Rangzen is a documentary that attempts to explore the different layers of lives Tibetans particularly living in Bylakuppe and their ideas of home, identity and the hope of a free nation. A search for meaning and existence between the struggle for freedom and a home in exile.
The three Santosh Chandrashekar, Aiman and Sumit Dasgupta from St Joseph’s College, Bangalore worked on the film as a part of their MS Mass Communication final project. The trio handled all from the Direction, Camera and also Editing of the film they were guided by Johnson Rajkumar, HOD, Department of Communication, St Josephs of College.
Rangzen since then has gone on to win awards at the following International Film Festivals:
1) Special Jury Award – International Film festival of Prayag, Delhi – 2017
2) Audience Award – Feel the Reel International Film Festival, UK – 2017
The film also received Official Selections at various Film Festivals such as
1) International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kerala – 2016
2) Calcutta International Cult Film Festival – 2017
3) Bangalore Shorts Film Festival 2017.
Santosh Chandrashekar, commented, “When we first started to work on the film our approach on the subject totally changed. We realised that the Tibetans hold a strong connect with Tibet even after being in exile for so many years. The struggle they are facing trying to juggle between the Indian identity they have adapted to and the Tibetan identity they are holding on to, interested us. “
Aiman, added, “It is very fascinating to witness the Tibetan communities settled in different parts of our country still follow the traditions that were being followed by their elders back in Tibet. We wanted to work on a larger film by visiting the other Tibetan settlements, but unfortunately we had time constraints and decided to focus only on settlements in Karnataka.”
Sumit Dasgupta who was one of the trio said, “We had visited Bylakuppe during Losar, which is the Tibetan New Year. I was surprised as the settlement made me feel like I was in Tibet and not karnataka. As young filmmakers, we did face a few hassles and thanks to Bangalore based Pedestrian Pictures who played an integral role in supporting us throughout our film process.”
Rangzen is scheduled to be screened on June 11, 2017 at the 6th Bangalore Shorts Film Festival (Competion Category). The venue for the screening is Four Points by Sheraton Whitefield, Bangalore.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/167223568
