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Ten-minute tales
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The recent screening of digital films by students revealed that powerful messages can be conveyed in a matter of minutes
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STUDENTS OF the digital filmmaking course at the SISI Training Centre, Guindy, are telling celluloid stories in as short a time as 10 or 13 minutes. And they are doing a good job of it, as a recent screening of six short films revealed.
"Tatvamsi" (Tamil - 10 minutes), conceived and directed by S. J. Siva, portrays how superstition can reduce a man to inaction and irrationality. The protagonist gets it into his head that God is intent on giving him directions. This belief has its origin in a chance encounter with a madman who involuntarily thrusts into his hand a sheet of paper that has these words: `God Will Show The Way.' This "piece of information" has a soothing effect on this youth, who is unemployed, alone and, to make matters worse, low on self-confidence. From then on, he awaits directions from God. And a succession of events solidifies his belief that God is directing his steps. As this conviction takes control of his thinking, he sees little value in initiative and effort. One day, his fertile imagination leads him to believe that his neighbour is an "enemy" who is out to kill him. In what can be called a pre-emptive strike, he disposes of "his dangerous neighbour." But the victim comes back to life. He makes a shocking revelation, "I am God. See, your superstitious mind has led you to kill me. Believe in yourself. Be the master of your own destiny."
"The World Is Against Us" (English - 8 minutes) by Issac Thomas says that one has to press on even if there are overwhelming reasons "to give it all up." The protagonist is involved in a hopeless battle against the midriff bulge. He wants to shed that extra weight, but all those around him seem to conspire against him and defeat his purpose. He is subjected to the ordeal of watching his family members down a lip-smacking dinner, his friends wolf down ice-creams and hoardings display and recommend mouth-watering eatables. These goodies seem to sap him of his determination to maintain a low-calorie diet. But he refuses to buckle under these pressures. And he finds the temptation vanish in the face of his steadfastness. The "world of gluttons" no longer bothers him. He realises he can succeed in spite of them.
"Vali" (Tamil - 13 minutes) by Bhagyaraj is about a young rag-picker who has developed a fancy for bicycles. The sight of a cycle is enough to send him over the moon. He makes a habit of letting his eyes glide over the different models displayed in a product-catalogue, which he has picked up from a rag heap. Touching a parked cycle is the only other luxury he can afford. He delights in these activities because it is clear to him that he will never be in a position to buy a cycle. Once, when the boy runs his hands over a cycle, the owner catches him "red-handed." He beats him up mercilessly, all the while calling him a thief. When the angry man has wheeled away, the boy chances upon a purse full of currency notes. A visiting card directs him to the cyclist's door. The boy hands over the purse, and as a parting shot, says, " I am not a thief." The film ends with a message: "Society's attitudes smack of hypocrisy. Those who defraud people to the tune of crores of rupees are hailed as leaders, but the poor are often unfairly branded thieves."
"A.. Aah" (Tamil - 15.30 minutes) by Satish, trains the camera on a girl who sweeps floors and washes dishes when she should be learning the three Rs - reading, writing and arithmetic. It portrays a day in her life. With a mother who is no more and a father who measures his life with liquor bottles, she has no option but to work her fingers to the bone (as a housemaid). As the camera follows her doggedly, the emaciated girl flits from chore to chore. As the sun sets, the girl wistfully watches a little boy being taught the Tamil alphabet "A... Aah... " by his mother. She then looks into the camera and spells out a message: "Poverty should not prevent the likes of me from getting an education."
"Therefore... .. I am" (English - 10 minutes) by K. Subramani and "Life Full of Cigarettes" (English - 8 minutes) by Arun Sukumar deal with complex subjects. While the first film records the self-expression of a woman's soul, the second seems to make out a case for rational, independent thinking.
Verdict: The films were not without their loose ends. For this reason, you cannot call them professional enough. But they were not far from it, either.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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