CAG 2021-22
CHALCHITRA ABHIYAAN
Nakul Singh Sawhney
Western Uttar Pradesh
Over a long duration, Nakul has been engaging with youth to further the work of ChalChitra Abhiyaan, a community initiative where young people learn to create films around urgent socio-political realities, and to share these locally, across Western Uttar Pradesh.
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Viewing of films within the village, made by the locally trained filmmakers around subjects affecting the community further becomes an active space for exchange, dialogue and participation.
As part of the Artreach Grant, CCA led workshops primarily in their office in Kandhla township in Shamli district, but as part of the training exercises the participants were made to shoot outdoors in different parts of Kandhla township.
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The age group of the participants was between 15-20 years. An important breakthrough during the course of these workshops was that they finally had young women from Kandhla participating in the workshop as well.
Participants learnt the basics of camera work with sessions in the field, led by Vishal Stonewall.
As part of the workshops, the participants were first taught the basics of camera, primarily by Vishal Stonewall, a senior activist and filmmaker of ChalChitra Abhiyaan. This included the basics of framing, composition, shot taking etc.
Film screenings of relevant socio-political films are held at the CCA centre in Kandla, made by CCA members, and from around the world.
About the grantee
Nakul is an independent documentary filmmaker whose films focus on issues of religious sectarianism, human rights, labour and social justice in South Asia. His feature length documentary Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai/Muzaffarnagar Eventually on the sectarian violence in North India that impacted the results of General Elections in 2014, was released in 2015. He is the founder of ChalChitra Abhiyaan, a film and media collective in rural North India.