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Economic Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
A lonely footballer breathes life into clay
News of cross-cultural exchanges and transnational cooperation in the arts have become oxygen for my determined optimism in an increasingly divided world. The Oscars earlier this year delivered tankfuls of hope with the Iranian auteur-in-exile Mohammad Rasoulof's Farsi film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Daane-ye anjeer-e ma'abed), in the fray as Germany's entry in the Best International Feature race, while Britain entered a Hindi language production - British Indian director Sandhya Suri's Santosh - in that category. Both were premiered last summer at the Cannes Film Festival, an event that routinely throws up instances of blurring borders. One such heartening collaboration at the just-concluded Cannes 2025 bears a stamp of India. A Doll Made Up of Clay - part of the official selection for the students' competition at the fest - is written and directed by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian student of Kolkata's Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), and recipient of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) African Scholarship. Produced by a fellow student, Sahil Manoj Ingle, this 23-min short features a multiracial, multinational team, including a Bangladeshi editor, Mahmud Abu Naser. It blends Yoruba and Bengali dialogues, and is about a Nigerian footballer in Kolkata, played by Ibrahim Ahmed -- a Nigerian footballer in Kolkata. It is, as Kokob told me in an interview on the eve of his Cannes premiere, 'a collective effort' and a truly international creation. In the film, Ibrahim plays Oluwaseyi, a youngster stranded in India after an injury stalled his dream of building a career in football. Battling loneliness, depression, financial deprivation and racism, Oluwaseyi finds solace in the arms of a woman (played by Geeta Doshi), who is haunted by her past. Kokob, grandson of a priest from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, brings his awareness of Christian imagery and African folklore to the film, in addition to his observations of Hindu iconography. Oluwaseyi is Christian. A painting of Jesus' mother, Mary, is given prominence, while the rosary is a constant presence. In his desperation to repair mind and body, Oluwaseyi turns to a healing tradition from his homeland, amalgamating it with a belief articulated by an elderly local who sculpts Durga idols - the common factor in both is faith in the power and divinity of clay. Indian filmmakers have often been guilty of stereotyping and exoticising people of Africa, on rare occasions when they have been represented on screen here. Sudani from Nigeria, a 2018 Malayalam hit directed by Zakariya Mohammed, is an uncommon example of Indian cinema featuring an important African character portrayed with empathy. That film was charming, but it steered clear of the racism prevalent in India. In A Doll Made Up of Clay, Kokob boldly addresses this truth despite his fondness for Kolkata, which he now calls 'my second home', and India, which he describes as 'the home of cinema'. He is conscious of the difference between his own experience of the country, as a light-complexioned African, in contrast with Ibrahim, whose black skin and Muslim name have made him the target of prejudice. His film, Kokob said, 'is 80% Ibrahim's story, and 20% fiction'. The overlap between the pain of an actual person and a scripted version of him is mirrored by cinematographer Vinod Kumar's frames capturing a desolate, muddied Kolkata, and the poignance conveyed by sound designer Soham Pal, along with music composer Himangshu Saikia. The film urges us to introspect, even while being a cause for celebration since it showcases SRFTI's - and India's - laudable effort to nurture and partner with global talent. 'At this time full of conflict,' Kokob told me, 'it's an awesome feeling that as people from four different countries, we have come together for art. The world is going through a hard time, but we have become one for cinema.' (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. What's slowing Indian IT's AI deals? The answer is hidden in just two words. Jolt to Çelebi could turn a big gain for this Indian firm that once had deep Turkish ties Nestlé India's outgoing CEO Narayanan weathered the Maggi storm; Tiwary must tackle slowing growth Uncle Sam vs. Microsoft: Which is a safer bet to park money? ONGC squandered its future once. Can it be different this time? Will revised economic capital framework lead to higher RBI dividend to govt? These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 30% return in 1 year, according to analysts Buy, Sell or Hold: Emkay Global upgrades SAIL to buy; YES Securities sees 13% upside in VA Tech Wabag Railways stocks: Time to be contrarian; will bearish analysts go wrong again? 6 stocks, 2 with buy recos, 4 with sell recos
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Lights, camera, inaction: In Arunachal, first batch of Film and Television Institute has a rough start
