Filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, whose short film Miss Man has been garnering acclaim at film festivals around the world, has been selected at the prestigious Berlinale Talents, an annual summit and networking platform of the Berlin International Film Festival that seeks to nurture filmmakers with mentorship and support. Due to the pandemic, Berlinale Talents has been postponed to March and will not have a physical edition.
However, all the talents will participate in a series of activities that will focus on creative resilience and intercultural exchange.
The maker of Doitto (2019) and Mangsho (2020) is elated and looking forward to the prospects that the international platform has to offer.
Speaking of the selection process, Ghosh said, “The application process for Berlinale Talents is pretty intense and quite elaborate. You have to be really clear about your vision as a filmmaker and that needs to be reflected every step of the way. Especially why you are making films and for whom you are making them.”
Ghosh also feels that the recognition of Miss Man at various prestigious film festivals across the globe worked in his favour. “Also, I submitted two scenes from my new short Dhulo (The Scapegoat) and that played a crucial role. Those scenes showed my filmmaking approach and the global themes that are influencing me at the moment,” said Ghosh.
Dhulo depicts a woman's struggle against the patriarchy and the politics of hate in rural Bengal. It is a film that is being made with anger and pain in response to the bigotry is being seen in our country. Payel Rakshit and Bimal Giri, who featured in Ghosh’s Mangsho and Miss Man, play the most important characters in the film.
Though Ghosh is filled with gratitude, he was initially shocked at the development. “It is extremely hard to get into Berlinale Talents. This year, 200 talents from 65 countries have been selected from more than 3,000 applicants across the world. I feel overwhelmed at being chosen from such brilliant creatives. I intend to network and meet international film professionals with whom I can hopefully collaborate on my upcoming projects,” he added.
Ghosh also has a feature film in the works, which he looks forward to pitching to new producers and collaborators.
He added, “I am incredibly excited about Berlinale Talents as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I believe in telling the stories of people around me, who do not have a voice of their own and I am thrilled that Berlinale Talents is giving me wings to take these stories by crossing the borders and barriers of language.”