Kaisa Pfoze interacting with elders a Tamil Nadu village while researching for her film ‘Sunset Years’.
Morung Express News
Dimapur | February 8
Kaisa Pfoze, a young filmmaker from Mao, Senapati, Manipur won the Best Film award for her film ‘Sunset Years’ at the 2nd IGNITE short film festival. The festival was organized on February 7 by Odisha-based production house SPARSH under the theme ‘social issues’.
The 32-minute film, ‘Sunset Years’ portrays the highs and lows of modern India’s elderly community and the implications of a growing aging population.
Speaking to The Morung Express about the film, Kaisa said that she chose old age as the theme for the film largely out of her longing to be with her father. “My mother passed away early. My father preferred to live in the village because according to him, that’s where he belongs although we want him to come and live with us in the cities.”
While researching for the film, she recalled coming across many senior citizens living in deplorable conditions. “Many old people, bed-ridden and toward the last days of their lives live alone. There are still others who are abused by their own wards”.
She maintained that many NGOs are working for the welfare of senior citizens but added there is always room for more effort. “Each of us can contribute towards making that change in small ways like helping an elderly person in public transport or with the way we design our homes.”
She described film-making as “a very powerful medium to effect change” and hoped that ‘Sunset Years’ would initiate discussion “in our society” about old age and its tribulations.
Kaisa attended film appreciation course at Film and Television Institute India Pune (FTII). She has also made few other short films with Asian Highway Production 2 based at Mao gate.
According to her, she always wanted to do something different and the wish to be different eventually led her to quit her job as a banker to plunge into film-making.
