CITY OF PHOTOS (2005) is a documentary on the ups and downs of small photo studios in the cities of India. In these shabby 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. Other spectacular disasters are also popular.

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 young Muslim who cannot associate with the Hindu girl he loves asks for a double portrait, created by computer manipulation. With stories like these, CITY OF PHOTOS gives us a picture of individual desires and popular taste, and through the photography shows the vital, complex and sometimes despairing face of modern India.

Nishtha Jain (India) studied at the Film and Television Institute of India. Her graduation film won an award at the 1999 Chicago International Film Festival. Presently she is at work on a documentary about photo albums in India.