ME AND MY WORLD!

– FILMMAKING; PHOTOGRAPHY; STORY-TELLING!
An Online Media Literacy Workshop
For children between 8 to 14 years of age!!!

Dates: 27th July to 3rd August, 2020

Online Sessions from 2 to 4pm + exploratory exercises in real surroundings beyond the online hours.

A note for the parents:
For children, we can simply call it filmmaking, photography and story-telling workshop. However, parents would like to note that any artistic production requires an engagement of the self with the surrounding, from where the understanding, or in other words, stories are born, which can be expressed through any medium of one’s choice.

Born in the information age, growing up with incessant streams of media from the computers and smartphones, the children of today are automatic inheritors of the digital practices from the parent world – invariably inhabiting another dimension of virtual surroundings that overlaps their real world.

In post covid era of online education that brings child-computer interaction in critical focus, we propose a workshop, a creative rendezvous of sorts with the computers and cameras to bring back in focus the child’s lived-in environment. Through various child-friendly and exciting exercises, and through a play of various media tools, the workshop will facilitate dynamic interaction between the virtual and the real – such that the child, while being creative with media, will learn to ‘discern’ media; and use media to analyse his/her real world. The online time can be optimised to connect with the real world, to guide an exploration of sorts of the actual surroundings made up of nations and neighbours and family and friends and pets and projects and ideas and inventions!

Academic skills will improve as children research on various topics and develop their own media. Communication skills too will be enhanced as they learn to organize their ideas, ask questions, express opinions and construct narratives while interacting with others and computers. The workshop being process-oriented, rather than product-oriented, can potentially develop beyond the stipulated 10 days, into a weekend cyber-club where enthusiastic children can produce media artefacts and even collaborate with peers across borders.

The workshop is designed for children. However, it’s open for all. Young and old, also the differently abled are welcome to explore and experiment with the media. The exercises are fundamental. How each participant exercises will depend on each ones’ lived-in reality and level of understanding. The mentorship will be individualised and the potential of the workshop will grow with the diversity of participants.

Maximum number of participants: 15

Medium of Instruction: English

Contribution: The workshop is on voluntary payment scheme on the principles of gift economy. Participants may pay as they wish.

Selection Criteria: After we receive your application, we will schedule a one-on-one conversation with the parents/ guardian. We shall then confirm participation.

Facilitators:
Mrs. Richa Hushing and Mr. Rrivu Laha
Richa Hushing & RrivuLaha are documentary filmmakers, both alumni of Film and Television Institute of India,Pune. Richa specializes in Direction and Editing, while Rrivu’s specialization is Direction and Cinematography.Their films are often character portraits; and portraits of indigenous cultures in face of conflict and at the threshold of change. Cinema verité style is their strength.
‘Nicobar, a long way…’ a documentary observing Nicobarese identity and resilience in wake of state sponsored relief and rehabilitation post Tsunami – is one of their latest works, winning ‘Special Mention’ award at the Millennium Film Festival, Belgium, 2017. Some of the other festivals where it won accolades was Pêcheurs du monde, Lorient, France, 2018; Film South Asia, Nepal, 2017; Viscult, the festival of Visual Culture, Finland, 2017; World Film Festival, Estonia, 2017; Festival Film Library of the Royal Anthropological Institute, Bristol 2017; Ethnografilm Festival, Paris, 2017; Smaragdni Eco Film Festival, Croatia, 2017; International.
Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala, India, 2016. Their prior works too have been recognized internationally.
After a decade-long practice based in Mumbai, in 2017 Richa and Rrivu moved to Auroville, an intentional international township dedicated to the ideals of human unity, free progress and transformation of consciousness. In Auroville, they’ve found Auroville Timelines, a media pedagogy and video arts unit, researching and curating recorded memories of Auroville, creating mnemonics of the dream.
Richa and Rrivu have also co-founded ‘Auroville Film Institute’ dedicated to the ideal of cinema education, integrating world cinema and world citizenship, experimenting with a new pedagogy, encouraging new practices of conscious cinema. Auroville Film Institute has begun to offer short term courses; and is preparing for long term plans, individualised mentorship, student exchange programmes and cinema-centric learning journeys.
Mr. Sanket Ray
Mr. Sanket Ray is an alumnus of Film and Television Institute of India where he trained as a cinematographer. He graduated in Journalism from Mumbai University in 2012 and worked as a journalist in The Times of India. Later he worked with Times Now as a web editor and assistant promo producer for two years. He then shifted to NewsX where he worked as Assistant Producer in feature shows. Since 2015, he became involved in cinema and studied under Richa Hushing and Rrivu Laha, documentary film makers and co-founders of Auroville Film Institute. He assisted in television serials and assisted in many documentary films. He also conducts photography and drawing classes for children.

Queries: For any queries please contact
Ms. Richa Hushing on timeslines@auroville.org.in / 9969879319