There
are those who watch films sheerly for entertainment
purposes and others who look forward to studying the film, like a
lesson, eager to pursue a career in filmmaking. However, with no film
academy in Goa, youngsters inclined towards filmmaking have to move
out of the state to back their passion with necessary educational
qualifications. But things are about to change for the better as Don
Bosco’s Goa Film School in association with Team Film Gurus will
present students with the opportunity to study and eventually create
their own works.
Shibani
Keshkamat-Tait is the director of Team Film Gurus while Siddesh Naik
is the trainer coordinator. Together with Don Bosco’s Goa Film
School, they will be offering a short and long term course from June
onwards.
Shibani
is originally from Nagueshi, Ponda and feels very close to her home.
Now based in Colva, she was just 11 years old when her family moved
to Gujarat. “I completed my Masters in English Literature in
Gujarat. I was a college lecturer for three years before I finally
left Gujarat. I spent several years writing and training new writers.
The shows I wrote won several national awards in Indonesia, where I
worked for over a decade,” says Shibani. Siddesh Naik is a student
of Whistling Woods International and has worked as scriptwriter for
films like ‘Juje’ and ‘One Last Time.’
However,
pursuing their passion wasn’t an easy task then as convincing
parents to let them move away from conventional careers was very
difficult. “There was no film course for me. When I was in school
and college, my mother was a school principal and even getting into
an arts degree was a battle. Teachers, relatives and parents labelled
it ‘a great waste of exceptional intelligence’.
But
I am glad I won that battle because I wanted to be a storyteller
which is how I found my way into writing for television and film,”
says Shibani, who has more than 30 years of experience in the film
field and was the associate producer for the film ‘The Girl with
Yellow Boots’, directed by Anurag Kashyap.
Now,
the mindset has gradually changed with parents allowing their
children to opt for different and more creative careers. “We
received a tremendous response for the workshop as well as the
courses. One gentleman, a father, called in to ask the upper age
limit to join the workshop. As learning has no age limits, he happily
enrolled himself for the script writing workshop and gave his
daughter’s name for the acting workshop. I was super impressed with
the parents who themselves were calling me to find out more for their
children’s admission,” adds Shibani.
The
workshops for acting and script and creative writing will begin from
April 18, 2016 at Don Bosco College, Panjim on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. “Both the workshops and the
courses have a very comprehensive and organised syllabus which will
help the students stand up with the best. It will be structured with
a credit system. The courses will be offered in acting, directing and
script writing. It is important to know how to write an idea and,
more importantly, to make up your own stories when you don’t have an
idea and mould it according to which medium you will be using.
Careers in the film industry are very lucrative,” says Shibani.
The
short term course will be for six months while the long term course
will be for ten months, five days a week from 3:30pm to 6:30pm. With
Shibani’s network in Mumbai and abroad, she will help the students
interact with professionals from across the globe. “We are planning
to have exchange programs with other countries where one could make a
film abroad. We will have guest lecturers from the Goan film industry
and also international filmmakers who will interact with the students
over Skype. The students will be able to follow current trends
without being limited to Goa,” she adds.
To
conclude, she says, “My goal is to have a formal industry
accreditation system with a database of trained professionals in Goa
with ratings for professionals and even references. This will help
filmmakers from Bollywood and Hollywood to look out for trained
professionals while making films in Goa.”
