'MRS SEN HEARS THE MERMAIDS SINGING' by Rajasri Mukhopadhyay
Bring Your Own Film Festival
- Rajasri Mukhopadhyay*
The sea-wash never ends.
The sea-wash repeats, repeats.
Only old songs ? Is that all the sea knows?
The sea-wash repeats,
Bhadhaas dho !
Try this exercise. Utter loudly, "BYOFF ! " Blow out your lungs. Yell, full throated. It immediately grasps you. The phonetic similarity with "Fuck Off !" Unmistakable. You can't help pronouncing it with the same abandon. And of course with all that bottled up energy and irreverence. Coming to think of it, even yelling Bhadhaas Dho has the same effect. You see, BYOFF for me is all about freedom. Freedom to view films you like and also, the freedom to screen films which majority may not like. Also the freedom of not watching any films when you don't feel like it and just want to soak in the sun, sand and sea. It is about shaking off the control (refer to -" no selection, no juries, no hierarchies" phrase in the website and general tone of the unending group mails you receive) and being yourself with films and friends. No prison for pot.
Flash back February 2005.
Landed at BYOFF after a week of fieldwork, studying Orissan temples. Rounded off the study tour with the exquisite Varahi temple at Chaurasi and then a joy ride through sylvan, unspoiled greens to Puri. BYOFF-the informal, after Temples- the formal. BYOFF – the unwinding, after Temples- the work. BYOFF- the independent, non-hierarchical, free space after Temples- representing state organization, bureaucracy and hierarchy..BYOFF- the 'other' of culture, Temples- a major component of the mainstream culture. Anybody who has experienced, witnessed or heard of the bureaucratization of Indian Film Festivals is sure to note the 'otherness' of BYOFF. I cant suppress a smile when I recall the bewildered annoyance of a French woman filmmaker at why there were mainly IAS, IPS, WBCS officers and corporate honchos at the parties meant to facilitate interactions among international filmmaking communities, thrown during Kolkata Film Festival. The importance of Government jobs is one of the first things a child learns as he or she grows up in Indian society.
Rushing through a late lunch, arrive at the beach to catch a few documentaries
and shake a few hands. Then slip behind the projection tent to catch a glimpse of the fast fading sunset. Somebody had hung a bunch of bananas on the way from the food shack to the tent. Outside the tent pinned up pages flapped in the wind with screening schedules and what Bhadhaas dho ! means to different people scrawled over them. Amazing brainstorming, I think to myself. Evenings cheer up to glasses clinking and conversations get liberally coated with smoke. Exchange anecdotes with Rano, get introduced to Bishu, Amlan, Shamit, share nostalgia with Dipankar and take pride in the tip off Supriyo and I had given to Alain Kugel, about BYOFF and Alain introduces us to Christine. As the night progresses, it gets very windy, swishing sound of the waves getting more and more dominating and images start dancing on the back wall of Pink Elephant. Sit cross-legged on the sand, gaping like a child, savouring every bit of the magic of cinema. Later as I nurse a rum in my hand, reclining against the edge of the makeshift stage which had witnessed a colourful performance by a local artist few hours back, I feel being observed. Before I get my act together, I face a camera. Undoubtedly Gurpal. The question rings – " Does size matter? "
My thoughts rewind to the title of a film which had caught my fancy at a video store . Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing ( 2004), directed by Linda Thornburg. It suddenly seemed very real. Almost possible for a Mrs Sen to hear mermaids singing at Puri. Mermaids at Puri ?? !! Well, before 2004, we also never dreamt of a film festival like BYOFF at Puri……
( *Rajasri is an art historian, writer, film worker interested in gender and sexualities)
She can be contacted in raja...@yahoo.com
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Visit http://www.byofilmfestival.com to know more about and register for the BRING YOUR OWN FILM FESTIVAL, PURI 2006
Also visit the Group home page: http://groups.google.com/group/byoffpuri to post your thoughts, suggestions and of course communications with fellow-filmmakers/enthusiasts to make BYOFF 2006 a grand success!