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Taking cinema beyond dark halls

Apart from screening 50 reality films, `Open Frame' festival will hold discussions on issues surrounding broadcast media; film appreciation workshops

A still from a documentary to be aired during the festival.

Taking the cinema experience beyond dark halls that sell a million dreams and present a thousand realities, this week marks the return of a festival that brings with it not just the best of "frames" but also the atmosphere to view them with an "open" mind.

Spread over a week, "Open Frame: PSBT Festival 2005" takes off this coming Friday. Organised by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) in collaboration with UNESCO, Prasar Bharati Corporation, British Council and Max Mueller Bhavan, the festival will screen 50 documentaries and reality films from around the world. An attempt to go beyond celluloid, the festival will once again see the platform being used to raise critical questions facing the broadcast industry, apart from providing a rare opportunity for people to polish their skills through film appreciation workshops.

Aimed at developing a dialogue on the importance of a democratic medium, over 350 students are already registered to take the special workshop with well-known independent filmmaker and media teacher Philip Cox, the director of Native Voice Films. Also joining Open Frame this year will be the director of the London-based documentary filmmakers' group, Andy Glynne, who will conduct a workshop on "Modern News Making", apart from providing an introduction to the overview of the documentary and working as an independent freelancer.

"Most film festivals end up being a passive experience and we wanted to change that. So we decided to make it an interesting experience for people by including workshops and discussions that will help educate the audience to critically appreciate a film. There needs to be a discourse and discussion on the seminal issues surrounding the broadcasting media. Democratisation of the process is a must," feels Rajiv Mehrotra, the Managing Trustee of PSBT.

Showcasing a package of outstanding public service documentary films in collaboration with Max Mueller Bhavan this year will be the International Public Television Forum (INPUT). Providing a special focus this time will be a package put together by the UNESCO on films dealing with socially relevant themes from developing countries.

Shifting the spotlight to one of the most important questions faced by a globalised world would be a colloquium on "Who decides what we must watch: Freedom of expression and the regulator's role in the new media environment". — Lakshmi B. Ghosh

— Lakshmi B. Ghosh

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