Film connoisseurs can watch Asian and Arab movies at the 12th edition of Osian's-Cinefan Film Festival to be held here after a gap of two years, from July 27 to August 5.
The festival will be held in the city in a big way. An added incentive is that no entry tickets are required. Besides the Siri Fort complex, films will be screened at the new Kila Complex, including the Osianama — Art & Film Museum and Blue Frog.
According to Osian's festival director Indu Shrikent, it will be not just a festival but a grand cultural extravaganza.
“Osian's will host the festival this year in collaboration with the Delhi government. These days there are so many avenues where people can watch films. But we screen only those movies that make the audience realise the creative process of making them and understand why we are screening them. There is an aesthetic way of presenting these films. We want to provide wholesome, wonderful experience to film buffs.”
Ms. Shrikent said around 175 to 200 films from Asia and the Arab world pertaining to issues concerning children and the problems confronted by the common man will be screened.
Offbeat subjects
“We will have something for everyone — from simple narrative to cutting-edge cinema. There will be adequate representation of experimental cinema as well as animation. The focus will be on offbeat subjects.”
A comprehensive exhibition on “100 Years of Indian Cinema” and discussions on “Delhi: India's next film City” and “Freedom of Expression” by iconic film personalities and people from different walks of life will be an added attraction. The conceptual framework of “Freedom of Creative Thought and Expression” will be the focus this year. Late Hindi filmmaker Mani Kaul who was associated with Osian's in a big way and conducted discussions on diverse subjects will be remembered at the festival.
As a refreshing change, Cinefan will have environment as a theme. “We will have eight films on this significant issue, which impacts everyone on the planet. It will be a precursor to a summit on ‘Natural and Man-Made Heritage' in 2013, which will translate into a new film festival dedicated to this subject.”
The turtle
With this new focus on environment, Osian's-Cinefan has chosen the turtle as its festival symbol as these ancient creatures epitomising longevity and wisdom are the spiritual vehicle for the river Yamuna. And they also represent the struggle for survival in the face of an increasingly hostile environment.
A brand new Osian's-Cinefan Award Trophy crafted out of eco-friendly material by artist K. Laxma Goud has been commissioned. Since the early 1970s, his depictions on human-animal-nature continuum represent some of the finest examples of modern Indian art.
