Gorakhpur: 26 th March 2006: 4 th and Last Day of GFF-2006
Highlights:
-Rakesh Sharma’s documentary “Final Solution” screened.
-Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa, Two Half Times in Hell by Zoltan Fabri, Vikas bandook ki naal se by Meghnath, Pani Par Likha by Sanjay Kak.
4 th day began with Oscar winner movie of 1950, Rashomon. This movie is about rape of a woman in ancient Japan, and her husband killed. The film Rashomon gives us four viewpoints of the incident- one for each defendant- each revealing a little more detail.
Rashomon actually refers to the Rajomon gate; the name was changed in a Noh play written by Kanze Nobumitsu. “Rajo” indicates the outer precincts of the castle, so “Rajomon” means the main gate to the castle’s outer grounds.
2 nd film today was “Pani Par Likha” by Sanjay Kak. This film is about the so called development project in Narmada Valley and its impact on common people in the area. Both these movies were introduced to viewers by Avantika who is associated with Women’s Movement.
Movies screened after break was Two Half Times in Hell by Zoltan Fabri. This movie is about war prisoners in camps of Hitler playing a football match. Though they win the match but were killed by Hitler’s forces. Young film maker Sanjay Joshi introduced this film to viewers.
Other films shown were Vikas bandook ki naal se by Meghnath and Rakesh Sharma’s documentary “Final Solution”. Pranaya Krishna of Allahabad University introduced “Final Solution” to the audience. This documentary is about hate politics.
GFF-2006 concluded with Ashok Chaudhary addressing the audience. He emphasized about role of people participation in such events. He also disclosed future plans of Gorakhpur Films Society about encouraging film makers to make films on issues being faced by people of Purvanchal like unemployment and encephalitis etc.
Gorakhpur 25th March : 3rd Day of Gorakhpur Film Festival:
“Bicycle Thief,” Gold Rush” and “Motorcycle Diaries” screened along with documentaries “Night and Days of Mass uprise-Manipur valley”, “voices of Balliapal”, “Gadi Lohardagga Mail” and “Andolan Jaari Hai”
Audience interact with Film makers:
The 3rd day of film festival started with the screening of “Bicycle Thief”(Vitorio De cica,1948,b/w).Introducing the film, Dr. Chandrabhushan Ankur, vice president, Gorakhpur University Teachers’ Association told the audience that the film made a huge impact on the world cinema. In the background of the post 2nd world war Rome, the film depicted the day today sufferings of the poor. There were no jobs after the great war. Cycle was a necessity to secure a job and once it was stolen, the whole life became a search to recover the stolen bi-cycle. The film portrays this search in an idiom which manifests the destiny of common man’s life in a war ravaged society. Satyajit Ray got inspired by this film.
Nepali documentary ‘Andolan jaari hai’,Vasudha joshi’s ‘Voices of Baliapal’,Meghnath and Beeju Toppo’s ‘Gadi Lohardagga Mail’,Charlie Chaplin’s classic “Gold Rush” and “Motorcycle Diaries’,a film based on the life of the great revolutionary Che Guevara,were also screened today.
Introducing “Gold Rush’ to the audience, Dr. Umakant of JSM said that “Gold Rush’(Chaplin,1940,b/w,mute) was replete with dramatic moments of love, emotionality, social satire, comedy and pantomime.The film characterises a vagabond as romantic,idealist and humane person.He also introduced “Motorcycle Diaries’ as a movie based on the Chi’s memoirs about his long motorcycle journey to the Latin American countryside.
Introducing “Voices of Baliapal” to the audience, women movement activist Avantika from Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Wardha said that the film tells the story of heroic protest movement of about 70000 people of Balliapal in Orissa where the govt wanted to test missiles in 1984.Speaking on “Lohardaga mail”she said that this train travelogue was a true expression of Jharkhand’s history,tradition and folk culture.
After the screening of “Night and Days of Mass uprise-Manipur valley”,the audience interacted directly with the film makers Jiten Nandi and Shamik in a question –answer session. The director duo are intimately related with little magazine movement in Calcutta.The questions from the audience were related to the repression and resistance of the Manipuri people in the face of black laws such as AFSPA.
