A cine shower for Delhi this monsoon
A scene from the film "Paanch"... Cinefan is ready.
IF THE fright of chimeras and haunted addresses has ceased to beguile you then step out this monsoon to immerse in the captivating world of your continental cinema with the fifth Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema beginning July18. Amidst the technical superiority and massive distribution networks of Hollywood and the razzmatazz of Bollywood, the Asian cinema has succeeded in creating a small but distinct space for itself in the hearts of aficionados of meaningful cinema. And with films like "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and the latest "Hero" becoming commercial successes, the biggest continent's making its presence felt on the celluloid map as well.
Announcing the schedule of the festival, Aruna Vasudev, chief editor of Cinemaya - the Asian film quarterly, which organises Cinefan with Delhi Government's support, informed that 75films from about 30 countries would be screened in the week-long festival that has become a regular feature in the itinerary of film festivals.
This year Cinefan is kicking off with Jet Li's "Hero" - the 31 million dollar martial art historical, which made it to the Academy Awards this year, as one of the nominees in the "Best Foreign Language Film" category. Then we have two Indian films, which do not fall in the newly defined Oxford dictionary's version of Bollywood. One is much-awaited Nagesh Kuknoor's "Teen Deewarein" and the other is much belated Anurag Kashyap's "Paanch" that has got the mercy of Censor Board's. The Centrepiece film of the festival, Nagesh's latest is the riveting story of a documentary maker Juhi Chawla exploring the lives of three death row convicts essayed by Naseer, Jackie and Nagesh himself and in the process developing a bond with them.
"Paanch" is in the mould of noir cinema about the travails of a musical band of five - Parasites, who want to make big in life at any cost. Directed by Anurag Kashyap the man who started Indian film industry's reel romance with the reality-based underworld when he penned "Satya", "Paanch" ran into censor problems because of overt use of four-letter words and some explicit scenes. The film's premiere will draw the curtains on the celluloid extravaganza.
Besides there is a competitive section in which 14 films will compete to impress a celebrated jury headed by thespian Mrinal Sen. The Indian entry is T.V. Chandran's "Padam Onnu: Oru Vilapam" - Lesson1- A Wail. The Malyalam film deals with the plight of teenage Muslim mothers in the Malabar.
The country in focus this time is Indonesia with six films including the acclaimed "Telegram" by Slamet Raharjdo and "Bird Man Tale" by Garin Nugroho, to be screened in the competition category.
Then, if you are interested in the films from West and Central Asia there is "Osama" by Sedigh Barmark - the first film from Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban, which won a Special Mention by the Camera d'Or Jury at Cannes, "Rana's Wedding" from Palestine and "Journey to Tomorrow" and "Blue Veiled" from Iran. The neighbours are coming up with "The Clay Bird" by Tareque Masud from Bangladesh in the competitive section and Ashok Handagama's "Flying With One Wing" from Sri Lanka but Lollywood is conspicuous by its absence.
That is not all. If your appetite demands Indian stuff that normally doesn't make to halls there is an Indian Bazaar section to woo you with Rituparno Ghose's "Shubho Muhurut", Gautam Ghose's "Abaar Aranya" and Deepak Tijori's "Oops".
So splash in the pools of celluloid for free and enjoy the mosaic of Asian cine-craft. Satiate your craving for a cinema with a difference.
ANUJ KUMAR
A scene from the film "Paanch"... Cinefan is ready.
IF THE fright of chimeras and haunted addresses has ceased to beguile you then step out this monsoon to immerse in the captivating world of your continental cinema with the fifth Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema beginning July18. Amidst the technical superiority and massive distribution networks of Hollywood and the razzmatazz of Bollywood, the Asian cinema has succeeded in creating a small but distinct space for itself in the hearts of aficionados of meaningful cinema. And with films like "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and the latest "Hero" becoming commercial successes, the biggest continent's making its presence felt on the celluloid map as well.
Announcing the schedule of the festival, Aruna Vasudev, chief editor of Cinemaya - the Asian film quarterly, which organises Cinefan with Delhi Government's support, informed that 75films from about 30 countries would be screened in the week-long festival that has become a regular feature in the itinerary of film festivals.
This year Cinefan is kicking off with Jet Li's "Hero" - the 31 million dollar martial art historical, which made it to the Academy Awards this year, as one of the nominees in the "Best Foreign Language Film" category. Then we have two Indian films, which do not fall in the newly defined Oxford dictionary's version of Bollywood. One is much-awaited Nagesh Kuknoor's "Teen Deewarein" and the other is much belated Anurag Kashyap's "Paanch" that has got the mercy of Censor Board's. The Centrepiece film of the festival, Nagesh's latest is the riveting story of a documentary maker Juhi Chawla exploring the lives of three death row convicts essayed by Naseer, Jackie and Nagesh himself and in the process developing a bond with them.
"Paanch" is in the mould of noir cinema about the travails of a musical band of five - Parasites, who want to make big in life at any cost. Directed by Anurag Kashyap the man who started Indian film industry's reel romance with the reality-based underworld when he penned "Satya", "Paanch" ran into censor problems because of overt use of four-letter words and some explicit scenes. The film's premiere will draw the curtains on the celluloid extravaganza.
Besides there is a competitive section in which 14 films will compete to impress a celebrated jury headed by thespian Mrinal Sen. The Indian entry is T.V. Chandran's "Padam Onnu: Oru Vilapam" - Lesson1- A Wail. The Malyalam film deals with the plight of teenage Muslim mothers in the Malabar.
The country in focus this time is Indonesia with six films including the acclaimed "Telegram" by Slamet Raharjdo and "Bird Man Tale" by Garin Nugroho, to be screened in the competition category.
Then, if you are interested in the films from West and Central Asia there is "Osama" by Sedigh Barmark - the first film from Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban, which won a Special Mention by the Camera d'Or Jury at Cannes, "Rana's Wedding" from Palestine and "Journey to Tomorrow" and "Blue Veiled" from Iran. The neighbours are coming up with "The Clay Bird" by Tareque Masud from Bangladesh in the competitive section and Ashok Handagama's "Flying With One Wing" from Sri Lanka but Lollywood is conspicuous by its absence.
That is not all. If your appetite demands Indian stuff that normally doesn't make to halls there is an Indian Bazaar section to woo you with Rituparno Ghose's "Shubho Muhurut", Gautam Ghose's "Abaar Aranya" and Deepak Tijori's "Oops".
So splash in the pools of celluloid for free and enjoy the mosaic of Asian cine-craft. Satiate your craving for a cinema with a difference.
ANUJ KUMAR
posted by EelveE | 12:14 PM
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