In a cinema-loving nation bustling with film makers, Chandrasekhar Reddy is a man who quite makes the cut – his recent documentary feature, Fireflies in the Abyss, is the only Indian documentary-feature film to be selected at the 23rd edition of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival’16, slated to take place from April 28 to May 6 in Toronto.
The documentary feature film will be showcased among 38 best feature films from across the world in the world showcase category. In a candid conversation with the man behind the lens, he tells us about the ongoing journey…
“I was inclined towards cinema since childhood. I was just about ten when I was exposed to world cinema. We watched a lot of films on a video home system, which was lent to us by an acquaintance,” says the Ooty-bred documentary movie maverick, speaking about his earliest memories of cinema. “While my parents were in Bengaluru, I studied at the Blue Mountain School in Nilgiris and then enrolled into an Open University and wanted study at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. But destiny had other plans so I began my apprentice in Mumbai,” adds the city-based film maker who currently shuttles between Bengaluru and the United Kingdom.
Shedding light on his debut feature documentary, which revolves around a 11-year-old Suraj, who envisions making his way out of the dreary coal pit someday, he says, “There is no real message to the film but, if there is a basic intent then it is to reach across the bubbles of our individual lives to know other peoples lives in a way that we can have real empathy. It is essential to connect to each other.”
The film made its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival’15 and India premier at the 14th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival, where it bagged two top awards – Golden Conch Award for the best Documentary Feature Film and the best Cinematography in the National Competition category. Speaking about the forthcoming festival, he opines, “It is a great opportunity to get a platform at HotDocs. The Toronto audiences are known to be hugely appreciative and I am really looking forward to present the film there.”
