Don Palathara

Don Palathara is a film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker from Kerala, India.[1][2][3] Known for working on shoestring budgets and new or inexperienced actors, his films are expositions of local Kerala culture and study on the human nature.[1][4] Palathara's films, gained accolades at several international film festivals, including the 42nd Moscow International Film Festival.[5]and 25th International Film Festival of Kerala[6]

Don Palathara
Born
Don Chacko Palathara

(1986-08-22) 22 August 1986
Kerala, India
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2015-present

Early life

Don Palathara was born and raised in Kerala, India.[7] He subsequently migrated to Sydney, Australia, where he received a diploma from the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television in Sydney, which was formerly known as the International Film School Sydney, before its merger with Actors College of Theatre and Television.[8][9]

Career

Palathara made several short films and documentaries, before venturing into feature films.[10] In 2015, his first movie, Shavam, was released. Made on a small budget, the film was noted for his atypical filmmaking choices, as it was made entirely in black and white, used location recording of sound (unusual for Indian movies), and a large number of inexperienced actors.[11] When asked why he chose to make the feature in black and white, Palathara explained that it was intended to draw focus to every aspect of the screen and to emphasize the morbidity of the movie. The choice of deep focus and wide shots were for the same reason.[12] The film, which is a satire exploring aspects of human character and set at the scene of a funeral, was well received in international film festivals, and garnered positive responses locally as well.[13] When the film was released, it was distributed using Kazhcha Film Forum's Cinema Vandi, an alternative film distribution mechanism, and thus was not subject to censorship by the Central Board of Film Certification.[14][15] Currently, Shavam is streaming on Netflix.[16]

In 2017, Palathara wrote, directed, produced, and edited his second feature film, Vith. The movie was financed through crowdfunding platforms, including Kickstarter and from the proceeds of Shavam, a method of film finance rapidly gaining popularity amongst younger filmmakers.[17][18] The film is about the relationship between a farmer and his formerly city-based son, and their differing approaches to life.[19]

During the development of Vith, Palathara designed a film making workshop for aspiring enthusiasts, also crowdfunded. He organized classes on the different aspects of filmmaking, including cinematography and scripting, roping in other parallel cinema filmmakers.[20]

His next film, 1956, Central Travancore, was screened at the Film Bazaar in Goa and later premiered at Moscow International Film Festival.[9][21][22][23] In 2020, Palathara made the film Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam featuring Rima Kallingal and Jitin Puthanchery, which is an 85-min single-take car ride taken by a young journalist and an aspiring actor.[24][25]

Filmography
Year(s) Title Director Producer Editor Writer Reference
2015 Shavam Yes No No Yes [1]
2017 Vith Yes Yes Yes Yes [1]
2020 1956, Madhyathiruvithamkoor Yes No Yes Yes [1]
2020 Everything Is Cinema Yes Yes Yes Yes
2021 Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam Yes No Yes Yes [26]

References
  1. "Don Palathara's Shavam, Vith And 1956, Central Travancore Are Observational Tracts Filled With Gorgeous "Human Landscapes"". Film Companion. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  2. "Don Palathara". nettv4u. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. "Two movies by filmmaker Don Palathara to be screened at IFFK". The Week. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  4. "Wanted to focus on the little things, says 1956, Central Travancore director Don Palathara". Cinestaan. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. "Don Palathara's 1956, Central Travancore to premiere at MIFF". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  6. "Don Palathara's two upcoming films selected for 25th IFFK". Cinema Express. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  7. "Vith". tao films – The art of film. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  8. "The International Film School Sydney is now known as AFTT".
  9. Menon, Anasuya (2 August 2019). "The story of a people's psyche". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  10. "Preview of Shavam on Saturday". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  11. Gopalakrishnan, Aswathy (7 August 2017). "Spirit At A Funeral: Indie Filmmaker Don Palathara's 'Shavam' Peeks Into A Grief-Stricken Family". Silverscreen.in. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  12. Aswini (8 December 2015). "മരണവീട്ടില്‍ പോയാല്‍ നിങ്ങളെങ്ങനെയാണ്, അങ്ങനെയാണ് 'ശവം'" (in Malayalam). Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  13. "ശവം - മരണവീടിന്‍റെ മരണഡോക്യുമെന്‍റേഷൻ". Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). 29 November 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  14. "Shavam, far from a lifeless affair". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 26 November 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 June 2019.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. M.K, Nidheesh (19 March 2018). "'S Durga' makers to crowdsource screenings in Kerala". Livemint. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  16. "Award winning Malayalam film 'Shavam' by Don Palathara now streams in Netflix". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  17. "Don Palathara's Vith is built on the conflict". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  18. Shekar, Anjuna (28 May 2018). "Crowdfunding a dream". www.thenewsminute.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  19. "Vith". Filmocracy Foundation. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  20. cris (4 January 2017). "Workshop on independent filmmaking". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  21. Staff Reporter (5 November 2019). "Don Palathara's period movie selected for Film Bazaar". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  22. "Don Palathara's 1956, Central Travancore heads to Goa". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  23. "'1956, Central Travancore', Malayalam film on early migrants to Idukki, heads to MIFF". The Week. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  24. "Don Palathara's next is Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam". Cinema Express. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  25. "Rima Kallingal, Jitin Puthanchery star in Don Palathara's new film". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  26. "'ഒരു കാറിൽ ഒരു ഷോട്ട് ; ഒരു സിനിമ'; എന്താകും സന്തോഷത്തിന്റെ ഒന്നാം രഹസ്യം?". news18. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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