Marathi short film ‘Changing Room' to feature at iconic theatre in LA fest

Time of India

2 days ago

Pune: Marathi short film by Ruchir Kulkarni 'Changing Room' has been officially selected for the 28th edition of independent festival Dances With Films: LA (DWF:LA) and will be featured at Hollywood's iconic TCL Chinese Theatre, which hosted the Oscars in the 1940s
The festival runs from June 19 to 29 and aims to bring forth fresh and original storytelling from across the world.
Each year, it draws thousands of global submissions, making selection of 'Changing Room' a major milestone for Marathi-language cinema and young Indian filmmakers abroad.
Kulkarni was born and raised in Pune. He completed his engineering degree from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology in 2020.
"My course was slightly delayed due to the pandemic. I belong to what is often referred to as the Covid batch — those of us who graduated in a world on pause.
However, even before I got my degree, I knew I wanted to change course and commit myself to filmmaking. It was a decision I discussed at length with my parents. I was fortunate that they understood and wholeheartedly supported me," he said.
The movie buff took courses in video editing and film orientation from FTII before moving to the US two years ago to pursue an MFA in filmmaking from New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.
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'Changing Room' is a personal narrative, he said. "It is the most personal story I've ever told. It explores themes of body image and self-worth through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. I felt a certain vulnerability for the first time in my journey, as though I were revealing a piece of myself to the world. I knew this story had to be told with emotional honesty and cultural authenticity. So I flew back from Los Angeles to Pune to shoot the film in the environment where I was born and raised," said Kulkarni.
The film features students of Jnana Prabodhini Prashala playing short, but meaningful roles. "Their enthusiastic participation, together with the support of their teachers and parents, made a real difference to the production. We shot inside an actual, cramped changing room, with crew members squeezed alongside our actors in a space barely large enough to move in. Somehow, we pulled through. Experts from the fraternity have said that making a film is nothing short of a miracle, and I understand the truth in that now," said Kulkarni.
He said living in Los Angeles broadened his understanding of cinema. "Here, films are celebrated for their artistry, regardless of language, origin or scale. I've sat in theatres alongside audiences of all backgrounds, watching deeply rooted Indian films like 'Cactus Pears', a Sundance-winning Marathi film and 'All We Imagine As Light' — the Cannes Grand Prix winner. In those rooms, stories in Marathi and Malayalam resonated with people from across the world.
It reaffirmed what I've always believed, that cinema is a universal language," said Kulkarni.