Released by Dr. Ashutosh Kumar,Asst Prof. Aligarh Muslim University and Secretary Jan Sanskriti Manch,U.P.
March 24, 2006, Gorakhpur Gorakhpur Film Festival: Day2 Highlights
* Satyajit Ray, Charlie Chaplin and Shyam Benegal’s films were screened on the second day of the festival
* District Magistrate Dr. Hari Om addressed the audience
On the second day of Gorakhpur film festival, chief guest District Magistrate (DM) Shri Hari Om addressed the audience and said that although he has attended several programs in Samvad Bhavan, he has never attended one quite like this. He felt proud to be a part of this festival and expressed his feeling that more should be done to make centres for the growth of the culture of resistance. He congratulated the people responsible behind organizing this 4 day long festival which promotes alternative culture, views and politics. He felt that the people of the fertile lands of Purvanchal have always expressed their resistance in ill coordinated but sentimental ways. Upon seeing the large audience present there he said that it can be hoped that these voices of protest can be provided a common platform. Even Bhojpuri cinema, according to him, is becoming plagued with the ill effects associated with mainstream cinema and failing to address social issues. Therefore, in these times, such a film festival which showcases some of the best films ever made in the world, will act as a benchmark for Bhojpuri films to live up to, that’s his heartfelt wish.
The day began with the screening of Satyajit Ray’s 1955 black and white film, Pather Panchali. It is the story of a poor Brahmin Harihar and his family who live in a rustic Bengali village, trying to make ends meet. Harihar’s wife Durga dies one day after getting drenched in heavy rains while Harihar is out of the village looking for work. After his wife’s death, Harihar leaves his village to search for a new life. This film has been praised for decades now for its honest and heart wrenching portrayal of life’s bitter truths without the usual melodrama. It will always be remembered as a gift to the world of cinema by the brilliant Ray. Overall, it’s a refreshing break from the usual popcorn fare the audiences are getting used to these days. Jaunpur’s renowned artists and Jana Sanskriti Manch’s vice president introduced the film and highlighted many of its important and emotional facets. A large number of Bengali families were present at the occasion, which was remarkable.
Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Great Dictator’ (1940) and Shyam Benegal’s definitive work, ‘Ankur’, a milestone in Indian Cinema, Anand Patwardhan’s anti-war film, ‘War and Peace’, along with many other films which opposed war were shown today. These thought provoking and timeless pieces of art enchanted the audience, who had only praise for them after the screenings. The Great Dictator was introduced by the well respected intellectual, Prof. Ramkrishna Mani Tripathi, whereas the rest of the movies were introduced by Shri Ajay Kumar. Discussions regarding these films saw a large number of youth taking part in them. The festival-goers found the experience unforgettable. One Gorakhpur University student even said that the experience has changed her entire perspective regarding movies.
4 day Gorakhpur Film Festival Starts Today
A four day film festival started today(23rd march,2006) at Samvad Bhavan of Gorakhpur University to mark the occasion of Bhagat Singh’s birth centenary and 75th year of his martyrdom. The film festival organized by Jan sanskriti manch(JSM), Uttar Pradesh along with fraternal organizations such as People’s forum, expression film society and People’s Union for Human Rights focuses on theme of ‘resistance’ in cinema. Speaking at the inaugural session, Ashok Chowdhary, convener, Gorakhpur unit of JSM, said that this festival was not merely an occasion to commemorate a glorious chapter of our freedom struggle, but also sought to build a new culture of resistance against forces of reaction in the heart of eastern U.P. in Gorakhpur. He introduced young filmmaker Sanjay Joshi of Delhi as the chief architect of the film festival. Sanjay Joshi told the audience that the films to be screened in the festival represented the real and genuine culture of resistance at a time when resistance itself was undergoing appropriation by the big capital and mass media out phony, fabricated and pseudo representations of cultural resistance. Veteran intellectual and president of the reception committee, Prof. Rama Krishna Mani Tripathi congratulated the organizers and hoped that the festival would go a long way in establishing Gorakhpur on the cultural map of the country as a centre of alternative cultural offensive. The film festival was inaugurated by Prof. Rajendra Kumar of Allahabad University and President of the U.P. chapter of JSM. He underlined the need to build powerful cultural resistance form below against neo-imperialist subjugations of our country’s sovereignty, fascist maneuvers and consumerism. He said that JSM was trying its level best to build people’s consciousness on these issues. Prof. Arun Kumar, Vice Chancellor of the Gorakhpur University presided over the inaugural function. He congratulated the organizers and promised full cooperation to such initiatives on behalf of the university community and welcomed all such activities on the university campus. The festival began with a video drama presentation titled ‘Nirupama Dutt main bahut udas hoon’ by the theatre group ‘Best of Calcutta Campus’ under the direction of Pranab. The video drama, a new theatrical experiment evoked enthusiastic response from the audience. Sergei Eisenstein’s classic “Battleship Potemkin” was screened as the first film of the festival. The film depicts the brewing discontent in the pre-revolution Russia and therefore helps understand the genesis of revolution. Prof. R.K. Mani Tripathi, Prof. Rajendra Kumar, Prof. Arun Kumar and director Pranab were felicitated on the occasion. The creative artistic decoration of the festival site by the artists from Kala Commune, Varanasi was a major source of attraction. Journalist Manoj Kumar Singh delivered vote of thanks. The jam packed auditorium included large numbers of artists, teachers, students, intellectuals and journalists.
