TheInterviewTimes.com | July 1, 2026 | New Delhi
As Talk Cinema On The Floor (TCOTF) completes one successful year, NDFF reiterates its commitment to strengthening film culture, creative collaboration and the Orange Economy.
TCOTF INSIGHT
“Don’t Just Make Reels… Create Cinema.”
A reel is not defined by its duration, but by its cinematic vision. When storytelling, emotion and visual language come together, even a few seconds can create a memorable cinematic experience.
Can a 15-second reel possess the soul of cinema? This thought-provoking question set the tone for the June Chapter of Talk Cinema On The Floor (TCOTF), the flagship monthly initiative of the New Delhi Film Foundation (NDFF). With this milestone edition, TCOTF completed its first successful year and entered its second, reaffirming its role as a vibrant platform for meaningful conversations, learning, networking and creative collaboration within Delhi’s growing film community.
Hosted at the Indian Institute of Creative Skills (IICS), Lajpat Nagar, the event was organised in association with Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts & Creativity (SACAC) and supported by Indian Institute of Creative Skills (IICS) and the Media & Entertainment Skills Council (MESC). The session brought together filmmakers, photographers, content creators, artists, students and cinema enthusiasts for an engaging day of discussions and exchange of ideas.
Welcoming the audience, Ashish K. Singh, Founder of NDFF, reflected on TCOTF’s one-year journey. He said that what began as a monthly conversation series has evolved into a growing creative community connecting filmmakers, artists, students and aspiring storytellers. He reiterated NDFF’s vision of nurturing a filmmaking ecosystem in Delhi while encouraging collaborations that contribute to India’s emerging creative and Orange Economy.
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Spotlight Session | In Conversation with Utpal Borpujari
The first major session of the day featured acclaimed filmmaker, National Award-winning film critic and senior journalist Utpal Borpujari in an engaging conversation on independent filmmaking, his creative journey and the evolving landscape of Indian cinema.
The session opened with exclusive promotional excerpts from his National Award-winning Assamese feature film Ishu and his acclaimed documentary The House of Baruas. The screenings offered the audience an insightful introduction to Borpujari’s cinematic world before he shared the stories behind the making of both films, discussing their themes, creative approach and the socio-cultural contexts that shaped them.
Reflecting on his own journey, Borpujari spoke about growing up in a family deeply connected with literature and culture, and how his exposure to world cinema during his years in Delhi broadened his artistic perspective. After covering numerous national and international film festivals as a journalist, he eventually chose filmmaking as his primary medium of creative expression.
He also spoke extensively about the remarkable evolution of cinema from Northeast India. While Assam’s film history dates back to the 1930s, he observed that the last decade and a half has witnessed a creative resurgence across the region, with films from the Northeast earning increasing recognition at national and international platforms.
Highlighting recent milestones, he referred to acclaimed films such as The Shape of Momo (Sikkim), Boong (Manipur) and Not A Hero (Assam), describing them as examples of a confident regional cinema that is redefining India’s cinematic landscape through authentic local stories and universal human emotions.
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Craft & Crew Session | Cinema on Reels – Aesthetics & Techniques in Reel Making
The second featured session, Craft & Crew, explored the theme “Cinema on Reels – Aesthetics & Techniques in Reel Making.”
Introducing the session, NDFF Founder Ashish K. Singh emphasised that reels are no longer merely a social media format; they have evolved into a powerful medium for storytelling, creative expression, personal branding and visual communication. He highlighted the need to bring cinematic values into short-form content and encouraged creators to move beyond virality towards meaningful visual storytelling.
He also noted that professional reel-making has emerged as an important component of the Orange Economy, with governments, businesses, institutions and independent creators increasingly relying on short-form videos for communication and outreach. Developing both creative and cinematic sensibilities, he said, is therefore becoming an essential skill for today’s content creators.
Leading the technical session, renowned photographer, cinematographer and Director of Shoots & Shoots Photography & Film Academy, Shyam Prasad, demonstrated how reels can be crafted with cinematic aesthetics despite their limited duration. Through practical examples, he discussed framing, composition, lighting, camera movement, editing, mobile filmmaking and visual storytelling.
He explained how subtle changes in lighting, camera angles and subject positioning can dramatically transform the emotional impact of a frame. Stressing the importance of grabbing audience attention within the first few seconds, he shared practical techniques for creating visually engaging and emotionally effective short-form content.
The central message of the session—“Don’t Just Make Reels… Create Cinema”—resonated strongly with the audience, reinforcing the idea that compelling reels are shaped not merely by technology but by ideas, storytelling and cinematic vision.
Take The Floor
The interactive segment Take The Floor – The 5 Minute Window offered participants an opportunity to present their film ideas, ongoing projects and creative concepts before fellow filmmakers and industry peers. The initiative continues to serve as a valuable networking platform where emerging creators can receive feedback, discover collaborators and initiate future partnerships.
Screening | The Tiffin Heist
The programme concluded with the screening of The Tiffin Heist, a five-minute short film created by participants of the IICS Film Workshop. The screening was followed by an interactive conversation with the young filmmaking team, who shared insights into the film’s concept, production process, collaborative learning experience and the challenges of creating a short film within a workshop environment.
Networking Tea
The formal sessions concluded with a Networking Tea, enabling filmmakers, artists, students and creative professionals to exchange ideas, build new connections and explore future collaborations. True to TCOTF’s philosophy of Learn • Create • Share • Network, the informal interactions remained one of the programme’s defining strengths.
Having successfully completed ten chapters, Talk Cinema On The Floor has steadily established itself as one of Delhi’s emerging platforms for meaningful conversations on cinema, creative learning and community building. With the June Chapter, the initiative officially entered its second year, while the New Delhi Film Foundation (NDFF) also marked the beginning of its tenth year as an independent, non-profit organisation committed to promoting meaningful cinema and nurturing a vibrant filmmaking ecosystem.
Looking ahead, NDFF announced that it will continue expanding its initiatives through Cinema of India, the Make Cinema campaign, curated screenings, workshops, conversations and collaborative programmes with educational institutions, creative organisations and industry partners, further contributing to Delhi’s growing creative ecosystem and the Orange Economy.
About NDFF
New Delhi Film Foundation (NDFF) is a non-profit film society dedicated to promoting meaningful cinema, film appreciation and creative collaboration. Through initiatives such as Talk Cinema On The Floor (TCOTF), Make Cinema, curated film screenings, workshops, conversations, film festivals and institutional partnerships, NDFF is working towards building a vibrant filmmaking ecosystem in Delhi and North India. The Foundation actively supports emerging talent, encourages independent voices and promotes cinema as a medium of cultural dialogue, creative education and sustainable growth within India’s evolving Orange Economy. Contact: +91 9999578653