Cultural exchange through films

Hyderabad: With advancement in technology, filmmaking is not a herculean task any more. One just needs a good handy cam and computer to edit footage and a short film is ready in no time.

As we all know, children are mesmerised by movies and if they are given a chance to make films they would immediately take it up. Keeping this interest in view, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) Hyderabad chapter is organising a filmmaking workshop for school children of Hyderabad on August 2 at Jubilee Hills Public School.

The Heritage Education and Communication, INTACH works with schools throughout the country to inspire students to develop respect for their own culture as well as those of others.

“We are conducting these film workshops for school children for the past five years now. We teach children how to shoot and edit the films in the one-day workshop. After the workshop we go to each school and see their progress,” says Anuradha Reddy, convenor, INTACH Hyderabad.

Around 100 students (Class VI to VII) from eight schools in Hyderabad will participate in the workshop. This year’s edition will see prominent filmmakers-- Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh who have won national awards for their films participating in the workshop. They will have an interactive session with children and impart the aesthetics of cinema to children.

“We rope in filmmakers to teach children in the workshop. In 2012, we had Nandi Reddy Telugu film director and last year we invited Pranav Pingle a documentary filmmaker from Hyderabad to participate in the workshop,” Anuradha shares.

At the workshop children are given a theme on which they have to make a short film. After four months, they can upload their film on the website of ‘FilmIt’. It is a multi-cultural project that helps students to make short films. These films on culture are then shared with students in UK. The project is funded by the Helen Hamlyn Trust UK and is a part of Open Futures FilmIt programme. This project covers Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Goa, Mumbai and Chandigarh. The project would be expanding to Jaipur.

“Children from India make films and upload on the website; likewise children in England also make films on their culture and upload it. The children see each other’s films and learn about the various cultures of their countries. A lot of cultural exchange happens between students,” Anuradha shares.

Making films is an exciting way for children to understand the world in which they live, and the contributions made by different cultures and communities. The project aims at nurturing a cultural understanding and concern for natural and cultural heritage amongst school children through the medium of films. INTACH- Hyderabad chapter conducts a film festival after all the schools finish their films.

“We choose the best films in the festival and send it to Delhi, there a panel shortlists them and we feature them in the FilmIt international film festival,” she adds.

Last year, across the country around 1200 short 2 – 3 minute films have been prepared by the students and many of them received accolades in the International Children’s Film Festival held in Hyderabad in November 2013 and also received the International Andy Cameron Award in March 2014.