Released by Dr. Ashutosh Kumar, Asst. Prof, Aligarh Muslim University and State secretary JSM, U.P.
GFF 2006 : Logo Released Officially
The official logo was released today by Convener of Peoples Forum Professor Ram Krishn Mani Tripathi and Ms. Anita Agrawal today at a press conference held at Press Club, Gorakhpur. Speaking at this occasion, prof. Tripathi said that this event will provide an opportunity to the people of Gorakhpur to watch some of the classic movies and documentaries visualizing the burning issues faced by Indian society today. He continued saying that the motive of this film festival is to propagate the real strength of Cinema and let people know about positive aspects of this medium. He further said that there is a strong need of resistance in modern times by people and this is the main theme of GFF-2006 "Cinema of Resistance".
News by Sudhanshu Tripathi, Editor, chaurichaura.com
Press Release by Organizers of Gorakhpur Film Festival:
A film festival, organized by the Jana Sanskriti Manch (Uttar Pradesh), is being held on the occasion of Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh’s centennial birth anniversary and 75th martyrdom anniversary from 23-26 March, 2006. The festival focused on films encapsulating the spirit of revolution and resistance. The film festival was organized not only for entertainment but also to provide a glimpse to the viewer on how films affect the political and social aspects of life. Over 15 feature films, documentaries and films showcasing the struggle of the common man were shown. Along with this, viewers will be provided with a chance to have a tête-à-tête with the filmmakers, which will boost ‘Janasanskriti’ and act as a platform to voice public opinions against problems plaguing the society.
Among the films shown are landmark films of the motion picture history, such as Battleship Potemkin by Sergei M. Eisenstein which depicts the naval revolution in Russia, Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush and The Great Dictator, De Sica’s Bicycle Thief, Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Rashomon and Satyajit Ray’s Pather panchali, one of the finest Indian films ever made.
Documentaries highlighting today’s life and social issues included Sanjay Kak’s, Dono Par Likha, which is a film capturing the Narmada Andolan. Jharkhand’s prolific filmmaker Meghnath’s film, Bandook Ki Naal Se questions the various economic models ofd evelopment being followed across India and the struggles brought about by it. Rakesh Sharma’s excellent work, Final Solution, explores the Gujarat Riots and the role played in it by politics. Such films will be shown so that Gorakhpur’s film lovers can appreciate them and perhaps draw parallels to the social and political scene in their own city.The festival will be inaugurated on 23rd march by Dr. Rajendra Kumar, the famous hindi critic from Allahabad University and the president of ‘Jana Sanskriti Manch’. During the inaugural session, there will be some theatre show based on armed forces role in north east and political situations by Delhi based theatre personality Mr. Mukherji. This 3 days event is going to be filled with lot of serious shows and will provide a forum for people to carry forward the message of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
So come with your friends and family members and enjoy the first ever film festival in Gorakhpur.
