CINE: 2009 Educational Advisory Board

Sanjeev Chatterjee

Sanjeev Chatterjee is an award winning documentary filmmaker. He has taught classes in studio and field production, media and society, writing and documentary production at the University of Miami. He received an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2002. In 2007, Chatterjee was honored with the Images and Voices of Hope World Summit Award of Appreciation of his documentary work. He has been on the faculty of the Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change, 2008 and 2009. He is producer, co-director and writer of a global motion picture project about potable water entitled One Water.

If you could give one piece of advice to beginning filmmakers, what would it be?
Success in our field comes to those who can combine resilience with their talents. It's a long and tough road.

At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a filmmaker, and why did you? How long have you been making films?
In the beginning - as a child - my ambition was to become a Bollywood star. All that changed when I left my hometown, Patna, to attend college in Delhi. There I was introduced to the idea that media can make a difference in society. That is when I began experimenting with and discovering the purpose of documentary. I have been making films since 1984.

Who or what are your major influences, stylistically or substantively?
Hard to say. I have never had the need or desire to consciously follow or copy anybody's work. Yet influences crop up everywhere. My latest films on water have major non-verbal sequences in them. I must, for example, acknowledge works like Koyanosquatsi (dir. Godfrey Reggio) and Baraka (dir. Ron Fricke) as influences.

How long have you been teaching? Why do you like teaching filmmaking? What knowledge and ideals to you try to instill in your students?
I have been teaching since 1987. I had decided early that an academic life affords me the freedom to make the kinds of films I want to make. Indeed, it was the right choice for me because I thoroughly enjoy what I do and there is little distinction between work and life for me. Life in academia has allowed me to remain passionate about what I do - so far. I want my students to be able to identify their true passion early in life and have the wherewithal to follow their passion.

Has the changing nature of filmmaking - the advent of new media, the changes in distribution, etc. - had an effect on either the way you make films or the way you teach filmmaking?
Very much so. Rather than an auteur I see myself operating in a community of media makers where others contribute to a creative whole. I also see immense possibilities in the idea that the full impact of a socially focused documentary project can be achieved through refreshing and renewing ideas behind the product over significant blocks of time rather than trying to make one product. The act of making and sharing documentary films has become a great way not only to belong to communities but to actually build communities around issues.

Has it become more important for film students to understand the business component of filmmaking, for example, the need to understand legal concepts such as fair use, rights clearance, etc.?
There is no doubt that business models and of necessity the legal horizons of the business are in transition and in need of reinvention. Young people who think that these aspects are not important are making a mistake. You need to know the rules before breaking them.

Do you find your students are more interested in new media outlets, television or traditional release, or does this simply vary?
Our students grew up with the computer as part of their lives. It is a social interaction device as much as it is an educational or business tool for them. My sense is that students look at the new media horizon as something that they are already a part of - but the majority are still oriented towards making a living off the established models in the industry.

Full Board

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