Agneya Singh
Agneya Singh | |
|---|---|
 Agneya Singh | |
| Born | July 21, 1989 New Delhi, India |
| Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, Producer, Screenwriter |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Website | agneyasingh.com |
Agneya Singh is an award winning Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. He is often identified with the revolutionary new wave of Indian cinema.[1]
Life and career
Early life
Agneya Singh was born in New Delhi, India on July 21, 1989. His mother is the journalist and political commentator Seema Mustafa. His great grand uncle was the Indian freedom fighter Rafi Ahmed Kidwai. After working as a photographer and documentary filmmaker, Singh enrolled in NYU Tisch School of the Arts. It was during this time that he assisted filmmaker Lynne Sachs and worked as a projectionist in the experimental Film/TV department at New York University.[2]
His student films and videos have been screened in New York at Anthology Film Archives.[3]
First Feature: M Cream
Singh wrote and directed the Indian independent feature film M Cream starring Imaad Shah, Ira Dubey, Barry John and Tom Alter among others. Shot on location in New Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, M Cream follows the exploits of four friends who set out in pursuit of a mythic drug. The journey serves to explore the myriad realities of rebellion and paints a compelling portrait of a new generation in India.[4]
M Cream premiered at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2014 where it received the ‘Best Feature Film’ award.[5] The film has continued to travel to several international festivals garnering both awards and critical acclaim. [6]
Laurence Kardish, curator emeritus MOMA commented:[7]
A refreshing, vivid and occasionally delirious road trip of a film into Dharamsala, and beyond into the snowy mountains and canopied forests of Himachal Pradesh where four young and attractive millennials from New Delhi hope their treasure hunt for a fabled stimulant will end blissfully. Directed with verve and panache by NYU graduate Agneya Singh, M Cream, is not only a wildly promising debut feature film, but an eye-popping, propulsive and energetic hybrid of American independent and Bollywood filmmaking.
Style
In keeping with the larger contemporary Indian independent cinematic landscape, Singh’s working style marks a certain departure from Bollywood cinema in both form and content. In an interview with NPR Singh observed:[8]
Bollywood entertains millions of people, but for me, personally, I couldn't really relate to the dreams and ideas in it. It's really based on escapism. And the fact of the matter is, we are living in turbulent times, and I think there's an audience in India, and internationally as well, that wants to see the more realistic aspects of what's happening in the country rather than the version of what we would like to believe.
Political Activism
Singh has used the medium of cinema to raise awareness about social, political and environmental causes related to human rights. He cites the philosophy of Gandhism as a primary tool towards the realization of a non-violent revolution. In an interview with Livemint,[9] he commented:
I think Gandhi was the perfect example of a revolutionary. He simply believed in the sanctity of life above all else. Making this film was a cathartic process and I am left with the firm belief that non-violence is the answer.
Singh has also spoken in favor for the de-criminalization of marijuana and other controlled substances.[10]
References
- ^ imdb.com - Agneya Singh, July 2015
- ^ Cinema must be a weapon of revolution: Filmmaker Agneya Singh, October 2014
- ^ anthologyfilmarchives.org - Calendar, January 2011
- ^ M cream is a notion of rebellion, November 2008
- ^ Indian film “M Cream” to close Rhode Island International Film Festival, August 2015
- ^ In search of sex, drugs and rebellion, M Cream wins accolades abroad, March 2015
- ^ FilmColumbia-2014-Flyer, September 2014
- ^ The Indian Film Scene Diversifies, Even As Bollywood Dominates, October 2014
- ^ M Cream: youthful experiments, September 2014
- ^ Bom Bhole!, January 2014