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Hope floats
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Ashvin Kumar is keeping his fingers crossed over his film, Little Terrorist, which has been nominated for an Academy Award
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Scene from Little Terrorist: an acute commentary on artificial boundaries
THE ACADEMY AWARD nomination for Little Terrorist has been a "sheer vindication" for writer-director Ashvin Kumar. "I have been putting myself into a niche that does not exist," the soft-spoken director comments. "I have always felt when there is a market for other kinds of cinema like Pedro Almodovar's or Chinese martial arts films. Why is Indian cinema stuck with this popcorn-packaged entertainment that Bollywood is so well known for? I want to create a niche and the nomination is one of the best things to happen."
Ashvin's short film is about 10-year-old Jamal, a Pakistani boy who crosses the border by mistake. He seeks shelter in the home of Bhola, a Brahmin. Bhola's niece Rani is against sheltering a Muslim.
The 15-minute film is an acute commentary on artificial boundaries and the way of humanity, which always finds a way.
"I always wanted to make a film on the situation with our neighbours. I did not want to make a jingoistic film. When I read the news report of Vajpayee sending back a boy who had crossed the border by mistake, I thought it was a perfect metaphor. It juxtaposes the ironies of humane impulses and artificial borders. The film speaks of the concept of a border from a child's mind and the grown-up perception of a terrorist."
In five days
Shot over five days in a little village outside Jaipur, Ashvin recruited his crew in a unique manner. "It was a cold November morning when I posted my requirements on www.shootingpeople.org. I wrote, `I cannot afford to pay your airfare nor can I afford to pay you but go through my script and see if you would like to work on this project.' It was a pleasant surprise to see the stack of résumés waiting for me! But the exercise set the tone for the film — selflessness and purity."
Of the competition, Ashvin has only seen Wasp, which he says is "a fine film. To reach this level, it surely has to be the best of the best." Ashvin will be in Los Angeles on February 17 and his response to a question on lobbying is an emphatic "yes."
He qualifies it with: "The voting for the short film is very democratic — financial power does not translate into votes, there are strict rules and anyway I do not have that kind of money. So my lobbying is going to be more guerrilla style with emails and stuff — basically spread awareness about the film."
Little Terrorist has won a slew of awards, including the UIP Ghent Award at the Flanders International Film Festival and the first prize for the short film at the Montreal World Film Festival.
And the nominees for the Best Live Action Short Film are...
Everything in This Country Must: A Six Mile LLC Production. Director: Gary McKendry
Little Terrorist: An Alipur Films Production. Director: Ashvin Kumar
7:35 in the Morning (7:35 de la Mañana): An Ibarretxe & Co. Production. Director: Nacho Vigalondo
Two Cars, One Night: A Defender Films Limited Production. Director: Taika Waititi and Ainsley Gardiner
Wasp: A Cowboy Films Production. Director: Andrea Arnold
MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER
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