FTII students screen short films in Hyderabad

The graduates of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, screened five short films at LV Prasad Preview Labs over the weekend. The films were made a part of their project works in the academic year at FTII.

Govinda Raju, who recently completed a course in direction from FTII, showcased two of his films – ‘Golden Mango’ and ‘Sarus’ at the screening.

The movie ‘Golden Mango’ won Best Student Film award at Mumbai International Film Festival-2013 and it was screened at prestigious film festivals like International Film Festival, Tehran-2013, International Children’s Film Festival, Goa-2013, Student Film and Video Festival, China-2012, International Short and Independent Film Festival, Dhaka-2013 and Berlin International Film Festival, Germany-2013.

Govinda Raju hails from Mancherial, Adilabad and studied at College of Fine Arts, Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, Hyderabad.

“When I was in JNAFAU, I used to attend all film festivals, which were happening in Hyderabad at that time; there I got introduced to world cinema and it pulled me towards films. After that, I decided to make my own films, so I joined FTII,” he shares.

Talking about his latest film ‘Sarus’ he said that there were no retakes in the 20-minute film and it took three days to shoot the film.
Speaking about his award winning film ‘Golden Mango’ he said: “‘Golden Mango’ is my second year’s project work and I made it four years back. The film is about an eight-year-old boy, who has an insatiable appetite for mangoes.

And his family cannot buy mangoes as they have to save money. To console him, his grandmother tells him a bedtime story about a man, who discovers golden mangoes in his garden. The story is carried over into the boy’s dream. ‘Golden Mango’ takes an endearing look at childlike fantasy and artfully interweaves it with the boy’s reality.”

“In Pune, 1kg mangoes are sold for Rs. 1,000 and above, while other fruits are very cheap. The people in Pune have a habit of giving mangoes as gift items as they are that costly. And on the other hand in my hometown mangoes are very cheap compared to Pune. So that triggered an idea and I weaved a story around mangoes,” Govinda Raju informs.

“My ambition is to become a director in Telugu Film Industry. I believe that the films must have truth along with the entertainment,” concludes the aspiring filmmaker. The other films screened at LV Prasad were ‘Vijay’, ‘Moon Star Lovers’, and ‘Snakes and Ladders’.

By: V Sateesh Reddy