Surajit Sarkar

(Delhi, India)

Surajit Sarkar is a filmmaker working in Delhi, India. He has held a myriad of positions as varied as photocopier salesman, bank officer, elementary school teacher, and developer of curriculums for both elementary school teachers and students. Since 1991, he has worked as a video filmmaker. This career has allowed him to venture into many aspects of filmmaking, and he has created weekly television programs and documentary educational films. A number of these films have been recognised nationally and internationally and have won prizes in film festivals in India and abroad. Since 2001, Mr. Sarkar has worked as a video artist for theatre and dance stage productions. He is a founding member of "A Deep Fried Jam," which has played at the National Drama Festival, Delhi; House of World Cultures, Berlin; the Prithvi Festival, Mumbai, and the Other Festival, Chennai. Sarkar is also a founding member of the Catapult Arts Caravan – a travelling socio-political performance group of artists and community workers. In this interview excerpt, Sarkar reflects on the shift from creating documentary and educational films to his experimentation with interactive video art.