root.ax

At the Media For Good Think Tank hosted by @root.ax in Chennai, the room was asked a question. What piece of media changed the way you think about a social issue? For @nirangalsiva the answer was Amma’s Pride. The film follows Srija, a transwoman who married the love of her life in a temple in Thoothukudi. The state said she wasn’t a bride. She took it to the Madras High Court — and in 2019, the court ruled that welcoming transgender persons into society while shutting them out of its institutions is absurd. But that’s not what stayed with Siva. What stayed was that trans people need love too. a shoulder to lean on too. It sounds simple, but for many, it’s still a fight. Today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, it’s a reminder that the fight for the simplest things — to love, to be loved, and to have that love recognised — continues. At @root.ax we’re interested in stories that stay with us long after they end. Stories that make us think, feel, and see the world a little more deeply. More from the room coming soon. @gayatrinphotography @jyotishelar @mantrafoundationindia @premarevathi @benisha_maggie @archanaaseker @aparna596 @sruti_ @sarabhi_maybe @nikireddy17 @tarana_nana

At the Media For Good Think Tank hosted by @root.ax in Chennai, facilitator @tarana_nana asked participants a simple question: What piece of media changed the way you think about a social issue? For @gayatrinphotography , the answer came immediately: Blood Diamond. Because how often does a media piece make you cry? And when it does, you don’t forget it. The film stayed with her long after it ended, changing the way she thought something as intimate as her own jewellery. The beauty of it. The violence behind it. And the human cost hidden beneath the shine. Stay tuned. More from the room coming soon! @mantrafoundationindia @jyotishelar @archanaaseker @aparna596 @benisha_maggie @nirangalsiva @premarevathi @sruti_ @sarabhi_maybe @nikireddy17

“Development is very personal, and personality driven.” Creative development can sound corporate, until you realise it’s really just a group of people trying to find the most honest way to tell a story. It’s a lot of writing, rewriting, thinking, unthinking, fixing, and discovering the film as you go. At the @root.ax Knowledge Session on Creative Development and Writing for the Screen at @pkrff_ , Sruti Lodha from Storiculture, producer of Auto Queens, spoke about the need for diverse panels to reveal the process of writing and development, which is otherwise gatekept. When it comes to media, where the work is always so personal, an atmosphere that democratises knowledge around the process of making is necessary. That’s our take. What’s yours?

@root.ax hosted the first Media For Good gamified think tank in Chennai. Eleven practitioners were asked: What piece of media changed how you behave and think about a social issue? Meet Indradeep and Jency. Indradeep spoke about Dekalog — a 10-part Polish miniseries that uses the Ten Commandments to follow ordinary people making impossible choices. His biggest takeaway? People don’t make decisions rationally. They make them meaningfully. Jency brought the story of Father Yesumarian, a Dalit priest in Tamil Nadu who has spent 30 years challenging 3,000 years of caste — one courtroom, one church service, one summer camp at a time. What she realised was how caste shows up in even the subtlest of actions back home. If you have a separate plate and glass for your house help, what does that say about what you have normalised? 2 Different stories. Worlds apart. But are they really that apart? Whether it’s the moral dilemmas in Dekalog or the everyday realities of caste discrimination, both experiences revealed how deeply personal beliefs, conditioning, and social systems shape the choices people make, often without them even realising it. Stay tuned. More from the room coming soon! @mantrafoundationindia @jyotishelar @archanaaseker @aparna596 @gayatrinphotography @benisha_maggie @nirangalsiva @premarevathi @sruti_ @sarabhi_maybe @nikireddy17

On April 11th, @root.ax hosted the first Media for Good gamified think tank in Chennai, with @tarana_nana guiding the session. Eleven practitioners. One room. One question to start: name a film, song, or story that changed how you think or behave about a social issue. More from the room in the next couple of weeks! @mantrafoundationindia @archanaaseker @aparna596 @benisha_maggie @nirangalsiva @premarevathi @jency.samuel @sruti_ @sarabhi_maybe @nikireddy17 @jyotishelar Sashna Chandrashekharan Indradeep Ghosh Jency Samuel

