Gladiators on Wheels

PERSONAL WORK (New Generation Award)

JPG

MP4 5m:50s

Title of Piece:	Gladiators on Wheels
Production Company:	SDFilms
Director(s) :	Souvid Datta
Business Region:	37040
Short Synopsis:	In remote rural festivals all around India the 'Well of Death' has been a long-notorious attraction - where for £0.50p per ticket, you can see stunt drivers rocket in circles across 60ft walls, throwing caution to the wind and defying gravity. "Gladiators on Wheels" is an experimental documentary short made over a one day shoot in West Bengal's Poush Mela, where as a I child grew up in awe of these riders. Returning to visit them, I discovered their story for the first time. Interviews were edited and adapted collaboratively with the riders and voiced by local actors.
Runtime:	05:50
Release Date:	2019-06-01
Producer(s):	SDFilms
Director of Photography:	Souvid Datta
Editor:	Souvid Datta
Music Composer:	Soumik Datta
Script:	Souvid Datta
Notes for Judging:	This was a passion project filmed in one day, off the back of an editorial assignment in India. I grew up attending these dusty, rural circus events in awe of stunt performers who dazzled the crowds with their daring feats. Returning by chance to this childhood memory gave me a prompt to get to know my heroes' lives behind the act. And through their generosity and trust, I spent a day shooting, interviewing and learning about their lives - balancing bravery and bravado, impulse and skill, and ultimately, life and death.
Statement:	37091