13TH NOVEMBER 2022, PHILADELPHIA – Malaysian-born documentary filmmaker, Sanadtkumar Ganesan, shared his insights into independent filmmaking in an up-and-close session at the University of Pennslyvania last Tuesday.
The 21-year-old award-winning director discussed in-depth his recent film about a Malaysian gangster turned pro chess player with the Penn Film Society and the Wharton Undergraduate Media & Entertainment Club (UME).
Under the banner of ‘Wanted: Shades of Life’, his documentary wrapped up its third installment’s post-production that shares the life of Genkeswaran Muniyan. Formerly a gangster, Genkeswaran represented Malaysia in the 2013 Southeast Asian Games with his team and won a bronze medal in chess.
President of Penn Film Society and Wharton UME, Caylen David, moderated the Q&A session with Sanadtkumar after screening the film on campus at Fisher-Bennett Hall. The event was also featured in The Daily Pennsylvanian, the independent student media organization of the University of Pennsylvania.
“There may sometimes feel like there are not enough resources for students who want to engage with art at Penn, and artistry may seem like a bit of a pipe dream,” said Caylen, a senior at the University of Pennslyvania.
“Sanadt’s success as a student filmmaker shows how you can make very high-quality and impactful stories, even with a little-to-no budget and limited time and resources,” he added.
21-year-old Sanadtkumar Ganesan during his recent business trip to the United States of America.
A business trip cum a sharing session at Penn, Sanadtkumar aims to inspire students to tell their stories through film.
“I hope the film and Q&A session have given insights into low-budget independent filmmaking to student filmmakers. Despite handling any production with minimal resources and funding, the film should still go on to tell meaningful stories that reflect their identities on the world stage,” said Sanadtkumar, who is also an undergraduate student at the Toronto Film School in Canada.
“This film shows how people from the most unexpected backgrounds, even with criminal records, can go on to achieve great things in this world. It is about having faith, and that is why I wanted to make this film,” Sanadtkumar added.
The past two installments of ‘Wanted: Shades of Life’ received Silver Winner at Tokyo Film Awards 2021, Semifinalist in September 2021 at Stockholm City Film Festival, and officially selected at the Lift-Off Global Network Amsterdam 2022. This latest episode (Episode 3) featuring Genkeswaran Muniyan will premiere in Malaysia at a special screening event.
