One Paper Boat Films was founded by a small group of film enthusiasts who wanted to tell stories through films. We are fully independent filmmakers, and we make films just because we absoluetly love to do it. We write our own scripts, compose our own music and direct our own films. We also manage all aspects of our production details, completely ourselves.
Our first set of lights were $5 lights from the hardware store, with a piece of shower curtain taped on top
We are fully self taught. When we started to make films, we had absolutely no experience. Neither could we undertake any formal education on the subject. We just started the journey, purely from our urge to tell stories, with a message, to our viewers.
Though we started the journey with a lot of enthusiasm, we had no idea on how to really move. We just figured it out, through hard work, a lot of enthusiasm and numerous mistakes.
“WISH” was a short film (11 min) about gay rights. It was produced entirely by our own team – script writing, acting, production and post production.
Surprisingly our first film, WISH won laurels in the LA Short Film Festivals: Independent Shorts Awards, Indie Short Fest and IndieX Films. We were overwhelmed with joy. It was just not about the laurels, it was the fact that we were recognized, and the story we wanted to tell was heard. This gave us the inspiration to make more films with the mission to tell stories that need to be heard and stories that make people think.
Gradually we made more films and started getting acceptance as filmmakers in bigger forums. Our last film BIKE was accepted and screened at Chicago South Asian Film Festival and Tasveer South Asian Film Festival
We will continue to make independent films about human struggles with the very society that they create to thrive.
We, who folded the blank white paper to a boat…
Kaustuv Mukherjee
Though I was always interested in arts and creativity, never thought that I will make films! I started my journey making sets and props for plays of our community. One day I was given an opportunity to modify an existing script to fit the needs of the director. I found modifying was tedious, so gave a new script. Director liked it, and
then onwards I started writing stories and scripts for him. Gradually, I started directing plays. Then came the idea of making films. With no knowledge or experience, I just started with hope and an insanely enthusiastic team. We made, we faltered, we learnt and we made again. I really never thought that we will win awards or have a website of our own. This was only possible by the hard work of our talented team and their enthusiasm of doing this after their day jobs. A big thanks also goes to my mentor Anjan Roy, without his support, guidance and belief we wouldn’t have come this far.
Anay Bose
Being a movie fanatic, I always noticed the nitty gritties. The composition of a frame. The techniques and ways a camera is used always interested me. And that is what drew me towards working with One Paper Boat Productions. Aside from being behind the lenses I thoroughly enjoy my role as a cinematographer and assisting in the direction of our films. This has been a fun learning curve. Besides, I also love contributing to the concepts and screenplay. Starting from Bondhu, our first short, it has been quite exhilarating learning and experimenting with various compositions, techniques and scripts.
Sriranjani Datta
It was the love for writing that drew me towards One Paper Boat production. I have written earlier, but for pleasure. Writing a script for a movie was a completely new experience and it proved to be something I thoroughly enjoyed. Besides writing the scripts, I also started helping out with the production of our films. I have been the production managers for various on stage dramas but looking after the details of the frame, the set and many other things in a film was tiring at first, but I think it requires an acquired taste to love that work. Starting from our first film Bondhu to our latest, Faith, the journey has been full of challenges and never ending excitement and fun. A journey I would travel many times over and hope to continue for a many more more years to come.
Kaustav Chakraborty
I am associated with One Paper Boat Films as a music arranger and composer. I am an amateur musician with aspirations to write and create music of my own, and with One Paper Boat Productions, I have found a suitable thriving place to experiment and create music that I like.
Debapriya Sengupta
In 2013 , the sheer necessity to do something different with my life pushed me towards acting in community plays . Before that , I never stood and delivered dialogues in a stage or in any other platforms , leave alone acting. The accolades from audience was/is my prize. With time , acting on stage once every year was not enough for me , and I craved for more and more. The One Paper Boat Films gave me the opportunity to satisfy my need to be in front and behind the camera. I also worked in the production team and was part of some of the projects from nascent stage.
Sudhir Saha
Not a professional actor but performed some cameos in dramas/theaters in the past just for fun. Acting in a movie is no kidding, but when Paper Boat Films gave an opportunity to act in a short film: took the challenge and officially became an actor so to say. That movie was on a very taboo topic, but eventually came up nicely and guess what? “Wish” the short film (my first amateur artistic effort) honored in LA film fest. That is the humble beginning, since then, I am on voyage with Paper Boat Films to explore, learn and be part of every creativity that surrounds films (lights, camera and action). My journey has been a tremendous learning and enjoying experience — in front or behind the camera.
Baishakhi Maitra
My passion has always been in acting – all forms (be it on stage or in front of camera). Camera always attracted me more, so when an opportunity came by, I made full use of those – like small stints in few TV commercials or on-stage acting in some dramas in diverse roles. As luck would have it, One Paper Boat Production offered me one of the characters in ‘Bondhu’ –a short film which everyone appreciated, then I did 74.5 FM-– a comedy, Faith – short on rideshare and a Lockdown silent short film.
I have a full time day job, but still always love to do things to keep creative juice flowing…Lights, Camera & Action – I am ever-ready for the next shot..
Meghna Banerjee
The thrill of giving shape to an imagination has forever encaptured my heart. It is this love that has led me to dance floors and paints and canvases. So, when A Paper Boat Production offered me an acting role, I jumped at the opportunity. I have been an actor in several of our productions and have also served as a makeup artist in a few. I thoroughly love my time with our production house and learning, contributing and being a part of it.
Saswata Basu
Belonging to a musical family, my quest for music started when I first put my hands on acoustic guitar, bought straight from the factory. Music from far east and west both have had a deep influence on my choice and work with music henceforth.
Being associated with “Paper Boat Films” right from it’s inception, it’s been a wonderful learning journey so far. It has given me a new perspective of life outside the cubicle. Having participated in many different ways like acting, production and building musical content, it has enriched my overall experience in the world of films and music
Team Paper Boat – We motivate us, criticize us, finally help us to be more creative stretch us beyond our limit.
Amal Datta
From a very early age the art of acting has fascinated me. Though I had performed in quite a few on-stage dramas, A Paper Boat Production gave me the opportunity to act in front of a camera for the first time which was truly exciting. I also loved being a part of its production team in a few of its short movies. It has been a great learning experience and a fun filled journey so far.
Chandreyi Basu Roy
A teacher by profession, a reader/writer by passion, a movie enthusiast in free time, an actor in dreams(!); I believe good cinema can change the world.
My previous experiences with the stage have been through acting in plays at college, hosting and participating in cultural programs at workplace. It was through Paperboat’s short film “Bondhu” that I got my first chance at facing the camera. And boy, what a wonderful experience that was! This was followed by a cameo in their rom-com “74.5 FM” and starring in a music-video “Mouno Mukhorota” where I got to explore another close-to-my- heart passion– recitation. In the recent cultural montage One Paperboat created for the Bengali Barshobaron (New Year) celebration, I got to pen a short poem of my own.
I have also been a happy company to the script ideation sessions and behind-the-screen helping hand to some of their other productions and look forward to more in future.
They say, when friends come together, nothing remains impossible. One Paper Boat proves that. It’s where we, amateur film lovers come home, bring our colours, add our dreams…may our little boat keep sailing on and on…Ahoy!
Sreya Basu
My musical journey started with the learning of Rabindrasangeet (a special genre of music, written and composed by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore) and henceforth classical music. I have been equally passionate about singing old classics as well as recent melodies.
My association with Paper Boat Films as a playback voice has been very thrilling and a great learning experience for me.