NEW DELHI, February 6: Just when India and Pakistan are playing at retaliatory politics with cricket matches, the first-ever South Asian documentary film festival opened here today to encourage exchange of ideas. The two-day festival was inaugurated by Dr Abid Hussain amidst much soul-searching and back-slapping at the Habitat World, India Habitat Centre.The screenings began with the impressionistic docu-drama Nusrat has left the building...but when? by Pakistani film-maker Farjad Nabi, which traces the late singer's immense popularity with Pakistani youth. This South-Asian package of 15 documentaries from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, has been put together by Himal, the only South-East Asian magazine based in Kathmandu, which dreams of forging a non-governmental cultural alliance between the neighbouring countries on a people-to-people basis.
This festival which was kicked off with fanfare in Kathmandu last year, will travel to other cities of the subcontinent and even toNorth America later this year. With a view to promoting the films and to make sure that they reach people on a regular basis Himal has formed a consortium called "Travelling Film South Asia", which has a vast South Asian editorial network and documentary film-makers from the region.
Introducing their effort, the Chairman of Himal, Kanak Mani Dixit, said "The Travelling Film South Asia will give film-makers and enthusiasts an opportunity to view the latest and finest documentaries being made in our region. The films give an in-depth treatment to pressing South Asian subjects, including culture, lifestyle, history, politics, activism and environment."
The last two subjects got some focus in the tongue-in-cheek address delivered by NGO activist Shankar Ghosh who had spoken on the films before the screening. "These documentaries can help the NGOs actively working in different parts of the region to know of each others achievements," he said.
The films were chosen by Pankaj Butalia of Delhi, Salman Shahid ofLahore and Nalaka Gunawardane of Colombo. The subjects of the films range from the politics of rice in South India (Meals Ready/India) to the life of the 19th century singer in Bengal (Achin Pakhi/Bangladesh), from the struggle of a dancer in Pakistan (Aur Woh Raks Karte Rahi/Pakistan) to the birth of Bangladesh (Muktir Gaan), from the portrait of a faith healer (The Spirit Doesn't Come Anymore/Nepal) to the communal violence in India (Father, Son and Holy War/India).
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
