Avoice has limitless potential; a voice has the ability to change everything it sets out to change. Then why does it feel like the voice of this generation is always ignored?” - reads the Facebook bio of the official page of Projonmo Talkies. Their Facebook page looks no different than other pages that we see on social media. However, with their short stories, Projonmo Talkies has a lot more to offer.
The people behind its inception
Projonmo Talkies is a media series aimed at giving a voice to the youth of Bangladesh. They have set out to establish a platform that will translate the big ideas of our generation into the form of short films.
Film Noir, a production company consisting of film enthusiasts, came up with the concept of creating an anthology-based web series, which finally led to the inception of Projonmo Talkies. However, there are a lot of people working with them who love films, and want their stories told – both within the industry and outside.
The thought behind the project started somewhere around mid 2016, with the intention of working on a platform that could create a cinematic experience online. They had observed the demand for quality content internationally, and had been thinking of translating that into our local context. That’s when they thought, “why not create a platform that portrays the various social
issues around us?”
After three seasons as the popular youth-based show Projonmo Agami on Channel I, the format has been completely revamped to Projonmo Talkies, which has found its new home on YouTube.
Where the inspiration came from
The creators of Projonmo Talkies believe there will always be many voices of a particular generation. And, that is why, they decided to work on ten different films, which have ten different voices.
The inspiration behind making these short films came from the observation of everyday problems. Through these short films, what they want to say is that “change” will not really happen overnight. No matter how much culture is ignored nowadays by the increasingly mechanised society, it is exactly what shapes us into who we are. And, films have been a huge influence in this regard. Hence, by watching these films, they want people to think about and discuss the issues that we sometimes don’t take seriously.
The film makers are dealing with a number of different complicated issues through different styles and languages, which are portrayed through these films. They are working on diversity, partition, communalism, religious tolerance, community engagement etc. Each film conveys a different message, and they would like to leave it to the audience as to how they interpret them.
What they are currently working on
The first season contains ten short films and each of them will have ten different stories to tell. The series premièred with the first film Eki Pothe, on April 20.
“Eki Pothe” is a short film based on the short story called Thakurer Shonge, written by the eminent author Shahaduzzaman. The film deals with the post partition landscape in Bangladesh – how made-up borders affect a person’s yearning of getting back to his roots. It revolves around a story where a person who left the country in 1947 at the time of Partition, comes back to his homeland after all this time. It’s a story about memories, nostalgia, and an embedded message against religious discrimination and hatred. The script for the film has been written by Robiul Alam Robi, an accomplished storyteller in the industry.
Recently released 100 Taka
100 Taka deals with the internal conflict and moral dilemma a derailed young individual is going through, after being assigned a terrorist mission. The story for this film is more of a collaborative effort from the team, but the script was finalised and written by Jahin Faruq, an upcoming film maker and script writer.
The third short film from this season, which has been released on April 27, is Kaanchbrishti, starring Partha Barua. The film talks about a delinquent individual spreading havoc in the locality.
In the age of click-baits, cheap jokes and production skills with an overall disregard for depth and sincerity, the horizon seems to be endless for Projonmo Talkies. The creators firmly believe that films should be the weapon for the change-makers of our generation. The films might be short, but their dreams are certainly much bigger.