Independently produced short film “Aparan (2024)” premiered on Sunday at Vox Cinemas, City Centre Deira, to a crowd of filmmakers, film enthusiasts, influencers and industry professionals.
Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Diyab Basheer, and produced under the banner of “Neoscope Motion Pictures,” the 20-minute fantasy/comedy film revolves around characters who discover a magical carpet that can double almost anything and anyone.
“Cinema as an artform shouldn’t be restricted to being pieces of online content, even in a short film format. We want to capture the magical experience of a full-house crowd, of people from various walks of lives, enjoying our film together – laughing and clapping,” said Diyab.
His previous films have won awards from industry leading brands such as Sony, Canon, and Sennheiser. He is also the founder and inaugural festival director of WOIS Film Fest, one of UAE’s biggest short film events.
The film stars Harisankar S G, whose previous credits include the Mammootty-starrer “Pathinettam Padi (2019),” alongside Jasim Kunhamed and Vivek Suresh. Crew members include Renith Sunil (director of photography), Sivaprasad Nandakumar (sound design), Alan Joseph (original soundtrack), Nabeel Rafi (sound recordist), Arjun Jayaprasad (boom operator), Ihab Basheer (production assistant), and Parvathi Shine (publicist).
The final theatrical sound mix of the film is done by industry-veteran Vinod P Sivaram.
“In my understanding, there’s no concept of junior/senior in this industry. I am happy to have worked on an interesting short film and to have associated with passionate filmmakers. I’ll always offer my support to those with passion,” said Vinod, whose extensive body of work include “Classmates (2006),” “10 Kalpanakal (2016),” and “Biriyaani (2019).”
“Usually a film that’s 20-minutes long gets really tiring to watch. But these guys have done such a phenomenal job that this would be the fastest 20-minutes of your lives,” said Faisal Hashmi, one of the flag-bearers of independent filmmaking in the UAE, while speaking at the premiere.
“Aparan (2024)” will go on to be submitted to film festivals worldwide before releasing on YouTube for public viewing in early 2025.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
