DISPELLING DARKNESS: Playwright Girish Karnad, actor Nandita Das and chairperson of Arghyam Trust Rohini Nilekani inaugurating the film festival in Bangalore on Thursday. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: An Iranian film about a desert community praying for water, Kannada folk songs on water's life sustaining quality and a Nepali film on water's destructive nature: these facets of water from across the world held centre stage at the inauguration of the second edition of the International Film Festival on Water here on Friday.

Titled "Voices from the Waters", the festival was kick started by actor Nandita Das, playwright Girish Karnad and Arghyam chairperson Rohini Nilekani.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Das said that the issue of water was "so overwhelming, so far away" that the urgency of taking action was not realised.

"Sometimes big steps are so difficult to take, that the smaller steps are hardly taken," she said. But this film festival was definitely a step towards sensitising people, she said.

`Misused'

Mr. Karnad said that the medium of films had been misused in the country. Stating that films could have been used to spread literacy about concerns of the world, he said that vesting the responsibility of making documentaries with Films Division had scuttled the growth of the genre in the country.

Ms. Nilekani said that quality and quantity of water had topped the list of global concerns.

She said inequity in distribution had become a matter of importance and was the main reason for water scarcity.

"But with an increase in awareness, governments across the world are taking the issue of water management seriously," she said.

The film festival will be on till June 11 at Guru Nanak Bhavan, Jasma Bhavan Road Vasanthnagar. More than 140 films from around the world will be screened.

Some of the movies include "Dweepa" by Girish Kasarvalli and "Bara" by M.S. Sathyu. They will be screened between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. at Guru Nanak Bhavan.

Entry is free. For further details, email bfs@bgl.vsnl.net.in or call Ph: 25493705, 9886213516, 9480090128.

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