In this edition of Humans of Griffith, we’re speaking with Himmi Hotchandani, a Bachelor of Film and Screen Production student who recently worked with the Griffith International marketing team on a short-term assignment. Himmi’s originally from Ahmedabad City in western India, and it had always been his goal to one day leave his country and see what the world had to offer. Now Himmi shares some of his story, what he loves about life in Queensland, and what he hopes to achieve in the future.
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Hi Himmi! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am a 22-year-old who thinks art is life, and living a life is art. Philosophy aside, as mentioned, I am from India. As a country, it has given me many things and shaped me to be who I am, from getting my first job in the industry to giving me important life experiences to tell stories. I appreciate my roots and where I come from. I have changed my career course quite a few times to finally become a filmmaker. I studied engineering for a while, did a diploma in design and animation, worked as a photographer, and finally decided that stories are what I want to work with.
Since then, I haven’t worked a single day in my life. I have a cumulative experience of five years in the film and short-form content industry. I am planning on doing a Doctor of Philosophy in understanding the origin of stories and what defines us as a character in the play of life. Because, as Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely Players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His Acts being seven ages.”
I think it has been established by now that I am a fan of good philosophies and films. But apart from that, I love to spend time on myself working towards mental stability and peace in life.
What made you want to study abroad?
Getting out of my country was a goal from day one, not for a particular reason, rather to experience life on my own. I was originally planning to do my postgraduate here in Australia, but eventually, things fell into place so fast that I decided to do my undergrad instead. If I pinpoint a particular reason, it would be to create something of my own, to have a personal identity.
As I mentioned, India is a great country, but like any other country, it has its own quirks. One of them is the sense of community overpowering a person’s individuality, and to get away from it and be a person of myself is probably the reason I took a leap to study abroad. I also had a personal motivation to learn about Australian cinema; it is one of the fastest-growing industries, and it is always great to be at the forefront of change.
