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inema wears many hats. Mainstream
cinema offers entertainment and escape;
parallel cinema holds a mirror to society
and the self; and experimental cinema allows for
unfettered imaginative and artistic freedom.
It lends itself to divisions of genre and form,
structure and style. And every division and
subdivision seeks to label a film so it fits neatly
into an existing class, with its own set of
expectations for the viewer.
But cinema also breaks categories. The
intersections between genres and styles, structures
and narratives are so common, intricate and
particular, that a filmmaker can still create a
piece that is unique to itself and defies labels and
generalisation.
A film artist working with the moving image is in
the privileged position of inheriting a form with a
rich – if relatively recent – history, but with such
technological and imaginative possibilities as to
make her a pioneer with every effort.
Since 2003 Shai Heredia’s ‘Experimenta’ has
worked in countering the hegemony of the
mainstream Indian film industry by nurturing an
alternative film community. ‘Experimenta’ brings
together Indian and international film artists
with similar creative and sociopolitical concerns.
Through screenings and workshops, it has played
a significant role in evolving an independent, new
and radical discourse for film as an art practice in
India.
The films curated by Heredia for India Art Fair
2016 use the moving image in ways that make
divisions of form and content difficult. ‘To
be able to construct a fresh language is a film
artist’s position. These films create narrative outof rhythm, motion, space and time. The idea is
to create a work of art with beginning, middle
and end, while resisting conventional rules of
structure,’ she says.
Shambhavi Kaul’s ‘Night Noon’ is one such
unconventional piece that communicates
suspense, anticipation and the passage of time
without dialogue or traditional ‘action’. Using
dramatic geological images – sand, rock, waves,
animals – and temporal sequence, it captures
dread, calm, trepidation and escape. The film is
immersive, using timeless imagery to unsettling
effect.
‘One of the major intentions of a film artist’s
work is a shift in perception. Work of this
nature operates outside of genres. It signifies
another universe of perception. It compels you
to see differently, engage with the outside world
differently,’ explains Heredia.
The films in the festival have been divided into
three fluid sections: Memory, Politics of Form,
and Space and Time, and tread their own stylistic
roads.
Priya Sen’s ‘Noon Day Dispensary’ comes as close
to communicating the reality inside a government
dispensary as possible with its cinema verité
leanings. An endless stream of complaining
patients, a harried doctor in charge, and a
mediating NGO worker form the trio of voices in
this dialogue. The film is in the Politics of Form
section, and triggers ideas of power and social
relationships, while steering clear of any overt
political leanings.
But Heredia thinks a filmmaker’s politics enter
her work overtly or insidiously. ‘No matter how
hard a film artist tries, she/he does not presentStills from Noon Day Dispensary, Priya Sen, 27:00, Digital, Colour, Sound, 2014
Image Courtesy of ExperimentaIAF - Delhi Connecting Art/ FEB 2016 - MAR 2016 / ARTS ILLUSTRATED /^95