Malayalam cinema has been witnessing a revival of sorts in recent times. Many flicks have been well-received by the audience, especially the youth, mainly owing to experimentation as well as enthusiasm to break away from the formulaic pattern in filmmaking.
Taking cue from the trend, the seeds of change are being sown at several schools across the State. The 126-year-old Government Central High School at Attakulangara has also followed suit by bringing its students closer to the art of filmmaking.
Steeped in history, the school has been witnessing tumultuous times with the government move to transfer a plot, coming within the school premises, facing stiff opposition from social activists and the alumni. With enrolment increasing during the current academic year, the school authorities are doing their best to enliven the institution with numerous extracurricular activities. Aptly titled ‘Punarjani’ (rebirth), a workshop on short-film production was organised for students in association with Tree Walk, a non-governmental organisation, on Saturday.
Around 40 students, who were selected from Classes 5 to 10 through a screening process, participated in the two-hour session held on the school compound. Documentary filmmakers Suresh Elamon and K. Swaminathan were the resource persons for the camp.
According to Mr. Elamon, the students were taught the basics of filmmaking, including script writing, direction, cinematography, production, acting, and editing. They have been asked to come up with ideas for a short-film that will be based on the history of the school. While the objective of the workshop was to produce a short-film entirely made by the students before Onam, the programme was aimed at identifying talents and nurturing the creativity of students, he said.
School headmaster Suresh Babu R.S. said a few documentaries and short-films were also screened during the session. The workshop was part of an ongoing programme intended to involve all students in extracurricular activities, he added.
Attakulangara school organises workshop on short-film production for its students.
