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For the past 7 years, a quiet revolution has been brewing in Kolkata. Indian documentary has been emerging from the shadows, as film makers have gathered to hone their skills and meet the international documentary industry.

DocEdge brings together film makers from all India to develop a project and then pitch it to commissioners from across the world. This year local film makers were joined by colleagues from China, Singapore, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It’s a testament to the project’s success that some of the most senior television executives make the long journey to judge their work. And they are not doing it out of kind-heartedness. Indian directors are now capable of world class film-making, and we all want to be a part of it.

This year was particularly strong. One over-arching theme was the constantly shifting identities in contemporary Asia. For many Indians, their lives are in transition as they seek new opportunities and face new challenges. They are often challenging the barriers forged over generations – caste, class, geography, religion, sexuality. For me it was a stark reminder that what holds so many people back is the judgement of others.

There was also a sense of facing up to recent history and the impact of war, especially in Sri Lanka; the ferocious impact of climate change and the empowerment of Moslem women. But there was also humour, culture, passion and joy in films about music, television and the beauty of the Sari. Many of these films will make an international impact, and will take Indian documentary to the next level.  Indian documentary is also a family, and some of the most successful recent film-makers returned to Kolkata to share their stories.

Structurally, however, India still has a long way to go. It was great to see the emergent industry attending DocEdge with the film-makers. Ayesha Kagal of NDTV attended for the first time, and she commissions the documentary strands on two of cable broadcasters channels, NDTV24 and now NDTV Profit, giving a rare national platform to home grown talent. For now, though, films are acquired, and there is no co-production. There is still a lack of real support from the national broadcaster, Doordarshan.  To an outsider, the national Government’s funding for documentary seems archaic, inefficient and creatively stale. There is a growing argument for a new funding structure along European lines; to devolved funding to regions with contestable funds with an open call. The Indian Documentary Producers Association will play a part in that, also arguing for tax breaks for film-makers in order for them to build their own businesses. Until that happens, the long held belief by Indians that documentaries are boring, didactic propaganda is hard to challenge.

Indeed building a culture of documentary viewing across the country is one of the most necessary developments. Audiences need to be developed. Fortunately some people are up to the challenge, like Sophy Sivaraman, bringing her extensive skills honed in tv advertising to make documentary cool and desirable. There are also new forms of distribution emerging, with Under Construction, part of the Magic Lantern Foundation, launching DVD’s in fashionable retail outlets, building on the success of 10 years of audience development through film societies and universities.  Film festivals from across the country and training initiatives like ESODOC are also a big part of the emerging documentary network. I was excited to meet young entrepreneurs and business graduates who want to do more than just make money, but to add cultural value too.

One emerging idea was the need for an Indian Documentary Foundation, which could bring a whole range of support to film-makers outside of the state system. It could offer training, networking, workshops and most importantly funding in the form of grants and bursaries for individuals and investment into films. By pooling together our collective contacts, we will be building a case to take to Government, corporates, foundations, venture capitalists and to the movie industry – we want to see hot shot Bollywood actors and directors supporting their brothers and sisters in factual films, and building their own status and egos in the process.

DocEdge 10 was a real delight to attend, full of creative, inspiring and wonderful people. From here we need to take our wishes and dreams and make them a reality. Most importantly we all owe a debt of gratitude to Nilotpal Majumdar and his team at DocEdge. Plans are afoot to make the next event bigger and better than ever, and whatever the next few years hold, DocEdge will remain at the heart of the exciting Indian documentary industry. Indeed, perhaps it is already its beating heart.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 4:26 pm and is filed under India, digital content, documentary, documentary film funding, film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.