The world of cinema has always mesmerized me.

The realities and fantasies, the delight and the dolour, there was almost nothing I could not come across in films. I loved being in another world, or plunged myself into the depths of the real world.

There were times, when I had sleepless nights after having seen a fim, and others, when I wasn’t moved at all.

During those days all that was important to me was the content or the story.

But later I learned that reading films itself is an art. Understanding the technicalities, the content, the staging and even our experiences of watching films, everything matters.

For anything aesthetic, the beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, I believe. Still, when an art form like film, which is both technology and craft at the same time, is to be comprehended, one needs to be trained.

Also I have found it interesting to go through writings on films. What I am interested in now is reading on films from the synopsis to the reviews. Now I can say, for being a better spectator, to watch films sagaciously, to read all the aspects of films, and ultimately to express what I feel for films, I would like to write about them.

Rima Mathew
© FIPRESCI 2008

Born in Kerala, Rima Mathew is currently a Postgraduate student at the Institute of Journalism, Press Club, Thiruvananthapuram. She graduated in Civil Engineering and had worked previously as an engineer, but preferred to give up a lucrative career for the more creative region of media.