Kargil. The very name of the place brings back memories of military bunkers on steep mountain slopes, the shrieking and booming sound of bullets and howitzers and the horror experienced by the local community in the face of display of military might of two neighbouring countries.
A group of film enthusiasts is now attempting to change this frame of mind by hosting the first-ever film festival in Kargil where the focus would be on social issues rather than terrorism and gunfights.
Awam ka Cinema , a non-sponsored and non-profitable event, is being organised by the Kargil Film Society on May 19 and 20 and the festival will be the first such event ever taking place in Ladakh.
The last date for submitting applications for three different categories of films — documentary, short fiction and animation short — is May 15.
The entry fee for participants is Rs. 100, while it is free entry for viewers.
The film festival will celebrate the century-long journey of Indian cinema and send out a message of peace and brotherhood to connect Kargil with the rest of the country. All the films featured will be based on issues like human rights, civil rights, peace, violence against women, communal harmony and developmental issues.
“Meaningful cinema that focuses on social issues rather than monetary gain has very limited audience which is often scattered across the world. It becomes difficult for the filmmakers to reach out to such audience with this cinema,” a release issued by the Kargil Film Festival organisers stated.
Awam ka Cinema started its journey in Ayodhya in 2006 and has been a success since with festivals organised at Mau, Jaipur, Auriya, Etawah, Delhi and Kashmir among other places.
According to the organisers, it is an initiative to start a dialogue between people of different sections of the society through the medium of art and cinema as it will open up a platform for people to express, share and understand each others' joys, sorrows and conditions of life.
