New Delhi,July 18, 2008: An interactive discussion about the journey and experiences of the debutant filmmakers whose films are selected for the First Feature Competition at the Osian’s-Cinefan film festival was held as a part of the IBM2 session. The speakers were Jian Yi, Omar Ali Khan, Djenar Maesa Ayu, Ruel Dahis Antipuesto, Naghi Nemati, Zhang Yuedong and Sarthak Dasgupta. The session was moderated by Lorna Tee. She said, “All the people sitting on the panel are very brave as this is their first feature film which is the toughest to make.”

Director of The Great Indian Butterfly, Sarthak Dasgupta, said, “I struggled for almost 7 years after my MBA to make my first feature film. I had written a script for a Hindi film but since I did not get any help to make the movie I made some Marathi telefilms as I hail from Maharashtra and know the language well.”" He further added, “Initially, I had written Great Indian Butterfly for television, but after continuous rejection for 18 months, a Bollywood producer finally bought my script and agreed to make it into a feature film.” He expressed that along with this struggle what motivated him was determination to make the film.

Zhang Yuedong ,sharing his experiences about his first film Mid Afternoon Barks, said, “After finishing film school, I met a few friends and we jointly financed and scripted the film.”

For Pakistan’s Omar Ali Khan, Director of the film ‘Hell’’s Ground’ it was a long painstaking journey of 25 years to his first feature. He said “I always had a passion for horror and cult films. But my main deterrent was lack of finance.” He further added that he met a few producers after he had held an exhibition of horror film posters and they liked his script. His food oriented business also helped and finally Omar Ali Khan started working on his dream project.

An independent director, visual artist and author, Jian Yi is the founder of Artsimple Studio in Beijing, a small art community focusing on films and photography with strong social concerns. Discussing about his journey he said, “I started my career in films by making a documentary on a reality show called ‘Super Girls’ which was the most successful show in China.” He further added, “Documentary making did not satisfy me and I had many scripts in mind. I then decided to venture into making my first feature film by self financing the project.”

Naghi Nemati, the Director of Those Three, was determined to reach his destination. He said, “I submitted my script to many producers but got no response. Keeping in mind the suggestions during my rejections I made changes in the script and submitted it to a new producer who finally financed my first feature.”"

Djenar Maesa Ayu, a successful writer, actress and Director of the film, They Say I’m a Monkey, said, “After my first book, an investor approached me for a script. After I finished the script, the investor backed off as he felt it was too dark. For two years, I hunted for producers /production houses and finally a newly set-up production house agreed to finance my project.”

A self-taught photographer and filmmaker, Ruel Dahis Antipuesto said, ” I gathered my experience in films by making a number of short films and studying aspects of film making on my own. For my first film, my co-Director and I gathered money by associating with people who wanted to pay and work in the film.”

Lorna Tee concluded the session based on the experience of these first timers by bringing out key points. Believing in your film and dedication is the most essential factor to get a big venture made. Some of the first feature films are self-financed, some by production houses and some by specific means to suit the film maker’s purpose. Film Festivals play a very important role in gaining experience, popularity and contacts for making films. The first and second film of a director are his calling cards after which things run quite smoothly.

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