CITY OF PHOTOS (2005)

City of Photos (2005) is a documentary of small photo studios in the cities of India. In these spaces neighborhood residents give free rein to their fantasy. With the backgrounds and props on hand they transport themselves to any place or time they desire. Retouching the photos makes the illusion complete. City of Photos begins in a photo studio in Calcutta, the city where the foundations for Indian photography were laid. Here people have themselves photographed in any situation imaginable. One of the favorite backdrops is the scene of the airplanes tearing into the Twin Towers on 9/11. The journey continues to a Muslim slum in Ahmedabad. Here the owner of a small photo studio has an intimate relation with his clients, permitting him to carry out their wishes precisely. Often the reasons why they have photographs made are tragic. Many Muslims pose amid the ruins of their houses, which have been plundered and set ablaze in state-supported anti-Islamic riots. A Muslim who cannot associate with the Hindu girl he loves asks for a double portrait, created by computer manipulation.