Film Makers
BANNER: Silicon Media & Kayal Films
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Jayan K. Cherian
Poet filmmaker Jayan K Cherian born in India, Graduated with honors from Hunter College, BA in Film and Creative Writing and MFA from The City College of New York in Writing Directing Film, and Cinematography. Pappilio Buddha (2012) is his debut feature film and he made several experimental documentaries and narrative shorts such as: Shape of the Shapeless (2010) Love in theTime of Foreclosure (2009), Hidden Things (2009), Soul of Solomon (2008), Capturingthe Signs of God (2008), Holy Mass (2007), Tree of Life (2007), Simulacra the Reality of the Unreal (2007), The Inner Silence of the Tumult (2007), Hid-entity (2007), and Tandava the Dance of Dissolution (2006).
Films were screened, BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2011, Short Film Corner:Festival De Cannes 2011, Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival 2011, International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala 2011, Rhode Island International Film Festival, Athens International Film Festival, Austin Gay&Lesbian International Film Festival, San Francisco Shorts International Film Festival, International Film festival South Africa, Coney Island Film Festival, Oaxaca International Independent Film and Video Festival Mexico, Big Apple Film Festival at Tribeca Cinema New York, Kenyan International Film Festival, CUNY Asian American Film Festival, ViBGYOR International Film festival, Millennium Film Workshop and Anthology Film Archives in New York City.
Shape of the Shapeless won: Silver Jury prize in San Francisco Shorts, Honorable Mentions at Athens International Film Festival, East Man Kodak Award for best Cinematography and Best Documentary Award at City Visions 2010.Published four collections of poetry in Malayalam Ayodhanaththinte Achuthantu(Axis of Combat) (1996), Ayanam Vachana Rekhayil (Journey on the line of verse) (1999) Polymorphism (2002), and Pachakku (Like it is) (2006). Received many Awards for Poetry such as, Kerala Sahitya Academy Kanakasri Endowment Award (2003) for "Ayanam Vachana Rekhayil" and Mathan Tharakan Award for "Ayodhanathinte Achuthantu"(axis of Combat) 1996.
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: M.J. Radhakrishnan
MJ Radhakrishnan is one of the most acclaimed cinematographers in Indian Cinema. His films have been screened at several prominent film festivals around the world including Cannes, Toronto, Chicago, Rhode Island and Rotterdam. One of his works, Marana Simhasanam (English: Throne of Death French: Le Trone de la mort), won Caméra d'Or (Golden Camera Award) in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. He also won an award at the 2008 South Asian International Film Festival, London for the film Bioscope. He has also won numerous awards within India including five Kerala State Awards for best cinematographer - for films Desadanam, Karunam, Adayalanagal, Bioscope and The way home.
Radhakrishnan started his career in cinema as an associate cameraman to Shaji N Karun. He has worked for over 75 feature films and several documentaries and has worked with some of the prominent Indian filmmakers including Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Murali Nair, Shaji N karun, TV Chandran, and Dr Biju.
PRODUCED BY: Prakash Bare & Thampy Antony
Prakash Bare is a theater and indie film enthusiast from India. He aims to create quality media content of social and global relevance targeting audience around the world. His first film production Sufi Paranja Katha (What the Sufi said, 2010), a period film which showcases the native culture of religious tolerance, bagged four Kerala state film awards. Second film Janaki (Daughter of Earth, 2011) won Best Children's rights film at Lola Kenya festival. Megharoopan(2011), a biopic of popular Malayalam poet, is his latest work. Prakash's recent theater productions are Godoye Kaatthu (2010), malayalam adaptation of Becket's Waiting for Godot and 4Play (2012), based on the works of Anton Chekhov and Jayaprakash Kulur.
Prakash, an engineer and entrepreneur by profession, has held various technology and business positions in electronics design industry in the US and India. Currently he is the Chairman of Agrata Technologies, a technology startup. Prakash holds a masters degree in microelectronics from IIT, Kanpur.
Antony P Thekkek better known by his pen name Thampi Antony, is a Poet,actor,and producer.He has played a variety of roles, most notably as a character actor in several Malayalam,English movies.Thampi, also the owner and CEO of several health care facilities in Northern California ,produced few malayalm movies under his banner Kayal films.
DIALOUGE: Jayan K. Cherian, P.Surendran
SOUND RECORDING: Radhakrishnan.S
EDITOR: Sujoy
ART: Manu Perunna
COSTUME: Sukesh Thanur
MAKE UP: Jayachandran. P
PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Hari Venjaramood
PRODUCTION CO ORDINATOR: Anilkumar Nambiar
MEDIA DESIGN: Think in wild Studios
CAST
KARIYAN: Kallen Pokoodan
Kallen pokkudan, a prominent dalit rights and environmental activist of Kerala, born as a member of an untouchable family , who were traditional agrarian slaves for the upper cast landlords. Pokkudan only went to school up to second grade and forced to work in the paddy fields in order to survive. In his teens he became an activist of Communist party of India, participated the early peasant revolts in Kannur. He was accused of killing of a rouge landlord and jailed for some time. Later he left communist party, due to ideological conflict with the Party and the cast discriminations that he suffered as untouchable within the Party.
In late 80's he become an environmental activist, and lead a movement to preserve mangrove forest of northern kerela. The mangroves in Kannur are significant with its particular type of ecosystem encircling variety of fauna.Pokkodan started a campaign to plant mangrove forests near his home in Kannur. He planted thousands of acres of mangroves in different parts of Kerala and educate people about the environmental importance of mangroves. He published several eco-political books including his autobiography "My life among the Mangrove forest". Papilio Buddha is his film debut as an actor.