Eight years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the institute, the first batch of students arrived at the Film and Television Institute, Arunachal Pradesh (FTI AP) in March this year. Two months in, most students are on academic strike after finding that the institute was far from ready to welcome them: From incomplete classrooms and technical infrastructure to hostels and even the main gate of the campus still under construction. The FTI AP is an academic institute under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, administered by the prestigious Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata. It is slated to be the first national institute of its kind after SRFTI and FTII Pune and is located in Jote, 24 kilometres from Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar. Offering two-year PG diploma courses in screen acting, screenwriting and documentary cinema, it completed its three-stage admission process for the first batch in October 2024. Fourteen faculty members, all experienced hands in the industry, have been brought on board the institute, including filmmakers Bishnu Dev Halder and Dominic Sangma, and actor-academic Meenu Hooda. However, as months passed, the new students found themselves without information on when the session would commence. 'The institute told us that classes on the campus would begin after we all went for the IFFI (International Film Festival of India) in November. We attended the festival, but for three more months, there was no clarity on when we would be called to the campus. In January, they suddenly said they would begin some online modules, but we said we had enrolled for a campus experience,' said one of the students. In an email correspondence with students in January this year, the institute authorities said the campus was not 'fully ready for handover' and that nine of the 23 structures in the master plan were being readied for basic needs for the first semester. Two months later, the batch of 45 students was called to the campus in March to begin a semester initially meant to start in December 2024. 'When we came, we found that the hostels were not ready. The boys stay in the guest house and transit block, and the girls in the faculty quarters. That is manageable. But the biggest issue is that the classroom theatre (CRT), where our classes are supposed to be held, is not ready. The ground floor of the library is not ready, and the first floor has been divided into two halves with a curtain. On one side is the library, and on the other, 45 students have classes. The practical component of the acting course has not been possible because the performance lab is not ready. And then on the weekend, we had 12-13 hours of power cuts. The institute authorities do listen to our concerns, but the work is just not happening. We don't have a main gate or a boundary wall. We haven't even been given student ID cards,' said another student. The students declared an 'indefinite academic halt' starting May 15, citing 'months of sustained administrative apathy and broken promises regarding even the most basic infrastructural and academic necessities.' The institute's Deputy Registrar Deepak Kumar attributed the lack of readiness to delays by the Central Public Works Department, which is tasked with constructing the campus. 'At the time of admissions, in coordination with the CPWD, we got a timeline of when essential buildings would be ready to welcome students. So, admissions and the construction work were happening simultaneously. We admitted the students, but the CPWD could not complete the work. Once students are admitted, we can't go back. While we waited, some classes were done online, but students were not happy with that, and rightly so. We are in constant touch with them, and the Chief Engineer has said that the girls' hostel, a CRT classroom and a performance lab will be ready by the end of the month,' he said. The CPWD's Executive Engineer in Itanagar cited reasons tied to the location of the campus as factors slowing down the progress of work in the institute. 'There are certain reasons for this. One is the remote location, where even mobile network is an issue. Because of the lack of local labour, all the labour is coming from outside Arunachal, which also brings with it Inner Line Permit issues. Materials are not easily available. There are two small bridges required to be taken to the site, so the construction material has to be loaded in small vehicles. All of this has contributed to work being slower than required, but it is progressing, and we handed over 10 of the 21 buildings, after which the students were brought to the campus,' said Executive Engineer Devesh Budhani. 'We explored the option of shifting the students to Kolkata or Pune, but they don't have enough infrastructure there to accommodate all of them. We have a monsoon break in June, and we hope they will be able to deliver some more buildings by the end of that,' said Deputy Registrar Kumar. Another demand the students have raised is fee concessions because of the lack of facilities. Kumar said that the proposal has been forwarded to the ministry for consideration. In a detailed response to The Indian Express's query about concerns raised by students, the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that 'while there have been delays, the institute is closely coordinating with CPWD, the contractor and state departments to expedite the process'. 'Buildings are being handed over in a phased manner, and full completion is expected by December 2025,' it said. The process for finalising the institute's 'official name' is still underway, after which students will be given their ID cards, and a logo, website and social media handles will be published, it said. The ministry added that the institute is working on addressing other student concerns, such as electricity and water supply, and internet connectivity.
