AJITA SUCHITRA VEERA
Ajita Suchitraveera--A filmmaker and writer ,she has specialized in film direction from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India. Her areas of interest have been experimental and artistic filmmaking. she has made short features, and an experimental documentary which have been showcased widely in international film festivals around the world- in countries like France, Germany ,Hungary ,Poland, Japan, America, Russia, and also in India –her home country.
Her short feature “Notes On Her” was an official entry to the Oscars in the year 2003. In the shorts section-it competed for the honorary foreign film award and was also screened at-international film festivals like- the Cinefondation-Cannes ,the Camerimage- Poland, the Budapest master class workshop for cinematographers-by Kodak in Hungary and also the Vgik international film festival at Moscow.
Her other short features have also been screened in international film festivals- The Oberhausen experimental film festival-Berlin, the Rio De Janeiro international short film festival, and the Clermont Ferrand - France .
Filmmaker’s statement-
I think cinema has an astonishing potential to transcend the everyday reality of our times and transport us into other worlds –the experience of filmmaking is at once both grueling and cathartic. There is an infinite mystery in cinema-something which makes us reach beyond ourselves…and possibly that is my journey in cinema..
The form that i have consciously worked towards in all my films has been one, where there is no strict narrative logic. It borders more on the subjective logic of dreams and imagination and the boundaries between reality and dream are often blurred.
The films have often been devices for my own cinematic explorations into the play of form and the ideas often abounded with the stream of consciousness but the soft molten formlessness had to be molded and chiseled- transformed into that aesthetic equivalent -and I cherish each one of those priceless moments of growth..
All the films have been experimental works-and have played with both the storytelling as well as the craft"
In the short film-"Notes On Her"-We used high contrast lighting and shot the film on black and white stock and printed on color and added a special tint for the hard gritty images which not only create that raw feel but also are powerful in stretching the limits of reality itself...and extend the mythical nature of Dopdi.
In "Chaos"-the entire film was a playful ensemble where a scientist and musician come together and spontaneously create music out of equations in chaos theory. This was one interesting experiment where for the first time we were stretching our boundaries of thought and entering new areas hitherto quite unknown to us and the whole experience was rather passionate and stimulating as the music emerged out of all those mathematical equations with such beauty.
"Images" was a film which was entirely a stream of images which recreates a mood and it very strongly adheres to the tradition of silent films. The entire evocation is through the gestures and the gaze. This film was completely done with non-actors…ones who had no previous experience of acting and the effect is so real and so stark and of course the black and white photography is something which adds to the characters and the soul of the film…In "Images" a photographer accidentally captures a stranger’s laconic state of mind on camera and later realizes that she has become unknowingly attracted to the image and the woman in the photograph who is a painter.
In “The Isle"- the entire experience of filmmaking was so lively and childlike. We had a very beautiful young actress who had never acted in front of the camera and who made the film a joyful journey for all of us. The film itself is based on childhood memories and is a musical journey too.
Added bytes - from a magazine interview
I come from South of the Country. I grew up in a family where we all loved Cinema-specially World Cinema, Hollywood Classics & Indian Cinema of Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy,Ritwick Ghatak.I’ve been watching movies since I was a kid-and much of my early childhood was spent reading, sketching, going out for nature trails & printing photographs with my father.
Her short feature “Notes On Her” was an official entry to the Oscars in the year 2003. In the shorts section-it competed for the honorary foreign film award and was also screened at-international film festivals like- the Cinefondation-Cannes ,the Camerimage- Poland, the Budapest master class workshop for cinematographers-by Kodak in Hungary and also the Vgik international film festival at Moscow.
Her other short features have also been screened in international film festivals- The Oberhausen experimental film festival-Berlin, the Rio De Janeiro international short film festival, and the Clermont Ferrand - France .
Filmmaker’s statement-
I think cinema has an astonishing potential to transcend the everyday reality of our times and transport us into other worlds –the experience of filmmaking is at once both grueling and cathartic. There is an infinite mystery in cinema-something which makes us reach beyond ourselves…and possibly that is my journey in cinema..
The form that i have consciously worked towards in all my films has been one, where there is no strict narrative logic. It borders more on the subjective logic of dreams and imagination and the boundaries between reality and dream are often blurred.
The films have often been devices for my own cinematic explorations into the play of form and the ideas often abounded with the stream of consciousness but the soft molten formlessness had to be molded and chiseled- transformed into that aesthetic equivalent -and I cherish each one of those priceless moments of growth..
All the films have been experimental works-and have played with both the storytelling as well as the craft"
In the short film-"Notes On Her"-We used high contrast lighting and shot the film on black and white stock and printed on color and added a special tint for the hard gritty images which not only create that raw feel but also are powerful in stretching the limits of reality itself...and extend the mythical nature of Dopdi.
In "Chaos"-the entire film was a playful ensemble where a scientist and musician come together and spontaneously create music out of equations in chaos theory. This was one interesting experiment where for the first time we were stretching our boundaries of thought and entering new areas hitherto quite unknown to us and the whole experience was rather passionate and stimulating as the music emerged out of all those mathematical equations with such beauty.
"Images" was a film which was entirely a stream of images which recreates a mood and it very strongly adheres to the tradition of silent films. The entire evocation is through the gestures and the gaze. This film was completely done with non-actors…ones who had no previous experience of acting and the effect is so real and so stark and of course the black and white photography is something which adds to the characters and the soul of the film…In "Images" a photographer accidentally captures a stranger’s laconic state of mind on camera and later realizes that she has become unknowingly attracted to the image and the woman in the photograph who is a painter.
