HERE YOU FIND ALL (AT LEAST ALL SHORT) WINNERS OF THE AV FILMFESTIVAL 2009
FESTIVAL BLOG VIDEOS
Sunday 26th, 2009, The Awards Ceremony: And the Winner IS!
Well all good things must end, and so it was with the Auroville’s maiden Film Festival. It went out with a bang, highlighting the creative talent that was unleashed in our bioregion. Marco, comparing the event that he nurtured and created with the help of new found friends and colleagues.
And the winner IS: there were supposed to be three winners for the three categories. However the AVFF was magic and the judges were able to spin their own magic and created 6 (but there were more) awards for the best pictures. They told us that they had a very hard time deciding between the best. Even the popular votes were close. So in the tight races directors got honorable mention so in all there were about 15 prizes.
- see the list of winners further down-
But in reality everyone was a winner because they were able to find a new hip form of creative expression. They learned a bit of how the hardware (camera, mic, computers etc) and software (computer editing software) worked to spin the magic of making film. I truly believe that none of the participants will ever be a passive watcher of film again. They will wonder, “How did they make that shot or that transition or ‘what a great edit’?” And the audience were also winners because they were able to see the creativity that was expressed in these films, and many of them are waiting to try their hand at the next film festival.
And at the conclusion of the Awards ceremony Marco said, “This is not the end but the beginning”. Yes just the tip of the iceberg and below is the fermenting creative energy that will be able to showcase its movies bi-annually. These are interesting times…when anyone including children can script, direct and edit their own movies…well that’s all folks…till the next AV FF!
Tlaloc
And the winner is ...
Sunday, September 27th, 3 p.m. in the Sri Aurobindo Auditorium in Bharat Nivas, Auroville. The award ceremony for the 1st Auroville Filmfestival is about to begin.
Photo taken by Doru.
FESTIVAL BLOG PHOTOS
Conceived by Cinema Paradiso as a biennial festival that will eventually be recognized among the international film festivals in India, Auroville Film Festival made its debut with its first fest between 23 and 27 September 2009.
The festival screened films under 3 categories: - Films made by Aurovilians: includes film made by Aurovillians and residents of the bioregion and films shot in Auroville by the guests of Auroville - Films made about Auroville : includes film about Auroville and/or its bioregion - Films made by students of Auroville: Includes film made by the students of Auroville schools or schools in the bioregion
The event was primarily sponsored by Stichting de Zaaier and by several units, individuals, and you.
We thank all of you for your participation and support in making the Auroville Film Festival 2009 a wonderful success. Here are the results:
PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS OF THE AUROVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 2009: based on votes by the audience - Johnini's Great Cows directed by Aloe, Yaroslava, Zea and Sagu from The Learning Community. This 3 minute short film in the category 'By Students of Auroville/Bioregion' shows the great magician Johnini at work.
- Maatrum directed by Srini from Yatra Multimedia. The 36 minute film in the category 'By Aurovilians/Guests' discusses issues of waste disposal through a comic love story.
- Yatra (A Journey to 5 Lands) directed by Srini and produced by Mohanam Cultural Centre and The Eclipse Trip directed by Christoph, both in the 'By Aurovilian/Guests' were also very highly appreciated by the audiences.
- Building Matrimandir directed by Doris and Francis from Auroville Video Productions. This 52 minute film in the category 'About Auroville' is a documentary on the construction of the Matrimandir.
Here is the list of Winners determined by our panel of judges for the three primary categories
WINNERS OF THE AUROVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 2009: for films made by Aurovillians
Short film Category: - The Catch Directed by Martin makes a remarkable impact with its stark images to present a universal theme.
- Maya at Work by Celestine for capturing a significant moment in a classroom lecture with a single savvy circular shot, instigating the viewer to think about the power of illusion in art as in life.
Long Films Category: - The Eclipse Trip by Christoph for finding stories in the familiar, humor in everyday situations and transcendence in the Solar Eclipse with natural flow of ideas and technique.
- Maatrum by Sreeni gets Special Mention for dealing with a burning issue in a simple story with humor and emotions that can reach the common man’s sensibilities too.
WINNERS OF THE AUROVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 2009: for films made about Auroville - Children of Auroville by Doris and Francis gives an honest and engaging account of educating the children of Auroville in the early years, and the insight into the many challenges thrown up in this endeavor.
WINNERS OF THE AUROVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 2009: for films made by students of Auroville/Bioregion - Belly Ball by Devi Manasa stands out for lighting up an every day game with a touch of magic, by employing a newly learnt cinematic technique.
