, child sexual abuse in India and AIDS, his movies have certainly been a reflection of the rarely spoken of truth.
Add Comments
0 Comments
|
