'Watch List' set in Philippines against background of drug wars: Ben Rekhi

Replying to questions Ben Rekhi said that it is the film festivals that keep the independent films alive especially in the time of YouTube and streaming platforms.

Filmmaking is not only about telling stories but also deeply listening to the stories happening around you, said Ben Rekhi, Director of 'Watch List'. He was participating in a press conference along with Director of 'Curiosa' Lou Jeunet, Director of 'Captives' Kristóf Deák, Producer of 'Antigone' Isabelle Couture, and actress Nahema Ricci at the 50th International Film Festival of India in Panaji today.

On his film 'Watch List', Ben Rekhi said that the film is set in the Philippines against the background of drug wars. " It is based on a true story in which a woman is forced to protect her children, by all means, necessary when her husband got killed by police under mysterious circumstances", he said.

Replying to questions Ben Rekhi said that it is the film festivals that keep the independent films alive especially in the time of YouTube and streaming platforms. " Film festivals may have this bad reputation of turning into the showcasing point of art films. But it is a stereotypic view. Film festivals are fantastic and have room for all kinds of films like socially relevant cinema, comedies, and art cinemas", he added.

Describing his period drama set in Budapest of the 1950s, Director of 'Captives' Kristóf Deák said that the film is a real-life story about an unexpected and unusual visit paid by state secret police to a family. " Instead of arresting the family the police held the family captives in their own home. As the police start to capture every other one who paid a visit to the family, people keep accumulating in the house. Some of the scenes had 16 actors in the frame at a time and it was the biggest challenge for me," he said.

Producer of 'Antigone', Isabelle Couture said that her film speaks about immigration, police brutality, collective movement, and solidarity. " Immigration is one of the big themes of our era. But each country will be experiencing it differently. We were looking for authenticity hence didn't cast any star or known face", she explained.

Talking about the preparations for her character in Antigone, actress Nahema Ricci said, "The biggest challenge was to create something realistic when I had to portray a character that is mythological. It is important to create a space of trust. It was a lot of pressure to do justice to the character but the love from the audience made it all worth."

Attending the press conference, Director of Curiosa Lou Jeunet said, " "It is my first feature film. I fell in love with a photograph of a woman and it made me curious to investigate it leading to the making of Curiosa."

(With Inputs from PIB)