Cinema is a bonding factor for Punekars | Pune Film Movement | Pune News – Times of India

It’s a quiet, Sunday afternoon and most Punekars are enjoying a well-deserved siesta. But a restaurant off Bhandarkar Road is buzzing with people. It’s a shared love for cinema that has brought them together at the weekly meet-up of the Pune Film Movement (PFM), a community of cinephiles and aspiring filmmakers. “Anurag Kashyap once said that teaching cinema is the worst thing you can do to a director or a cinematographer because it kills their instincts of play and experimentation,” the founder of PFM Anub George tells us, adding that the idea was to build a community of cinephiles within the city and put Pune more prominently on the map of filmmaking.

Origins of the community
It all started when the team went to Mumbai to pitch a concept to different production houses and ended up meeting a bunch of people from Pune there. “We met creative people who were stuck in monotonous jobs and couldn’t grow due to money or infrastructure issues,” shares Anub, prompting the question that if there’s so much talent in Pune, why is there a need for migration? “That’s when we decided to create a sustainable, low-expense module of filmmaking in the city,” shares Anub. Eventually, from a group of 20 people who showed up at the first meet, the PFM community started averaging 80 people at every meet and began churning out scripts.
“This is a platform that allows me to express my thoughts. I attend the meetings every week because the people are so helpful and motivating”— Yadnesh Nandkumar Shingan, a videographer
Collaborative efforts
In a span of a few months, many aspiring filmmakers have gotten the experience of making short films, thanks to the guidance and resources provided by the members. Jason Borges, a writer and member of the team, shares, “PFM is structured to avoid clashes between departments. The final call is taken by the director of the film in consultation with the core team. This process has allowed us to prolifically create 6 films in 6 months of operations, something that is unheard of in our country.” What about the budget, we ask, and Soniya Murhe, who handles community management at PFM, shares, “Short films are helpful in telling a story with limited resources. We address the over-the-top expenses in the scripting phase itself.” She adds that filmmaking costs are taken care of through personal connections and collaborations. “Right from locations to costumes and even hair and makeup, people come forward to share their resources purely to support talent and good filmmaking,” she says.

The way ahead
While they’ve created a strong base in the city in a few months, the community plans to grow larger with more events and initiatives soon. “We are planning to get sponsors next because we want to start hosting film festivals and show people what Pune has to offer. This city is the best place for us to function because of the tight-knit community and culture in the city,” shares Anub, on a concluding note.
“This is a place where artistic expression is backed by a meticulous focus on fulfilling a shoot. There have been some crazy concepts that the film community has brought us, and it is always a fun challenge to bring them to life” — Siddharth Shivshankar, a PFM member in the art department
The filmmaking community has completed six short films in six months and is working on more now. Jason Borges, a writer, shares, “The current roster has been a smorgasbord of multiple genres, ranging from noir to sitcoms. The themes explored are predominantly around the discovery of self, psychological crises, crime, addiction and escapist fantasies.”