Moments 2017

Day 1 (27th February 2017)

Introductory Session

A Welcome Session was scheduled where all the Participants, Observers, Tutorsand Team DRI came together. Everyone introduced themselves, and the participants with projects said a few words about their upcoming works as well. The DRI team took the participants and observers through the itinerary of the next few days, giving an overview of what is in store.

Inaugural Ceremony

DocedgeKolkata 2017 was formally opened by welcoming all, addressed by Nilotpal Majumdar, President, DRI as well as Friso Maecker, Director, Goethe Institut, Kolkata. The tutors were felicitated and introduced publicly.

Opening film

The Cinema Travellers
Directors : Shirley Abraham & Amit Madheshiya. India, 96 minutes

Showmen riding Cinema Lorries have for ages brought the wonder of the movies to faraway villages in India once every year. Seven decades on, as their cinema projectors crumble and film reels become scarce, their patrons are lured by slick digital technology. A benevolent showman, a shrewd exhibitor and a maverick projector mechanic bear a beautiful burden - to keep the last traveling cinemas of the world running.

The film was a Docedge alumni film and incubated in one of the earlier editions of DocedgeKolkata. The screening was followed by an interactive session with the filmmakers.

Opening Dinner

After all the enthusiastic excitement of the opening day, there was a grand commune for everyone meeting each other. People got together to continue the interactions that had started earlier during the day and made the most of the night before getting busy with work in the next few days.

Day 2 (28th February 2017)

Narrative Lab 1

The day saw the first round of the narrative labs for DocedgeKolkata 2017. The participants were divided into 5 groups, with three tutors to each group. This was the first round of presenting their projects before the tutors, fellow participants and observers. To take the floor in the presence of so many distinguished tutors can prove to be a daunting task, but the participants showed a lot of grit. Talking out loud about their projects and receiving valuable feedback left each presenter with a lot of fodder for reflection.

The first Narrative Lab was a day-long effort, happening in two sessions with a good interactive hour of lunch-break in between.

Evening Session

Filmmaker’s Authorial Reflections

Little Yellow Boots
Director: John Webster
Finland, 95 minutes

Filmmaker John Webster sets out on a road-trip with his imaginary great granddaughter in an attempt to understand the moral and behavioural choices that make tackling climate change so difficult. A documentary film with humoristic overtones about a fundamental question: what is our responsibility to future generations?

The film was followed by a session with the director of the film, John Webster. The session was conceived as an interaction with a master craftsman, exploring deep into the ways and means of using the elements of reality and texturing them into a rich creative narrative. Webster took the audience into his own creative journey in making the film. He stressed on the author's inner compulsions in giving shape to his ideas and elaborated on the treatment of the palette of colours offers by life to paint the author's picture.

Day 3 (1st March 2017)

Narrative Lab 2

The second day of Narrative Labs saw more confident pitching practices supported by insightful inputs from the tutors. The first day’s edginess waned and the discussions were marked by greater interactivity and evolution.

The tutors were notably invested in the projects and communed with the participants optimally, sharing their thoughts even during lunch and tea breaks. The observers were seen taking a keen interest in offering their two cents to the participants about their stories and trailers.

Afternoon Session

Narrative Lab 3

The Narrative Labs continued, becoming all the more intense. Most of the participants significantly reworked their presentations and re-edited their trailers based on the faculty feedback and guidance. The tutors had their hands quite full with the participants requesting more and more guidance to get ready for the final pitching sessions. Intense discussions and changes in trailers was the general mood of the day.

Evening Session

Filmmaker’s Authorial Reflections

The Woman and the Glacier
Director : Audrius Stonys
Lithuania, 57 minutes

The Lithuanian scientist Aušra Revutaite spent 30 years in the Tian Shan mountain range in Central Asia, with only her faithful dog and grey cat for company, studying climate change on the Tuyuksu Glacier at an old Soviet-era research station. She loves the solitude and silence that her painstaking work brings her.Magnificent shots of her surroundings, the film is a breath-taking study of silence and solitude, the timelessness of eras and the woman who stands as the sole silent sentinel.

