This
year, nineteen projects have been selected to participate in the Co-production
Market, including one invited project from IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project).
Of the lot, the only Tibetan film to be part of the Film Bazaar was of Ritu
Sarin’s ‘The Sweet Requiem’. “It’s pleasant to be here,” says Ritu.
The
first step to be part of this venture of the Film Bazaar, is submission of the
story. ‘The Sweet Requiem’ tells the story of a young Tibetan woman in Delhi an
an encounter she has with a ghost from her past; a past she had suppressed in
the recesses of her memory. This propels her on an obsessive search for
reconciliation and closure.
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Revealing
more about her film, she says, “It is an Indian film. It’s made in India; we
live in India; it was shot in India. So it is an Indian film, with a Tibetan
story. It’s wonderful that in India, we have different stories to tell. We get
to focus on stories of different aspects of our country. There are so many
stories in the country… so many voices…”
Talking
about the current status of the film, she says, “The shooting of the film has
not yet begun; it is in co-production. we are looking for funding. We have our
cast ready. There are no Tibetan actors. We had to cast non professionals, so
we did a very long casting to find the actors ideal for the film. Once we get
the funding in place, we will start our shooting. I hope by this summer the
film will be ready.” Talking about the research that went into writing the
screenplay for the film, Ritu adds, “It took me many years to get the
screenplay ready. I wanted something authentic, something that really tells a
story; something perfect and in detail. Hence it took time. After finishing the
story, we decided to enter in at the Film Bazaar. For that, we had to submit
our script. The selection then is done on the basis of the strength of the
script.”
“At
the Co-Production Market, the film is then introduced to producers who may be
interested in co-producing it. People from around the world become a part of
it. It’s a great initiative,” says Ritu, adding, “This is my first film at the
Film Bazaar. The films that are part of the Co-Production Market are eclectic.
The Film Bazaar is well managed.”
