SchoolScapes

SchoolScapes is an experimental film made at a famous progressive coeducational boarding school in South India by highly respected Australian ethnographic filmmaker, David MacDougall. It was filmed at Rishi Valley School, which was founded by the influential philosopher, Krishnamurti, and is known for its holistic approach to education, focussing on the students appreciation of art and nature. Footage was shot over two months, each scene in the film consisting of a single shot, whilst the director assisted students with their film projects. The concept behind the film was a comment by girls and boys that the others are alien creatures. The filmmaker takes this divide as the starting point for an examination of the lives of three boys at the school. This silent observation of the school, capturing their lessons in pictures, is another stunning piece of visual anthropology, following on from the director’s critically-acclaimed Doon School Chronicles, also set in India, a country with which the director has close links. (DOK.fest München)