IndiEarth On Screen: The Music Shorts Special That Was
A cool 25 degrees Celsius with little to no chances of rain. That’s what the weatherman predicted Chennai weather would be on an unusually breezy August Wednesday. This, and a handpicked, enticing line up of short films, ensured IndiEarth On Screen a wonderful turnout of Indie film lovers at the amphitheater of The Tryst Café, ECR.
This week’s theme was short films on music. The evening began with a short from the Films Divisions archives. The audience was taken on a journey back to 1970, a glimpse into a personal world of Ustad Amir Khan – a jewel on India’s musical crown. Recognized as a heavily influential Hindustani Classical vocalist, this biographical documentary directed by SNS Sastry, is a truly artistic narrative on Ustad Amir Khan in Hindi and Urdu.
The next film was Voice Over The Bridge, a musical travelogue about Myanmar. Vocalists Khing Zin Shwe and Shwe Shwe Khaing, exponents of Myanmar’s Maha Gita (Great Songs) from this largely unexplored and magical country blended ancient verses effortlessly with contemporary western musicians. An EarthSync production, Voice Over The Bridge reminded us all of the reserves of music in this world left untapped.
The third short of the evening was the episode on the amazing Mathew Silver “The Great Performer” from the popular online series The Back Of The Busk, about busking artists in their element on the streets of New York. The series captures buskers in all their diversity performing in this city that’s proclaimed as “Busker Haven” when it comes to the audience, reach, and vibe that the city provides.
After the screenings, Mithun Bhat – director and producer of The Back Of The Busk, and Sonya Mazumdar, producer of Voice Over The Bridge, engaged in conversation about the two films, with behind the scenes stories of production and on-location trials and tribulations.
IndiEarth On Screen #5 will be held same time, same place on Wednesday the 11th of September, 2013.
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