The film was followed by another special session with the director of the film, Audrius Stonys. Audrius emphasised, in the post screening interactive discussions, the need for patience and passion in pursuing a cinematic endeavour through time – one has to devote a significant portion of one’s life in realising an author’s vision - it has to be done with tenderness and excruciating perseverance.

Day 4 (2nd March 2017)

Narrative Lab 4

The fourth day of Docedge saw the participants almost pitch ready in their presentations in the Narrative Labs. The reworked presentations had made a difference and many seemed to have discovered the right direction they wished to take in voicing their thoughts. The tutors were happy with the progress and they had a special session of interim analyses to decide upon who would take up which projects for a final personalised mentorship for further improvement of projects scheduled for the next day.

Special Session

by Paul Pauwels, Director EDN

Paul Pauwels, Director of European Documentary Network, jumped in to save the day for the participants with a very informative slideshow about how to pitch. Though there are no definite rules for pitching one`s movie, he touched upon a number of norms that one could follow to ensure a successful pitch.

Afternoon Sessions

Presentation

by Lindsay Crouse

Lindsay Crouse is the Coordinating Producer for the New York Times Op-Docs series. She elaborated on the kind of work undertaken by her team – The Ops-Docs – a series of more than 180 short, interactive, and virtual reality documentaries with wide creative latitude by both renowned and emerging filmmakers, and premieres across Times online platforms. The goal of each Op-Doc is to present a unique point of view. Lindsay presented the vision of Op-Docs and invited the participants in exploring meaningful collaborations together.

Panel Discussion: The panel elaborated on possibilities of extending collaborative platforms for emerging Asian voices with sharing expertise, professional support and resources.

RICHARD RAY PEREZ, SUNDANCE INSTITUTE, USA
JOOST DAAMEN, IDFA BERTHA FUND, THE NETHERLANDS
HEIDI GRONAUER, ESODOC – EUROPEAN SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY, ITALY
SYLVIA BEDNARZ, SHEFFIELD DOC FEST, UK
SEOKPIL KANG, FILMMAKER AND EXECUTIVE MANAGER, DOCS PORT INCHEON, KOREA
HYE-MI PARK, HEAD, DMZ DOCS FUND

MODERATOR : NILOTPAL MAJUMDAR

Evening Session

Don Juan
Director : Jerzy Sadkowski
Sweden, 92 minutes

This is story about Oleg, a young man trapped by autism, his fight to become more "normal" and his mother that is encouraging him in this painful path, sometimes with very painful words... The film goes through the many different methods and therapies that Oleg went through, focusing on the one most interesting for Oleg - playing in small theatre. This psychodrama helps Oleg to become more confident in his wish to find a girlfriend.

Day 5 (3rd March 2017)

Special Narrative Lab Nuances of Films and intimate guidance

The morning session of the fifth day of Docedge was devoted to one-on-one meetings of participants and tutors. The participants wanted last minute insights into how to approach the commissioning panel and make their trailers better, and each participant was allotted some exclusive time with one of the tutors.

Master Class

by Graca Castanheira, Portugal

REALITY AS CANVAS : Digital Solitude and Artistic Expression

Graca Castanheira is a prolific documentary filmmaker, and a teacher of Documentary Cinema and Direction. She was awarded at DocLisboa with an honourable mention of the film â€œLogo Existoâ€. She is also one of the founders of Apordoc- The Portuguese Documentary Association. In the session, Graca brought forward her thoughts and experience on camera styles and handling of the subject with certain aspects of technological advancement. DSLR cameras have introduced the elements of solitude in the act of filming for the first time in the history of Cinema. With these lights and portable cameras one can capture remarkable moving images by oneself, as if one were a painter, a writer or a photographer. And she argued that this possibility is impacting subjects and narratives and that it can strongly influence documentary language.

