CG has been dormant for some time now, but we promise, not for long!
In the mean time, we have been working on putting together the third edition of the NALSAR Film Festival, and it is scheduled to happen this weekend, the 28th and 29th of March. The Film Festival is an event we all look forward to, at NALSAR, and is a welcome break from the monotony of class discussion. Never mind that readings and class discussions are interesting in themselves, but what better way to talk about a bothersome issue than watch a film that cuts across jargon and helps you think about the issue like you never did before!
For an inkling of what the previous editions of the Film Festival have been like, see Sanya Samtani’s lovely post here – http://www.clatgyan.com/the-window/nalsar-film-festival/
The schedule for this year’s film festival is as follows:
28th March, 2015
‘…ebong bewarish’, Debalina – 10:30 AM
Discussion – 11:45 AM
Wasted, Anirban Datta – 2:30 PM
Discussion – 3:45 PM
29th March, 2015
Chena Kintu Ajana, Dipankar Dutta – 10 AM
Discussion – 11:45 AM
Underworld Memories of the Untouchables followed by Don’t Be Our Fathers, Rupesh Kumar – 2:30 PM
Discussion – 3:45 PM
‘…Ebong Bewarish’ (And the Unclaimed), directed by Debalina is a documentary about the cruelty, oppression and social ostracism that persons with alternative sexual preferences must face because of a mindset that criminalises homosexuality. Wasted, by Anirban Datta is a commentary on the way artists use junk or found material to create something new. It questions waste management in the Indian context, and demonstrates ‘creative recycling’. Chena Kintu Ajana (Known Strangers), directed by Dipankar Dutta, is a film that brings to screen the lives and times of 15 female impersonators who graced the jatra stage, the folk theatre form of West Bengal. Underworld Memories of the Untouchables by Rupesh Kumar, documents the memories of three generations of people in the director’s own village in Kerala, India. The history, evolution, new formation and development of caste atrocities, their subsequent inventions and interventions in Kerala are commented upon. Don’t be Our Fathers is the sequel to this film, and critically evaluates how the caste equation is subtly used against Dalits in villages in the communist heartland of Kannur in Kerala.
This year’s film festival will see participation from students of various disciplines, social activists, thinkers and professors. The filmmakers will themselves also be present, and the ensuing discussions will not only be enlightening in several ways, but also extremely engaging. Having helped organise the festival this year and the last, I have learnt immensely out of the experience, and can’t wait for the weekend! (Yes, the Cricket World Cup finals are scheduled for this weekend too, but hey, perhaps you could catch a screening on campus if you’re lucky!)
If you are in Hyderabad this weekend, we’d love for you to attend the Film Festival and experience a part of the academic culture at NALSAR in a way that’s bound to leave a lasting impact on you. For more details about the Festival, as well as transportation to and from campus, visit our facebook page –> https://www.facebook.com/events/355180904677484/
You could also call us (Raji – +91 9704847263; Dipankar – +91 9000875390), and we’d be glad to answer any questions you may have about the Film Fest.
See you at Justice City this weekend, then!
