Indian film 'Village Rockstars' wins big at 15th HAF By Durba Ghosh

Guwahati: Assamese filmmaker Rima Das' film "Village Rockstars" has been officially selected for the 2017 Marche du Film (Cannes) Work-In-Progress Lab at the 15th Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum. Rima's film was among the eight shortlisted WIP Lab projects that are in the later stages of production at this year's HAF, which announced its collaboration with Festival de Cannes to present the "Hong Kong Goes to Cannes" programme. The programme, aimed at offering valuable screening opportunities for promising film projects at the HAF, revealed the first round selection of the movies from the WIP Lab for presentation and pitching at the Cannes Film Festival in May, which also included "Village Rockstars".

"We have won two awards at Hong Kong Asian Film Forum (HAF), including post-production fund award from White Light Studio and a place in the Hong Kong to Cannes Film festival program where we will be presenting our film at the Marche du Film's WIP Lab this May," Rima said. White Light Studio will offer post-production services valued at USD 15,000 to Rima film. The movie is about a girl, Dhunu, who has grown up in deprivation. She learns to fend for herself in the hostile surroundings while nurturing her dream to own a guitar someday. "She (Dhunu) considers herself as capable as boys in a patriarchal society. She was brought up by a non-conformist mother who gave her full freedom of expression," Rima said. The director, now living in Mumbai, grew up in the same village as the character Dhunu and became inspired to make a film about the children in the village after her trips back to her hometown.

She realized that what began as her "journey to explore the growing up days of a child, soon turned out to be a project to educate, rehabilitate and focus attention on the kids". "Village Rockstars" was shot, directed and produced by Rima with the help of her cousin and young actors from the village. The director said that she had to record even the sound on her own and used mostly natural lighting due to the lack of a lighting crew. "People from different parts of the world can relate to the subjects in 'Village Rockstars' because the emotions you experience are the same. "That is why I want to work with international partners. It's been a difficult journey. I didn't take any help from the professionals but I'm quite satisfied with the results so far," she added.