SICA AGM 2024!

The SICA Annual General Body Meeting was held at Prasad Lab Theatre Chennai on 11th August 2024.

The event saw a full house with many members in attendance.

SICA President A. Karthik Raaja opened the meeting by welcoming the gathering and emphasized the importance of regular participation in SICA events, especially by new members.

Following this, General Secretary Ilavarasu invited Treasurer Sakthi Saravanan to present the audit report and financial statements. The meeting then moved on to a presentation by SICA excecutive comittee Muthukumaran, who provided updates on the recent developments from the Nazha Vaariam government welfare program. He urged members who had not yet completed the necessary forms to do so, noting that SICA would facilitate their submission to the government office.

Highlight of the meeting was the unveiling of the long-awaited SICA app, Executive Committee member Moses Justin was the architect of the new SICA app’s design and content, presented its key features: a comprehensive Knowledge Series on the SICA website, a dynamic discussion forum, personalized shooting diaries for the members, a robust member database, and an innovative employment empowerment section featuring “Job provider” and “Job Seekers”.

The app also includes a valuable collection of SICA workshops, training , and equipment demo videos. Moses Justin’s meticulous attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the app’s interface and content.
Members expressed keen interest in the app’s functionality, prompting a lively Q&A session. In response to valuable feedback, he also announced plans to expand the app’s reach in Phase 2 to include a broader community, with a particular focus on job empowerment and a comprehensive service provider directory which will be more use full for the members. However, he emphasized the importance of ensuring optimal utilization of the app by existing members as the primary goal.

Members raised several questions regarding the app’s functionality, all of which were addressed in detail. A significant suggestion from the attendees led General Secretary Ilavarasu to announce that the app’s Phase 2 development would include additional features allowing access to the broader community beyond SICA, particularly for job empowerment. However, he stressed the current priority is to ensure members make regular use of the app.

The meeting also acknowledged the formation of a committee to organize a master class and felicitation event for Santhosh Sivan, in honor of his recent highest accolade at Cannes.

The SICA (South Indian Cinematographers Association) governing body  visited the Telugu Cinematographers Association (TCA) during an event in Hyderabad to establish goodwill between the two associations. SICA officially extended an invitation to TCA to visit Chennai through an official mail, which TCA has accepted. They plan to meet SICA after August 20th. Ilavarasu informed that SICA members and cinematographers who are actively involved in Telugu films will also participate in this meeting.

Additionally, Karthik Raaja has requested SICA members who are shooting in Kerala to stay informed with CUMAC (Cinematographers Union Malayalam Cinema)  This step is recommended to ensure support in case of disputes or any assistance needed while shooting in Kerala.

The event concluded with the resolution of a few disputes concerning non-members.

Drafted by

CJ Rajkumar

Author/ Cinematographer