Don Palathara

Don Palathara was born and raised in Kerala, India.[2] He subsequently migrated to Sydney, Australia, where he received a diploma from the Academy of Film, Theatre and Television in Sydney, which was formerly known as the International Film School Sydney, before its merger with Actors College of Theatre and Television.[3][4]

Palathara made several short films and documentaries, before venturing into feature films.[5] In 2015, his first movie, Shavam was released. Made on a small budget, the film was noted for his atypical filmmaking choices, as it was made entirely in black and white, used location recording of sound (unusual for Indian movies), and a large number of inexperienced actors.[6] When asked why he chose to make the feature in black and white, Palathara explained that it was intended to draw focus to every aspect of the screen and to emphasize the morbidity of the movie. The choice of deep focus and wide shots were for the same reason.[7] The film, which is a satire exploring aspects of human character and set at the scene of a funeral, was well received in international film festivals, and garnered positive responses locally as well.[8] When the film was released, it was distributed using Kazhcha Film Forum's Cinema Vandi, an alternative film distribution mechanism, and thus was not subject to censorship by the Central Board of Film Certification.[9][10] Currently, Shavam is streaming on Netflix.[11]

In 2017, Palathara wrote, directed, produced, and edited his second feature film, Vith. The movie was financed through crowdfunding platforms, including Kickstarter and from the proceeds of Shavam, a method of film finance rapidly gaining popularity amongst younger filmmakers.[12][13] The film is about the relationship between a farmer and his formerly city-based son, and their differing approaches to life.[14]

During the development of Vith, Palathara designed a film making workshop for aspiring enthusiasts, also crowdfunded. He organized classes on the different aspects of filmmaking, including cinematography and scripting, roping in other parallel cinema filmmakers.[15]

His next film, 1956, Central Travancore, was released in 2019, and was screened at the Film Bazaar in Goa.[4][16][17]

A minor controversy erupted between Palathara and Lijo Jose Pelissery, another Indian filmmaker from Kerala, when the former accused the latter of copying Shavam in an emotional Facebook post.[18] Pelissery later brushed off the claims, saying that both Ee Ma Yau and Shavam just happened to be about Christian funerals.[19]

• Don Palathara on IMDb