Sr. Jiya, a member of the Medical Sister of St. Joseph has now become the center of attraction in the film industry by marking herself as the first Indian nun to direct a full-length feature film. The surprising element behind the film direction lies in the fact that Sr. Jiya had no knowledge on film making and thus never planned to be a part of the industry or even bothered to spend much time watching films but still managed to write and direct a two and half hour feature film which she named “Ente Vellithooval”.
Sr. Jiya remarked that “A lot of people had tried to dissuade and demotivate me throughout but I was determined to finish what I started and now I learned a lot of new things and feels that I am ready to make another film.” Sr. Jiya got her work approved by her superiors in the church and with the blessings of His Grace Archbishop George Njaralakkat of Thalassery, the shoot started.
Sr. Jiya is from Palghat and is the in-charge of the lab at St. Sebastian’s hospital in Cherupuzha, Kannur. Sr. Jiya wanted to make a short-film on the people in the service of the church, reflecting on the Year of Consecrated Life, observed by the Catholic Churches in 2015. She brushed up a story which she had written years before and prepared a screen play with the help of her friends. The film “Ente Vellithooval” is not about church or faith but deals with love for the children.
Source: www.syromalabarchurch.in
