Wednesday, January 2, 2008

1 Square - A parable of solitude

The world of films lures many. Most of these people are fascinated by films but think that the actual world of film making is beyond their reach I know of three friends who all share a passion for cinema. One fine day they just got together and decided to make a short film. Working on a shoestring budget, they managed to gather a team of people. The cinematographer responded to these three people via Orkut. The lead actor, a student in FTII, Pune got attracted by the script. All the shooting was done in the room of one of these three friends.

The result is 1 Square, a short film of 20 min. Their single minded focus, commitment to quality (and the ability to stay awake non-stop for several nights!) were also rewarded. This film got the 2nd prize for Best Film in the ICE digital short film festival in 2007.

The story is a touching saga of a young man in search of another person. As the events over a single evening unfold, his search turns from that for someone to that for almost anyone. As the note on the cover of this DVD says

The easiest person to convince is always yourself. Except, when your 'self' starts asking questions that one does not want to confront. The faster one runes away from these, the faster they overtake us and face us at the next crossroad. This evasion goes on, till one stands still, listens to the silences within and befriend the vast empty recesses of the mind.”

The film does ask you several discomforting questions. Do I value what I already have? Or do I just keep chasing something which I think is valuable? And what happens when that something does not reciprocate my thoughts? So I don't like what I get; and don't get what I like?

Not resting on this first success, the three of them are working on another project.

You can contact Prasad, Swati and Swapnil at iamzero@googlegroups.com

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