Anjuman Hossain
CUNY Hunter College
BAFTA-New York Scholarship Essay
The mediums of Film and Television allow one to live a life they can only dream
of. Growing up in a middle class Bengali family, that is what films were for me. They
were an opportunity, an introduction even to an unknown world. Bollywood was
the foundation, Hollywood was the introduction and the French New Wave was the
inspiration.
Attending Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School gave me the chance to see creative
people at work; I was one of them. To realize that art is something more than a
pretty picture on a museum wall was essential to this process of becoming a
filmmaker. I want to tell stories of children, abstract ones at that, but make sure that
they possess an aesthetic all their own. The essential idea is to be an inspiration to
someone, to establish myself as a filmmaker synonymous with surreal, imaginative
pieces.
Studying interior design and architecture served as a platform that lead into art
direction. The transition was rather facilitative; going from designing spaces one can
live in to creating a space that had been lived in. Within the fairly small Film and
Media community at Hunter College, my attention to detail and work ethic has
allowed me to serve as art director on various pieces.
Art is something I undoubtedly love, but I hope to eventually become a
writer/director. Without a doubt I pull from various filmmakers, but every story at
one point or the other has been told. What differs is the way in which it was told.
Basically, every love story is Romeo and Juliet. Every memorable love story is that of
two people who do not belong together, but their sentiments and destiny somehow
merge them. What does change is the aesthetic, the format and style that turns
Romeo and Juliet into Joel and Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Francophilia often seems to bring along a cloud of arrogance, especially in
regards to cinema. However, that is not always the case. It has a sense of humility, an
appreciation for the bare minimums. It explores techniques and storytelling. Yet,
even the big names of the New Wave constantly mention other auteurs, one of them
being Sir Alfred Hitchcock. Cinema cannot be spoken about without mentioning this
man. Whether it is Melanie’s comic reaction to the gas station blowing up in The
Birds or the psychoanalytical woes of Norman Bates in Psycho, Hitchcock is a source
of inspiration for the likes of many. His notorious work ethic is one that parallels no
other. Despite constant stubborn, reckless acts, he is a master of storytelling. After
all, he did say that movies are life with all the boring parts cut out.
Perhaps this is what Gurinder Chadda captured in her part of Paris Je T’aime. She
is known for Bride and Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham, but her three minutes on
the edge of the Seine River do exactly what Hitchcock advises. It takes a romance
and cuts out all the boring parts.
Chadda also serves as a source of inspiration for someone like myself. She has
not let go of her Indian roots, and I do not plan on letting go of my Bengali roots. I
want to be a guest on the Graham Norton Show and tell tales of my delusional youth.
I want to pull from the humor of Chaplin, or even Norton himself. His attitude of not
caring is absolutely brilliant. That is something I admire not only about him, but also
about the British film and television industry in general. This is an industry known
for being bold, for being daring. Shows such as Skins that died under the pressure of
Mid-Western American moms have their own market across the Atlantic. Something
that happens on the Graham Norton Program would never make it to the desks of
Leno or Letterman. And one of my personal favorites, although typical has to be The
Office. That dry, banal, sexist humor crafted by Gervais and Merchant is perfect.
These people mentioned above have established their own approach to telling a
story. They truly are innovators whom I would like to join. I want to write and direct
movies that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will enjoy because that would
mean that I am doing something right; that I have crafted my own banal humor that
would interest them. It seems as though everyone has some great story to tell about
how much films mean to him or her or how a movie changed his or her life. Yes, that
pertains to myself, but I want to be the person changing someone else’s life. I want
to be like Jean-Luc Godard, with my dark sunglasses on, smoking a cigarette with my
arms crossed on my chest, just continuously speaking about my vision. I want to be
an auteur.