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Breaking all walls
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Robert André's documentary film is a tribute to an educational programme inspired by JK's philosophy
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LYRICAL BALLAD Robert Andre's encounter with the children and other inhabitants is creatively woven against the specific context of their family, traditions, and folklore
Strangely, for someone whose academic grounding was in such varied disciplines as literature, philosophy and psychology, California-born Robert André found his real calling in documentary films. If the University of San Diego initiated him into the world of literature, the University of Louvain, Belgium, got him a degree in philosophy. His return to the U.S. lured him to work in the field of psychology for the State of California but before long, he had decided to return to Europe and settle in France, to focus his work on the arts.
"In France, he initially studied acting and directing under Ludwik Flaszen, but later on moved to pursue film and video with Philippe Ros and Jacques Pigeon. This led to his maturing as a freelance cameraman for a number of independent films before he ventured into making his own documentary films including Waltzing, which was filmed in wartime Bosnia, and Forbach Opus II, a lyrical ballad contrasting a festival of new music along the French-German border with the closing of coal mines in the region. André's documentary and fiction screenplays include L'Apero, Kiss Me I'm Serb, You Are Here, Tears of the Rhine and Waltzing.
For the past four years, André has shifted his focus on India, working on several film and video projects in Orissa, Pondicherry and Bangalore. "My first encounter with India was via its village life," he recalls. "The fishing villages along the southeast coast, the rural areas of Orissa, and the arid hills of Andhra Pradesh... In all of the villages the first striking feature was the children... I watched in admiration the beauty, the grace and ingenuity of the people of this very ancient culture. It was as if I could see something of the fertile ground of humanity from which all else grows."
André's latest film, School Without Walls, is a tribute to the Rishi Valley Institute for Educational Resources (RIVER) programme. Based on an individualised teaching-learning method inspired by the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti, the RIVER programme seeks to develop answers to many universal questions on education. According to Andre, the programme addresses the "concerns of each of us regarding the development of our own children and therefore our own society".
An 86-minute documentary produced by Mosaique Films, Paris, School Without Walls is both an enchanted voyage and an onerous story. Acknowledging JK's enriched vision, the film reveals the dynamics of the classroom even as it explores the myriad facets of the entire community in Jallavaripalle village — dwelling upon the everyday life of villagers, their rich traditions, colourful folklore, and music. "I decided to stylise the images as a method of retaining my first impressions of the rich colours of the landscape and the grace and beauty of the people who lived in it," reveals André. "My own complicity with them led me to reveal the lyricism of their nature... I hope their own experiences and the difficulties of their lives reveals them to be more than just children in a school but something recognisable within each one of us."
The film's encounter with the children and other inhabitants is creatively woven against the specific context of their family, traditions, and folklore. "From the start of the film, there is an undercurrent to the rapport between the men and women of the village," says André. "There is humour between the men. There is tension in the existence of the women. The men's humour is put in check with the encounter of young Ashwini's mother. In an unexpected and intimate moment, the fragility of the school is exposed. Ashwini is nearing the end of fifth grade. Her role of a woman in this community is already mounting; she needs to end her studies to work for the family..." And this is as far as what could be revealed, for the present!
School Without Walls is being premiered at the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore on September 29 (at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.). Thereafter, it will begin a four-city tour to Pondicherry, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. The film is also set to be televised on European stations in 2006 and featured in several international film festivals both in Europe and the United States.
André can be contacted on rhdiego@yahoo.com or on 99453-68856
ATHREYA
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