Afternoon Session

A Case Study
International Co-production
by Esther Van Messel, First Hand Film, Switzerland.
Esther devoted her session to an extensive insight into the pros and cons of international collaborations in the realisation of a film.

Panel Discussion

Presenting Broadcasters

JESSIE SHIH, PTS
CATHERINE LE GOF, ARTE FRANCE
ERKKO LYYTINEN, YLE
MARGE DE CONNING, IKON TV, NETHERLANDS
RUDY BUTINOL, KNOWLEDGE NETWORK

MODERATOR : PAUL PAUWELS

Presentation

Presenting the Dhaka Doc Lab Incubation n Pitching Forum – Bangladesh

An emerging South Asian training cum project market will have its first edition in September 2017 in association with DocedgeKolkata. The delegation from DDL presented the lab design emphasising the need of such a forum in Bangladesh to advance an effective documentary culture.

Special Programme

EDN AWARD 2017 Announcement

In a special presentation, Paul Pauwels, Director, EDN, announced EDN Award 2017. This year Nilotpal Majumdar was honoured with the prestigious EDN Award, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of the international documentary culture.

For all of these fourteen years, DRI has worked tirelessly in the face of all obstacles and continued with the mandate of developing an Indian and Asian hub of documentary professional from all over the world. And today, the forum forum DocedgeKolkata, Asian Forum for Documentary – stands proud as a renowned focal point of documentary practice for grooming professionals of reality storytelling.

Nilotpal Majumdar accepted the award on behalf of the entire DocedgeKolkata team. It was a very emotional moment for DRI, and we cannot express in words the inspiration that it has given us in carrying on ahead...

Evening Session

Nowhere to Hide
Director: Zara Dasht Ahmed
Sweden/Norway, 86 minutes.

"Nowhere to Hide" follows a man the medic and father Nori Sharif through 5 years of dramatic change in the war-torn Diyala-province; one of the most dangerous provinces in the middle of Iraq. From the time of the American retreat to the fall of Nori’s home town; The film follows him looking into stories of survivors. In a world trapped between ISIS and the different Iraqi Militias, Noriâ€™s integrity and humanitarian vision is the only thing that drives him to continue against all odds. Even when, as last man standing, he is forced to turn the camera towards himself. The film reveals the stories of the people who live there; survivors of this 'new war" that has become the norm - where the enemy is invisible, and there is nowhere to hide

The film was followed by an interactive session with the Director, Zaradasht Ahmed.

Day 6 (4th March2017)

Pitching Session 1

After five long days of hard work, the final pitching session started sharp 10a.m. Paul Pauwels moderated the session, making the participants feel at home on the big stage. The Panel consisted of eminent international broadcasters, foundations and institutions. The first day of public presentation was completed with 12 pitches from India and other Asian countries, each pitch 7 minutes long and followed by another 7 minutes of Q&A. The experienced panel interacted with the participants, giving insights and asking for clarifications. The air was full of excitement at the amount of positivity exhibited by the panel.

Afternoon Session

One-on-One Meetings

Individual meetings between the participants and the decision makers proceeded in the second half of the day. These sessions allowed the participants some more time to explain their ideas better and get the all-important feedback

Evening Session

The Orchid and the Sword
Director : Kyung-hee Lim ( Docedge alumnus)
Korea, 79 minutes

20 years old Da-hoon receives an email from her dad to complete his book "Travelogue to Manchuria" on his behalf as he is going to go blind very soon. She heads for Manchuria with him, carrying his script as if it is his last will. She gets to understand her father through completing a manuscript to restore Korea’s history of independence in the course of her trip. The film engages in its own search for the definition of modern history of Korea as it gets passed along generations, from a father to a daughter

This film was also one of those that had been nurtured through DocedgeKolkata. The screening was followed by an interactive session with the Director, and Lim spoke very emotionally of her journey with the film after her participation in Docedge.

Day 7 (5th March2017)

Pitching Session 2

The final pitching session gave the stage to the remaining batch of participants with their projects. Paul Pauwels moderated the session again, making sure that the vibrancy and energy remained true to the Docedge spirit. The participants skilfully presented their projects and got a lot of positive feedback from the panel.

