Production Company – Bindubot Communication, Touch Narrative, Marx Film & VFS Film
Country – India, Estonia, Latvia
Length – 100 min
Format – 4K
Planned Premiere Date – 01.10.2023
Genre – Factual Cinema
Director –Bipuljit Basu (India)
Producer –Nilotpal Majumdar (India)
Co-Producer Max Tuula, & Maria Gavrilova (Estonia) & Uldis Cekulis (Latvia)
Executive Producer – Abhijit Dutta (India)
Associate Producer –Sayanti Bhattacharya (USA), Somnath Ghosh (India), Sanket Mandal (India)
The sex workers and their young children form CAM-ON, a film production house in the Kalighat brothel, Kolkata. Despite the opposition, they are determined to become film technicians, resist prostitution among the second generation, strengthen the inter-personal relationships, and aspire to turn the redlight area into a professional film colony.
In 2019, I get to know Rabin and his youth group who were wonderful, young amateur filmmakers and children of sex workers in the poor red light district of Kalighat. They were creative amateur filmmakers who uploaded their short dynamic videos on YouTube. They joined my film as a Line Producer. Soon the sex working mothers teamed up with the youth and together they formed their own production house Cam-On. Starting a flmmaking initiative in a brothel was seen as problematic. In the industry, no one wanted to take Cam-On seriously and Covid-19 made the situation even more difficult. However, Rabin and his team, the sex worker mothers, do not give up. They continue their film house despite the pandemic and social challenges, trying to get recognition as film technicians. Their initiative reinvents the brothel’s interpersonal relationships and is empowering them gradually towards acceptance by mainstream society. Rabin and the sex worker mothers plan to produce a film again. Developing community issue-based inside stories and making innovative zero-budget films are their foray. Apart from just uploading it on YouTube they plan to organise a day-long community screening, inviting film professionals and sex workers from other parts of the city as their guests. One of the crew members is 19-year-old Afsara, who is forced into prostitution by her step-father. Instead, she wants to work in film and considering her vulnerability, Rabin tries to support her and protect Afsara from her father. In Redlight to Limelight I will be exploring the community of Kalighat through Rabin and Afsara's eyes. Will they be able to finish their films and overcome the variety of social challenges? How does Afsara cope up with the threat of prostitution? How does the film initiative improve the community’s interpersonal relationships? Will the community be able to screen their film in the city? Will Cam-On be able to turn their brothel into a film colony for good?
BIPULJIT BASU
WRITER / DIRECTOR, INDIA
NILOTPAL MAJUMDAR
PRODUCER, INDIA
MAX TUULA & MARIA GAVRILOVA
CO-PRODUCER, ESTONIA
ULDIS CEKULIS
CO-PRODUCER, LATVIA
MARTIJN TE PAS
CREATIVE CONSULTANT, SWEDEN
ASKOLD KUROV
CONSULTANT, RUSSIA
Dr. SAYANTI BHATTACHARYA
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, USA
Somnath Ghosh
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, INDIA
Abhijit Dutta
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / LINE PRODUCER, INDIA
Sanket Mandal
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, INDIA
Subhadeep Dey
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY , INDIA
ANIRBAN MAITY
EDITOR, INDIA
Ranajit Gharai
PROJECT DESIGNER, INDIA
Partha Barman
SOUND DESIGNER, INDIA
CO PRODUCTION, ESTONIA
PARTNER, LATVIA
Fiscal Sponsorship Partner, USA
PITCH FORUM, BULGERIA
ASIAN PITCH FORUM, INDIA
SOUTH ASIAN PITCH FORUM, BANGLADESH
EUROPEAN PITCH FORUM, UK
Pitch Forum, UK
QUANTAMANAGE (USA), DEVELOPMENT FUND
PARTNER, Germany
INDIA PRODUCTION HOUSE (www.bindubot.com)
Cinestaan : Bipuljit Basu's documentary Redlight To Limelight selected for Sheffield DocFest's MeetMarket
The film is about a group of sex workers who formed CAM-ON, a film production house, in the Kalighat red-light area in Kolkata.
