The Cinema Travellers

The Cinema Travelers

Cannes poster
Directed by Amit Madheshiya
Shirley Abraham
Produced by Amit Madheshiya
Shirley Abraham
Written by Amit Madheshiya
Shirley Abraham
Cinematography Amit Madheshiya
Edited by Amit Madheshiya
Shirley Abraham
Production
company
Cave Pictures
Release dates
 Cannes
Running time
 96 minutes
Country
  • India
Language Hindi, Marathi

The Cinema Travellers is a 2016 documentary film about the travelling cinemas of India, directed by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya. The film is produced by Cave Pictures, India, a company co-founded by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya in 2015. The film premiered as an Official Selection[1] at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and won L'Œil d'or Special Mention: Le Prix du documentaire. In 2016, it was the only Indian film playing as an Official Selection at Cannes.

Story

Showmen riding cinema lorries have brought the wonder of the movies to faraway villages in India once every year. Seven decades on, as their cinema projectors crumble and film reels become scarce, their patrons are lured by slick digital technology. A benevolent showman, a shrewd exhibitor and a maverick projector mechanic bear a beautiful burden - to keep the last travelling cinemas of the world running.

Production

It's took 8 years to produce this cinema. For starters, there’s hardly any documentation on the history of travelling cinemas. Madheshiya and Abraham spent three of them purely on research. The next five were spent tailing the travelling cinema companies across Vidharbha and Marathawada with their tents and projectors. What slowed them down further was the dwindling frequency of these screenings – they took place annually during village fairs. “These films were normally screened at fairs along with other things like a circus and lavani performances. The travelling theatre companies would attract people with big film posters. The tickets were initially Rs 15 and later went up to Rs 30,” says Madheshiya.

The biggest challenge was pulling off this project with a crew of merely two people – that is Madheshiya and Abraham. “Our end credits are really embarrassing,” they both exclaim. “For structuring purposes, we had to divide the departments between us. But essentially, we both did everything,” adds Abraham. “We were booking our own tickets, finding where to go, also who to coordinate with.” Since Madheshiya is a photographer, he by default became the DOP. Abraham was the sound recordist. They both edited the film together and contributed to the funding, so they are co-producers as well.

Film festivals

The Cinema Travellers had its world premiere on May 15, 2016 at the Salle Buñuel in the Palais des Festival at 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Following that, the film has been invited to play at 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, 2016 New York Film Festival, 2016 Sydney Film Festival and 2016 Busan International Film Festival.

Cannes Film Festival May 2016 Official Selection (Winner)
Sydney Film Festival June 2016 Official Selection
Toronto International Film Festival Sep 2016 Official Selection
Batumi International Art House Film Festival Sep 2016 Winner
Vilnius Documentary Film Festival Sep 2016 Opening Film
New York Film Festival Oct 2016 Official Selection
New Hampshire Film Festival Oct 2016 Winner
Busan International Film Festival Oct 2016 Official Selection
Mumbai Film Festival Oct 2016 Winner
Guelph Film Festival Nov 2016 Opening Film
Canberra International Film Festival Nov 2016 Closing Film
Hawaii International Film Festival Nov 2016 Winner
Denver Film Festival Nov 2016
International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam Nov 2016 Official Selection

Reception

The Cinema Travellers premiered at Cannes Film Festival to a rousing response. The first audiences of the film gave it a standing ovation. Glowing press reviews followed. Graham Fuller of Screen Daily declared, “Whatever masterpieces, if any, bow at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, it is likely none will communicate the excitement engendered by movies more headily than The Cinema Travellers.” He lauded the film for being “rigorous, aesthetically and intellectually.” [2] E. Nina Rothe of The Huffington Post called it a “masterpiece,” and further, “a film from the heart and a testament to everything humanity should believe in wholeheartedly.”[3] Nick Schager of Variety found the film an “intimate, poignant documentary.” Schager wrote, “Recalling Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1988 Oscar winner “Cinema Paradiso” in its effusive love of 20th-century celluloid splendor, this five-years-in-the-making film should entice theatrical-loving cinephiles.”[4] The film’s narrative form drew attention from reviewers. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave it four stars and wrote “There’s not a moment that feels forced or tweaked to ensure an emotional beat gets checked off, which results in both immersion and authenticity at every stage of the film.” He summed up the film as “evocative, subtle and heartfelt”.[5] David Ehrlich of Indiewire called the film, “wise and wistful.”[6] Alex Ritman of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “Its triumph lies in how it also captures the magic of this unique, collective movie-watching experience.” [7] Rating the film 9.5 on 10, Alex Billington of First Showing found the film, “jaw dropping,” and wrote, “Everyone else who loves the cinematic experience as much as I do needs to revel in the glory of this doc.” [8]Tom Brook of BBC Talking Movies[9] interviewed the directors in Cannes and included the film in his special coverage from the festival. Daily Mail in its Cannes wrap-up report wrote, “Nothing has captured the romance of the movies quite like "Cinema Travelers,"[10] and LA Times included the film in its wrap-up report from Cannes calling it one of “The most involving films on film history.” [11]

Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya with Gianfranco Rosi, president of the L’Oeil d’or jury – Cannes Documentary Award

Awards

Cannes Film Festival L'Œil d'or Special Mention: Le Prix du documentaire May 2016
Batumi International Art House Film Festival Best Documentary Award Sep 2016
New Hampshire Film Festival Grand Jury Award Oct 2016
Mumbai Film Festival Young Critics' Choice Award Oct 2016
Mumbai Film Festival Jury Special Award Oct 2016
Hawaii International Film Festival Golden Orchid Award for Best Documentary Nov 2016

References

  1. ↑ "Festival de Cannes 2016". Festival de Cannes 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  2. ↑ "'The Cinema Travellers': Cannes Review". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  3. ↑ Activist, E. Nina Rothe Cultural (2016-05-10). "Five Reasons I'm Sad to Miss the Cannes Film Festival... and a Few Why I'm Not". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  4. ↑ Schager, Nick (2016-05-15). "Cannes Film Review: 'The Cinema Travelers'". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  5. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (2016-05-16). "The Cinema Travellers review – intimate documentary is ode to enduring power of film". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  6. ↑ Ehrlich, David (2016-05-16). "Cannes Review: Wise Doc 'The Cinema Travelers' Finds the Future of Film in the Remote Corners of India". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  7. ↑ "Cannes Hidden Gem: 'Cinema Travelers' Captures a Fading Film Tradition". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  8. ↑ "Cannes 2016: 'The Cinema Travelers' Doc Profiles a Passion for 35mm". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  9. ↑ Brook, Tom. "Talking Movies". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  10. ↑ "In highlights of Cannes, a hush falls over the festival". Retrieved 2016-08-28.
  11. ↑ Times, Los Angeles. "'I, Daniel Blake' wins Cannes' Palme d'Or as a jury goes its own way". latimes.com. Retrieved 2016-08-28.

External links

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