Manoshi Chitra Neogy

WOLF WOMAN PRODUCTIONS

Manoshi Chitra Neogy

Film-maker, Poet Performer, Professor

220 Plymouth St #5R, Brooklyn NY 11201.

email:

EDUCATION:

B.A. (Philosophy, Art and Literature) Calcutta University, Calcutta, India

Diploma in Fine Arts Shanti Niketan (Tagore School of Fine Arts), Calcutta, India

M.A. (Performing Arts) Royal Academy of Drama, London, England

FILM:

1998-2015 Blood Words / A Warrior Walk (Book and Film)

The Book just completed is to be published 2015/16 by International Publications Media Group based in NYC.

Currently in the pre-production stages (script writing, research and development) of the feature length film Blood Words. Blood Words is a Cinepoem reflecting the notion of space and time as perceived through the eyes of a young Indian woman. Through her, the nature of dualities inherent in each one of us will be explored, and the film will attempt to interweave the struggles and textures of two cultures experienced and lived in one individual. She will be seen within both cultures, and a visual and emotional montage in both ambiances will reflect the textures and struggles of a woman, an individual and an artist who follows her call and her Numinosity. To be shot in New York City, New Mexico, Paris, South and West India and Morocco (spring 2005).

·  November 2001 awarded Jerome Foundation Grant for pre-production of ‘Sand Shades.’( Blood Words)

Excerpt from letter of recommendation:

“All our panelists were also very impressed by Ms. Neogy’s work samples. One panelist commented, ‘Her use of imagery illustrates her sophistication as a poet and performer. Her sensibility is very Indian, especially in regard to gender culture.’ Another panelist commented on Ms. Neogy’s adept usage of beautiful imagery and her technical understanding of the film medium. In closing I wish to state in the strongest possible terms that our panel loved Ms. Neogy’s proposed project. One panelist put it very nicely, “This is the kind of film screaming to get made.”

-Robert Byrd, Program Officer Jerome Foundation

1992-2012 Journey Within A Journey©

Born in 1992, ‘Journey’ is a full length 16mm feature film about life, death and transformation. Filmed entirely in Kerala, India, inspired by the loss of her father ‘Journey’ depicts the personal quest of one woman who returns to India in search of understanding and renewal. In the villages of Kerala, she discovers the magical forms and symbols that link her to the ancient truths of her land.

“Ancient India, reminding us never to forget the real journey: the journey of life, death and Transformation.”

·  Premiered at Asia Society, NYC 1999

·  Best Script and Narration Award –International Film Festival, Portugal 1997

·  Director’s Citation Award –Black Maria Film Festival, New Jersey 1997

·  Review and 5 page interview, A Gathering of the Tribes Literary Journal, 1998

·  Article, The Independent, NYC, 1998

·  Article, The Brooklyn Bridge Magazine, 1998

·  Article, Stern, Germany, 1998

·  Presentations: List included

·  Distributed by Mystic Fire – Promoted by Scarlet Media Productions (Canada)

· 

1990-1991 ‘The Theater of the Maharaja’

Assistant to Werner Herzog in research and filming of a documentary on folk and tribal performing artist in Rajasthan, India, aired for German television.

1988 Woman-Self

Written, directed, edited and performed in a thirty minute film exposing a mythical and personal quest for creativity and self expression from a woman who if from another culture.

·  Best Rendition of Poetry in Motion on Film

-Women in the Director’s Chair Film Festival, Chicago 1988

·  Best Director -Festival of Vision, Baca Colorado 1988

·  Best Rendition of Poetry in Motion on Film

-South Asian Film Festival, NYU New York City, 1988

1987-1989 Cultural Travelogues created and executed for Govt. of India to

Promote tourism in the U.S. and Canada. (1.5 min. commercials aired for primetime T.V.)

