Elegies on film

Pablo Cesar's rich filmography brings to life the myths, beliefs and forgotten histories of diverse lands

- NIRMAL JOVIAL

Pablo Cesar’s calling card is a work of beauty. It resembles a 35mm film gauge— appropriate, since the veteran Argentine filmmaker entered the world of cinema in the 1970s, when 35mm was the standard gauge and digital filmmaking did not exist. His pathbreaking films were all shot on film, and he continues to use it even today.

Pablo, 61, was a jury member in the ‘international competition’ category at the recently concluded International Film Festival of Kerala. He started his film journey in 1975, when his stepbrother José Maria gifted him a Kodak Super 8 camera. With José’s support, he made his first short film in just months. “It was an eight-minute animation film named La Diversión Del Rey,” says Pablo.

In 1976, the military captured power in Argentina, essentially “stealing” Pablo’s adolescence (he lost the opportunity to enrol in film school), but not deterring his passion for filmmaking. He produced seven short films in 1977, overcoming the ban on filming on streets by turning to parks and holiday houses as alternative locations. At 14, his hunger for adventure had him sneaking into an Air France Boeing 747, capturing footage with his Super 8, and leaving undetected. The following week, he attempted a repeat of it with his schoolmates, but they were caught and detained for four hours.