Breaking out from the silo of documentaries being labeled ‘un-interesting’ or ‘academic', the Documentary Circle of Hyderabad (DCH) works towards engaging the Hyderabadi audience in discussions and appreciation of the format. Established in 2005, DCH conducts film festivals and documentary screenings at regular intervals renewing the popularity for the factual films.
The two-member team behind in the initiative which is also known as the DocuCircle, consists of Sumanaspati Reddy, a programme executive in All India Radio and Saraswati Kavula, a documentary filmmaker. For them, the format is their passion and their aim is to convert it into an art-form appreciated by the masses in the city. “All we wish to do is create a documentary culture in Hyderabad. We want to make people realise the essence and meaning documentaries possess,” says the docu enthusiast, Reddy.
Speaking to City Express, Reddy tells us more about the idea behind DCH.
Inertia to takeoff
“The lack of popular interest is mirrored in the poor standard of most Indian documentaries that are being produced. There are hardly 30 to 40 good documentary filmmakers from our country and not even one or two from Andhra Pradesh at the national level. This is not a good trend if we wish to make a mark globally,” he shares. He adds that so far, only a few from the country have managed to create a niche for themselves – some making lucrative profits, but most just about breaking-even. Shyam Benegal, Zafar Hai, Muzaffar Ali, Mrinal Sen and Anand Patwardhan are among the few filmmakers in the documentary format India can boast of.
The country presents a paradox of sorts with a globally prominent film industry and an almost invisible documentary culture. Addressing the probable reason behind the phenomenon, Reddy says that most Indians find the idea of a documentary barely appealing.
Secondly and almost always, people associate them with foreign filmmakers. “Some very badly produced films in the olden days have resulted in the classification of documentaries as ‘boring’ nowadays. And the fact that there are no marketing avenues or funding for Indian documentaries makes it extremely difficult for people to get into this field and change that perception,” explains Reddy.
He also addresses the impact and the popularity of films based on fiction has on the apparent neglect. “People generally prefer to make a movie on fictional stories in India. Even today we see a huge craze for short-filmmaking among youngsters. But they need to understand that it is through documentaries that real conflicts can be addressed. Especially in democracies, these films act as the vox populi,” comments Reddy.
Pushing through
It was this idea of “addressing social issues through documentaries,” that brought DocuCircle into existence which followed Reddy’s journey of self-discovery of love for the art form. While Saraswati is a documentary filmmaker herself, Reddy had no association with the format. “Even I was never interested in these films,” he shares – a thought which changed during his visit to Bengaluru where he saw a few Indian documentaries being showcased in rebellion of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF).
During the 2004 controversy, the MIFF was accused of demanding censor certificates from the Indian filmmakers while foreign movies were screened without any objection. This infuriated the Indian filmmakers who began showcasing their movies all over the country. Though it was by accident that he attended the event, he describes the experience as “stunning”. It not only hooked him onto documentaries for life but also made him realise the huge gap that existed between Indian filmmakers and their audience.
His solution to this problem was, however, simple. “Other cities had small groups of documentary film enthusiasts who were working to reduce this gap but Hyderabad didn’t even have that,” he says. Hence began the journey of DCH in March, 2005 with a nine-day event titled ‘Hyderabad’i’ Documentary and Short Film Festival’ showcasing the works of filmmakers with any connection to the city. “It was attended by 200 to 300 people everyday and the overflowing theatres were our inspiration to go on,” says Reddy.
On their own
Starting the initiative with Saraswati, his former colleague at AIR, the duo worked in association with the Hyderabad Film Club initially. “Later we felt the need to screen the documentaries separately for better recognition by discerning audience of the form,” says Reddy. From here on, they began to work on their own with an aim to reach out. “Documentaries are not boring when well-made and we want to address this myth. They provide great insights into issues while telling stories creatively and aesthetically. It will be great if Hyderabad could develop a culture for art and theatre,” he asserts.
Over the years, the initiative has managed to create a dedicated audience for documentaries among the city’s populace and has also been sensitising them towards these films.
A remarkable addition has been to start the trend of inviting acclaimed as well as amateur filmmakers to the city and providing Hyderabadis a platform to share their perspective with the makers of the films.
Screening success
DocuCircle’s regular activities include monthly screenings, centred around a specific filmmaker at Lamakaan, Doc Splash – a short documentary festival based on a chosen theme conducted every trimester and Point of View – a joint venture with Alliance Francaise and Goethe-Zentrum that showcases documentaries related to issues concerning environment and livelihood.
“Saraswati, who is also as an environmental activist has been a major force behind organising Point of View. This has created a different audience for DocuCircle who are interested in environmental and livelihood issues in particular,” adds Reddy of the Indian and European documentaries screened on the fourth Saturday of every month.
In all DCH screenings, the audience discusses the film after the screening. “Every documentary brings out an issue and makes a statement and it is important to discuss it. Usually we try to get the filmmakers to attend the screening. If he/she is not able to make it, we bring experts to participate on that issue,” informs Reddy. The entry is free for all the screenings. “No one will come to watch documentaries if we would charge them,” he laughs.
Having been quite successful in their endeavours, the DocuCircle looks forward to continue its work. “We would like to conduct screenings in colleges. We have done this before but are looking at reaching out to various colleges and universities in the city. We would also like to spread to villages and other towns and teach them about documentaries. Though we do not have the volunteer base as of now, we will try our best to do this in the future,” Reddy signs off.
Catch this month’s screening at Lamakaan on July 27. Red Ant Dream by Sanjay Kak will begin at 7pm.