1984-1986  Documentaries for the Festival of India in the U.S.

written, directed and narration for the following:

·  Kuchipudi Dance – Asia Society, NY – a documentary on Satya Narayana Sharma

·  Essence of Indian Art-Asian Arts Museum, San Francisco

·  Forms of Mother Earth – Mingei Museum, San Diego

·  Contemporary Indian Poetry – Central Park MOMA, NY

·  Ghashiram Kotwal – classical Indian Dance Theater, Chicago

·  Jain Manuscripts – New York Public Library, NYC

·  Paintings of the Raj – The Morgan Library, NYC

Word-Art:

1999-2004 Dream Streams ~ Falling Moon in Silken Waves

Produced and first performed in New Mexico Dreams Streams is a 60-minute embrace of ‘vision, poetry and word-art.’

·  Recorded in 2000 in Taos, New Mexico

·  Performed in Prague with musicians Peter Filak and Jan Cambal.

·  On tour in , Woodstock (NY), Stoneridge Center for the Arts (NY), and Paris (2000).

·  Latest performance at the Open Center, NYC (2002).

“Tonight will be a weaving of the inner and the outer worlds, a blending of poetic image with vocal improvisation, a bridging of ancient sacred worlds with our modern multicultural world: a unique expression of a new emerging global ‘word art’. Come experience this sensual and mystical artist whose deeply resonant voice and gifted musical friends will transport us on a soul journey to delightfully mysterious aesthetic and spiritual parallel universes.” - OpenCenter catalougue (feb.2002)

2001 ‘In Beauty May I Walk’

Writing and narration for an audio series based on studying, understanding and accepting the concept of ‘Beauty’ within ourselves. In collaboration with Linley Solari In Beauty May I Walk is an audio ‘experience’ (just over three hours) for the inner life, an unveiling of the Beauty Mind. The consciousness of Beauty is explored through wisdom teachings, through some of the world's most inspired spiritual poetry, through scripture from many of the world's religious traditions, and through meditations designed to help the listener shift out of negative mind states.

1998 ‘Earth Tones Woman’

In collaboration with photographer Jamie Columbus, Manoshi Chitra Neogy contributes poetry to each photo making it (the women) come alive with presence, grace and absolute strength.

‘ breath of saffron tribe of light

my feet are winged with strength and sky

I have no fear

my heart...my spear’

1998 ‘Magical Landscapes’

Paintings by Marion Struken-Bachmann and poetry by MCN creates a "collaboration of visual and verbal palettes”, blending Chitra Neogy's searching poems alongside Marion Strueken-Bachmann's haunting landscapes. "If the landscapes are refractions of a limitless colorful imagination, then Chitra Neogy's poems are reflections from the optical world to the rhetorical world, or what the Medievalists claimed as 'moly,' the gold in language's most haunting extensions. Often written in the imperative voice, Chitra Neogy's voice seeks to find the 'moly' in the painting that will elevate the soul's aspirations." - Lee Roloff, Ph.D.

‘River, River enter me

All your Life and Spirit free

Listen, Listen water white

I am

You are

I am I

Deep your Motion ~ Blue and Light

Make my sudden inner flight.’

1993 ‘Soul Unsold’

A publication of photographs by Mandy Vahabzadeh and poetry by MCN, Soul Unsold is a tapestry of word-art and photography, collaboration between photographer Mandy Vahabzadeh and poet Chitra Neogy. "Chitra Neogy -Tezak's verse moves gracefully in the light of the photographs, the result brings us a lovely marriage of images and words dropped superbly and softly into place, and Soul Unsold becomes a testament to what many of us are, or what we have been." - Gordon Parks

“I THROW ASHES AT ALL LAWS MADE BY MAN OR GOD.

I AM BORN ALONE.

I HAVE NO COMPANION.”

PERFORMANCE:

“The enunciation of Lawrence Oliver, the sensuality of Eartha Kitt and the voice range of Yma Sumac.” -The Times of London

2001 

2002  BBC Documentary- Women and the Brooklyn Bridge

Participated in a BBC special on creative women living and working close to the Brooklyn Bridge

2001 ‘Utopia’- The Song Dynasty 960-1278

Narration of a 45 minute pilot film for a four-part film series: “The Mind’s Journey” (a documentary on Chinese Art).

1999 ‘The Life of Krishna’

Performance project, written and directed in collaboration with Janaki Patrik. Staged at “HERE” (performance theatre), NYC.

