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Lassi with Lavina Guide to Upcoming Events – India Kaleidoscope
Powerful, Regional Cinema at Your Doorstep…
[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ew Yorkers are really fortunate – not only do they get to see mainstream Bollywood films at the theaters but also catch several film festivals with the rare and independent films from all parts of India. This month the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) and The India Center Foundation are launching India Kaleidoscope, which gives film-goers a chance to check out the best of regional, independent films.
For years beautiful regional languages lay silent on people’s tongues – now is the chance to celebrate these many worlds through exciting films in many regional dialects including Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, and Bengali, with subtitles Their films are provocative, bringing to light the challenges that face modern India and her many diverse communities. “We are thrilled to turn the spotlight on Indian regional cinema, showcasing its diversity and richness,” said Christina Marouda, Festival Organizer and MoMI’s Director of Development.
According to Priya Giri Desai, a founding director of The India Center Foundation, “Consistent with our mission to offer a platform for barrier-breaking and emerging work from the subcontinent, the films featured in India Kaleidoscope Film Festival are eye-opening studies from all corners of India.”
A Kaleidoscope of Indian Cinema
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he inaugural India Kaleidoscope Festival, taking place December 8 through 11 at the Museum, will feature eight films, including seven new titles that will be making their U.S. or North American premieres and one special presentation of a classic Indian film. Most films will feature directors in person. The Opening Night film is India in a Day, an ambitious documentary project initiated by Google and comprised of images shot by thousands of people throughout India, edited by director Richie Mehta (who will appear in person on Dec. 8), and executive produced by Ridley Scott and Anurag Kashyap.
Other highlights include a pairing of Ghatashraddha (The Ritual), a key work of the Indian New Wave by pioneer Kannada director Girish Kasaravalli, with Harikatha Prasanga(Chronicles of Hari), the directorial debut of Ananya Kasaravalli, daughter of Girish Kasaravalli, with both filmmakers appearing in person; and the Closing Night film Tope (The Bait), a seductively surreal, folkloric fable from prominent Bengali director, Buddhadeb Dasgupta (who will appear in person on Dec. 11). See below for the full lineup.
India in a Day – U.S. PREMIERE | SCREENING FOLLOWED BY OPENING RECEPTION
India/UK. Dir. Richie Mehta. 2016, 86 mins. DCP. In Hindi and English with English subtitles. Over the course of a single day in October 2015, thousands across India recorded and shared moments from their everyday lives. From over 16,000 submissions, director Richie Mehta fashioned a vibrant, richly sensorial mosaic that reflects the subcontinent’s extraordinarily diverse range of people, places, experiences, and perspectives.
Loktak Lairembee (Lady of the Lake) – Director Haobam Paban Kumar attending
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 7:30 P.M.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
India. Dir. Haobam Paban Kumar. 2016, 71 mins. DCP. In Manipuri with English subtitles. With Ningthoujam Sanatomba, Sagolsam Thambalsang. Set amidst the unique community of fishing families that populate the floating islands of northeast India’s Lake Loktak, the spellbinding narrative debut from nonfiction filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar blends documentary-like realism with a touch of the surreal.
Loktak Lairambee
Lathe Joshi – Director Mangesh Joshi attending
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2:00 P.M.
U.S. PREMIERE
India. Dir. Mangesh Joshi. 2016, 104 mins. DCP. In Marathi with English subtitles. With Chittaranjan Giri, Ashwini Giri, Seva Chouhan, Om Bhutkar. After losing his job, a lathe worker takes a stand to reclaim his dignity in a society that no longer seems to value him. This lyrical, meditative character study is both a moving portrait of a man and a perceptive look at globalization’s human toll.
The Violin Player
The Violin Player – Director Bauddhayan Mukherji attending
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 4:30 P.M.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
India. Dir. Bauddhayan Mukherji. 2015, 72 mins. DCP. In Hindi with English subtitles. With Ritwick Chakraborty, Adil Hussain, Nayani Dixit, Sonam Stobgais. A chance encounter with an enigmatic filmmaker sets a struggling violinist on a surprising journey of self-discovery. This mesmerizing tale of art and destiny conjures a quietly gripping air of mystery as it builds towards its soul-shaking denouement.
Sila Samayangalil (Sometimes)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 6:30 P.M.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
India. Dir. Priyadarshan. 2016, 110 mins. DCP. With Prakash Raj, Sriya Reddy, Ashok Selvan. In a doctor’s office waiting room, eight people of varying backgrounds nervously await the results of their HIV tests. When they learn that one among them has tested positive, tensions mount and anxious guessing games begin. This richly emotional comedic drama tackles a serious subject with compassion and unexpected humor.
Ghatashraddha (The Ritual) – Director Girish Kasaravalli attending
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2:00 P.M.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION
India. Dir. Girish Kasaravalli. 1977, 108 mins. 35mm. In Kannada with English subtitles. With Meena Kuttappa, Naraya Bhat, Ajith Kumar. One of the key works of the Indian New Wave, this spare, haunting drama tells the story of a bond that develops between two outsiders: a Brahmin boy who contends with bullying at school and an unmarried young woman who faces excommunication when she becomes pregnant.
Harikatha Prasanga
Harikatha Prasanga (Chronicles of Hari) – Director Ananya Kasaravalli attending
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 4:30 P.M.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
India. Dir. Ananya Kasaravalli. 2015, 105 mins. DCP. In Kannada with English subtitles. With Shrunga B.V., K.G. Krishnamurthy, Ganesh Kelamane. The lines between stage and reality begin to blur for a male actor who plays female roles in traditional Yakshagana theater. Taking the form of a faux-documentary, the provocative feature debut of Ananya Kasaravalli examines issues of gender, performance, and identity within Indian society.
Tope
https://youtu.be/WPE6nLxBIGs
Tope (The Bait) – Director Buddhadeb Dasgupta attending
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 7:30 P.M.
U.S. PREMIERE | CLOSING NIGHT
India. Dir. Buddhadeb Dasgupta. 2016, 88 mins. DCP. In Bengali with English subtitles. With Sudipto Chatterjee, Kajal Kumari, Ananya Chatterjee, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Paoli Dam. Internationally renowned auteur Buddhadeb Dasgupta directs this seductively surreal, folkloric fable about three fantastical characters—a traveling tightrope walker, a tree-dwelling postman, and a wealthy, tiger-hunting raja—whose lives intertwine in the lush Bengal countryside.
