SAF ends with ‘Spasm' bagging top award
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Kolkata: A one-take short film on the audition of an actress in Iran ('Spasm') and a documentary on a trafficked woman-turned-activist ('Fatima') have won the top awards at 8th South Asian Short Film Festival organized by the Federation of Film Societies of India (Eastern Region).
Other films about the musings at a music shop in Kolkata ('The Music Shop - Symphony of the City'), a girl's fight against caste system in India ('Ballad of the Mountain'), the awakening of sexuality in a tribal youth of Jangal Mahal ('My Comrade') and the impact of resettlement in Sri Lanka ('No More Land') also picked up awards.
The jury comprising Debalina Majumder, Sudeshna Roy and Saibal Mitra watched 98 films. Sahra Asadollahi's 'Spasm', which won the Ritwik Ghatak Golden Award for short fiction, has overwhelmed the jury members.
"To make a film in Iran under the current circumstances is an audacious effort. As a practicing filmmaker, I know how tough it is to retain the viewers' attention when the location and the camera don't shift.
The craft of this one-take film is of such a high order that it left me gripped," said Majumder.
Tarun Jain's 17-minute short film – 'Ballad of the Mountain' – picked up the Ritwik Ghatak Silver Award for short fiction.
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It prompts viewers to dwell on the menaces of caste system. Jain's film is a tale of resilience, courage, and hope. It is an invitation to confront the uncomfortable truths in our society and an opportunity to rewrite the narrative for countless girls who deserve a chance to flourish. "It is an evocative film that is visually poetic.
The narrative has been crafted in a way that is intimate and addresses the deep-rooted systematic inequality on the basis of caste.
It shows how a vicious cycle of exploitation still goes on," Majumder said.
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In the documentary segment, the top award was picked up by Sourabh Kanti Dutta's 'Fatima'. It narrates the compelling story of Fatima who, at the age of nine was married off to a pimp in the red-light area of Forbesganj, escaped the red-light area in 2007 and became an activist. "Considering the rough terrain, 'Fatima' has been shot and edited well.
The candid filming gives us a palpable feeling of Fatima's struggle for a just cause,' Mitra said.
Naskar & Co - an unassuming music shop in Kolkata – forms the backdrop of Bijoy Chowdhury's 'The Music Shop - Symphony of the City'. Black and white montage shots of the city intercut with interviews of musicians and patrons for a poetic exploration of Arabinda Roy's solitary journey as a master craftsman of Indian classical instruments.
The film is populated by footage of enthusiast practitioners and listeners from abroad and Roy's memories of maestros.
Impressed with the film, Mitra said, "I was left engrossed by the intelligent structuring of the documentary. The music used and played and the filming style gel well with the subject," Mitra added.
Roy added that all the documentaries are incredibly good. "'Fatima' is very incisive about trafficking and women's positioning. 'The Music Shop - Symphony of the City' invokes a pride in making things that have been traditionally with us. Though set in Sri Lanka, 'No More Land' highlights a universal problem. In the short film section, 'My Comrade' was well-researched. It hits viewers in the right spot," Roy said.
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