Appreciation of Experimental Cinema

Dates: 30th Oct, 31st Oct, and 1st Nov 2020.

Workshop  Overview:
From the very inception of narrative cinema there has been a group of film makers who steered clear from the causal connections & storytelling formats. They come from varied backgrounds like Dadaism, Constructivism, Psychology and the Sciences. They found in the flickering image of cinema the magic and mystery of life, as immersive as the mother’s womb and as vital as the primal forces of nature. They have questioned every tenant considered holy by the narrative film makers. In the process these experimental film makers have managed to renew the film goer’s relationship with cinema and never let it grow old. The suspicion with which the world of cinema looks at experimental film makers is tinted with awe and a secret admiration that gives rise to progressive assimilation of the fruits of experiments into the narrative.
This workshop will take the participants through this magical experience of experimental cinema that opens up perception towards sensory impulses from it’s early practitioners like Luis Bunuel, Maya Deren, Rene Clair, Stan Brackhage, Chris Marker to the contemporary Jonas Mekas and from performance and conceptual art to the logic of data base. In a separate section we will look at Indian masters like Mani Kaul, Kamal Swaroop, Amit Dutta, Ashish Avikunthak, Vipin Vijay, Pramod Pati and others. The participants will be exposed to the ruthlessly individualistic & subjective interrogation of the restless minds of some great experimental film makers that prise open the taboo, the unsaid and the unchartered.

Course dates and timings:
Friday, 30th October 2020 – 17:45 to 21:30 IST (first 15 minutes of welcome address)
Saturday, 31st October 2020 – 14:00 to 19:00 IST (with 20 minutes break in between)
Sunday, 1st November 2020 – 14:00 to 19:00 IST (with 20 minutes break in between)

Medium of Instruction: 
English

Method of Training and Interaction:
The online course will be conducted on ‘Google Meet’.
Details will be shared with confirmed participants.
The course will be a combination of lectures and screenings followed by interactions.

Course director:
Sudipto Acharyya
Sudipto Acharyya has studied cinema at FTII, Pune, with specialization in Direction and Screenplay Writing; and Masters in Film Studies from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. Sudipto has a long engagement with teaching Cinema in various institutions like Film and Television Institute of India – Pune, Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute – Kolkata, Roop Kala Kendro, Kolkata Film & Television Institute and Centre for Film & Television – Allahabad University. He is currently a Senior Faculty at Whistling Woods International – Mumbai. He has presented academic papers on cinema at film schools like Lithuania Music and Theatre Academy – Vilnius, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts – Chapman University, Witwatersrand University – Johannesburg and Bilgi University – Istanbul. He is part of an Artistic Research project involving BRICS nation that looks at social interstices with the help of cinematic practices. He has directed several short films & one feature length film for television and other institutions. His film ‘Harbour Line’ and ‘Weekend Chill’ has travelled widely to national and international festivals.

Fees:
₹1500 – For Indian Nationals
$ 23 – For International applicants from SAARC nations ( i.e Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka)
$ 40 – From international applicants outside of SAARC association.

Fees may be transferred online to:
Bank Name : STATE BANK OF INDIA
Account Name : AV ART SERVICE
Account Number : 37357794312
Branch : AUROVILLE INTERNATIONAL TOWNSHIP
IFS Code : SBIN0003160
MICR Code : 605002007
Account Type : Current Account

Last date for application and payment of fees:
27th October 2020

Selection Criteria
Applicants will be selected on first-come-first served basis.
Participation will be confirmed upon verification of payment.
A confirmation mail will be sent with 4 working days of receipt of payment.
Fees are non-refundable.

Certificates:
Digital Certificate of Participation will be given to all participants.

Note:
Well functioning computer with reliable internet speed and good speakers / headphones are a prerequisite to experience this course optimally. Smartphone not advised.

For Queries :
Please write to filminstitute@auroville.org.in
or message +91 9969879319.