RANG MAHAL (PALACE OF COLOURS) (2018)
27 mins.
India
Santhali
Director: Prantik Basu
Producer: Rajiv Mehrotra, Public Service Broadcasting Trust
Cinematographer: Prantik Basu
The Santhali tribe from Eastern India till recently had no written script, their stories and myths preserved and passed orally through generations. Each narration would assume a different form, much like the rocks of a nearby hill that come in various hues. This film is a tale about the origin of creation, exploring the unique relationship of the Santhali people with nature and culture.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Prantik Basu studied Film Direction at the Film and Television Institute of India. His films have been screened at various festivals including Oberhausen, Rome, International Festival of India and Experimenta India. His film Sakhisona won the Tiger Award for Short Films at Rotterdam.
THE OUTSIDE IN (2019)
26 mins.
India
Marathi, English
Director: Hansa Thapliyal
Producer: Rajiv Mehrotra, Public Service Broadcasting Trust
Cinematographer: Arun Karthick
Two women work with everyday materials to make small human figures – dolls. The film takes a close look at these dolls, their makers and their making. It expresses how making with our hands can make windows in the walls between which we find ourselves imprisoned. Can there be methods of making that invite more people to make along with us? Those that can connect us to our deeper selves and to the worlds we choose to ignore? That can let the outside in?
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Hansa Thapliyal is a filmmaker and writer who has worked across fiction and non-fiction forms. She has previously worked on digital archiving and collaborated on a creative project on early Indian cinema. Recently, her work has begun to integrate stop-motion and animation in an attempt to make the screen feel more material. Hansa is also a teacher and workshop facilitator.
ABOUT THE PSBT:
The Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) is a pioneering non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation based in New Delhi, India, that commissions, mentors and produces independent documentary films. Founded in 2000, to empower filmmakers, democratise access to the media and encourage the freedom of expression, the unique organisation has supported and nurtured over 500 independent voices and created around 700 documentaries on myriad themes and subjects. Films produced by PSBT have been selected by professional juries at over 1870 film festivals worldwide and received over 329 awards internationally.
PSBT’s mandate includes supporting young and starting out talent and celebrating the regional, geographic and linguistic diversity of a complex nation. It attempts to enhance public discourses on socio-political realities and provides filmmakers the impetus to engage with their art, creativity, politics and philosophies. Its catalogue of films addresses a range of concerns, including development, human rights, conflict, gender and sexuality, livelihood, environment, literature, democracy, diversity, culture and tradition, art and crafts, among others.
To see more, visit: www.psbt.org
These films are guest selected by Iram Grufran for Deptford Cinema on Demand.