‘Digital’ has been a buzzword for quite a few years now. It was the only way we functioned in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. While we mostly consume content – films, TV shows– through the digital medium, it was celluloid that laid the groundwork for modern-day filmmaking. The people behind Versova’s popular culture space Harkat Studios have not forgotten the hard labour involved in shooting and developing film into moving images. It prompted them to start hosting ‘The 16mm Film Festival’ four years ago. 

Now, to boost the passion for celluloid films further, the team plans to host a 45-day residency called ‘Celluloid Karigar’. The residency will be held at a space they call the Harkat Lab, which will be thrown open so that others in the community can use the equipment there and make their own works with celluloid. Speaking about the residency, Harkat Studios founder Karan Suri Talwar, says, “The residency is part of the film lab, which we put together at the start of this year. After doing celluloid workshops and the 16 mm film festival, the residency is sort of a culmination of a lot of the knowledge building, the community that we have been growing and the kind of work we want to make and have been making.”