When cinema and craft collide

The Crafts Council of India (CCI) organised a film festival centred around the myriad craft forms of India, in an effort to bring these dying arts into mainstream focus.

Six films, of not more than 15 minutes each, were screened in two sessions, followed by panel discussions.

In a bid to bring voices from across the board into a common conversation, the panels featured a range of celebrities — from film director Bharat Bala to documentary filmmaker Chetan Shah, media veteran Sashi Kumar and theatre personality Tehzeeb Katari, among many eminent faces.

The discussion was moderated by actor and craft aficionado Suhasini Maniratnam, who brought a layman’s approach to crafts to add some balance. She also anchored the event that saw an enthusiastic audience making paper boats at her request.

CCI’s Craft Film Festival aimed to celebrate the rich culture of India’s crafts, and visually document it, through the medium of films. To keep the heritage of crafts from dying a slow death, it is necessary that these traditional knowledge systems be preserved — and what better medium than film, asked Gita Ram of CCI.

The films showcased at the festival were curated by Avni Varia from the NGO Aadhar that works with craftspeople and artisans across the nation.

Varia, who had earlier organised the first Heritage Film Festival (HFF) in 2012, said the idea of crafts-centric film festivals took off when she realised that no one was documenting these arts or raising awareness about their status.

After receiving more than 100 entries in its very first year, the HFF is in its third successful edition this year with the theme ‘Arts and crafts in fairs and festivals across India’.

The short documentary films that were screened at CCI’s film festival covered a range of dying arts.

Well-known handlooms like Ikkat from Sambalpur and Brocade from Varanasi were covered in Tana Bana , narrated by Mallika Sarabhai.

The lesser known Phad, a hand painted scroll that travelling storytellers in Rajasthan use, was captured in Chalto Phirto Devro (The Wandering Shrine), while the makers of handmade metal utensils in Jaipur were documented in Thatera .

Visually stunning frames that seek to capture these artisans in their element make these films an honest piece of storytelling. Whether it’s a connoisseur of art forms or a relative newcomer, these films are a great way to learn.

A film that captured both the essence of an art and its changing nature was the winner of HFF from 2012, Of Whose Karma Shall I Sing,My Own?

The film follows artist Venkat Shyam, who hails from the Gond community in Madhya Pradesh, as he explains how he learnt the traditional art from his community, and his attempts to interpret it in a more contemporary manner.

The panel discussion focussed on how the crafts can be promoted in a manner that makes them relevant to the contemporary world.

There is a demand in the international market for these traditional items, but the local market too needs to find a place for them, it was felt.

While the merits of redefining these arts to make them appealing to a different market are many, it is essential to ensure that not just the skill, but the culture of the craft as a whole, survives.

Commenting on the range of appeal of any craft, Sashi Kumar made an interesting point when he said that each craft has a defined locus, which is what makes it a lived reality.

Even though crafts are the biggest form of employment in India after agriculture, they find very little support from the economy. Saving a craft is often also about saving a community and a way of life.

Filmmaker Rajiv Menon said that as art moves with the times, it is inevitable that it adapts to the continuously changing necessities of trade — a fact that will affect crafts as well.

While the panel agreed that taking crafts back to school, and introducing children to local crafts, is a step in the right direction, the filmmakers present were also called upon to glamorise handlooms and local weaves by featuring them in their commercial movies.

The one-minute-film contest organised to mark the 50th year of CCI saw an unexpected response with more than 20 amateur filmmakers trying their hand at capturing craft in the short span of a minute.

Six entries were honoured at the event, instead of the planned three, said council member Sudha Ravi, since the entries were all of an exceptionally high standard.

Moongil Thottam by Kartik Annadurai and Silent Threads by Kartikay Rai attracted special mentions.

The third place was given to Fast World by Kaviyayani Kannadasan.

The second prize was shared by Pankaja Sethi for Kabir ke Julahe (which documents weavers who sing Kabir’s dohas ) and Jagrit Seth for Idols of Kinnal , which catches on camera the fascinating artisans from Karnataka.

The first prize was given to Arun Bose’s Pedanna Kalamkari, which captures the fascinating art of Kalamkari printing in equally beautiful frames.