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Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
India at Cannes 2025: All about new releases, debuts, jury members and more
The French Riviera is hosting the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival 2025 from May 13 to May 24. India's presence at the Cannes Film Festival is still being felt at the festival in significant ways, even after not securing a place in the main competition this year. India remains a part of the festival's esteemed lineup, with significant trailer debuts at the Bharat Pavilion, red carpet appearances, student film awards, and intriguing new screenings. Cannes 2025: Payal Kapadia joins the competition jury The Palme d'Or-winning picture that made headlines last year, directed by Payal Kapadia, is back in Cannes, but this time she is on the opposite side of the table. She has received an invitation to join the main competition jury. This year, French actress Juliette Binoche leads the jury, which also includes Halle Berry, Leila Slimani, Carlos Reygadas, Alba Rohrwacher, Jeremy Strong, Dieudo Hamadi, and Hong Sangsoo. Another significant milestone for Indian participation at the pinnacle of international filmmaking has been reached with Kapadia's admission. Cannes film festival 2025: Indian Entries 1. Neeraj Ghaywan's 'Homebound', which has been chosen for the 'Un Certain Regard' section, is one among the most eagerly awaited Indian submissions at Cannes this year. Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor, and Vishal Jethwa feature in this atmospheric drama, which marks Ghaywan's return after his highly praised debut, Masaan. On May 21, the movie is expected to be shown. Karan Johar, Somen Mishra, Marijke DeSouza, Apoorva Mehta, Adar Poonawalla, and Melita Toscan du Plantier are co-producers of the movie. 2. With the film "A Doll Made Up of Clay," India is also represented in the La Cinef section of Cannes. Works from international film schools are shown in the La Cinef section. This category will feature a student production from the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), presenting the upcoming generation of Indian filmmakers on a distinguished international stage. 2025 Cannes film festival: 'Bharat Pavilion's film trailers and launches Earlier this week, the Bharat Pavilion in Cannes was formally launched, providing a venue for networking, cross-cultural interaction, and the display of new Indian ideas. Shekhar Kapur, the director, and actor Anupam Kher attended the opening ceremony. In addition, Kapur discussed India's Creative Economy: In Cinema and Beyond and released the poster for the next International Film Festival of India (IFFI). Several trailer releases, particularly from the Marathi film industry, have taken place in the Pavilion. • Friday (May 16)- Films like Snow Flower, Khalid Ka Shivaji, Sthal – The Match, and Juna Furniture had their trailers opened. • Saturday (May 17)- It featured teasers for The Love Ritual by American Underdog by Vishy Ayyar, Devendra Jadhav, and Tanvi: The Great, directed by Anupam Kher. • Sunday (May 18)- Trailers for Lost and Found in Kumbh, Mahamantra, Bhagodia, Echoes of Valour, and Charak are set to be displayed. • Monday (May 19)- An additional launch includes Murder too Close – Love too Far, Ashva: A White Horse's Neigh, Sabar Bonda, and Baksho Bondi. 2025 Cannes: Guneet Monga launches scholarship for women producers Under the banner of Women in Film India (WIF, India), the Indian branch of the international Women in Film network, award-winning producer Guneet Monga has started a special program at Cannes. The Marché du Film's recently launched Cannes Producers' Scholarship aims to link mid-career female producers with international business executives. In an effort to promote visibility, mentorship, and opportunity for Indian women in film, producers Rucha Pathak, Rabia Chopra, Tillotama Shome, and Dimpy Agrawal joined Monga at the announcement. Notable Indian celebs 'debut' at Cannes film festival 2025 This year, a number of popular Indian celebrities are attending the 78th Cannes Film Festival 2025 for the first time. Here are some of the new Indian celebs making their Cannes 2025 debuts, ranging from well-known industry icons to upcoming rising stars: Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore, a veteran actor, went for the screening of Satyajit Ray's 1970 film, Aranyer Din Ratri at the Cannes Film Festival 2025. The Bengali film, Days and Nights in the Forest, was restored in English by American filmmaker Wes Anderson, and its 4K version was screened at the Cannes Classics section of the film festival. Simi Garewal In honor of the restored version of the classic Satyajit Ray movie, Aranyer Din Ratri, in which she appeared, veteran actor and talk show host Simi Garewal is visiting the festival this year. On