@thamizhpraba_tp reflects on returning every year to PK Rosy Film Festival, the growing atmosphere to engage with marginalized stories in cinema, and how the festival is expanding to bring more viewpoints on the craft and business of filmmaking through discussion and talks. @root.ax ’s Knowledge Sessions at PK Rosy Film Festival brought 3 sessions for young filmmakers to gain insight into foundational aspects of the industry. From pathways for producers, development and screenwriting to finance and distribution strategies. Thank you to @ranjithpa and Festival Director @cinemaobscurak

At the @root.ax Knowledge Session on development and screenwriting, @rajiv_rajaram shared what it meant to him to be in conversation with @thamizhpraba_tp - the writer behind Sarpatta Parambarai and Thangalaan. These are the conversations that strengthen creative ecosystems: insight, inspiration, and access across a spectrum of storytellers. root.ax’s Knowledge Sessions at PK Rosy Film Festival brought 3 sessions for young filmmakers to gain insight into foundational aspects of the industry. From pathways for producers, development and screenwriting to finance and distribution strategies. Thank you to @ranjithpa and Festival Director @cinemaobscurak

“I was the odd one out in a good way.” @gunjitchopra - Screenwriter of Kohrra and Pataal Lok - reflects on the diversity of the @root.ax Creative Development and Writing for the Screen panel at @pkrff_ . Watch till the end for his thoughts on the need for better infrastructure for screenwriters in India. The @root.ax Knowledge Sessions at the PK Rosy Film Festival curated 3 sessions for young filmmakers to gain insight into foundational aspects of the industry. From pathways for producers, development and screenwriting to finance and distribution strategies. Thank you to @ranjithpa and Festival Director @cinemaobscurak !

Writing is where every film begins. For this @root.ax Knowledge Session on screenwriting at @pkrff_ we brought together voices shaping some of the most exciting stories in Indian screen culture right now: @thamizhpraba_tp the writer behind landmark films Sarpatta Parambarai and Thangalaan; @gunjitchopra whose writing powered Netflix’s Kohrra and Pataal Lok; @rajiv_rajaram former Head of Tamil Content at Sony LIV with a front-row view of what gets made and why; and @sruti_ producer of the impact-driven Auto Queens, bringing a perspective on storytelling with purpose. Together, they unpacked what it takes to turn ideas into compelling narratives, how writers can nurture their voice, and how authentic, unheard stories can still break through in both mainstream and independent spaces. All guided by @justgeevee from KadhaiShorts, who kept the room thinking and laughing in equal measure. Follow @root.ax for more insights from our Knowledge Sessions.

“Young filmmakers want to know more about how their films can travel globally.” @celine.loop reflects on the energy at the @pkrff_ , where her @root.ax Knowledge Session drew a packed audience of filmmakers and producers. Drawing from her experience as a producer and Program Director at @producerland.community , Celine shared practical insights on pitching, navigating international co-productions, and how financing structures actually come together. This is what root.ax Knowledge Sessions are built for: bringing real industry knowledge into the room, directly from practitioners shaping the field. Thank you to @ranjithpa and Festival Director @cinemaobscurak !

Day 3 of @root.ax Knowledge Sessions at @pkrff_ brought experts in Film Financing and Distribution together, to share insights across a spectrum of povs from funding to programming to operations. With: @mayankshroff of @cinepolisindia , @pradeepvsomu of @betterinvestclub and @pranavrajkumar of @studiosynot and @allnightshifts . Moderated by Vigneshwar PR, Producer, @neelam_productions . Thank you to Festival Director @cinemaobscurak and @ranjithpa . Follow @root.ax for more updates from our Knowledge Sessions.

Day 2 of @root.ax Knowledge Sessions at @pkrff_ saw a panel of screenwriters and creative producers come together to share insights and experiences on Creative Development & Writing for the Screen. With: @thamizhpraba_tp @gunjitchopra @rajiv_rajaram @sruti_ Moderated by @justgeevee , Head of Content at Kadhaishorts. Thank you to Festival Director @cinemaobscurak and @ranjithpa Follow @root.ax for more updates from our Knowledge Sessions at PK Rosy Film Festival.