It is the most unlikely film crew — 14 underprivileged children from slums across New Delhi — who defied the odds to shoot a documentary showcasing their lives and aspirations. And on Wednesday, their efforts bore fruit. Their film, ‘Delhi Dreams’, was screened at the British Pavilion of the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
The 14 “dreamers” are students between 15 and 18 years of age, studying at Nai Disha, a school run by Smile Foundation, an NGO working for youth empowerment through education. They were chosen to work as “directors” during a 10-day workshop organised by the NGO in collaboration with a UK-based charity, Films Without Borders (FWB), which works to “overcome barriers” through cinema.
After the selection process, the students were trained by FWB’s Jill Samuels and cinematographer Richard Blanshard in November 2017. And the final product was ready in a month.
Read more of this in a report by Anam Ajmal published in The Times of India...
