Film making

Earthling Koushalya's new Tamil language short film En Udambu (My Body) has been making waves at various screenings in Auroville and Pondicherry.

Francis was one of the first settlers on the Auroville plateau. Since then, he has been involved in many activities in the community.

Outreach Media plays a crucial role in how Auroville is communicated to the larger world. How does it function and what are the challenges it faces?

In October, the fourth Auroville Film festival took place. “The aim of the Auroville Film Festival,” says the Festival brochure, “is to connect with people and cultures within and beyond Auroville and to further the aspiration of human unity by showcasing films that develop the theme of human unity.”

Francis and Doris are the Auroville Video Productions team which, for the past ten years, has been documenting the history and unfolding of Auroville.

Some months ago a new introductory film on Auroville, Auroville: The City the Earth Needs, was presented to the Aurovilians. The film, which begins with The Dream and ends with the Auroville Charter, gives a brief overview of the main projects and activities, including Auroville’s outreach activities in the nearby villages.

Temperate July evenings are usually the perfect setting for outdoor functions in and around Auroville. But when the skies open and wash out a performance and its audience of 125 people, it says much about an organisation’s professionalism that it can bundle the audience, projector and sound system into the nearby building, and have the show up and running again in a mere five minutes.