You can not transform the world having a song, however, you can withstand a song, exclaims Shadi Zaqtan, also a song writer, singer and composer who resides in the older city of Ramallah, Palestine, at the documentary show Occupied. The five-part show will be the only Indian film to be selected to the Athens International Film and Video Festival, also may have its own worldwide première on October 2-4. Directed by Hyderabad-based film-maker, Pranav Pingle Reddy,” Occupied was filmed in 2016 2017. The teaser of Occupied was introduced recently.
The continuing crisis in Palestine has again attracted the territory and also the plight of its inhabitants right into consideration. Pranav discusses Occupied being an effort to rise above the headlines. “What does it mean to live in Palestine? I wanted to look at the daily lives of people,” he states.
Celebration of life
Every episode centers around a new artist that uses art — music, calligraphy, poetry, dancing and artwork — as a kind of immunity, like a means of observing life over the restrictions, also questions exactly what freedom is about.
“Everyone in Palestine has a story to tell; it is up to you if you want to listen,” says Pranav. Occupied has been filmed InSync noise from various locations in Palestine over 3-5 days by the three-member team of Pranav, Prithvi Chahal and Arvind Menon, that shot on multiple tasks while filming. )
The 30-year-old remembers exactly what it supposed to idealistically embark upon the job within his Mid 20s. The interest in history and art originated from his dad and aunt. His dad, writer Pingle Ramesh Reddy, along with aunt, Anuradha Reddy, have engaged in history, art and heritage conservation. Pranav was excited to study in a university that’d history for it, and had not been simply a construction. He chased masters in television and film production at the University of Bristol, uk, leading to cinematography, production and leadership. “I worked on documentaries that narrated stories of women empowerment, refugee crisis… subjects that moved me,” he states.
time for India, he established the manufacturing house, Mirage Media, at Hyderabad, and the earnings which came through corporate films and advertisements, went to fire endeavors. He expects that following the film festival circuit, even more people can be able to see Occupied, perhaps on digital programs.
Evidence from the world
By ‘Occupied’, led by Pranav Pingle Reddy
| Photo Credit:
Mirage Media
“I was keen on exploring stories from the Middle East, particularly Palestine. I didn’t have much money back then and didn’t want to borrow from my family. The universe, however, conspired to make things happen when someone paid me dues for a two-year-old commercial project and another corporate film came up. I pooled in the amount, spoke to like-minded people in Hyderabad such as Mahnoor Yar Khan (who has worked extensively in Palestine as an artiste and drama therapist) to get an idea of what to expect in Palestine.”
Mahnoor cautioned him to proceed with nominal equipment not to draw too much care. The education has been not to consider the dronebut Pranav was adament: “She thought I was crazier than her,” he participates. He ensured that the three-member team would utilize smaller sized cameras, but couldn’t discount that the drone.
He met Shadi Zaqtan in a airport. “He was extremely warm and said if I wanted to make a film in Palestine, I was welcome to stay with him. It wasn’t meant to be a mere pleasantry. Weeks later when the trip materialised, he accommodated me, Prithvi and Arvind. He had financial constraints, but he never let it show.”
Art for immunity
By ‘Occupied’, led by Pranav Pingle Reddy
| Photo Credit:
Mirage Media
In Shadi’s bar in Ramallah, musicians, artists, actors, poets and musicians converged and shared their own art and notions. Pranav and team filmed and met calligraphy artist Hamza Aby Ayyash, poet and educationist Nabil Barham, Sa’aleek rapper trio from the Qalandiya refugee camp, both brothers Ala along with Baha using recyclable material to generate art bits and encourage tribal ladies, along with ballet warrior R and Ziad who resides in Jerusalem and cannot truly espouse her Palestine individuality.
Pranav says Palestine is definitely an adventure, not just a mere spot to simply take in the sights. He had been transferred by the indomitable soul of the men and women who suffer check points daily since they sail, and attempt to smile through everything “They go through a lot — houses being damaged and neighbours providing shelter as long as it takes to rebuild the house, only to be destroyed again. Yet, they carry on.”
Pranav’s team filmed just as far because they were able, coming back with a enormous amount of footage which will require the subsequent few years for editing and postproduction.
In Pranav’s words,” Occupied may be the party of life, hope and love from Palestine, place against the back ground of persecution and marginalization, with one belief — at the long run, love always wins.