‘Capital I’ has officially been selected at the 20th IFFK (International Film Festival of Kerala). It is the only Odia film at the festival, and will be screened as one of the seven films in the ‘Indian section’. The festival will be held this year from December 4-12.
As we all know IFFK is one of the most prestigious film festivals across the globe where it has always championed the cause of showcasing films that have been path braking, experimental and unique. It is highly regarded among the film fraternity and is one of the only three FIAPF accredited festivals of India.
Previously, Capital I was one of the six films in competition at South Asian Alternative Film Festival, Paris and the film has been received extremely well by international film critics. The film was also the first Indian film to be acquired by the Italian sales and distribution company ‘The Open Reel’ for international sales and distribution.
Although ‘Capital I’ is yet to release in India, the film has been taken up by ‘Filmbox Arthouse’ who will soon distribute it in North America and Eastern Europe.
The film, made on a shoe-string budget, happens to be the first independent feature film of Odisha. All actors in the film are making their feature film debut. It also marks the feature film debut for Amartya Bhattacharyya as a director, who has filmed few shorts and documentaries before, that were recognized at major international festivals including Cannes. The film ‘Capital I’ uses no industry equipment, and has been shot only with a DSLR camera and a tripod, with a crew size of around four to five members. The film has been presented by the much acclaimed Odia filmmaker Susant Misra, who also plays the male lead in the film and it has been co-produced by Swastik Choudhury.
‘Capital I’ is an existential psychodrama revolving around a mysterious and unknown artist and depicting the transformation of mind of a young girl whereby she finds herself trapped in between realistic relationship and attractions and a strange relationship with her hallucinatory lesbian partner.
Synopsis
Capital I is a fictitious character having it’s root in reality. There was an old house which was locked from inside with all windows closed, and when the police broke open the door, they found no one, neither any living person, nor a dead body. They only found few papers lying, with some abstract phrases and pictures with the signature below reading ‘Capital I’. Police found the case unworthy of further investigations, as it doesn’t affect anyone. They close the case.
But media spreads the rumor about the mysterious character and creates a buzz in the town. A young girl, pursuing MSC Psychology gets involved with her old Physics professor to research about Capital I. They research on the name, the phrases and the pictures and wracks their brain through a lot of intellectual thoughts. They eventually starts transforming themselves psychologically. The girl, who wasn’t satisfied with her submissive boyfriend living in Delhi, gets into a state of deep trance and starts hallucinating. Under extreme stress of the research, she loses her conscious control. The professor, also into a trance, couldn’t break away, and the film suggestively ventures into the inevitable.
The film breaks away from realistic continuity and ventures into the surreal sphere. Scenes move randomly, just like a wandering mind having it’s root in reality. The film ends with an abstract culmination. Existence meanders through reality and imagination and ventures into a time-independent eternity. Moments tear apart and the debris of thoughts are periodically washed out, through the menstrual cycle of our minds. And the mind gets ready, yet again, for a new conception.
-Amartya Bhattacharyya
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