The Hindu : New Delhi News : Osian’s Cinefan film festival begins today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 20, 2007
ePaper

New Delhi

New Delhi

Osian’s Cinefan film festival begins today

THIS FOR ``TALK OF THE TOWN” WITHOUT PICTURE.

The much-awaited ninth edition of Osian’s Cinefan, Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema opens at the Capital’s Siri Fort Complex on Friday, giving cinema lovers a spectacular treat of 140 films from over 35 countries.

The inauguration of the festival by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be followed by the global premiere of filmmaker Babak Shirinshefat’s movie ‘Raami’, a co-production of Iran and Azerbaijan.

The festival, which began as an Asian film festival in 1999, will be screening a series of films from the Arab world. From war to intimate stories of ordinary men and women, from satires and critiques to frightening scenarios of the future and from social documents to thrillers, the Arab films will showcase a wide variety of styles and themes.

Stating that Arab films have proved to be inventive, imaginative and bold, Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art Chairman Neville Tuli says: “Some are personal statements, others social comments, questioning and chronicling tradition, everyday life, war, gender, fundamentalism and much else.”

Three films -- ‘Falafel’, a Lebanon-France co-production, ‘Making Of’ and ‘Tender is the Wolf’ -- are in competition this year.

‘Falafel’ takes viewers through the streets of Beirut and explores the post-civil war emptiness surrounding its protagonist Toufic, who finds having a normal life a luxury beyond his reach. ‘Making Of’ by Nouri Bouzid is about Batha, a break-dancer who falls prey to Islamic militants after the 9/11terrorist attack and is brainwashed and prepared for a suicide bombing mission.

The other Tunisian film, ‘Tender is the Wolf’ by Jilani Saadi, is set against the cold urban world of poverty and violence. It tackles questions about the nature of human relationships in today’s Arabic-Muslim society. Another Tunisian entry in the First Features Competition is Elyes Baccar’s ‘She and He’. A low-budget film about a relationship on the verge of breaking down, the film raises the question of individual freedom in a supervised society.

Saudi Arabian director Abdullah Al-Muheisen’s film ‘Shadows of Silence’ is a terrifying story of the control of ‘an occult power over society’. Seen through the eyes of intellectuals who are too critical and who are, therefore, isolated by authoritarian regimes, this film has a unique storyline. ‘WWW: What a Wonderful World’ by Fouzi Bensaidi from Morocco is a story about freedom and feelings. Set in contemporary Casablanca, the film is a thriller that elegantly choreographs the incongruities of urban life.

The festival is organised annually by Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art, the country’s pioneering arts institution and auction house. Screenings will be held at Siri Fort, Alliance Francaise, PVR Plaza and PVR Rivoli.

Madhur Tankha

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi