Sessions
Finding Peace
Jill Mistry, Sumaa Tekur, Vasudev Murthy with Aruna Nambiar
Bio
Jill Misquitta is a graduate of FTII (Pune, 1981 batch) specialized in Film Direction and Screenplay Writing.While still a student, her feature-length screenplay
“Joyce” won a Certificate of Merit in the first Script Writing Contest sponsored by NFDC in 1980.
She has directed five feature-length documentaries, including "The Clap Trap" (made for Channel 4, UK, 16mm, 52 min.) a film on the lives of "extras" in Bollywood. It was screened at more than fifteen prestigious international film festivals, including Toronto International Film Festival. In 1995, this film won a special jury award at Yamagata, Japan.
Researched and scripted AadhiHaqueeqat, AadhaFasaana (English title: Children of the Silver Screen) a 90-minute documentary on child actors in Bollywood. Produced by NFDC, the film was screened at various international festivals and on Channel 4 television, UK.
Researched a script on “Dabbawallas of Bombay” for the late Caribbean director, Horace Ove which was produced and screened on Channel 4, UK .
Researched a script for Kumar Shahani on the famed British psychoanalyst, Wilfred Bion.
Collaborated on the screenplay of Percy (dir: Pervez Merwanji), a feature film in Gujarati (with the author of the original short story, Cyrus Mistry). An NFDC production, this film won the national award for best Gujarati film in 1990, and the special Jury award at the Mannheim Film Festival I Germany.
A full-length documentary script on the life of Phoolan Devi, the former bandit queen, who became a Member of Parliament. The project was commissioned by NHK, Japan. Unfortunately the film could not be made because of the assassination of Phoolan Devi.
In 1996, she was invited by I&B Ministry to be on the jury for selecting documentaries for the International Film Festival, New Delhi.
An Original Cloud in the Mountains (50 mins.) is her most recent documentary about the only Zen Master in India, Fr. Ama Samy, who runs a meditation centre in Kodaikanal called Bodhi Zendo. It was selected for and screened at the Kolkatta International Film Festival in 2018.
Most recently, she has adapted the novel “The Radiance of Ashes” by award-winning author, Cyrus Mistry, into a feature-length screenplay called “Jeena Hai To PataliDhaarPe”.