A BRIEF SUMMERY ABOUT THE DIRECTORS AND PERFORMERS COMMING
PRANAV MUKHERJEE: he is a media analyst, independent artist, and a workshop organizer. He is one of the popular faces of the parallel theatre movement and is known as a class director. He is presently working on parallel theatre and media and has been awarded a fellowship for the same by an International Non Profit Organisation. He is associated with Best of Kolkata Campus.
UTTAM NAYAK: --- He is associated with Best of Kolkata Campus and co actor in inaugural day's video- drama performance " Nirupama Dutt Mein Bhaut Udaas Hoon".
Meghnath :- is a Ranchi based documentary film maker and associated with AKHRA a cultural organization of Jharkhandi youth. AKHRA is giving voices to young people of Jharkhand for their huaman rights, cultural aspirations and communication skills. Meghnath is being awrded for his documentary in recently held Mumbai International Film Festival for Short filma and Documentaries(MIFF).
Jiten Nandi- is a Kolkata based journalist and editor of Bengali little magazine "Manthan" . He is deeply associated with cultural activities in Kolkata. His film(Night n' Days of Mass Uprise- Manipur Valley) on Manipur movement which is the part of Gorkahpur Film Festival has been highly appreciated in recently held film festival BYOFF( Bring Your Own Film Festival) in Puri, Orissa, India.
Film Makers- Films- Reactions:
A Montage
SATYAJIT RAY on Pather Panchali (Song of the little road)
[Pather Panchali is Ray’s debut film. It has a universal humanist appeal. Though the film deals with the grim struggle for survival by a poor family, it has no trace of melodrama.]
I chose Pather Panchali for the qualities that made it a great book; its humanism; its lyricism; and its ring of truth…The script had to retain some o the rambling quality of the novel because that in itself contained a clue to the feel of authenticity; life in a poor Bengali village does ramble.
What others said…
Hazel-Dawn Dumpert
As deeply beautiful and plainly poetic as any movie ever made. Rare and exquisite.
Soumitra Chatterjee
Aparajito, Jalsaghar, Charulata were better crafted, but the raw emotion of Pather Panchali has no parallel.
AKIRA KUROSAWA on Rashomon
[In ancient Japan, a woman is raped and her husband killed. The film Rashomon gives us four viewpoints of the incident- one for each defendant- each revealing a little more detail]
Rashomon actually refers to the Rajomon gate; the name was changed in a Noh play written by Kanze Nobumitsu. “Rajo” indicates the outer precincts of the castle, so “Rajomon” means the main gate to the castle’s outer grounds…
Zhang Yimou on Rashomon
A year later I saw my first Kurosawa film. It was Rashomon. I was immediately besotted
SERGEI EISENSTEIN on Battleship Potemkin
[The film describes the mutiny of the sailors on the Battleship Potemkin, in 1905]
The Revolution gave me the most precious thing in life- it made an artist out of me. If it had not been for the Revolution I would never have broken the tradition, handed down from father to son, of becoming an engineer. The Revolution introduced me to art, and art, in its own turn, brought me to the Revolution.
SERGEI EISENTEIN on Films and Film making
…the idea satiation of the author, his subjection to prejudice by the idea, must determine actually the whole course of the art-work, and if the art-work does not represent an embodiment of the original idea, we shall never have as result an art-work realized to its utmost fullness.
and…
David Thomson on SERGEI EISENSTEIN
…With Eisenstein, you confront a demonic, baroque visual theatricality, helplessly adhering to the confused theories of his writing on film. And he was quickly in decline…There are those who still acclaim him, but his influence is now very hard to detect….
VITTORIO DE SICA on Bicycle Thief
[Set in post-World War 2 Rome, The Bicycle Thief tells a simple story well, relying for its impact on gritty realism and emotional verity]
….I’ve lost all my money on these films. They are not commercial. But I’m glad to lose it this way. To have for a souvenir of my life pictures like Umberto D and The Bicycle Thief…..My idea is to deromanticize the cinema.
SATYAJIT RAY on Bicycle Thief
All through my stay in London, the lessons of The Bicycle Thief and neo-realist cinema stayed with me.