1982-1984  ‘Rhythms and Visions of India’

Two-hour concert of classical Indian dance, contemporary dance and mime based on mythological themes from India and the Middle East. Written and performed in collaborations with Carolyn Kay. (details of tour available)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE: 2004-2015

Adjunct professor of film nyu’s Tisch school of the arts

Sarah Lawrence: Guest Faculty, Experimental Film

New York University: Visiting Professor, Department of Experimental Film and Video

Yale College and New York University: Guest Filmmaker – workshop and seminar, “Film a Transformative Process; A Vision Beyond Technology.”

Presentations (1998-2012)

A Journey Within A Journey

·  WETA PBS, Washington DC

·  Queens Museum of the Arts, Queens. NY

·  Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada

·  Art Institute, Chicago

·  Honolulu Academy of Art, Hawaii

·  Tibetan Museum, New York

·  National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C.

·  One month tour of Art Theatres in fifteen towns in Germany

·  Asia Society, New York

·  ARAS- The Jung Foundation, New York, Chicago

·  Institute of Noetic Sciences, New York City

·  Women of Vision, New York City

·  Stoneridge Center For The Arts, New York

·  Plan B- Center for the Evolving Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico

·  Private Screening for Women Educators and Women of Vision, New York

·  Sarah Lawrence College

·  New York University, New York City

·  Yale College, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

·  University of Chicago, Chicago

·  University of Milwaukee, Milwaukee

·  Marquette University, Milwaukee

·  Hunter College, CUNY, New York

·  College of New Rochelle, New York

·  Latin School, Chicago (artist in residence)

·  St. Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada

·  International Film Festival, Lisbon, Portugal

·  Alternative Film Festival, Woodstock, NY

·  Indiginous Film Festival, Woodstock, New York

·  Women in the Directors Chair Film Festival, Chicago

·  Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax, Canada

·  Black Maria Film Festival, New Jersey

·  Women’s Film Festival, France

·  Telluride Film Festival, Colorado

·  Dharmaware, Woodstock, New York

·  Upstate Theater, Rhinebeck, New York

·  Wormwood Theater, Halifax, Canada

·  Women in Limbo, The Knitting Factory, New York City

Woman-Self (1987-2004)

·  New York University, New York

·  Hunter College, CUNY, New York

·  Baruch College, CUNY, New York

·  College of New Rochelle, New York

·  Brooklyn College, Women's Center, Bklyn, New York

·  Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York

·  Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York

·  Women in the Director’s Chair Film Festival, Chicago

·  Stoneridge Center For The Arts

·  Indigenous Film Festival, Woodstock, New York

·  Asian American Film Festival, New York City

·  South Asian Film Festival, NYU, New York City

·  Festival of Vision, Baca, Colorado

·  Women’s study group, Santa Fe, New Mexico

·  Women of Vision, Washington D.C.

·  Aired on Cable 90’s and Alive TV

Rhythms and Visions of India

·  Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York City

·  Riverside Theater, New York City

·  Jacobs Pillow, Boston, Massachusetts

·  The Open Air Theater, St. John, Virgin Islands

·  St .Mary’s Art Gallery, Halifax, Canada

·  On tour in “universities and schools”, throughout the US and Canada

Citations and Awards

·  Director’s Citation Award for ‘A Journey Within A Journey’, Black Maria Film Festival, New Jersey, 1997

·  Best Script and Narration Award for ‘A Journey Within A Journey’, International Film Festival, Portugal, 1997

·  Best Rendition of Poetry in Motion on Film for ‘Woman-Self’, Women in the Director’s Chair Film Festival, Chicago, 1988

·  Best Director Award for ‘Woman - Self’, Festival of Vision, Baca, Colorado

·  Best Rendition of Poetry in Motion on Film for ‘Woman-Self’, South Asian Film Festival, NYU, New York City, 1988

· 

Performances, Appearances and recordings

(Details available on request)

Films include-

To Sir With Love, Lady J, Premonition, Eliza’s Horoscope, The Saint, The Prisoner

and various TV plays for BBC, London

Theater appearances include-

A touch of Brightness, Royal Court Theater, London, The Magic Cart, Hampstead Theater, London and The Dancing Girl by Tagore, London

Recordings include-

The Perfumed Garden, Arabian Nights,(Warner Bros) voiceover for TV commercials and documentaries

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