Monday, May 19, a special screening of The Film Foundation was scheduled. Alia Bhatt At Cannes, Bollywood star Alia Bhatt is expected to make her much awaited debut. Her first appearance on the red carpet at the esteemed festival is eagerly awaited by her fans. Nitanshi Goel This year, Nitanshi Goel, the Laapataa Ladies star, also debuted at Cannes. This past Friday, the young actor, who was representing L'Oréal Paris, attracted attention on the red carpet and gave India's attendance at the festival a more youthful feel. Aastha Gill On Friday, singer Aastha Gill made a stunning entrance on the red carpet at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Gill grabbed the attention of guests by wearing a shining star yet sophisticated outfit that demonstrated both her musical prowess and her fashion-forward personality. Shalini Passi Bollywood Wives' Fabulous Lives fame, social activist and artist Shalini Passi will be making her Cannes debut this year. She will be joined on the carpet by Padma Shri winner Paresh Maity, one of the most well-known contemporary artists in India. Parul Gulati Parul Gulati, an actress and businesswoman, made her red carpet debut at the international premiere of Eddington, directed by Ari Aster. On the other hand, Parul owned a company that sold hair extensions. She looked elegant in a garment that was specially created for her. Notably, she designed her own dress, which was made entirely of hair. Is Nancy Tyagi's outfit copied at the Cannes film festival 2025? Nancy, an influencer-designer, walked the red carpet at Cannes 2025 wearing a minidress adorned with pearls. The outfit included structural panels, crystal fringes, and silver-beige tones. She wore it with a long-trail cape with puffy shoulders. She added that the dress's creation took a whole month. Meanwhile, on May 18 Neha Bhasin, a singer and former Bigg Boss OTT contestant, has accused Tyagi of fabricating her Cannes 2025 costume design. Nancy claimed to have made the dress herself, but Neha and a fashion store in Mumbai said she had purchased it. The Source Bombay's owner, Surbhi Gupta, told The Free Press Journal that Nancy Tyagi had indeed purchased the outfit from them. Gupta added that shortly before Cannes 2025, Nancy paid ₹25,000 for the dress. On May 18, Neha posted side-by-side pictures of herself and Nancy wearing what appeared to be the same corset on her Instagram Stories, highlighting the problem. Cannes film festival 2025: When and where to watch? On May 13 at 7:15 PM local time (10:45 PM IST), the Cannes Film Festival 2025 opening ceremony featured the Palme d'Or d'Honneur. Live updates, behind-the-scenes pictures, and real-time red carpet video will also be available on the festival's official Instagram and X (previously Twitter) profiles. Live streaming of the entire event will be accessible 24/7 via: • The Festival de Cannes official YouTube channel • The official Festival de Cannes website • Mubi • FilmyDoo (from 2:30 PM IST for Indian users).
Gulf Today
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Cannes 2025: India has a diverse slate
After the unprecedented high of 2024, the ongoing 78th Cannes Film Festival might feel like a bit of a dampener for India. The world's largest film-producing nation has no entry in the festival's main Competition this year. Its presence is, however, strong enough in terms of both films and personalities not to be dismissed as insignificant. From a restored print of a Satyajit Ray classic to a short film by an African student of a Kolkata film school named after the maestro, India has much on show at Cannes 2025. Payal Kapadia, who made history last year by winning the Grand Prix for her delectable debut narrative feature All We Imagine as Light, is a Competition juror this year. A Doll Made Up of Clay Kapadia is the seventh Indian woman and only the second South Asian female director to be a Cannes main Competition jury member after Mira Nair (1990), Arundhati Roy (2000), Aishwarya Rai (2003), Nandita Das (2005), Sharmila Tagore (2009) and Vidya Balan (2013). The 2025 Cannes jury, presided over by legendary French actress Juliette Binoche, includes actresses Halle Berry and Alba Rohrwacher, French-Moroccan writer Leila Slimani, filmmakers Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas and Dieudo Hamadi, and actor Jeremy Strong. India has a film in the festival's official selection — Neeraj Ghaywan's sophomore Homebound, starring Ishaan Khatter, Janhvi Kapoor and Vishal Jethwa. The Hindi film, produced, among others, by Karan Johar, is part of the festival's sidebar Un certain regard, a section that programs noteworthy films by directors endowed with distinctive cinematic voices. Ghaywan returns to Cannes a decade after his first film, Masaan, bagged a couple of Un certain regard prizes. Although he has not been particularly prolific, he