Los Angeles Times Reviewed the film…
…De Sica, following in the neo-realist style, used natural lighting throughout, giving The Bicycle Thief an effective, documentary-like look that many other film makers tried to emulate…
CHARLIE CHAPLIN in The Great Dictator
[…Charlie Chaplin achieved great success with ‘The Great Dictator’, a satire on Hitler, made in 1940, for which Chaplin received his only Oscar nomination…]
In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN on Himself
I remain just one thing, and one thing only- and that is a clown.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN on Comedy & Life
To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!...
People’s reaction on CHARLIE CHAPLIN’s The Gold Rush
[It is the story of the Little Tramp going north to Alaskan gold rush, and by more luck than skill both getting the girl and becoming rich.]
Tim Dirks
The Gold Rush (1925) is the quintessential Chaplin/Little Tramp film, with a balance of slapstick comedy and pantomime, social satire.
ANAND PATWARDHAN and his film War and Peace
[Anand Patwardhan’s documentary War and Peace is on the rise of militarism in India was a target of censors.]
Few interesting Comments on War and Peace….
David Stratton
A frightening examination of the continuing confrontation between nuclear neighbours India and Pakistan. Narrated in quiet yet passionate terms…
Mahesh Bhatt
It is appalling that the land that deifies Gandhi makes it so difficult for a man like
Patwardhan, who articulates the same values that Gandhi dreamed for India. The sanity of his film, it just undermines the war hysteria that they’ve whipped up.
Anand Patwardhan describes himself as
A non-serious human being forced by circumstance to make serious films.
RAKESH SHARMA’s Final Solution – a documentary
[Set in Gujarat during the period Feb/March 2002 – July 2003, the film graphically documents the changing face of right-wing politics in India through a study of the 2002 genocide of Moslems in Gujarat]
Final Solutions was banned in India by the Censor Board for several months. The ban was lifted in Oct.’04 after a sustained campaign.
RAKESH SHARMA on his film
During the making of this film, I noticed shocking parallels between India 2002-2004 and Germany of the 1930s – State-supported genocidal violence against Moslems in Gujarat and its continuing impact – segregation in schools, ghettoisation in cities and villages, formal calls for economic boycott of Moslems and attacks on intelligentsia by right-wing Hindutva cadres.
From the Press
Kalapani Sharma
This film was rejected as an entry at the recent Mumbai International Film Festival…Final Solution was also chosen for the Special Jury Award by a jury comprising Garin Nugroho (Indonesia), Dorothea Holloway (Germany) and Fang Yu (China).
SANJAY KAK’s documentary film on Narmada Andolan
Words on Water (Pani Par Likha)
[The film was removed from the Muslim International Film Festival after being selected. The film documents the long and tortuous resistance story in the Narmada Valley against displacement and unsustainable development projects.]
What They Said on Words on water….
Arundhati Roy
From being a fight over the fate of a river valley, the struggle against big dams in the Narmada valley has begun to raise doubts about an entire political system. What is at issue now is the very nature of India’s democracy. Who owns this land? Who owns its rivers? Its forests? Its fish?
Sanjay Kak’s film Words on Water starts with this slogan…
Shasan valo, sun lo- aaj hamare gaon mein hamara raj!
Sanjay Kak on being asked – What prompted you to make the film WORDS ON WATER
The movement against large dams in the Narmada valley is probably the single most spectacular non-violent struggle for the rightd of people in India today… it’s been the subject of at least half-a-dozen films. And yet, there seemed to be something so important going on in that valley over the last 17 years, that I knew a film that explored its contemporary contours was needed.
MEGHNATH and BIJU TOPPO’s
In-the-making documentary film Gadi Lohardaga Mail
[Meghnath, Biju Toppo, Dr. Ramdayal Munda, folk singers Hansmukh and Mukund Nayak decided to go on picnic in the train after the railways ministry announced its closure last year. Gadi Lohardaga Mail was shot during that picnic.]
Nagpuria folk singer Madhu Mansoor “Hansmukh” sings in the film
“Bina engine, bina tell/ Gadi Lohardaga mail. Jharkhand kar kora/ Nadi-nala taka tukku ban re patera”
VASUDHA JOSHI & RANJAN PALIT’s documentary film “Voices of Baliapal”
[A film about local opposition to a missile site in rural Orissa won a Golden Conch]
…Cry raised by 70,000 people in Baliapal when the Indian government announced its decision to locate a missile testing range there in August 1984.
Compiled by Pradeep Das