We all have a story. Some of our stories are inspirational, some provocative, some make us dance a little while some leave us thinking. Whatever the feeling, stories enrich our lives in some way or the other. Magnetic Words at Magnetic Fields in collaboration Platform is an initiative that encompasses creative dialogue, intriguing films, visual imagery, inspiring performances, and much more. Each talent gets a stage to tell us their story and support that with, either a reading, an act, a presentation or whatever their artistry demands, furthering our aim to inform people of brilliant talents across genres and leave them inspired. About the artists:
Kanu Behl
After dabbling in radio, copywriting and acting, Kanu Behl studied at the Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute, Kolkata, majoring in Film Direction. His first documentary An Actor Prepares (2006) premiered in competition at Cinema du Reel, France. Next, he directed and produced the doc short 'Three Blind Men' (2007) for ZDF and ARTE, commissioned at the Berlin Film Festival. This was followed by Found Him Yet? and Over Thresholds (2008), documentary features commissioned by NHK, Japan. A Berlinale talent campus alumni and twice nominated for the Berlin Today Award, in 2010 Kanu dove into fiction.
His first major foray was the critically acclaimed LSD (Love, Sex & Betrayal) which he co-wrote with Dibakar Banerjee. In 2014, his debut feature Titli premiered at Un Certain Regard, Cannes, going on to win major 8 international awards including the NETPAC and the Best First Foreign Film (2015) from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. His follow up short Binnu Ka Sapna premiered at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival and won the prestigious Student Jury Award.
His sophomore feature titled Agra, an Indo-French co-production with the prestigious Cinema du Monde film fund backing it premiered at Director's Fortnight, Cannes 2023 to a strong response and positive reviews. It has subsequently been to SXSW Sydney and multiple other international fests winning accolades. Agra next plays at Busan Film Fest 2023. Kanu is currently in post production on his third feature titled ‘Despatch’, starring Manoj Bajpayee and produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP.
An international itinerant, Kanu's career is clearly divided into two halves — the early years grounded in a solid documentary influence, culminating in his fiction pieces which borrow from this deep love for creative documentary, both thematically and stylistically.
Abhimanyu Alsisar
A luxury hotelier and a patron of the arts, Abhimanyu Alsisar has been a staunch advocate for folk artists whether at Magnetic Fields festival, held at his 17th century property Alsisar Mahal, or via his foundation Puqaar NGO. He also co-directed ‘Puqaar Diaries: Jaisalmer & Barmer’ a folk music documentary with photojournalist Sachin Soni.
Sheetal Mallar
Sheetal Mallar is a self taught photographer and artist. She has been practising for the last 13 years and is interested in stories that come from various urban subcultures. Sheetal is drawn to the delicate, unspoken relationships that bind people to places and wants to explore the tension between the individual personality and the collective context. Her ongoing projects engage with the Inter-personal relationships, culture and topography.
NYSZA
NYSZA is a 25 year old urban-world-fusion artist hailing from the Garhwal Himalayas. Raised in military camps across India and now based in London, NYSZA weaves self-produced electronic soundscapes, Himalayan folk storytelling, and jazz-informed world rhythms to create an eclectic blend of music and poetry. She combines warring cultural identities and influences through her songwriting in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Garhwali, in an earnest retelling of our collective stories. Her work has been recognised on BBC Radio 1 and BBC AsianNetwork, and has enamoured audiences across London Jazz Festival, Kite Festival, Falmouth International Arts Festival and Sofar Sounds. Currently a doctoral researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Music at the Royal College of Music, she's also an advocate for socio-cultural sustainability in technology.
Magnetic Fields is happening from the 15th to the 17th of December. To read more and to get to tickets, click here: https://www.magneticfields.in/
Words Platform Desk
Date 05.12.2023