has quickly established himself in the forefront of a new crop of Indian directors with a global standing. Homebound is about two friends from a north Indian village who, in search of dignity, pursue police jobs but their bonding is put under severe strain as their desperation mounts. A Doll Made Up of Clay India also has an official entry in La Cinef, a section introduced in Cannes to showcase the work of film school students. The 24-minute film, A Doll Made Up of Clay, is directed by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian alumnus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata. A Doll Made Up of Clay is about a young Nigerian man who sells his father's land and heads to India to play football. A serious injury stymies his dreams of making a career in the game. In order to heal from the setback, he takes recourse to the rituals of his ancestors. Elsewhere in the festival, two promising Indian directors, Nainital resident Diwa Shah and Sikkim's Tribeny Rai, are making emphatic and exciting early career moves. Diwa Shah, at the end of a four-and-a-half-month Cannes Film Festival-backed residency in Paris to work on the screenplay of her second feature, Kyab (Refuge), has won a writing grant from CNC, the French national centre for cinema and the moving image. In Kyab, Shah, who won the San Sebastian Film Festival's Kruxtabank New Directors Award in 2024 for her first film Bahadur — The Brave, turns her lens on the plight of third-generation Tibetan refugees in India. Tribeny Rai, an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, is part of 'HAF Goes to Cannes'. The Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum (HAF) selection gives her a platform at the world's premiere film market to pitch her debut project, Shape of Momo, a work-in-progress Indo-Nepalese venture. Aranyer Din Ratri Rai's film centres on a woman who quits her job and returns to her family beset by the death of several male members. It focuses on women seeking to assert their autonomy and freedom in a hidebound patriarchal society. The Indian spectrum in Cannes this year is completed by a Cannes Classics selection of Satyajit Ray's 1970 film Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest). The film has been restored with the support of the Golden Globe Foundation with original camera and sound negatives preserved by producer Purnima Dutta of Kolkata's Priya Films. Aranyer Din Ratri, which competed in 1970 for the Golden Bear at the 20th Berlin Film Festival, marks the Mumbai-based Film Heritage Foundation's fourth film in a row in Cannes Classics following Ishanou in 2022, Thamp in 2023 and Manthan in 2024. Ray's continuing relevance as a word cinema master is underscored by the number of times his films have played in Cannes during his lifetime and since his death. In 2023, his Pratidwandi (The Adversary) was screened as part of Cannes Classics. His debut film, Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road), has been screened in Cannes as many as four times. Besides premiering in 1956, it had a Special Screening in 1992 (as a homage to the filmmaker who had passed away weeks earlier) and was screened in Directors Fortnight in 1995 (to mark the film's 40th anniversary) and in Cannes Classics in 2005 (to mark its 50th anniversary). Homebound Besides Pather Panchali, Ray had three titles in Cannes Competition — Parash Pathar (1958), Devi (1962) and Ghare Baire (1984) — besides Ganashatru (1989) in the Special Screenings section. In 2013, one his greatest films, Charulata, was screened in Cannes Classics. This year's Ray screening will be presented by American director Wes Anderson, an avowed admirer of the Bengali director. Anderson, who has a film in Competition (The Phoenician Scheme), made a nod to the 'memory game' in Aranyer Din Ratri in his Asteroid City (2023). Aranyer Din Ratri cast members Sharmila Tagore and Simi Garewal, besides producer Purnima Dutta will be in attendance during the screening.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
India's state-run film schools continue their dream run in Cannes
Last summer, a diploma film from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune lit up the Cannes Film Festival with a Banjara sunrise folk tale, winning the top prize for film school entries across the world. As the curtain went up on the Cannes festival on May 13, another film school from India is hoping it could repeat FTII's remarkable success story this year. A year after FTII's Sunflowers Were the First to Know directed by Chidananda S Naik won the First Prize in the Cannes festival's La Cinef competition for film schools, the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata is in contention for the 15,000-euro (about 14 lakh rupees) top prize. A Doll Made Up of Clay by SRFTI student Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay