Rhode Island International Film Festival 2019 – The Timekeeper
A man desperately seeks to preserve his life long passion for creating analog clocks in an era of digital totality.
Interview with Director/Producer/Editor Sohil Vaidya
Watch The Timekeeper here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
While growing up Pune, this city changed from a small town to a metropolis. Big factories took over small businesses and once underdeveloped neighborhoods flared into IT parks. But the sense of my Pune was lost to me.
I was searching for a person to repair my old mechanic clock. My friend Nandini Hate-Mane suggested Mr.Deshpande's name as she was familiar with his work. He is one of the last watchmaker, repairer of the old mechanic clocks in Pune. When I met him, I felt a personal connection with this 80 years old man who is striving to preserve his sense of self and refusing to give up his craft in this rapidly changing times.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This documentary talks about the value of preserving the old. It's about accuracy, variety and the durability of the analog clocks in the era of digital totality. Mr. Deshpande's workspace in itself is visually stunning to watch. The doc is a short byte-sized piece which provides a glance into something new and unique.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The Timekeeper is a universal story about the change, new and old. Mr. Deshpande is passionate about his love for mechanic clocks, their durability, variety, and accuracy. But essentially he refuses to give up his art, craft, and skills for a digital clock made in the factory by machines. I felt the personal connection with this 86 years old man who is trying to preserve his sense of self, what he stands for and believes in, in this rapidly changing times.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I met Mr.Deshpande for two days to discuss his work, craft, and viewpoint. I took notes and later I decided to narrow down my questions according to certain points I wanted to cover. Me and the DP of the film Rohin Raveendran Nair worked together to create the look and feel for the documentary. I didn't want to make standard sit down interviews type of doc, rather I wanted to make a short piece which would strongly evoke nostalgia through colors, textures and Mr.Deshpande's voiceover.
We shot for two days with minimal crew. Mr. Deshpande's workspace is extremely interesting. He has various types of mechanic clocks, some of them are 100 years old. The types of clocks we don't get to see anywhere nowadays except museums. Initially, I thought that this film would be 15-20 mins but when I started narrowing down on the message of the film, I realized that it works much better in a shorter time. So it ended being 5 mins.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People so far really liked it and found it heartfelt. They find it very relatable, it evokes a strong sense of nostalgia for them.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I made this film as a very personal project for myself. I didn't even know that I was gonna put it in the festivals. Our budget was literally $50. I am surprised that despite the limited budget and shooting time, we were able to pull off a film which touches peoples hearts! They find it engaging and unique. It inspired me to make more films like this in the future.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I believe that its an important topic which should be seen by the audiences. Wearemovingstories is a wonderful platform to reach out to larger audiences regarding my point of view. Hopefully, it continues its festival run further after Flickers Rhode Island and gets seen by the larger audiences.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would definitely like to have a distribution for this film on a suitable online platform. I would love it to go to more festivals as well.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
It's important to recognize the value of old things which stayed with us while we transition into new.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What is the cost of the change and is it always worth it?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am writing a feature film and episodic. The Director of Photography Rohin worked on the Netflix show The Sacred Games as an assistant camera and continues his work on shorts and features. Creative Producer Nandini Hate-Mane is working on her own projects in Pune. Sound team Kushal, Gaurav and Nilesh are working on the multiple features and shorts in Mumbai.
Interview: July 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
The Timekeeper
A man desperately seeks to preserve his life long passion for creating analog clocks in an era of digital totality.
Length: 5:12
Director: Sohil Vaidya
Producer: Sohil Vaidya
Writer: Sohil Vaidya
About the writer, director and producer:
Sohil is a winner of Directors Guild of America(D.G.A) Student Award, 2018 for his thesis film Difficult People. His films have been shown & won awards at festivals such as Palm Springs, Edmonton International, LA Asian Pacific, Flickers Rhode Island, LA Shorts, Bronzelens, New Filmmakers Los Angeles & 40 other film festivals around the world. Sohil recently graduated from the University of Southern California (U.S.C) Film School with M.F.A in Film Directing. Financing his education at USC was only possible for him with the help of numerous scholarships such as James Bridges Directing Scholarship and Edward Thomas Troutner Cinematography Scholarship. Sohil recently finished directing a feature film named Samir, a contemporary adaptation of Count of Monte Cristo with seven other directors. Cinema of Satyajit Ray, Paul Thomas Anderson, Stanley Kubrick, and Alfonso Cuaron inspires him. Sohil wants to bridge the gap between east and west with thought-provoking, visually compelling and universally relatable stories which unite all of us as humans in the end.
Key cast: Mr. Dinesh Deshpande
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists, film festival directors, buyers, producers
Facebook: Sohil Vaidya
Instagram: @sohilvaidya
Hashtags used: #thetimekeeper #shortfilm #sohilvaidya
Website: www.sohilvaidya.com
Other: Vimeo
Made in association with: Magic Lantern Productions
Funders: Self Funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival/ Rhode Island - 7th August 2019, RISD Museum, 2.30PM.