21st Madurai International Documentary and Short Film Festival 2019
6-10 Dec, Madurai
Chandita Mukherjee : Master Class & Retrospective
1. Master Class
Chandita Mukherjee, the producer of Displacement and Resilience: women live for a new day will take a master class on producing films by multiple creators from multiple contexts. The presentation will be based on the experience of making of this film. Such collaborative films are very feasible to make today, due to the possibility of easy and immediate communications between collaborators.
Displacement and Resilience is the outcome of a collaboration between six film makers: Erika Rae Cruz in the Philippines, Afrah Shafiq from Dharamshala in India, Khedija Lemkecher in Tunisia, Eva Anandi Brownstein in Canada, Chandita Mukherjee and Archana Kapoor in Delhi and Haryana. Chandita conceived the film, put out a call for contributions, worked with the film makers, built the connecting links and finally edited the film into an hour-long film from Mumbai. She will be showing the initial edits done by the contributing film makers, and then the final film, discussing the methods that could be employed for such collaborations. It is recommended that those planning to attend this session may see the film beforehand during the festival for a deeper exposure.
2. Films to be screened at the festival
1. Displacement and Resilience: women live for a new day
Documentary| 60 mins | 2019
Project Director and Executive Producer: Chandita Mukherjee
Directorsof country-based segments: Erika Rae Cruz, Khedija Lemkecher, AfrahShafiq, Eva Anandi Brownstein, Chandita Mukherjee and Archana Kapoor.
Producing organisation: International Association of Women in Radio & Television (IAWRT).
The context of this film is the worldwide refugee crisis. The experience of women in conflict zones, their enforced migration and the experience of exile and resettlement is the subject of this film.The focus is the resilience of women refugees. The protagonists of the film are women from Philippines, Myanmar, Tibet and Syria.
Combining principal photography with interviews,archival footage, graphics and mixed-media, the film presents anextensive overview of thesimilarities in the lives of women exiled and displaced for a varietyof reasons. The film was awarded the P K Nair award for Best Documentary in the one hour category at the 2nd Asian Short Film Festival, 2019, in Kolkata.
2. Gender Equity — young voices speak out
Documentary| 8 mins | 2016
Director: Chandita Mukherjee
Producing organisation: Comet Media Foundation with the support of UNICEF & Govt of Maharashtra
A conversation with a group of 8th class students at Himayatnagar village in the remote Jivati Hills at the border of Maharashtra and Telangana. These young adults of 12 to 13 show their awareness of various forms of exclusion and discrimination which put girl students at a disadvantage. The climate regarding education has changed in recent times, from age-old indifference to a desire for quality and greater participation of girls.
3. Maths for Sum or Maths for All?
Documentary| 50 mins | 2014
Director: Chandita Mukherjee
Producing organisation: Comet Media Foundation with the support of the National Initiative For Mathematical Education (NIME), Govt of India
This film highlights several efforts to make mathematics accessible to children in India. The journey takes viewers through the work and thinking of a range of persons from academic instutions and NGOs seized with the issue. We go from Uttarakhand to Madhya Pradesh to Tamil Nadu and several other places on the way. The film won the Special Jury Award of the Rashtriya Vigyan Chalchitra Mela of Vigyan Prasar, the science communication agency of the Govt of India.
4. Maya Vismayah
Documentary| 60 mins | 1999
Director: Chandita Mukherjee
Producing organisation: SPARROW, the Sound and Picture Archive On Women, Mumbai
Notes on the life of the dancer and actor Maya Krishna Rao. The film explores Maya’s creative process and shows her at rehearsal, teaching young people and giving performances.
5. Totanama, the Twelfth Night
Short fiction | 30 mins | 1991
Director: Chandita Mukherjee
Producing organisation: National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
An episode of the medieval story cycle, the Tuti-nameh was explored at a workshop at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. The script emerged from it, following the traditional pattern of a story-within-a-story-within-a-story. The dialogues, acting, and production design of the film reflects the talents and inventiveness of the students and faculty of the Institute. The film was awarded the Rajat Kamal, the National Award for Best Short Fiction Film in 1992.
6. Science Channel: ek Jhalak
A proposal for a science channel for India | 20 mins | 2007
Director: Chandita Mukherjee
Producing organisation: Comet Media Foundation and DECU (Development and Educational Communication Unit) of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)
This project was never realised, but some interesting work went into the preparation for it and wonderful people were met during the process.
7. Another way of learning
Documentary| 24 mins | 1994
Director: Chandita Mukherjee
Producing organisation: Comet Media Foundation with the support of the Dorabji Tata Trust
A film on contemporary educational issues in India and the struggle to bring about access to education for all. The Eklavya group and its wide range of educational activities, both in and out of the school system are shown. The film was awarded two Rajat Kamals, the National Award for Best Scientific Film and Best Audiography in 1995. It also won the first prize in the Education and Literacy category in the International Video Festival on Science, Society and Development held at Trivandrum, 1995.
8. Bharat ki Chhap excerpts totalling 90 minutes, produced 1985-89.
Director: Chndita Mukherjee
Producing organisation: The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), Govt of India
Documentary series on the history of science and technology on the Indian subcontinent in thirteen parts of fifty minutes each. The series was telecast to critical acclaim on Doordarshan's National Network on Sunday mornings in the summer of 1989. Bharat ki Chhap was awarded the Prix Jules Verne, the international award for science communication given by the Government of France.
