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Young film-makers show a new India

Mandira Nayar

NEW DELHI: The songs of Indian "tramp" might still be on the lips of many people in Russia, but now they will get to see a different side of India from the socialist black and white films of the Raj Kapoor era. Giving viewers a glimpse of a changed country in the 21st Century through the films of a younger generation, the "Open Cinema" II International Open-Air Festival for Short and Animation Films that will be held at St. Petersburg later will get a flavour of modern India.

The films to be screened at the festival are no ordinary student films. Having won awards at a two-day National Students Video Film Festival organised by the Jahangirabad Media Institute (JMI), this is their first step towards a bigger screen.

The National Students Video Film Festival is one of those rare platforms for films made by students.

From "Slice of Life'' which is a simple story of a brother and sister to "Belaus" that deals with the current relations between a Hindu and Muslim family in Kashmir, these films focus on the problems facing the country today. Chosen from 113 films entries from 30 institutions, they might be student films, but they have been judged professionally.

The films were judged by the best and brightest in the business -- Amar Kanwar, Sanjay Kak, Gauhar Raza, Harsh Mandar and Rooprekha Verma. Of the113 entries that were sent to the Jahangirabad Media Institute, 70 films were screened at the festival, 30 were chosen for the competitive section and 15 of these won.

These films have been invited to international film festivals like Auburn International Film and Video Festival, International Short Film and Food Festival and The First and the Last Experiment International Film Festival in Australia.

Spanning various subjects like communalism, women empowerment, AIDS and in different regional languages, these films will give audiences around the world a slice of life in India. "Sapera" (The Snake Charmer) is a film that looks at these entertainers and the hard lives they lead.

The movie is in Hindi and has been directed by Ravish Kumar. "Barsaat", a film in Hindi, is a film that deals is set in the backdrop of the independence struggle. Trapped in an old house, the story revolves around an encounter of two young men with freedom fighter, which changes their lives.

These films were screened at Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD) office on Friday evening.

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