By Verghese V Joseph –
An internationally acclaimed documentary film maker, cameraman and photographer – Shaison P. Ouseph – plans to produce a film on the life of the Blessed Rani Maria and the events that happened with the hitman Samandar Singh after her death. The film titled “Rani Maria” is based on the true story of her life and her death and her influence in the lives of so many, particularly in empowering the tribal women and children in the remotest villages in India.
“Blessed Rani Maria is a true example to the world as she fought against the injustices she found as she worked in the community she served,” observed Shaison as he revealed the plans for the movie. Blessed Rani Maria had often said, “We are grafted into the cross and we must carry it joyfully unto death.”
“How she lived these words! The injustices she fought against were local in nature but have universal application. Her life story, the story of her family and their relationship with her murderer will have an impact for good on the whole of society,” remarked Shaison.
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Elaborating further Shaison stated, “As Blessed Rani Maria is on her way to sainthood, I desire to have an impact on an international scale with her story. Through this film I wish to bring attention to the needs of oppressed women throughout the world. I also want to highlight through this the continued fight for justice in India by our Christian missionaries. As you are aware, the film has a far greater power to move minds than either the written or spoken words.”
The expected cost is Rs. 85,00,000, (US $ 128,600). The duration is likely to be 120 minutes. The intention is to target the global audience with the film being produced in Malayalam and Hindi along with subtitles in English. Blessed Rani Maria will be played by a well-known Malayalam actress. The script has been written and is ready for production.
Shaison plans to start shooting scenes at two major locations – Kerala and Indore – by the second week of June 2018. The filming will take about 25 days and then another 30 to 40 days for editing and post production. The targeted release date for the film is the end of November, 2018.
For those interested in supporting the movie, Shaison has offered a couple of options for people to make a contribution and be associated with this film.
1. Producer – A single person or group of people willing and able to invest the full amount of Rs. 85,00,000, to complete the film. The producer will have the monopoly over the film as producer and of course be listed as the Producer in the film credits.
2. Contributor – These generous contributions could be large or small. Contributors would be listed in the film credits in order of the size of the contribution.
A third option that will be considered is a loan for the entire amount needed for production. I will commit to repayment of the loan on a mutually agreed-upon terms and time frame, after the successful release of the film.
Incidentally, Shaison has many credits to his name ranging from director of photography to art direction on a myriad of documentaries and independent feature projects.
Shaison believes that Blessed Rani Maria’s story deserves to be told and have a wide audience around the world. “I have faith and a strong belief that we can make the dream of a feature film based on the life of the Blessed Rani Maria a reality.”
Shaison’s public service campaigns promote literacy, empowerment of women and action against child exploitation. They have won him many national and international accolades. Among the esteemed organizations that have bestowed awards and certificates on him for his work on social issues are the United Nations, the US Embassy, International Labour Organization and International Independent Film Awards.
Based in Mumbai, India, Shaison’s desire to work for the rights of the domestic workers and their issues has taken the form of documentary films. His videos on saving children in prostitution have been applauded by many. His commitment to making meaningful film was clearly seen with his video on the earthquake in Nepal.
He searches the world to find meaningful subjects, and his films have been appreciated by many. Films on the side effects of cancer treatment in Denmark, local classical music of Sweden, migrant issues in Australia, the Bali Spirit Festival in Indonesia and the work of a gifted healer in the United States are some of the subjects that Shaison has recently documented.
His latest films, ‘Baano’, the story of violence on women in India, and “Rescue” a heart touching story of women in Kenya, let people feel who Shaison really is.
Recently, the International Independent Film Awards acknowledged his co-directed film ‘Playa Azul I Love You,’ made with Dr. Serena Anderlini.
In February 2018, Shaison had the privilege of presenting at the successful International Youth Summit in Nepal. In March, he went to Nigeria where World Institute for Peace (WIP) recognized him as the World Icon of Media for Peace 2017.
Shaison is a teacher and professor at XIC, St. Xavier’s college in Mumbai, India. He teaches film making at various places around the world. He is one of the directors at ‘Matrix of Learning’ in United States and has been featured in many national and international magazine, radio and video programs.
His association with International organizations, such as 100 Humanitarians, and the Life Story Library Foundation in the USA, is another milestone in his life. His work as a director for various commercial and non-commercial audio-visual projects has also been well recognized.
Shaison’s goal is to inspire young people and use films to share powerful human stories for the greater purpose.
Those who wish to get in touch with Shaison for support may do so at: [email protected]