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BY DAVID MORTON<\/p>\n
Last summer I embarked on an extraordinary journey into India\u2019s remarkable cinematic past and present. As a passionate enthusiast for international cinema, I was presented with an extraordinary opportunity to go behind the scenes to study one of India\u2019s oldest and internationally prestigious motion picture industries. While many westerners may have at least a passing knowledge of the big-budget spectacles produced out of Mumbai\u2019s Bollywood, a far different style of films are produced on the opposite side of the country. In Kolkata, a quieter and more introspective style of film explores the proclivities of everyday life, the rich literary tradition of the Bengali language and the historical traumas experienced the people of Bengal.<\/p>\n
I was given the chance to explore the dimensions of this unique and incredibly personal approach to visual storytelling through a collaboration with Phil Peters, a film professor in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media and the assistance of Subha Das Mollick of the iLead Institute in Kolkata. Over a period of three and half weeks I conducted a series of interviews with leading filmmakers, producers, and critics active in the West Bengal film industry. I also met with historians and experts to discuss Bengali language cinema\u2019s rich historical heritage, and also interviewed up and coming independent filmmakers to learn about the industry\u2019s present and future.\u00a0![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2019\/05\/Kolkatta-III-300x169.jpg\")
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Known as \u201cThe City of Joy,\u201d Kolkata \u2013 formerly known as Calcutta \u2013 was at one time the capital of India\u2019s British held territories, until the city and region\u2019s strong nationalist sentiment lead to the capital to be relocated to Delhi and the province of Bengal divided into two districts. To this day Kolkata is regarded as the \u201ccultural capital of India,\u201d it is the city of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore \u2013 the Bard of Bengal \u2013 as well as the center of an intellectual awakening known as the Bengali Renaissance. Nearly everywhere you turn in Kolkata you are surrounded by the essence of the region\u2019s rich literary, artistic, musical and spiritual history. This legacy extends also the pivotal role the city played in the emergence of India\u2019s early film industry and mid-twentieth century prestige. Names such as Satayjit Ray, Rhitwik Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen appear in equal prominence as the region\u2019s iconic folklorists, politicians and spiritual leaders.<\/p>\n
In retracing the footsteps of these iconic film legends and learning about the impassioned efforts being made by a new generation of filmmakers, I have crafted together a substantial body of research that I intend to use to connect to my broader research on regional cinemas across the globe. My proposed project, Heroes in the Half Shades: Explorations Into<\/em> Heroes in the Half Shades: Explorations Into the Lived Experiences of West Bengal Cinema<\/em>, is the first comprehensive attempt made by a film historian to bridge the past and present of the region\u2019s cinematic culture. In March 2019 I travelled to Seattle, Washington to participate in the annual conference at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, where my research on the Cinema of West Bengal was featured as part of a special panel on Cinemagoing in a Transnational Context.<\/p>\n Following up on the feedback I received from my presentation and a meticulous review of the hours of interview footage I have compiled, the final outcome of project will be to create a historical survey of Bengali language cinema designed to introduce film students and enthusiasts alike to this unique and fascinating piece of India\u2019s film culture. Currently I am editing the interview footage into a series of mini documentaries that can be used as an educational resource and overseeing the development of an online archive where each interview will be made available to researchers and film fans to learn more about the nature of West Bengali Cinema. The project was sponsored by UCF\u2019s College of Arts and Humanities, the Texts and Technology Ph.D. program, UCF Global, Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF India Center, Office of Undergraduate Research, School of Visual Arts and Design, Burnett Honors College, Nicholson School of Communication and Media, and UCF Office of Research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" BY DAVID MORTON Last summer I embarked on an extraordinary journey into India\u2019s remarkable cinematic past and present. As a passionate enthusiast for international cinema, I was presented with an extraordinary opportunity to go behind the scenes to study one of India\u2019s oldest and internationally prestigious motion picture industries. While many westerners may have at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":24761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5377,16,5424],"tags":[6162,2478],"class_list":["post-24760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","category-political-science-departments","category-the-india-center","tag-david-morton","tag-nicholson-school-of-communiation"],"yoast_head":"\n