- Unexpected by Ashwin Shekar for using movement, pace change and music, building it into an experience, with a twist in the end.
- Soul directed by Ranga gets Special mention for saying something universal in a simple way.
LIST OF JUDGES - Revathy (Asha Menon) Actor/ Director/Social Activist - Gerard Perrier Reporter/Documentary Filmmaker - Gowri Ramnarayan Theatre Director/Playwright/Journalist/Singer
Interviews of directors and spectators can be heard on Auroville Radio.
Please find more details on the festival site on auroville.org
We appreciate your continued support. Thanking You, MMC/CP Group Account# 105106,
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Well the students rode bicycles, or were carried on their parent’s motorcycles or took buses to see their films on the big screen. What must be going through the heads of AV and village kids who are sitting in a full auditorium watching their own movies on the big screen?
Interviews with some of the kids revealed that they would be participating in the next bi-annual event. Our radio/TV crew had been mostly at MMC and didn’t get to see the large groups of mostly village kids coming to see their and their friend’s movies. It was great to see them so happy and excited. We interviewed several teachers of school which didn’t participate, but who were keen to participate in 2011. There were a few parents, lots of teachers and other adults that were documenting the events with movie cameras and cell phones.
We interviewed some adults and they were also looking forward to making their own film. “If kids could do it then I could!”
Budding film directors, scriptwriters, actors and camera/sound crew all in the waiting. The creative potential that this film festival has unleashed will only be know in the not to distant future. Promising actors and the rest waiting in the wing as they develop their skills and creativity. The Auroville Film Festival has unleashed new horizons that some may trod, now that they have been given the opportunity to try this great multi-media technology.
Experimental video, directed by Aloe and filmed entirely on site in Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India
The Kittens
Experimental film directed by Sagarika, starring Jasmine and The Kittens. Filmed in Auroville, India
The Greediness
Experimental film directed by Yaroslava, starring Jasmine, Vasuki and Natasha as the Fox. Filmed in Auroville, India
The Child
Experimental music video directed by Zea, filmed in Auroville, India
Johnini's Great Cows
Award winning experimental movie directed by Aloe, Sagarika, Yarosloava and Zea, starring Zea, Eden ("Mamaduk"), Johnny ("Johnini") and his (great) cows. Filmed in Fertile, Auroville, India
AurovilleTV finally grows
Great. Thanks to Jos we are now able to present you 5 more submitted Films of the Filmfestival. That's excactly what AurovilleTV is aiming for: Being a platform for aurovilian media producers who can upload their videos or photos to blip.tv / flickr independently and then send only the link along with text or other related information to us. For sure there are more potential media producer out here ... To overcome the possible lack of sufficient bandwidth we are currently planning to organize two upload-saturdays a month in the AuriovilleRadio / AurovilleTV office in Town Hall. Donations for our (presently limited) internet connection are welcome!
So here you can enjoy now the results of one of the proceding film workshops in Auroville schools: TLC students Aloe, Sagu, Yaroslava and Zea present their individual one-shot movies as well as their collective production in which the four girls rotated in their roles like directing, camera, sound, editing. And, since I'm now writing this from kind of the future, I can already proudly announce, that this collective workshop movie, entitled Johnini's Great Cows is one of the 1st Auroville Filmfestival Award Winners!
Congratulations!
The next generation of Auroville filmmakers is coming!
I realise that using a title like this lends itself to deriding and misinterpretation. No the video is NOT about using the title as a cheap pick up line in some pub or bar...its a diversion and creative license because I got a bit bored. Let me explain... Doing camera work for interviews with viewers and film makers can be a bit repetitive? Reminds me sort of travelers to any foreign land, where they face the same fare of “And where do you come from?”, What is your name?, What do you think of our country? etc. This translates (at Film Festivals) to: “And what films did you see today? What films did you like? Have you made a movie? So my thoughts turn to other forms of diversions err interviews (the section in “Auroville Film Festival is MAGIC” was one such diversion) an other twist and turns.
The great yogi Ramana Maharshi would contemplate “Who am I?” So taking this to its wisecracking, prankster and irreverent extreme I ended up with Have we met? I actually wanted to do more prankster stuff but it was hard with the dam interviewer! So the interview got derailed. Next time I will definitely ask for different interviewer so I can play more! Oh the best laid plans and intentions can be like a leaf in a storm.. But I must remember that all good sufis, yogis and bodhisatvas will tell you to refrain from expectation for expectations create disappointment. The wise ones tell us to be in the NOW, in the NOW there is no expectation and therefore no disappointments...and in reality all there is, is the NOW.
