Gulf Film Festival panel explores independent and short film production in Subcontinent

The panel, comprised of distinguished independent filmmakers and industry professionals, discussed the films that are made beyond the glitter of Bollywood, and covered the history, present and future of Indian production.

Veteran film critic Sudhir Nandgaonkar, Director of the Third Eye Asian Film Festival, began with a short history of Indian production, and stated that the advent of digital video since the late 1990's has spurred a revolution in independent filmmaking, producing around 5000 independent efforts per year.

In addition, he pointed out that many professional feature directors look to shorts and documentaries for innovative ideas, since the low cost of digital independent production allows for greater experimentation.

Umesh Kulkarni, who has brought two short films to GFF and showed his feature Valu the Bull at the Dubai International Film Festival 2008, attributed this greater risk-taking to freedom from commercial constraints, saying that film is a different form, "You can really express a very small idea, and the kind of experimentation one can do is really amazing. The best thing about short film is you're not competing with anyone. You don't have to sell a short film, or become rich or recover the money."

"The commerce which is evident with the feature films is not so evident with the short films. One can really experiment and do what one wants, and that kind of freedom has really helped in developing all kinds of short films and different expressions," Kulkarni added.

Kiran V. Shantaram, with 50 years' experience in the independent film industry as a producer, director, distributor, exhibitor and studio owner, concurred with Nandaonkar that while there was no professional affiliation for independent filmmakers, there was a trend toward an independent movement in India that is assisted by government funding at a federal and state level.

Fellow filmmaker Anand Gandhi expanded, pointing to the sheer number of people now participating in film, and the informal organization that is taking place, with café screenings and film clubs springing up to generate more platforms for short filmmakers to screen their work. While Bollywood has outshone the independent movement, Gandhi stated that the movement had always been there, waiting for an outlet.

All of the panelists agreed that, as Gandhi said, festival were the perfect outlet for short filmmakers. Shantaram pointed out that festivals were key to promoting a culture of cinema and exchange of ideas for independent producers, and was seconded in this by Kulkarni, who has shown films at festivals around the world.

He said, "Traveling to different festivals in the world really helped me to grow as a filmmaker. Short film is not really celebrated in India. Bollywood is overpowering all these small efforts. When we came outside and saw the short films from Europe and the US, it really opened...our minds."

The question of the commercial value of short films was taken up by Pranav Ashar, President of film distribution company Enlighten, who pointed out that while individual shorts may not have strong market clout, compilations of shorts on similar themes have proved profitable in markets such as Korea. He said that shorts are particularly important for local markets, where people want to see themselves reflected in films.

The panel was held at the second annual Gulf Film Festival, presented by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) in association with Dubai Studio City.