But the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th IDSFFK, considers herself primarily an editor
But the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th IDSFFK, considers herself primarily an editor
Reena Mohan took her first steps in documentary filmmaking and editing at a time when very few women were active in this field. Women like her who got admission in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) were often looked down upon for “snatching the boy’s seat”. Decades later, when news broke earlier this month that she had been selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award at Kerala’s 14th International Documentary and Short Film Festival (IDSFK), she was flooded with messages from girls and women, among them Many of them were unknown to him.
“I was extremely surprised by the award because it is unusual to give it to a technician, and I see myself as one, primarily as an editor. But I understand that they are the director, curator, and many other hats of a consultant. I am also celebrating what I am wearing. After all those messages from women, I suddenly see it as something that holds a lot of importance for a lot of women,” Ms. Mohan said in an interview. Hindu,
quantity of work
He has directed 10 documentaries, edited several features, edited more than 50 documentaries and a television series. When she set out to do her first documentary, she went back a long way in the history of Indian cinema, as one of the first women to appear on our screens – Kamalabhai Gokhale, who played the lead in Dadasaheb Phalke’s second film. life detected. Mohini Bhasmasuri, An old magazine interview led him to Kamalabhai, who was leading an ambiguous life at the time, unaware of his importance to his neighbours. It was also difficult to find funding as a debutante for a documentary film shot on 16mm celluloid.
He initially shot a rough cut and showed it to his friends, who told him their honest opinion – it’s boring in contrast to the interesting portrait of the woman he’d told them before. This made her realize that she was making a mistake. Whenever she was funny and lively, and used unparliamentary language, she always turned off the camera. Shooting in later years, she kept the camera on, an act that paved the way for the National Award-winning documentary KamalabhaiIn which a spirited 90-year-old is reminiscing about her golden days on screen and on stage.
“Being a director it was not that difficult, but finding a film form was very difficult. It takes time to develop the form in every film. I once heard of a woman who went through a sacrifice ceremony. The offer was written that I want to follow him for the first six months after his resignation. I received funding from the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), but the sect didn’t allow me to follow him. Although I’m close to opting out Yes, PSBT told me to move on, which was wonderful. on express highway was created,” she says.
Even when she meets people on camera who say politically incorrect things, like some of the men in her documentary skin deepHe has learned to take it calmly.
sympathy factory
“I don’t get angry. I think as a filmmaker you also need to be very sympathetic towards human beings and accept a lot of things that are shared with you. You have to tell your story through their words. You’re also happy about the content you’re getting as a filmmaker,” she says.
Being an editor, the high cost of film in his early days brought some discipline in his filmmaking. She shoots at least one hour out of every four hours of footage. But when she edits the works of others, films are often reduced from less than an hour to over 100-hours of material.
As a jury member of the first edition of IDSFFK, she is delighted to see the way the festival develops. “It is important for the government to not only have a festival, but also to grant, or set up, bodies like PBST. I think it would be great if the government could support documentary production as well,” she says.