Timiti - The Walk on Fire

Fire walking ritual is a very common event that end the 'Mahabharatham Festival' of Draupati Amman Temples, in and around the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. For National Folklore Support Centre, with my good friends Aruvi and Manivannan, I did two documentary films - one on this 26 day festival and the other one on Timti ritual. The documentary on Timiti is now uploaded in NFSC's youtube channel. Thanks to the director of NFSC, Mr. M.D. Muthukumaraswamy for giving me the opportunity to work with NFSC and hence these documentary movies.

National Folklore Support Centre (NFSC) is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation, registered in Chennai dedicated to the promotion of Indian folklore research, education, training, networking, and publications. The aim of the Centre is to integrate scholarship with activism, aesthetic appreciation with community development, comparative folklore studies with cultural diversities and identities, dissemination of information with multi-disciplinary dialogues, folklore fieldwork with developmental issues and folklore advocacy with public programming events. Folklore is a tradition based on any expressive behaviour that brings a group together, creates a convention and commits it to cultural memory.

Man & Nature

A film I edited for my good friend Joseph Alex. Is there a greater truth than what nature has to give? - Camera speaks about Mannan Tribe of Kerala, India through two distinct view points - One of the community as a whole & the second through Periyan Chachi, a very silent member of Mannan tribe who prefers his 'day' close to nature than anything else.

 

Joseph Alex Neelattu

Dont know how to show my gratitude and appreciation bro... am really thankful bose!!!

April 7 at 3:29am ·

Thomas George

bravo..

April 7 at 5:44am ·

Lakshmi Venugopal

beautiful. He dint need any words to convey his truth. very beautiful.

April 7 at 9:01am ·

Arun Bose

Kudos to the director :) who made me understand the power of audio-visual media. Till then, i never thought there can be a DOCUMENTARY without narration. Btwn, Joseph and me had lot of fights while editing on the structure of film. He gave me a freedom to add a bit of my choices too. Interestingly I had to edit the whole film 3 different times, 3 diff styles coz of problems with computer.

April 7 at 12:02pm ·

Arun Bose

Joseph remember those days me coming back from Hanmer late at night and then start with you editing at amin's room in mcc and then go back early in the morning to Hanmer for work. After all that tiring work in hanmer, ever eveing i used to be in a sort of trans to be back to edit. :).......Memoriesssssssss.........
What a pressure, it went on for 2 weeks !!! And all the problems with comp. Trust me I want to make a film like this, now that is the reason I have 'Man & Nature' in My fav films list in both FB and Orkut. Cheers.

April 7 at 12:08pm ·

Joseph Alex Neelattu

oh yes bose...:-) there are lots great memories behind the film... do u remember we survived the most nights having just TIGER biscuits...lol. Images of amins room, 100 years old editing desk just flashes by on mind!! As i always say the film wouldnot have seen light without u... You were so restless, a strange enthusiasm to finish the work... Most of the times when i lost my hopes and got tired of the comp problems... U really boosted me up and came with some solutions... U were more dedicated and interested in the project than me, as if this is some divine intention or duty that u have to perform! We both at the final stage of the editing was in a trans like state due to the lack of sleep and nutritions:-) ...
anyways one thing i FELT while doing this film was the pain, anxiety, fear, the uncontrollabe excitement and above all the love of the creator towards his creation! However small or less important his creation is, there is a strange attachment which cannot be explained... Ask a boy who made a paper boat and floated it on the river, he will tell u what it is like.

April 7 at 5:37pm ·

Arun Bose

...after taking the final output you told me to stop saying that I've no patience in life...phewwwww he he
Even I realised then that I can be so patient or...is it that I became a patient. :P

April 7 at 5:42pm ·

Joseph Alex Neelattu

ha ha... We should join together for a film one more time!

April 9 at 5:15pm ·

Arun Bose

done....i ve a weird plan...on a road movie. something mad and crazy. lets c some day. cheers

Shadow Chair

A chair has different meanings in different people's life. 'Shadow Chair' is a film done by young people of Skimstone studio, Newcastle. It is a new attempt where we are trying a more democratic way of filmmaking where each participant plays an equal role.

What is the Edge?

' What is the Edge?' is a collaboration between young filmmakers from Thomas Bewick School and All Saints Collage and Skimstone. It is inspired by site visits to Hadrain's Wall. The edges of wall were explored as barriers that might protect us or stop us doing things, and as a boundary created by the Emperor Hadrain.