Afternoon Session

One-on-One Meetings

After the pitching session, the second batch of participants met the panel members individually to answer questions regarding their projects. The participants were eager to explain and talk more about their projects and get the panelâ€™s suggestions about how to better their films.

Afternoon Session

The Good Postman
Presented by Erkko Lyytinen, Commissioning Editor, YLE Finland.
Director: Tonislav Hristov
Bulgaria, 82 minutes.

In an almost deserted Bulgarian village on the border with Turkey, known for centuries as “The Great Gate,” there are only 38 voters left. Among the candidates running for mayor is Ivan the postman. He has come up with an unconventional and generous-minded plan to breathe new life into his village. Since the times of the Roman and Ottoman Empires, refugees have been entering Europe through this “gate.” So why not offer the passing Syrian refugees a home and a new beginning in the empty village? Ivan's main rival is against the idea, and it's not entirely clear what the incumbent mayor thinks. The film follows the three candidates’ campaigns as they attempt to appeal to their elderly electorate. In this tragicomic portrait of a sleepy village that suddenly finds itself at the center of current affairs, we see how the villagers' fears and worries compete with their hope and compassion.

The film was presented by Erkko Lyytinen, as YLE was one of the principal financers of the film.

Closing Ceremony

It was the last evening of DocedgeKolkata 2017... And the stage was set for some very emotional moments... Once again, Nilotpal Majumdar, President, DRI, took the stage to bid adieu to all and urge them on to carry forward and spread the spirit of story-telling with creative treatment of reality. Friso Maecker, Director, Goethe Institut, Kolkata, also gave everyone some very touching words.

Then, it was time for the much awaited AWARDS 2017...

IDFA AWARD

to a talented filmmaker with promising project

• Slave Garden
Abhra Aich
Invitation to IDFA 2017 and IDFA Academy

EDN AWARD

to 3 talented filmmakers with projects

• Writing with Fire
Sushmit Ghosh
• Slave Garden
Abhra Aich
• The Geshe Ma Nuns
Malati Rao
Free EDN membership for 1 year

EsoDoc AWARD

• The Geshe Ma Nuns
Malati Rao
Participation in EsoDoc - Social Documentary Workshop, Lithuania 2017.

DOCS PORT INCHEON AWARD

• Flickering Lights
Anupama Srinivasan
Anirban Dutta
Selection and Invitation to participate in Docs Port Incheon Documentary Project Market, Korea 2017

DMZ DOCS AWARD

• Towards Happy Alleys
Sreemoyee Singh
Selection and Invitation to DMZ Docs Fund, Korea for presentation.

DOCEDGE AWARDS

DOCEDGE INNOVATIVE PROJECT

• Towards Happy Alleys
Sreemoyee Singh
Adobe Creative Cloud license for one year.

DOCEDGE PITCH AWARD

• Flickering Lights
Anupama Srinivasan
Anirban Dutta
Adobe Creative Cloud license for one year. Post-production support â€“ Colour correction and final Sound Mix (Max of 6 shifts) by Sonic Solution, Kolkata.

SPECIAL MENTION - DOCEDGE PITCH

• Writing With Fire
Sushmit Ghosh
• Blondie
Wena Sanchez

DOCEDGE MOST DEVELOPED PROJECT

• Dear Dad
Amit Sengupta
Adobe Creative Cloud license for one year.

SPECIAL MENTION - MOST DEVELOPED PROJECT

• Slave Garden
Abhra Aich
• Dancers By The Horizon
Ranajit Ray

DOCEDGE-CHANDY MATHEW GRANT

Filament Films

• Flickering Lights
Anupama Srinivasan
Anirban Dutta
INR 1,50,000 as outreach and promotional support.

YES FOUNDATION - DOCEDGE AWARD

For a project with social cause

• Writing with Fire
Sushmit Ghosh
Production Grant - INR 1,00,000