[Reader-list] [Announcements] Why a Documentary Festival in Gurgaon? Documela
Jeebesh Bagchi
jeebesh at sarai.net
Fri Oct 31 19:07:28 IST 2003
Why a Documentary Festival in Gurgaon?
Asheesh Pandya <ashpan at vsnl.com>
How and where do you see good documentaries? This was the question that
repeatedly confronted me while I was spreading the word about plans to hold a
documentary festival in Gurgaon. Almost everyone I met associated
documentaries with the Discovery or the National Geographic channels and it
took some amount of speaking from my part to convince people that there
exists the world of the independent Indian documentary which is seldom seen
on TV channels. Screened often in the rarefied atmosphere of the India
International Centre or the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, these films
often do not get the audience they deserve. It might come as a surprise to
most of us but the Indian documentary is making a mark for itself in
international festivals and probably it might not be wrong to state that more
documentaries get screened in festivals than feature films.
What is the independent Indian documentary all about? Boring, pedantic and
commentary heavy? Hardly. The documentaries being produced here in the last
several years have finally shattered the image created by the ‘official’,
‘news-reel’ documentary that served as propaganda for the government. There
is no subject which is taboo for the new documentary and there are as many
different ways of telling the stories as there are filmmakers. Diversity in
form and content marks the emergence of this brave new world of the Indian
documentary. They are entertaining, engrossing and rigorous; and reveal
worlds and truths the way only a documentary is capable of doing.
Why is it important to see a documentary? There is probably no other creative
form of expression that gets you as close to life, reality, and worlds that
surround us but are often inaccessible. The documentary allows you to see
life up close, witness events in a new light and reflect upon the many
realities which make our world.
Documela-2003 will provide an opportunity for us, the residents of Gurgaon to
see for ourselves some of the best work to come out of the Indian documentary
scene. And I am deeply grateful to the filmmakers who have made this dream
possible. They have sent the best of their films for us and have also agreed
to be here in person, so that they can have a direct conversation with the
audiences here.
I am thankful to the MDU National Law College, Gurgaon for providing us the
venue, the most basic requirement for a festival to take place. And I’m
thrilled by the enthusiastic response and support I have received from the
students here. The MDU National Law College falls under the purview of the
Maharishi Dayanand University (M.D.U.), Rohtak. During a telephonic
conversation with the Vice Chancellor Maj. Gen. (Retd.) B. S. Suhag, the VC
said, “It is a wonderful idea to hold a Documentary Film Festival in Gurgaon.
So far the focus in this area has been on the industry. There is a general
lack of information about various other aspects of social development. I am
sure these films would be able to fill this vacuum and generate awareness
amongst the people of Gurgaon. MDU Law College is proud to be the venue for
such an event. I wish this festival a great success.”
No such event is possible without adequate funds. I am thankful to PSBT (the
Public Service Broadcasting Trust) and Fabindia, who have come forward to
support Documela with generous contributions.
Not the least important is the help and support provided to me by certain very
special individuals. I am extremely thankful to each one of them.
I also value the encouragement given to me by my friends in the media by
covering this event right from its planning stage.
Lastly, I wish, Documela-2003 is only the first in the series of Gurgaon
Documentary Festivals and hope that the Documela will become a permanent part
of the cultural landscape of Gurgaon. Like Diwali, Eid or Christmas we will
celebrate the Festival of Documentaries at regular intervals. And this will
only be made possible by the collective support of more and more people who
believe, “Documentary has to be seen, and I will make it happen”.
Happy Viewing
Asheesh Pandya
Facilitator, Gurgaon Documentary Festival.
--------------------------------------------------------------
DOCUMELA~2003
The First Gurgaon Documentary Festival
In partnership with the Public Service Broadcasting Trust
Venue: MDU National Law College, Sector 40, Gurgaon
Screening Schedule: Day 1
Saturday, November 1st 2003
After each film, there will be a 15 minute interactive session between the
filmmaker and the audience. Feel free to ask questions.
Please take your seats five minutes before the beginning of a screening. In
order not to disturb others, please silence your mobile phones.
11:00-11:30 I N A U G U R A T I O N
11:35-13:00 Words on water/85min./Sanjay Kak/An urgent journey through
the Narmada valley and a struggle that has exposed the
deceptive heart of India’s development politics
13:15-13:45 Paradise on the river of hell/30min./Abir Bazaz, Meenu Gaur
On the catastrophic desolation of Kashmir
14:00-14:45 L U N C H
14:45-15:45 Dharma Dollies/60min./Aruna Har Prasad /A portrait of
young successful Indian women in search of a belief
16:00-16:55 Some Roots Grow Upwards/55min/Kavita Joshi/Seeking
insights into the art of Ratan Thiyam, and his folk
theatre
17:10-18:04 Barf (Snow)/54min./Saba Dewan/Trekking with a group of
girls from slums going out from their city for the first
time
18:20-19:00 C H A I P A A N I
19:00-19:28 Backstage Boys/28min./Meera Dewan/About brave and
adventurous Punjabi boys willing to take chances through
illegal
immigration by the human traffickers
19:45-20:15 Portraits of belonging-Bhai Mian/30min.
20:15-20:45 Portraits of belonging-Sagira Begum/30min./Sameera Jain
Sensitive sketches of two people who practice their
skills in
the context of belonging to an old city
21:00-21:43 When four friends meet/43min./Rahul Roy
They share their secrets… sex and girls; youthful dreams and
failures; frustrations and triumphs.
DOCUMELA~2003
The First Gurgaon Documentary Festival
In partnership with the Public Service Broadcasting Trust
Venue: MDU National Law College, Sector 40, Gurgaon
Screening Schedule: Day 2
Sunday, November 2nd 2003
11:00-13:30 STUDENTS’ FILMS –-
a) From MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
That’s what my dad used to say/40min./Sharat Kataria,
Laalit Lobo,
Vikram Rohella/Filmmakers’ journeys of
discovery into their gender
and sexual identities
Let me speak/35min./Sukrit, Manish and Sushil/A
musical portrait of
the music band ‘Indian Ocean’
Tedhi lakeer~the crooked line/26min./Aparna
Sanyal, Amrit Sharma,
Arunima Shankar/A tale about two men and
their not so ‘straight’ life
b) From the School of Convergence, New Delhi
And it lives/5min./Deeya Prakash, Amanpreet Singh
and Aien Longkumer/
About "Zafar Mahal", the summer retreat of
Bahadur Shah Zafar
Knock-Knock/22min./2nd batch of students/A
feature magazine
13:30-14:30 L U N C H
14:30-15:00 Into the Abyss/28min/Vandana Kohli
A film on major depression
15:00-16:00 Tracing the arc/38min.& A million steps/22min./Pankaj Butalia
Two films about the lost history of the mapping of Asia
16:15-16:45 Ramlila/30min./Subhash Kapoor/
About how people interpret legends
17:00-18:00 Three Women & A Camera/60min./Sabeena Gadihoke/A film on
three women still photographers, including Homai
Vyarawalla,
India’s first woman photo-journalist
18:15-18:45 C H A I P A A N I
18:45-20:00 Tales of the Night Fairies/74min./Shohini Ghosh/
A movement of sex-workers in Calcutta
20:15-21:00 Kamlabai/45min./Reena Mohan/A portrait of the first actress of
the Indian screen
21:00-21:30 A Season Outside/30min./Amar Kanwar/Examining the scars of
violence and the dreams of hope
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