Times Of India : Women’s Day Special: A film community from darkness and despair! The inspiring story of Kalighat’s red-light area
Kalighat, in central Kolkata, is one of the most sacred pilgrimage centres in India. As in the case with many such destinations, right next to it there’s a red-light area, one of the oldest in the city of joy. For more than a century, the sacred and the sacrilegious have existed side by side. And there grows a film movement, away from all
Times of India : How World Cinema’s attention inspiring youths of Kalighat’s red-light area in their film movement
It’s a film movement, away from all the glittery flashlights, all the limelight, and all those shutterbugs. Earlier in March this year, we had reported how a group of young amateur filmmakers, including the children of sex workers and the enthusiastic youth of Kalighat’s red-light area, have found a new purpose in their lives. How they are transforming the not-so-welcomed portion of our society into a film community.
Cinestaan.com : Bipuljit Basu’s Redlight To Limelight heads to DOK Leipzig Co-Pro Market 2021
The documentary tracks a group of sex workers and brothel youth who form a film production house named Camon in their brothel in Kalighat, Kolkata.Despite the opposition to setting up the production house, they are determined to become film technicians and, in the process, become an independent force to resist prostitution in the second generation.
Business Doc Europe : 35 Projects Selected for 17th DOK Co-Pro Market (Leipzig)
35 film projects from 36 countries have been selected for the 17th DOK Co-Pro Market of DOK Leipzig . The projects are in development or at an early stage of production and arde given opportunity at DOK Co-Pro Market to connect with potential co-production, financing and distribution partners from all over the world.
Allindianfilm.com : Women’s Day Special: A film community from darkness and despair! The inspiring story of Kalighat’s red-light area | Bengali Movie News
Kalighat, in central Kolkata, is without doubt one of the most sacred pilgrimage centres in India. As within the case with many such locations, proper subsequent to it there’s a red-light area, one of many oldest within the metropolis of pleasure. For greater than a century, the sacred and the sacrilegious have existed aspect by aspect. And there grows a movie motion, away from all of the limelight, all these shutterbugs. A bunch of young amateur filmmakers,
Latestbollywood.in : Women’s Day Special: A Movie Neighborhood From Darkness And Despair! The Inspiring Story Of Kalighat’s Red-Light Space | Bengali Movie News
Kalighat, In Central Kolkata, Is Likely One Of The Most Sacred Pilgrimage Centres In India. As Within The Case With Many Such Locations, Proper Subsequent To It There’s A Red-Light Space, One Of Many Oldest Within The Metropolis Of Pleasure. For Greater Than A Century, The Sacred And The Sacrilegious Have Existed Facet By Facet. And There Grows A Movie Motion, Away From All Of The Limelight, All These Shutterbugs. A Gaggle Of Younger Newbie Filmmakers,
prohor.in : জার্মানির ডক-লিপজিগ তালিকায় কালীঘাটের যৌনপল্লি নিয়ে তৈরি সিনেমা
“আজকে জাতীয় স্তরেই বাংলা ছবি আর তেমন গুরুত্ব পাচ্ছে না। বিশ্ব সিনেমার জগৎ থেকে তো প্রায় হারিয়েই গিয়েছে। সেই জায়গায় দাঁড়িয়ে একটা সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা উদ্যোগ যে বিশ্বের প্রথম সারির কো-প্রোডাকশন মার্কেটে জায়গা করে নিল, এটা এক বিরাট সাফল্য।” বলছিলেন নন ফিকশন সিনেমা ‘রেডলাইট টু লাইমলাইট’-এর (Redlight to Limelight) এর পরিচালক বিপুলজিৎ বসু। দক্ষিণ কলকাতার কালীঘাট যৌনপল্লীর জীবনকে নিয়ে নির্মীয়মান এই সিনেমা সম্প্রতি জায়গা করে নিয়েছে জার্মানির বিখ্যাত কো-প্রোডাকশন মার্কেট ডক-লিপজিগ-এর (Dok Leipzig) তালিকায়। সারা পৃথিবীর ২৫৬টি এন্ট্রির মধ্যে এবছর ৩৫টি ছবিকে বেছে নিয়েছে ডক-লিপজিগ। আর তাতেই জায়গা পেল কলকাতার এই সিনেমাটিও।
আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা : ক্যামেরা হাতে স্বপ্নের উড়ান
এক দিকে মহাসতীপীঠ, মাথা ঠেকিয়ে পুণ্যের ছোঁয়াচটুকুর আশায় ঢল অগণিত ভক্তের।একই এলাকার দেখা মিলবে সেই মানুষেরও, পদ্মিনীর দেহপটে সভ্যতার পাপ জমা করছে যারা।
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