6 FTII student's films chosen for Mumbai fest

Students from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have a reason to cheer, as six films made by their batchmates have been selected for the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).

Vying for the top spot: A still from the movie Mandrake!, Mandrake!, directed by Ruchir Arun

The festival will take place in Mumbai from the 3rd to the 9th of February. Two films, Kaatal (Director Vikrant Pawar) and Afterglow (Director Kaushal Oza) have been selected in the international category, while four films - In Between (Director Sharofat Arabova), Mandrake! Mandrake! (Director Ruchir Arun), Golden Mango (Director Govinda Raju) and Tatpaschat (Director Vasudev Keluskar) - have found place in the festivals Short Fiction Film (up to 45 mins) in the national competition category.

The international film festival is in its 13th edition. Pawar, who has directed the short film Kaatal (Black Stone), said, "Kaatal is about the journey of a young couple where both the protagonists are artists, the girl is a painter and the boy is a sculptor. In the 22 minutes of the film's duration, as a director I have tried to show some angles of their emotions. What emotional turmoil a couple might go through when they know that it's their last day together and knowing they are going to part ways soon."

The film has already got recognition on the national front, as it was screened at 5th International Short and Documentary Film Festival in Kerala, 2012. Moreover, in the 60th National Film Awards, it was recognised as the Best Short Fiction and also received awards for Best Direction and Best Cinematography. Kaatal was also a recipient of Best Student Film Award in International Film Festival of Fiji, 2013.

Another student Ruchir Arun is competing in the category of Short Fiction Film with his directorial venture Mandrake! Mandrake! The short film (25mins) is about a Bihari immigrant in Mumbai, who works as a caretaker of a film property godown.

The film is based on the adventures of Mandrake the magician and shows how every commoner has an artist hidden in him. The film also portrays the ‘magic' hidden in forgotten pieces of art.

"We are competing in the category where three more filmmaker students from our institute are in the fray. But there is no sense of competition among us, as we all are from the same institute and all we want is appreciation and recognition by the audience. I am looking forward to it," said Arun.

Efforts paying off
The FTII students have been constantly entering into various competitions on national as well as international platforms.
Speaking about the student's achievements, D J Narain, director, FTII, said, "Actually it does not come as a surprise to me when I see our students achieving these benchmarks. It's their hard work, commitment and efforts from the staff and faculty that are paying off. Many of our students are entering in the competition with their individual works, but I do not see it as a competition. It's an achievement and steadily this is showing the quality of the FTII students on wider platforms."

We are competing in the category where three more filmmaking students from our institute are in the fray. But there is no sense of competition among us, as we all are from the same institute and all we want is appreciation and recognition from the audience. I am looking forward to this
- Ruchir Arun, director of the short fiction film Mandrake! Mandrake

Kaatal is about the journey of a young couple where both the protagonists are artists; the girl is a painter and the boy is a sculptor. As a director I have tried to show some angles of their emotions. What emotional turmoil a couple might go through when they know that it's their last day together and knowing they are going to part ways soon
- Vikrant Pawar, director of Kaatal