is part of La Cinef, which has 16 entries this year. Shot in Kolkata, the 24-minute film tells the story of a footballer from Nigeria playing a seven-a-side tournament in the city struggling to survive after injuries keep him out of the matches. The SRFTI film, which was selected to La Cinef from 2,700 entries submitted by film schools all over the world, continues a dream run by India's film schools at the Cannes Film Festival. The participation of India at the Cannes La Cinef for the second successive year also tells the success story of India's state-run film schools modelled on the erstwhile Soviet Union's. The FTII, founded in 1960, and SRFTI, created in 1996, were modelled on the Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK), the world's oldest film school founded in 1919 where legendary Russian filmmakers like Sergie Eisenstein and Sergie Bondarchuk were once professors. "The FTII opens up a student's world to various kinds of cinema," says FTII alumnus Ranabir Das, the cinematographer of last year's Cannes Grand Prix winner, All We Imagine As Light, directed by Payal Kapadia, who is also a former FTII student. "Students themselves often help each other understand the world they come from better with collective and individual past experiences. This would naturally lead to unique voices coming out of the institute," Das told The Hindustan Times at the Cannes Film Festival. Two films from India's film schools have won the top prize at La Cinef in the past five years. In 2020, FTII student Ashmita Guha Neogi's CatDog bagged La Cinef's first prize, a feat repeated by Mysore-born Naik, also a student of FTII, last year. Naik's Sunflowers Were the First to Know was based on a Banjara folktale in Kannada about an elderly woman stealing her village rooster plunging the village into darkness. In 2023, Yudhajit Basu, another FTII student, competed in Cannes' La Cinef with his diploma film, Nehemich, which explored the age-old practice of banishing menstruating women to dingy mud huts in parts of rural India. Previous SRFTI diploma films to compete in the film school category include Bengali filmmaker Anirban Dutta's Tetris in 2006 and Darjeeling-born filmmaker Saurav Rai's Gudh in 2016. The journey of India's film schools in Cannes began in 2002 when Khoj, an SRFTI diploma film by Tridib Poddar, was selected to the film school competition, previously called Cinéfondation. Kapadia would join the fray later in 2017 when her own diploma film, Afternoon Clouds, became the first FTII production to be selected to the Cannes film school competition. Founded in 1998, the Cannes film school competition is a highlight of the festival, drawing entries from top film institutes in the world. Incidentally, the second prize in the inaugural Cannes film school competition was won by Indian-origin British filmmaker Asif Kapadia for his diploma film (The Sheep Thief), an entry of the Royal College of Art, London, shot in Rajasthan. "It was a big experience for me as a budding filmmaker suddenly finding myself at one of the most influential film festivals in the world," says Poddar, a member of the second batch of students at SRFTI, who is now a professor of direction and scriptwriting at the institute. "The late Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami was on the jury of the film school and short film competition that year. He hugged me saying he liked my film. That was a huge reward for me," adds Poddar. Khoj went on to win the Best First Film of a Director at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) in 2004. "Indian film schools help cultivate a sense of regional culture and expression in students," explains Poddar about the depth of storytelling in Indian film school productions because of the camaraderie between students coming to the campus from the corners of the country. "We tell stories from Kashmir to Kerala and Jharkhand to Mumbai," he adds. "At the film institute, I can do what I imagine, whether it is drama, documentary, political, Indian or African," says Tesfay, an international student of direction and scriptwriting at the SRFTI, who found instant support for his story of a Nigerian football player's struggle in Kolkata from fellow students. "We have good creative minds on the campus ready to collaborate. There are no restrictions or limits on ideas," adds Kolkata-born Soham Pal, the SRFTI student and sound recordist for A Doll Made Up of Clay directed by Tesfay. "At the film institute we communicate with peers. There are discussions on cinema happening every day. It changes your perspective and broadens your vision about the world," says Vinod Kumar, a Jalandhar, Punjab-born student of cinematography at the SRFTI, who shot A Doll Made Up of Clay. "A film's story is not just about a character, but it is also about geography, politics, economics and society."
