MINORITY DISCOURSES AND CINEMA – Event Report
Event
Name: Minority Discourses and Cinema – In
Conversation with filmmakers Sushma Veerappa, Sunanda Bhat.
Date:
13 December, 2014
Time:
9AM to 2PM
Venue:
Room No. 911, 9th Floor, Central Block
Attended
by: Students of 1MENG, 2MENG, BA English
(Honors) and faculty members of Department of English.
Brief
Description:
As a pre-seminar activity for the
National Seminar on ‘Narrating Centres and Peripheries : Minority Discourses in
India’, the MA English Film Club under Department of English, Christ University
organized a day long film seminar on
‘Minority Discourses on Cinema’. As part of this event, two independent
documentary filmmakers Sushma Veerappa and Sunanda Bhat presented their films
‘When Shankarnag Comes Asking’ and ‘Have You Seen the Arana?’ and discussed the
film and its various crucial aspects with the students and faculty of Christ
University. The event began with a formal inauguration where the concept of the
National Seminar, the objectives of the event were introduced to the students.
This was followed by the screening of the two films. After each film, an
interactive Q&A session was held where the filmmakers were in conversation
with faculty chairpersons and student moderators and also took questions from
the audience.
Resource
Persons:
Internal – Dr.
Arya Aiyappan, Prof. Padma Kumar, Prof. Biju IP
External – Ms.
Sushma Veerappa, Ms. Sunanda Bhat
Films
Screened:
- When Shankar Nag Comes Asking, Sushma
Veerappa (67 min)
"When Shankar Nag Comes Asking" is a pastiche about today’s Bangalore. In the race to become a ‘global’ city, the struggle is as much in holding on to the familiar as it is about embracing the new. In what ways does one seek the familiar, when the familiar is not the same anymore? What does it take for Ramanna, Mahadeva, and the Auto-drivers at Shankar Nag Auto Stand, 8th Main Road, Basaveshwarnagar, to ‘belong’ in Bangalore today? How does Shankar Nag fit into this story about identity and belonging? (Official Synopsis)
2.
Have You Seen the Arana? Sunanda Bhat (73 min)
As hills flatten and forests disappear, as traditional values and knowledge systems are forgotten, the film is a gentle reminder that these varied lifestyles and landscapes that we take for granted, could disappear forever, to be replaced possibly by a sterile and less sustainable alternative. Interwoven into contemporary narratives is an ancient tribal creation myth. Sung for the dead, even in present times, the story recalls the passage of a mythical couple through historical sites, carrying forward and preserving earlier ideas of landscape. The song brings to life images of a terrain that still exists.
(Official Synopsis)
As hills flatten and forests disappear, as traditional values and knowledge systems are forgotten, the film is a gentle reminder that these varied lifestyles and landscapes that we take for granted, could disappear forever, to be replaced possibly by a sterile and less sustainable alternative. Interwoven into contemporary narratives is an ancient tribal creation myth. Sung for the dead, even in present times, the story recalls the passage of a mythical couple through historical sites, carrying forward and preserving earlier ideas of landscape. The song brings to life images of a terrain that still exists.
(Official Synopsis)
MCs for
the event – Vishal R. and Bidisha Sinha
Order of
the Proceedings:
|
9 AM
|
Reporting
time for the students
|
|
9.15
AM-9.30 AM
|
Welcome
Address by Dr. Abhaya NB
|
|
Inaugural
Address by Dr. John Joseph Kennedy
|
|
|
Introduction
to the Seminar by Dr. Sushma V. Murthy
|
|
|
Introduction
to the Film Screenings Prashant Parvataneni
|
|
|
9.30 AM
-10.40 AM
|
Screening
of When Shankarnag Comes Asking
|
|
10.40
AM -11 AM
|
Sushma
Veerappa in conversation with Santosh SR
Session Chaired by : Dr. Arya Aiyappan |
|
11 AM –
11.10 AM
|
Tea
Break
|
|
11.15
AM – 12.30 PM
|
Screening
of Have You Seen the Arana?
|
|
12.30
PM – 1 PM
|
Sunanda
Bhat in conversation with Prashant Parvataneni.
Session Chaired by : Prof Padmakumar and Prof Biju IP |
|
1 PM
|
Vote of
thanks Bidisha Sinha
|
General Objectives
1. To question
the concept of ‘minority’, ‘margin’, ‘centre’, ‘periphery’ through the themes
and forms of the films and set the tone for the National Seminar.
2. To provide a
platform for a dialogue between academic community and artists to understand
where the two disciplines overlap, intersect and what they can contribute to
each other.
3. To acquaint
the students of Christ University to non-conventional forms of filmmaking,
challenges of Independent filmmaking in India.
4. To highlight
the importance of finding artistic expression for socio-political realities and
minority discourses prevalent in contemporary Indian society.
Learning
Outcomes:
·
Students engaged in an active and critical dialogue over the
issues of minority, marginalization and identity with academicians and artists
(filmmakers).
·
Students gained a greater understanding of the process of
making an independent documentary film undertaken by practicing filmmakers.
·
Valuable insights on the politics and ethics of
representation came out of the discussions following the film screenings.
·
An understanding of film form as a fine art and the ways in
which it differs from mass media were crucial takeaways of this event.
·
The MA English Film Club members gained ways in which one
can act as a critical and discerning reader of cinematic texts.
·
A necessary spirit of critical inquiry, questioning and
dialogue helped set a tone for the up-coming National Seminar where these
issues will be debated in greater academic detail.
Feedback:
The
general feedback provided by the audience was positive and they expressed their
appreciation for the engaging films and insightful discussions. The
organization of the event was appreciated by the guests. There was only a minor
delay in the schedule but the event flowed on smoothly without any major
glitches. No discipline or technical issues were faced. The event provided a
healthy platform for students of university to gain exposure to films and
filmmakers. For eg. undergraduate students of Journalism from Department of
Media Studies interviewed the filmmakers for their college bulletin of Christ
Campus TV (CCTV). Hence, the event even managed to transcend departmental
boundaries.
***
