Dubai filmmaker hopes short film 'Numen' encourages debate

Dubai-based filmmaker Kiran Pullanoor hopes his short film, Numen, revolving around a man’s quest to “find God and realize his inner self” amidst a manipulative socio-political philosophy, biases and brainwashing, makes audiences sit up, think, and question.

Shot entirely in Jebel Ali, Dubai, over two days, Numen has “an open-ended narrative”, explains Kiran, adding, “The audience can derive their own conclusions. The eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil as they try to triumph over one another remains the core concern and the guiding force of the plot.”

Kiran who came up with the story idea and also directed and edited the film, said movie making is his passion and so he chose this medium to make a statement. “We all read and hear a lot of news on television and in the papers. Some pieces are positive and some are very depressing. Some make you wonder where we are heading as a human race with ideology-based violence.”

Put together by a crew (screenplay writer Kirthika Ramesh, cinematographers Zuhair Lokhandwala and Alitto Fernandes, actors Vivek Naren, Sarah-Jane Savage and Reshma Raj) who are all based in Dubai, Numen has racked up awards and selections including Best Director at The Buddha International Film Festival and Best International Short at Rameshwaram International Film Festival, and was also appreciated by British-Indian actress Anisa Butt who gave the film a shout out on Instagram.

Kiran says it “feels good” to get recognition for their work. “As a team we are all are excited and  happy to see people in different countries recognizing our efforts and the conviction we had about the script.”

Kiran who completed a decade in the UAE last August says cinema has become an integral part of the UAE’s culture. When asked how he feels about the scope for independent filmmaking here, he said, “Independent cinema is still a rarity in the UAE, but this is the right time as there are a lot of OTT platforms coming up that are in search of good content. If you have sellable content I guess things can work out. The only problem I see which slows down the whole process is finding a producer. With regard to talents, Dubai is a melting pot so finding talents here is actually a cakewalk.”

What’s next for Kiran on the work front? “Things are yet to be confirmed, but if everything goes as per the plan we will be soon doing a project with the south Indian actor Adil Ibrahim,” he signs off.

Numen is available now to view on YouTube.