Sparsh Ahuja is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist and National Geographic Explorer based in Melbourne.
His work has exhibited in venues such as The Smithsonian, Victoria & Albert and Asian Art Museums, and featured at Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, MUBI, The New Yorker, TIME, The BBC and Al Jazeera amongst others.
Innovate UK: Child of Empire Case Study
This white paper was commissioned by the Innovate UK Immersive Tech Network, the UK government’s leading network for immersive technology innovators, and Arts Council England. It examines the experience of the independent XR creators of ‘Childof Empire’, who were able to successfully navigate turning their idea into a fully realized internationally touring piece of immersive work.
The UK is home to some of the best producers of immersive content in the world. Despite significant growth in the sector and wider adoption of the technology in recent years, the barriers to entry to immersive production remain quite high, especially for those outside of established production companies.
This white paper looks at challenges the project faced with the creative process, building the right team, accessing funding, and touring the work to a wide range of international venues. We hope the deep dive into this project’s production journey, and the key lessons learned from the team can offer insight to creatives who are just getting started in immersive production.
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The Partition - Teacher’s Guide by Stanford University
The 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan was a complex and tragic event with profound and lasting consequences for the region. Following over a century under British East India Company rule and an additional 90 years of the British Raj, the Indian subcontinent ultimately attained independence. What should have been a celebratory moment after years of anti-colonial struggle resulted in unimaginable violence and bloodshed instead.
Project Dastaan is a peace-building initiative that utilizes bespoke digital experiences to reconnect displaced refugees of the Partition with their childhood communities, offering a unique perspective on the human impact of the largest forced migration in recorded history.
A free classroom-friendly discussion guide is available for download below. Activities in this guide include a pre-test, informational handout and assignment, and an exercise in conflict analysis. In addition, there is an extension activity that tasks students to research different modern-day conflicts, as well as an optional activity where students view short film(s) and engage in a post-viewing discussion.
SPICE is appreciative of the support of Project Dastaan for their permission to use some of the visuals and interviews from their project in this guide. Screen the films here (password: Curriculum).
SPICE’s partnership with CatchLight is made possible by the generous support of the Chao Minami Family Fund.
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BAFTA x British Council x BFI Network - “Short Film Toolkit”
BFI NETWORK have created this comprehensive, free-to-access Short Film Toolkit in partnership with BAFTA and the British Council.
Over 50% of filmmakers are thought to have entered the industry via shorts, yet some – without established industry connections – can find routes in challenging to navigate.
This toolkit, the first of its kind, is an easy to use, comprehensive, digital guide with insights from over 40 filmmakers, funders, festival programmers and distributors, unlocking vital insights and advice for aspiring talent to help them get the most out of their short film journey and accelerate their careers.
Download here