New Film/Video Conference

[Guest guest]

Premiering a Vaisnava Video/Film Conference on PAMHO (Vaisnava Film/Video

Conference). The purpose of the dialogue in this conference is to nuture

creativity and cooperation in the production of Krishna conscious

productions. There is a vast pool of talent in the Vaisnava sanga, and many

of you have abilities that can be combined with other devotees to broadcast

the message of Lord Caitanya and His representatives to both the devotee and

non-devotee audiences worldwide. This particular conference follows the

protocol of accepting Srila Prabhupada as the pre-eminent sampradaya acarya

empowered by the Lord to spread Krishna consciousness beyond the borders of

India; therefore it is mainly, but not completely, an Iskcon oriented

conference. However, there are many, including the ritvik camp or those

who take umbrance with the Iskcon leadership, who nevertheless do accept

Srila Prabhupada's unique paramount position. They ARE heartily and

enthusiastically welcomed to participate in this conference and be a part of

the emerging film and videophile teams that will naturally form as alliances

in offering Krishna conscious media to the Vaisnavas and general public.

 

 

 

I offer my humble obeisances to HH Bhakti Vaibhava Swami who inspired me

with the idea to inaugurate this conference. As the producer of "Mother

Ganga," he and his co-creators have set a standard of quality for future

productions. If you haven't seen the video, you can purchase it from the

many distributors around the world including, of course, ITV.

 

 

 

Also, I offer my most prostrated obeisances to Srila Prabhupada who wrote

letters to me instructing me to "make films about Krishna," and who

supported Yadubara and Visakha dd in producing propaganda films for the Hare

Krishna Movement. All respects also to Pancaratna das who labored under

the weight of reel-to-reel video recorders in the 70's in order to tape many

Srila Prabhupada lectures. Devotee filmmakers as early as 1966 made films

of Srila Prabhupada and devotee pastimes. I am in debt to all of them.

 

 

 

We have a unparalleled opportunity to use our interests through the agency

of yukta-varaigya in fulfilling the wishes of the spiritual master.

Everyone knows that films/tv is a magnet for the eyes and thereby a lure for

the ears. We want to widen those eyes by the glories of our philosphy and

practices, and we want to perk those ears by luring them to the

transcendental images. I have many ideas for documentaries, instructionals,

and promotionals, but I have been woefully unable to produce them all. I

am such a nonsense. For example, we need films about "How to Perform Deity

Worship in the Home and Temple";"How to Be a Krishna Devotee";"The History

of Personalism in Religion"; "Why Change Prabhupada's Books?"; "How to Build

a Rathayatra Cart"; "Organizing a Rathayatra"; "How to Cook in MegaLarge

Quantities"; more puppet and animated shows, etc. I have a lot of ideas.

I've been working on the Srila Prabhupada DVD Library for three years with

Madhuvisa d, Yadubara d, and Uddava Gita d. We are finishing V.3 which has

28 languages. It is being authored on 19 double-layer dvd's. That has been

my priority. OK, not really. My priority has always been my own sense

gratification, but that's what I have fit inbetween all of my selfishness.

 

 

 

ITV is not a well-endowed corporation. It is a 501(3)C nonprofit,

charitable, religious company registered as such since 1993 in the State of

California and donations are tax-deductible. Anyone can fund a production

through our company. We have Final Cut and Adobe Premiere editing programs

with various other software for effects, appearances, filtering, etc. There

are two air-conditioned editing rooms and one duplication room/office. We do

have an extra room on site for guests engaged in service. We do NOT

sponsor visas, sorry; too much bad experience. We worship Sri Sri Gaura

Nitai deities quite simply; I'm not much of a pujari. However, our morning

program is complete, though streamlined. I make no pretenses about my

devotional practice; I have yet to develop much of a taste for hearing and

chanting (though I love to play harmonium and lead bhajan). ITV doesn't

have much laksmi to fund full productions, but we have been known to help if

the conditions are right. We can also look for funding. ITV launched the

first Vaisnava Film/Video Festival last year in Mayapur. There were 37

entries including one feature film! We gave the "Nitya" awards to eight

winners who shared a pot of $5000! The video of the festival, including

all the clips from the nominees, acceptance speeches of the winners, and the

intro's of the presenters is available from ITV for $15 on DVD. It is very

inspiring. (www.itvproductions.net or 310-455-3195 ).

 

 

 

I'm always on the prowl for video editors and/or graphic artists. Haribol

out there! Please contact me; we can do business!

 

 

 

So please write in your thoughts, hopes, facilities, dreams, etc. Share

yourself with others in this field. Perhaps we will meet on the battlefield

of production.

 

 

 

YS, Nrsimhananda das