16 January 2008

In a run up to the Indian Documentary Producers’ Association (IDPA) AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2007, to be held on the 23rd of March 2008 in Mumbai. The IDPA in association with the SHAMIANA Film Festival presents an evening of films & an Open Forum on “Exploring art through the Documentary”.  The purpose of the evening is to engage in, analyse & explore the symbiosis between art & the documentary both from within & without.  

The following films shall be screened to facilitate the discussion:
 

Our Family
*2007, 56 mins, Tamil with English subtitles

Anjali and Jayasankar  
 What does it mean to cross that line which sharply divides us on the  
basis of gender? To free oneself of the socially constructed onus of  
being male? Is there life beyond a hetero-normative family?
 
Set in Tamilnadu, India, ‘Our Family’ brings together excerpts from  
Nirvanam, a one person performance, by Pritham K. Chakravarthy and a  
family of three generations of trans-gendered female subjects. Aasha,  
Seetha and Dhana, who are bound together by ties of adoption, belong to  
the community called /Aravanis/ (aka /Hijras/, in some parts of India).  
Aasha Bharathi, the grandmother, is the president of the Tamilnadu  
Aravanigal Association, Chennai. Seetha, the daughter lives with her  
male partner Selvam, in Coimbatore. Dhana, Seetha’s adopted daughter  
also lives with her and shuttles between her adopted and her natal families.
 
The film juxtaposes the ‘normality’ of their existence with the dark and  
powerful narrative by Pritham- ‘Nirvanam’; /Nirvanam/ (Liberation)  
refers to the act of liberating oneself from the male body and  
transforming oneself to a female. This narrative bears witness to the  
tumultuous journey towards a reinvented selfhood, a journey fraught with  
violence, exploitation, affection and courage. The pains, pleasures and  
dilemmas of becoming the ‘other’ is the motif of the film. Weaving  
together performance, life histories and everyday life, it problematises  
the divides between ‘us’ and ‘them’.

 

DREAMING MOVIES 

Sanjit Narwekar
2007/40 minutes
In a country as culturally and linguistically diverse as India, the cinema has proved to be a great unifying factor. Indians – whether in India or abroad – are unabashed cinemagoers. The fact that India makes the largest number of films has been known the world over for several decades. And yet, the cinema itself has been largely ignored. However, after decades of neglect, western audiences are beginning to sit up and take notice of the many cinemas that Indian cinema actually is. Indian cinema has at last been accepted as an international cinema of stature.  

DREAMING MOVIES is a celebration of Indian cinema coming of age in the 111th year of cinema (1896-2007). The documentary is neither a history nor a sociological study of what makes Indian cinema what it is but a celebration of the images that have brought the white screen in darkened theatres alive with the magic of its stars, its songs, its dances and, above all, its story-lines so deeply rooted in the multi-faceted culture of the country. However, the film uses a succession of images to tell a story of how the Indian cinema has slowly but steadily been accepted by critics the world over.

THE SWORD AND THE SPEAR 

DV/ 47 mins/2005

A film by  Sunil Shanbag, Sanjiv Shah, Sudheer Palsane, Suresh Rajamani

Camera: Sudheer Palsane Sound: Suresh Rajamani Editing: Sanjiv Shah

Post-Production Supervisor: Nirupama Kaul

Produced by Chrysalis Films

 Astad Deboo is one of India's foremost contemporary dancers. His has been a life of travel and exploration, in a quest to create a style of dance that bridges time and cultures. His ability to absorb different influences and styles and create unique dance works has won critical acclaim all over the world. Recently he has been collaborating with the Thang-ta martial arts performers from Manipur. The film picks up the dance company on tour in Taiwan, and explores the relationship between Astad and the Thang-ta dancers.

 Salil Chaudhary
2006-07/25 mts.
Jagdish Bannerjee
Poet, Writer, Playwright & above all a music composer. He wrote songs for the mass movements of the 1940’s & participated in mass protests. Coming to Bombay & looking for a job His own story & script Do Bigha Zameen was made into a sensational film by Bimal Roy with a sensational musical score. A biographical film Salil Chaudhary sketches the man’s film.   

ABOUT IDPA

IDPA is a non-profit organisation that came into being in 1956. It is registered as a public trust under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950. Today IDPA is India ’s single largest association of producers of documentaries, animation films, advertisement films and TV programmes.  
 
In its 51 years of existence, IDPA has worked in the interest of documentary and short film makers by providing a forum for like-minded professionals. It has facilitated their working life by providing them with regular updates, standardised rate cards and by settling disputes.  
 
IDPA has organised film festivals and instituted awards to recognise and reward the talents of Indian short film makers. IDPA is also involved with educational institutions that offer courses in media and communications and would like to reach out to young people entering the profession.  
 
Together with Films Division, IDPA has been co-organiser of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) since its inception in 1988 (when it was known as the Bombay International Film Festival (BIFF).  
 
Currently, the membership of IDPA is open to any Indian filmmaker who makes documentaries, shorts, commercials, corporate films and animation films. IDPA encourages students of film to join at discounted rates and anyone with a passion for films as associate members.

IDPA's main concern is to promote the independent documentary film movement in the country. In this context, we disseminate information that is useful to independent film makers. Apart from promoting the theatrical exhibition of documentaries, IDPA has also had some success in helping film makers with marketing and opening broadcast possibilities in India. To know more about IDPA, do visit: www.idpaindia.org

Venue : Oceana bldg, next to Marine Plaza Hotel, Marine Drive, Mumbai 20.

The  Tenth Yantra Mystic Fair

Readings

11 January to 20 January
4:00 to 8:00 pm
 every day 

2:00 to 4:00 pm

Power of Intent

by Mani Kanga 

Learn how to use the enormous power of your intention and your visualisation to create whatever you want.

Fees : Rs 500 per participant.