I work for Freshi Films as Director of Production. On occasion, I also teach filmmaking. In 2006, I had the opportunity to travel to India with Freshi to lead a week-long filmmaking workshop with Indian teens. Including a bit of site-seeing (yes, we visited the Taj Mahal), we spent ten days in India. While "Bollywood Steps" didn't evolve directly from that experience (the main subject is married to a colleague), it was definitely inspired by the intensity of our journey. India is an ancient culture, and it seems that thousands of years of tradition are constantly on display. While hundreds of years of foreign domination (India regained its status as an independent state in 1948) still impacts that country in massive infrastructure and bureaucratic challenges, the country is moving in an exciting direction.
The kids I had the privilege to work with in our workshop were the greatest possible introduction to India. Their spirit of adventure motivated our entire team. To this day, some are my friends on Facebook. Though the kids I profile in "Bollywood Steps" were born in America, I see some of that same sprit. I'll leave it to the audience to interpret what is Indian - and what is common ground between our two societies.
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