Nee Engey - Where Are You?: Events in Hyderabad

Ramani rewrites his physics theories and proves them by letting his shadows steal the lime light.

The Documentary Circle section of the Hyderabad Film Club is showcasing the works of the Chennai based cinematographer and filmmaker R V Ramani. The club has chosen to screen five of his short films today at the Bhaskara Auditorium. The filmmaker will also be present at the screening. He will be introducing his movies and after the film he will also take questions from the audience. This movie will be screened at the Literacy House in Andhra Mahila Sabha.

R V Ramani is a graduate in Physics from the Bombay University. He initially worked as a photo-journalist and later joined the Film and TV institute of India in Pune. He has been making his own independent documentaries and short films since the year 1989. His films have been present in many international Film Festivals. His Retrospectives, a documentary, has been presented at the Dokument Art, The International Documentary Film Festival in 1999, The Asia Pacific Trinalle, APT3 Australia in 2003 and Mumbai International Film Festival in 2002.

This film centers around the shadow puppet theatre, which has been very popular for many centuries in India before the advent of the cinema. The shadow puppeteers were the original filmmakers, who by manipulating the leather puppets in front of a light source, created moving images on the screen. They led a nomadic lifestyle, traveling, camping, setting up screens, and performing the story of Ramayana, adapting local languages and flavors. Today, there are only a few shadow puppeteers still practicing this art. Their stories and life styles have changed.

This film, with the shadow puppeteers, living in the South-India, is a celebration and dedication to the art of moving images and to its original practitioners and community. The movie canvases its history and contribution to the cinema.

Director: R V Ramani
Producer: R V Ramani
Photography: R V Ramani
Editors: R V Ramani, Vijay Shankar
Year: 2003
Length: 150 minutes

Please contact Prakash Reddy on 93910-20243 for further details.