Amateur filmmaker Vivekjot Brar holds a degree in pharmacy, but after participating in IU’s Beyond Borders filmmaking workshop, she said she’d decided to pursue filmmaking professionally.
The Media School and the IU Office of International Development presented a screening Friday of ten short films created by participants from Beyond Borders: A Workshop on Filmmaking Across the Punjab Region. The program brought together thirty participants from northern India and eastern Pakistan for a three-week filmmaking workshop.
Led in part by Media School associate dean Betsi Grabe, the event taught the basics of filmmaking.
Experience levels varied from participant to participant.
“Some have never held a camera before,” Grabe said. “It’s their commitment and curiosity that’s most remarkable.”
Brar said the workshop changed her perspective on filmmaking.
“I used to have stories in my head, but I did not know how to go through with them and make a film out of it,” Brar said. “I know the whole process now.”
Alongside the filmmaking workshop, participants spent time exploring southern Indiana, Indianapolis and Louisville. They experienced baseball games, the Bloomington Farmer’s Market and Griffy Lake. Some tasted American food for the first time.
At the end of the workshop, participants had three days to plan, film and shoot their projects. For some, getting the final edits completed in the computer lab was a last minute struggle.
“They’re profoundly inspirational,” Grabe said. “There are heroic stories of no sleep to complete these projects. There were blankets everywhere when I came in this morning.”
Ten three-minute films were presented Friday. They dealt with identity, the human experience and Bloomington nightlife. Brar’s film, “Finding the Eye,” was shot in downtown Bloomington.
For both participants and instructors, Beyond Borders connected people of different countries and backgrounds to explore filmmaking.
“This has truly been one of the highlights of my academic career,” Grabe said. “We were looking for people with heart, and we found them.”
Brar said that overcoming differences in the troubled relationship between India and Pakistan provided her inspiration as an aspiring filmmaker.
“I used to watch film for entertainment purposes,” Brar said. “Now I know I can make a statement. Now I can work for peace.”
