Perspective is the key aspect of filmmaking according to Mania Akbari during a workshop class session for Digital Film and TV students at Limkokwing University on May 19.
Mania Akbari is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, artist, writer and actress. Her provocative, revolutionary and radical films were recently the subject of retrospective at the BFI, London (2013), the DFI. Denmark (2014), Oldenburg International Film Festival, Germany (2014) and Cyprus Film Festival (2014).
Her films have been screened at festivals around the world and have received numerous awards including German Independence Honorary Award, Oldenberg (2014). Her works include “10+4”, “From Tehran to London”, “One. Two. One”, and “20 Fingers” (photo above).
Akbari describes cinema as a medium for filmmaker to show real life while emphasizing the importance of perspectives.
“I believe that each human being is born with a pain and what they do throughout their life is to minimise that pain for them and the people around them,” Akbari said.
During the workshop, she taught aspiring filmmakers to pay close attention to their environment and filmmaking technology.
Through her experience, she realised that older cameras were big and bulky which caused bystanders react differently when they realised the camera was watching them.
Modern cameras are smaller and easier to carry which carries a greater influence to the perception of film scene.
During the workshop, she also taught students to focus on sounds and background noises to influence the emotional aspect of each scenes. At the same time, Mania stressed on being resourceful while producing those scenes.
“Filmmakers don’t need so much resources to make a perfect movie,” she said “However, the most important thing is to make the most of what you already have.”
“Filmmaking is not as time consuming as it used to be,” she added. “In terms of time, filmmakers had to process the films before they could look at the shots”.
For students under the Faculty of Communication, Media and Broadcasting, the workshop gave them a glimpse in producing films.
“I learned more about filmmaking and how to be inspired from normal things in life and translate it into visuals,” said Malaysian BA (Hons) in Broadcast & Journalism student Nadrah Ahmad Kamal.
“Mania Akbari is a very inspirational person who can view things in a deeper manner,” said Nadrah. “She portrays life in an artistic manner which affects the viewer’s emotions.”
“This workshop would help me to create documentaries that are more poetic and artistic,” she said. “I can break the pattern to create more artistic works.
“I learned to view things from a different perspectives,” said BA (Hons) Digital Film & Television student Ghaith Adnan Hussein from Qatar.”
“Sound is just as important as the pictures,” he said. “Background noise and sounds can affect the way the film is depicted.”
Limkokwing University collaborates with internationally recognised professionals to provide students with global experience and industry exposure. The University’s educational approach allows students gain valuable experience from industry players to compete in a globalised world.