About

Films can change,films can inspire change.

Hello,

I’m Anup Narayanan, the founder of OpenCinemas. Thanks for stopping by.

Often people say, movies are entertainment. I tend to nod in agreement. But then, Omar Sharif (Ali) from Lawrence of Arabia pops into my mind and utters majestically.

“Truly, for some men, nothing is written unless they write it.”

The desert, the campfire, the silence and the way Omar Sharif says it…the glorious majesty of movies gushes forth. I ask again to myself, are movies just entertainment? Or, is it something beyond?

OpenCinemas is my pursuit of movies. To be precise, my pursuit of creative, sustainable, ethical and independent filmmaking.

Creative

The foundation of an excellent movie is brilliant literature.

Cinematic creativity begins with the written word, the script. To allow creativity to flourish, the canvas of cinema must belong first to the writer.

The story comes first, period.

Words, both provoking and tantalising, when allowed to flow unrestrained from the pen of the writer, morph into beautiful stories, scripts and dialogues. And, when captured brilliantly for the screen, transforms into moments of cinematic excellence.

Once the writer sets the canvas, the cast and crew are the palette, colours and brushes that bring forth the art.

A proud film does not pay obeisance at the altar of greed. Nor should it bend to the benign storms of the personality cult.

And, when creativity flows unrestrained, the result will be something that has become elusive nowadays – originality.

OpenCinemas stands for original cinema.

Sustainable

How often have we heard of someone producing a film and failing, never to return? The machinations of the film industry can scar the soul of a true film lover turned producer. These experiences deter genuine risk-takers who are willing to invest in good cinema.

The presence of evil lurks in the lucrative film industry. But, there exist avenues for the genuine film lover to invest in meaningful cinema. The onus lies on us filmmakers to assure them and walk the talk.

The producer is not a means to an end. They are the sustainers of the industry. Reducing costs should be a priority, not an option. No effort should be spared to give the movie visibility through all possible mediums viz. theatre, cable, online and DVDs.

We filmmakers must gain the trust of producers. Without producers, the art of cinema does not exist. Despite the film’s fortunes, they must return to filmmaking and sustain good cinema.

Wishful thinking? Maybe.

Worth pursuing? Definitely.

OpenCinemas respects producers and we pursue sustainable filmmaking. We will spare no effort to ensure that a good producer returns to make films despite success or failure.

Ethical

Cinema must not cause harm or hurt.

The process of creating a film must respect the cast and crew. Humans and animals must be treated with kindness and respect.

The final output, though it may provoke or question the status quo, should not be done with such an explicit intent. While art has the freedom to question, questioning must not become the sole purpose of the art.

Experimentation or provocation for the sake of generating cheap publicity must be avoided at all costs.

Tolerance for gender, body shape, ethnicity must be integral to the filmmaking process. Representation of diversity, where possible, either on-screen or behind, must be duly implemented.

Filmmaking is often an exercise in excess. Intolerable damage to the environment is often the result. While such thought processes are nascent, they shall emerge and become important considerations in filmmaking. The day is not far when filmmakers are expected to report carbon emissions for their productions.

OpenCinemas aims to set the highest possible standards in ethical filmmaking especially with regards to tolerance, inclusion, diversity and climate change.

Independent

The best definition of independent films I have come across is by Elliot Grove, founder of Raindance – An independent film is any movie that uncompromisingly expresses a unique, personal vision.

Hence, I believe, independent film is me, the filmmaker.

OpenCinemas proudly makes and supports independent films.

Thank you,

Anup Narayanan

Founder, OpenCinemas