First-timers take centre stage on Day 4 of international film festival

NAGPUR: To an already packed schedule at the currently underway 3rd International Film Festival, screening of 20 short films have also been added. The are entries for the Short film contest which is a part of the festival this year.
Four of these were screened on Monday. Festival director Sameer Naphde said he was aware of the gradually increasing cinema activity in the city and thus decided to showcase these films at the festival.“We received 35 entries for this segment, of which 20 have been shortlisted by the two member jury who viewed the films on Saturday. The films left them pleasantly surprised. They told me that the only thing lacking in them was technical finesse,” Naphde said.
Milli Vikamshi, whose three and half minute film Good Morning was screened on Monday said that it was her first effort and five more films were in the pipeline. “The film is about the nightmares of an artiste who deals with the trauma suffered by her and how she breaks from these illusions. There are no dialogues and I have cast three local actors,” she said. Vikamshi’s film has been well received by the audience as well as the jury.
These screening means a lot to most of these first-time film-makers.
Rupesh Pawar, who otherwise is a theatre actor, is eager to see his film on the big screen on Tuesday. Titled Kaaran, the 20-minute film deals with the reasons why money often makes one insomniac.
“The word corruption has been ringing around for quite a while now. My film is about that without any overt mention of it,” he said.
Shot on a 7D camera, Pawar said the actual cost of making it would have been around Rs 60,000 but it worked out much cheaper for him as friends chipped in with help in cash and kind.
“I have cast veteran actors of Nagpur Ganesh Naidu and Atul Mahale. Screening it here means a lot to me. I am also going to show it at other festivals in Chennai, Mumbai and Pune,” he said.
Another first time filmmaker Piyush Dhumkekar also has a theatre background but chose cinema as medium. “My film Are You Satisfied deals with the subject of contentment in life. I felt there are some subjects that emerge better on the big screen instead of stage.”
Made with the help of a DSLR camera, Dhumkekar has also used local artist and a local musician in his film.
The filmmakers also interacted with the audience after the screening.