I have a strong television background, having worked for major broadcasters and independent production companies for many years, both in the UK and Australia. I now working independently, focussing on developing and producing real life stories that I feel passionately about, promoting creative expression, education and cultural exchange.
"The Arts move people, and what moves people can change them"
Our travelogue-style documentary film 'Magic in our Hands' will engage in the daily lives of six inspired women puppeteers in one of the fastest growing economies in the world: India.
India celebrates long historical traditions of rod, shadow and string puppets and these puppet traditions are part of culture and history.
The film will show puppet making and manipulation and address the various themes these artists deal with in their shows as they protect and promote intangible cultural heritage and develop platforms for creativity. Three of the women we focus on; Rajitha Pulavar, Seetha Lakshmi and Anupama Hoskere, represent traditional puppetry, while the other three; Anarupa Roy, Ranjana Pandey, and Padmini Rangarajan work in contemporary forms and tackle a variety of local and global issues.
These six women use different types of puppets and come from contrasting regions of India: the rural oasis of Kerala; the bustling metropolis of Tamil Nadu; the historical city of Hyderabad; the centre of new economic and technological growth in Bangalore; and the big Northern Capital of Delhi.
Their work encourages people and children to use their imaginations to understand and empathize with a variety of situations, beliefs and views addressing important and often sensitive global issues; such as education, child development, AIDS awareness, women against conflict, environment and human values, including women’s role and strength of character as depicted in the ancient texts of the Ramayana. The film will reflect the diversity of Indian culture, performance contexts and artistic styles, and thereby displays the enormous range and richness of Indian puppetry.
Puppetry crosses boundaries, it reflects the human spirit and can unite the world.
We hope the film will educate people about the varied and inspiring work these women are doing, in a country where women's roles still center often around domestic life, and show how performers and performance traditions are responding to India's rapidly shifting social and economic conditions. We also hope it will serve these women as a way of promoting their projects.
It's more than a feature documentary. It is a multi-layered project to help raise awareness to promote both the social value of the art of puppetry and to share human interest stories and creativity with the world. Through social media we can promote creative arts projects and encourage children around the world to express their minds through creativity. There is potential for cultural exchange workshops with the communities, and assisting the communities with recording stories, highlighting global issues, preserving culture and more.
What We Need