Some might suggest that this was a silly or absurd exercise...but is it? If you become aware of your internal dialog you will observe very quickly that one is usually having a dialog with oneself (ego). We ask ourselves many questions which reflect our insecurities or our ego has an continual internal dialog.
Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now & The New Earth - borrow or buy but for sure read these books!) highlights how our (brain/ego is constantly having conservations with ourselves. Creating desire, reinforcing itself, and getting caught up in all the bullshit and anti life stuff.
Eckhart actually gives us tools so that we really can meet our true selves. At the core of his teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego-based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet. Then we can really meet our true selves....
FESTIVAL BLOG VIDEOS
Saturday 26th, 2009, the last screening day.
See charming Chloé interviewing people concerning the Auroville Filmfestival 2009.
The editing was a straight effort, no irreverence or wisecracking, it was to please AV Radio (smile)...got some complaints, no complaints is too strong a word, but some would have liked it if the second part of the Auroville Film Festival is Magic should have been a separate video. I guess they wanted to keep comedy separate from straight journalism. It would have been fine separate but not together. I see it as all one...but its cool...so I conformed (something I'm not really good at, but heck, we only got one life (this time around) and might as well live it the way one's nature is leaning and not being coerced and enculturated and indoctrinated into the status quo - yeah I got authority issues....).and made a straight clip. Opps I should be writing a straight blog!!!
One thing the interviewers are constantly bringing out is: that the AVFF is great and creative endeavor. That the films give a better glimpse into Auroville and the bioregion. That this process reflects many goals of Auroville. Auroville is suppose to be a place of unending education (developing one's skills in video would definitely fit the bill), a place of human unity, many of the films were done by village kids, plus the atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration (not competition) in making the films was really great. The creative spirit is alive and well in AV thanks to the AV Film Festival! Thanks to the sponsors for facilitating this great educational exercise.
Magic...how many of us believe in it? It is often children that are so plugged into the NOW that they find magic all around them. Adults are too jaded and been exposed to charlatans and fakes to believe in magic. Part of todays video (shot yesterday) deals with this topic. The youth of Auroville (and everywhere else) still have clear eyes and open heart and KNOW THAT MAGIC IS ALIVE AND WELL. A skeptic interviewer selects a bright eye child to interview and goes on an adventure of amazement (at some of the magic tricks), delight (at seeing the magic at work) and loss (you'll have to watch the video to see what happens!).
Magic could also describe the ambiance of Auroville's maiden Film Festival. Magic is wonder, the unexpected, the illusion, the fantasy and we've seen all those things in many of the movies we have watched here. The creative and collaborative energy that this festival has unleashed is formative. We'll know more two years from now when the budding film makers re-appear to get their movies on the silver screen.
I flashed on the concept of “The Auroville Flim Festival is Magic” unfolded before my eyes like magic as I walked, rode, wondered, pondered and sat. As these scenes unfolded, I sat and typed to capture these fleeting funny/silly scenes. I knew where to find the two lovely stars that would fulfill the role of wonder and magic makers. Of course I had to play the Scrooge or the doubting Thomas who needed a wake up call.In Hinduism and Buddhism they strive for being unattached. There is a moral to the story. If your a reporter/camera/interviewer (or anyone else) don't ever be attached to your role (or hardware) for it can be taken in a twinkling...and the impermanence of these is things rules supreme.
I think the maiden Auroville Film Festival is magic in another way. Normally at film festivals one finds plenty of critics, for it is always easy to see the faults in film (or any other endeavor) but I have talked to a number of film makers and they all share a similar experience. They find that Aurovillians are generous and supportive of creative explorations. All the film makers have reported Aurovillians coming up to them and telling them how much they enjoyed their films. Compliments are a form of magic because they have the ability to transform and transcend.
A budding film maker...
FESTIVAL BLOG PHOTOS
Thurday 23nd, 2009. Reporting about the Festival turns out to be a successful fusion of AurovilleRadio and AurovilleTV.
Watch these first impressions and Interviews captured during the inauguration ceremony of the first Auroville Filmfestival, taken place September 22nd, 2009 at Auroville Town Hall Plattform. Filmed and edited by Tlaloc, interviews by Malenka.
