Dangerous highs

CHRISTINE MACHADO
NT BUZZ

Every year, many lives are lost due to drinking and driving. In many cases, the victims are youngsters with promising futures and they leave behind families and friends who are forever changed by grief. It is this that Cinema Adda seeks to highlight in their new short film ‘Guilty’. Written and directed by Elaine Noronha, the story focuses on two youngsters Mathew and Elsa and how their lives are altered after a night of partying.

An event manager, emcee, model and actor, Noronha reveals that the idea for this short came about one evening while scrolling through Instagram where she came across a death anniversary post about three young adults who had died in the same car accident.

“In that moment, I was reminded of several incidents where either I or people close to me had lost someone in an accident,” she says. “Something about that wave of memories and emotion moved me strongly. I opened my laptop and began writing. I ended up completing the script in one continuous stretch of about three hours.”

A few months later, the story stayed with her, and she felt a strong urge to bring it to life visually.

The short film is the first one created under her recent initiative Cinema Adda, a film community where people who love filmmaking and storytelling can come together, collaborate, and create
meaningful work.

“I previously spent some time in Mumbai, where I completed my acting course at Actor Prepares by Anupam Kher. During that period, I experienced the reality of the industry very closely while attending auditions and understanding the struggles actors go through,” she shares. It was there that the Camurlim- based artist realised that many people in Goa share the same dreams but often lack access to opportunities and the right creative ecosystem. “The thought stayed with me, ‘Instead of waiting for opportunities, why not create them for myself and for fellow Goans who are passionate about cinema?’” she says.

Currently, Cinema Adda is a team of seven, all driven by passion for stories and visual art. “We are still figuring out sustainable ways to fund and grow the community, since each member also manages their primary profession, and Cinema Adda currently works on a collaboration-based model,” says Noronha.

Putting together ‘Guilty’ was a learning experience for all of them, in particular for Noronha. “I had to personally travel to different places to find people willing to work as extras, and also seek permissions, including coordinating with priests to shoot at a church and graveyard. That process itself required patience, trust-building, and clear communication,”
she shares.

One of the toughest parts, she says, was aligning everyone’s availability and then matching those dates with location access.

But the experience taught her a great deal about the filmmaking process. “I gained a practical understanding of how crucial lighting is, the best hours of the day to shoot, and how strongly sound design and editing influence the final outcome,” she says, adding that as she hasn’t formally studied filmmaking, she leaned heavily on her event planning experience and strategic approach to organise the production and keep things moving.

And she is truly grateful to the team for their dedication. “We created some unforgettable memories together. It’s an experience that will always remain very close to my heart,” she says.

While ‘Guilty’ is now available on YouTube, it has also had one screening at The Origin restaurant in south Goa.

“Our close family and friends showed up in full support. Watching the film with them was an emotional experience. We saw smiles, and we saw tears. The story touched many people deeply,” says Noronha, adding that she hopes that people pause to reflect and treasure this gift of life deeply.

“We often move through life on autopilot and forget that tomorrow is never guaranteed. Through this film, I want people to pause and remind themselves that life is precious. It’s important to live in the present, but also to be mindful of the choices and decisions we make every day,” she says.

Sometimes, she continues, a single careless moment or wrong decision can change the course of an entire life; “not just ours, but also the lives of those who love us”.

“If the film can make even a few people more aware, more responsible, and more grateful for life, then the purpose
is served.”