How film communities preserve cinematic traditions

Not far away from the blinding world of starstudded blockbusters and recordbreaking boxoffice collections exist smaller film communities nestled in nooks of the city and its suburbs that look at neither when they judge a film Two such citybased film enthusiasts Pravin Subramanian and Vedant Naik open doors to their newly rebranded Patchwork Film Collective PFC tomorrow with the goal to promote independent film and start conversations about lesserknown titles emerging in the sceneNaik reminisces how the duorsquos journey followed the typical booktomovie arch ldquoI discovered Swap Book a community for readers started by Subramanian in 2011 through an article in midday in 2021 I reached out with the idea to do something similar for filmsrdquo he shares For Naik the idea gained impetus following a filmy heartbreak ldquoBefore the lockdown was imposed a weekly visit to Deepak Talkies in Lower Parel was my routine They would screen everything from Swedish indie films to Hitchcockrsquos classics every Monday Unfortunately they couldnrsquot make a postlockdown return and it left a hole in my heartrdquoPravin Subramanian and Vedant Naik PicAnurag AhireThe duo went on to found Off The Books a film club last year regularly screening lesserknown movies and hosting discussions at a Khar venue Subramanian tells us that while the screenings were well received by audiences they found it hard to expand operations owing to permission and licensing barriers ldquoAcquiring rights is a timeconsuming process and can sometimes cost one a fortune Thatrsquos when we turned to independent Indian films and rebranded to PFC We noticed that local filmmakers wanted their movies to be screened and discuss them with the audience The focus is not on the money but the experience of discussing what you loverdquo Subramanian shares Naik echoes the sentiment ldquoThe decision opened our eyes to the world of regional cinema Mumbai for instance has a thriving Marathi parallel cinema community beyond what most of us consider indierdquo he sharesThe Bombay Movie Club formed in 2019 regularly organises community events to discuss foreign language filmsThe duo assures us that you donrsquot have to be a film expert to head down to one of their events ldquoWe donrsquot want people to do their homework on film history before they visit usrdquo Subramanian chuckles reminding us that the central thought is to promote open and candid discussions between independent filmmakers and their audiences Karan Suri Talwar founder of Harkat an art studio that hosts monthly screenings agrees ldquoWhile the core audience for our monthly screenings remain cinephiles and people who work in film we are making consistent efforts to bring the everyday audience in Such cinema can only be sustainable if more people are exposed to itrdquo he remarks adding that Mumbai has a larger audience interested in independent films than the handful of film clubs today can accommodateKaran Suri Talwar cinephiles attend a screening at Harkat Studios in Versova that has been screening undiscovered movies such as Faraz Alirsquos Shoebox and Gurvinder Singhrsquos Adh Chanani Raat since 2017Echoing Surirsquos call for more spaces dedicated to film enthusiasts Adishree Mahapatra incharge of collaborations at The Bombay Movie Club adds that the city lacks spaces where participants can dissect and study the films following a screening ldquoOur vision is not only limited to screenings but on experiences that introduce the audience to different film movements techniques and cultural touchstones Social meetups to promote community building must remain our main focusrdquo she notesFollowing the screening of Batul Mukhtiarrsquos critically acclaimed Mumu Shelley Naik shares that efforts to rope in Siddharth Chauhanrsquos Amar Colony and Anamika Haksarrsquos Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Ja Riya Hoon are underway ldquoConvincing filmmakers to head down to our venue can be challenging sometimes because we arenrsquot a traditional film club with access to theaters But the onus is on us and we are doing our best to show them the value that these intimate events can addrdquo he concludesON Tomorrow 5pmAT KMC Kitab Mahal off DN Road FortLOG ON TO insiderinENTRY Rs 350 onwardsHarkat StudiosAT Bungalow No 17 JP Road Aram Nagar Part 2 VersovaLOG ON TO harkatstudios for upcoming eventsThe Bombay Movie ClubAT Multiple locationsLOG ON TO thebombaymovieclub for upcoming events