28 directors to attend Shimla international film fest

Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 23

As many as 28 directors, including that of ‘Thalaivi’ (AL Vijay), would attend the three-day Seventh International Film Festival of Shimla (IFFS), commencing from November 26. As many as 58 films from 16 countries are slated to be screened.

Fest to commence on nov 26

• As many as 58 films from 16 countries have been shortlisted for screening
• Besides Gaiety Theatre, the films will be screened at Model Central Jail, Kanda
• The three-day international film festival will commence on November 26

“The foreign filmmakers attending the festival include Mathew Koshmri from Korea — ‘Land of my father’ (documentary); Peyman Mahmood Shahmohamadi from Iran — ‘Aparat’ (short film ); Ronald Uterberger from Germany — ‘Die Grienze’ (feature film); Bouchaib El Messaoudi from Morocco — ‘Amghar’ (documentary); and Aryaman Prasad from the US — ‘Oonch Neech’ (short film),” said festival director Pushpraj Thakur.

The festival is being organised by Himalayan Velocity, in association with the Language, Art and Culture Department and the HP Government. The festival will give an opportunity to budding artistes to interact with the film directors.

Some of the most talked about films include ‘Amghar’ in Arabic, directed by Dr Bouchaib El Messaoudi, reflecting a philosophical vision of a decisive social and societal phenomenon in the daily life of the region. Another short film from Iran, ‘Aparat’, is on intersexual relations between cinematic works and the subject of the film. Continuing the tradition, the films would also be screened at Model Central Jail, Kanda, besides Gaiety Theatre. This is for the third time that the IFFS is having two venues for the event. The idea behind the second venue is to bridge the gap between the inside and the outside world through cinema and to nurture creativity of prisoners.

By promoting such activities and connecting the jail inmates with the world outside, the IFFS intends to motivate the prisoners who are struggling to find their place in the world to think out of the box, said the festival director. In jails, they live in isolation from the outside world and it adds to their depression and fear of getting institutionalised behind the walls and bars of the prison, he said.