In the evening at 8 p.m. the festival screenings were opened by ‘Verukku Neer’, a film by Revathy Asha Menon, in Tamil with English subtitles. The movie is an adaptation of the novel of the same name written by Rajam Krishna. She was awarded the Sahitya Academy award for this novel.
Revathy is an indian Actress, Director and Social Activist and is one of the three judges of the festival.
Watch more impressions from the inauguration day of the Festival, filmed and edited by Doris and Francis.
The wonderful Souvenir, the festival magazine with detailed information about every film screened at the Auroville Filmfestival 2009, given out to all participating filmmakers as analog hardware is now also available for download as pdf.
Layout Design: Auroville Press
Photos: Giorgio
Logo and Cover Design:Jonas Allen.
FESTIVAL BLOG VIDEOS
This is the short and silent result of the tube installation taken place last Wednesday.
Watch the full version with music - which is also shown at the beginning of all screenings - a little up this page under Auroville Filmfestival - day 1
FESTIVAL BLOG PHOTOS
Tuesday 22nd, 2009, around 5p.m.at the Town Hall Plattform:
The grand opening of the first Auroville Filmfestival
Here are photos taken by Doru.
FESTIVAL BLOG PHOTOS
Tuesday 22nd, 2009, around 5p.m.at the Town Hall Plattform:
The grand opening of the first Auroville Filmfestival
We welcome a new content producer for AurovilleTV: Sergey.
Here is one of his productions, The Fires of Dawn, recorded on Sri Aurobindo's birthday, August 15th this year at the Amphitheatre.
These are the words the Mother is reading:
There are two powers that alone can effect in their conjunction the great and difficult thing which is the aim of our endeavour, a fixed and unfailing aspiration that calls from below and a supreme Grace from above that answers. But the supreme Grace will act only in the conditions of the Light and the Truth; it will not act in conditions laid upon it by the Falsehood and the Ignorance. For if it were to yield to the demands of the Falsehood, it would defeat its own purpose. These are the conditions of the Light and Truth, the sole conditions under which the highest Force will descend; and it is only the very highest supramental Force descending from above and opening from below that can victoriously handle the physical Nature and annihilate its difficulties... There must be a total and sincere surrender; there must be an exclusive self-opening to the divine Power; there must be a constant and integral choice of the Truth that is descending, a constant and integral rejection of the falsehood of the mental, vital and physical Powers and Appearances that still rule the earth-Nature.
"The world is sleepwalking into a crisis of epic and historical proportions. On September 21st, over 1,500 events in 112 countries organized by TckTckTck partners and individuals like you will sound the Global Wake Up Call in cities, towns and villages around the world. We need to wake up world leaders to the crisis of climate change by making noise and ringing bells and showing them that the world is ready for a bold climate deal."
This photo was taken by Ireno during the one-night stand of this impressive Auroville Filmfestival 09 tube installation by Jesse and Jonas on Wednesday, 16th Sept. somewhere between Certitude and Solar Kitchen.
And here are still some festival trailers and a few submissions that have been uploaded to the web untill today:
A Festival of film and video about Auroville-related topics made by Aurovilians, newcomers and enthusiastic guests. The Festival will also include documentaries made by external groups about Auroville.
Taking place from the 23rd to the 27th of September 2009.
This program consists of 2 week film courses in schools during which each student will make a one-minute video and the group will make a collective five-minute video. All the films produced in the courses will be screened in a special category in the Auroville Film Festival '09.
The 14th of February 2009 was the day of the Love Circus organized by the Youth Center. It was a time for love but also for performances and shows. One of them was the first Belly Dance performance of Maria. Dalaj who was there to capture it on film (before going to sleep; he had to wake-up earling next morning for the marathon) shares this first excerpt of the lovely night. Watch carefully and maybe you will recognize one of the radio members dancing around...
Five Italian photographers in Auroville
Sunday, 22 March 2009 10:03
AurovilleRadio Interviews
Nel gennaio 2007 un gruppo di cinque Auroviliani esposero le loro opere d'arte a Chennai. Daniel per AurovilleRadio era presente e il risultato è una foto-intervista.
In January 2007 a group of five Aurovilians exhibited their art work in Chennai. Daniel from AurovilleRadio was in attendance and the result of this is a photo-interview.
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Somebody dropped off this video at the Radio/TV office, which brought up the idea, to start a contest: We want you to help us capturing the spirit of Auroville by sending us short videos of maximum 1 minute length. Show us a little detail of what means Auroville to you. There is a rating system, so that every video can be rated by the users and by February 28th 2009 the best rated video contributor wins a ... surprise!
