Documentary revisits the fading world of Kerala’s film projectionists
Malavika VN’s 16-minute documentary ‘Viraamam’ examines film projectionists in Kerala, including workers who adapted to technological change and others who left the profession. Screened at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam, the film was re-edited years after its original student production.
Malavika VN’s documentary ‘Viraamam’ is examining the changing lives of film projectionists in Kerala at the 18th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Keralam in Thiruvananthapuram. The 16-minute film is being screened in the short documentary competition section. The documentary focuses on projectionists who adapted to technological changes as well as those who left the profession.
Their recollections include memories of watching world classics from projection rooms, while one former projectionist becomes emotional while holding the carbon rods of a 35mm projector. Malavika said the film began as her final-year project as a visual communications student at St Joseph’s College, Bengaluru, about a decade ago. Students were required to handle different parts of production, including direction and editing, but she was dissatisfied with the original result.
After working as an editor, Malavika returned to the footage with her husband, State award-winning filmmaker Goutham Soorya. They reworked the visuals and re-edited the material to create what she described as an entirely new work. Malavika told The Hindu that her perspective had changed since she first made the project.
She said she became interested in projectionists after teacher Johnson Rajkumar introduced her to film preservation and restoration. Her original aim was to explore how technological advances affected the workers’ lives. She recalled meeting projectionists in 2016 and 2017 and said they welcomed her interest in their work.
What stayed with her, she said, was their passion for the profession. Through the documentary, she wanted audiences to experience that emotion, along with nostalgia and a sense of loss, while also being inspired by the workers’ commitment. Malavika has edited films including ‘Madhura Manohara Moham’ and ‘Vishesham’, as well as a web series, documentaries and music videos.
She also interned with the National Film Archives India and worked for two years with the Film Heritage Foundation.
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