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Matinee: 'Keep Rising, Kolkata'
14 November 2020
Saturday matinees long ago let us escape from the ordinary world to the island of the Swiss Family Robinson or the mutinous decks of the Bounty. Why not, we thought, escape the usual fare here with Saturday matinees of our favorite photography films?
So we're pleased to present the 370th in our series of Saturday matinees today: Keep Rising, Kolkata.
Directed by Arjun Mukherjee, who also wrote the script, this three-minute tribute to Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) speaks to anyone who loves their city in the time of the coronavirus pandemic.
The liner notes set the tone for the production:
Kolkata is languid. Beautiful. Uplifting. It breathes slowly. Takes its time. And moves at its own pace. Yet this city knows how to fight, protest, raise a voice, stand together and, if needed, even stay at home. This is a tribute to Kolkata during these tough times by people who love this city. Photographers, Instagrammers, RJs, musicians, editors, CGI artists, advertising folks and most importantly friends came together to create this unhurried tribute to their home ... from home.
And it is indeed a tribute. Not just to one place but to a spirit that kindles the will to fight through this scourge and get to the other side stronger than we were before.
So you can think of your own city, your own town, your own neighborhood when you hear Kolkata praised here. It's your place, too. Which, we suspect, has not escaped the pandemic.
It's just a pause, the text says. The silence of the streets "speak of hope." Your spirit can never be broken. You can overcome this.
Photographers whose work is included in the piece include Sanjib Ghosh, Sarasij Dasgupta, Nabendu Saha, Subhadeep Dawn, Debarchan Chatterjee, Debarshi Duttagupta, Saurabh Sirohiya with the drone photography of Kanad Mukherjee.
The monochrome stills, the color video, the street photography, the drone photography are all nicely choreographed into an inspiring piece.
And no matter where you live, who couldn't use a little of that now?