In “The Isle"- the entire experience of filmmaking was so lively and childlike. We had a very beautiful young actress who had never acted in front of the camera and who made the film a joyful journey for all of us. The film itself is based on childhood memories and is a musical journey too.
Added bytes - from a magazine interview
I come from South of the Country. I grew up in a family where we all loved Cinema-specially World Cinema, Hollywood Classics & Indian Cinema of Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy,Ritwick Ghatak.I’ve been watching movies since I was a kid-and much of my early childhood was spent reading, sketching, going out for nature trails & printing photographs with my father.
My father is a graphic artist-cartoonist & photographer & my mother was a journalist. They are chief influences in my life since both loved Cinema & we would have lively discussions on Cinema at home.
I spent my formative years in Hyderabad, school & college & yes it’s one of the most interesting cities in the world, a blend of the ancient & the modern & it certainly was an important part of my
Life-as I spent a considerable amount of time there. I loved watching lot of the folklore & fantasy stuff we had back there in the movies of 50s -60s Of Telugu & Telugu Cinema has a rich history too.
Cinema was always an important part of my life-however the decisive move to get into Filmmaking & hone my skills as a craftsman ,happened in my graduation years when I was studying Science, & trying to be a scientist, I left my courses in America to pursue Cinema at the Film & Television Institute of India –Pune(FTII).
I think it was this passion to understand & explore myself which led me to filmmaking. Filmmaking is a rather intense process & you lead a different life while making films. You learn a lot from each film you make. It’s constant growth.
Well there are several..but yes I could quote Hitchcock’s Vertigo & David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago Which were quite something for me as a kid- I loved the gripping Intelligent storytelling of Hitchcock, & the grand canvas of David Lean & yes there were Satyajit Ray’s minimalistic films “Gopi gayan baga bayen”& Agantuk-& his short fictions.
Yoo..I think I grew up watching lot of Robert Redford’s films & he is ofcourse a very interesting Actor. Also loved watching Gregory Peck.He remains a great favourite. I still fondly recollect
“To Kill a Mocking Bird” one of my favourite films.
I play almost all the characters in Ballad of Rustom..
Rustom has several shades of my character & my father’s character although not completely, some Of it is fiction too, specially the setting & where he comes from but Rustom is this imaginative
Young man who is a dreamer –a scientific guy & that has been my life.
.
My all time favourite films remain
Frederico Fellini, Jean Luc Godard, Andrei Tarkovsky, Akira Kurosawa,Alfred Hitchcock.
The film that absolutely blew my mind recently is “Elysium” –Fabulous film that reflects our contemporary world –although set in far future. It’s a great work, a great film.
Ballad of Rustom is about Imagination, Dreams & the passion for Life & it’s about seemingly ordinary people who are quite extraordinary in their own ways. I think every Indian should watch it.
It’s a film about India, the magical Indian countryside,& it’s strange natural worlds & of characters such as Rustom who are imaginative & extraordinary.
There have always been stories & recollections ,my parents & ancestors –they moved from the countryside to start living in the cities & they had some vivid memories they shared & this was a start but it was this great Indian Landscape which is so vast & strange, that inspired me completely as I travelled across India that shaped Ballad of Rustom. The strange magical countryside, the extraordinary characters & also the politics & ideology.
My own personal experiences & the vast Indian Countryside which is strange & magical, was the inspiration behind this effort.
I’ve used Bleach By Pass in my graduate film when I was studying at the Film Institute Pune. Cinema is a highly visual & evocative medium & images play a very important role in Cinema.Bleach-by Pass
retains silver on the negative & creates a Black & white layer over the color emulsion-creating a desaturated color palette,with a high contrast look,I wanted this particularly to create the surreal atmosphere of Rustom’s World –of technology,nature & his own imagination since the whole film is quite dreamlike.
There were many challenges along the way...but most importantly I think the resistance to new ideas & innovations in Cinematic language.Ballad of Rustom is structured very differently & it’s non-linear & unconventional storytelling which was not easy for People to relate to when I drafted the script, when I was shooting it & the aesthetic choices I took to craft it deliberately in a unique way, & the resistance to still accept new forms of Cinema eventually when it was made.
This is my second film as a director and my second at the Oscars. Mt student project Notes on Her made it to the oScars earlier and now it's my feature, Ballad of Rustom . I don't have a magic formula, just sheer passion & furious determination,& pursuit of what I believe in stubbornly, to create films which are imaginative & breaking new ground & this passion is what leads the way.
I felt it was important for Indian Cinema to arrive in the International Arena with our mark of craftsmanship & our special stories with our rootedness & so it was important that this film is visible it is a film which is important to India & it had to be enter that arena.There were no two ways about it.I knew when I was making it that it will either be something that will be radically different or there is no point making something which is regular.
t was overwhelming ofcourse that I was given this special award-Indibor Bose Award for Excellence in Cinema- the first award instituted in 45 years & given to a Film Director. It was an honor that I received this award from the oldest film society founded by Mr.Satyajit Ray in Calcutta.It’s a tremendous feeling.
in the near future you can expect a realistic drama, an adventure story & a science fiction feature (all in various stages of creation).
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