To celebrate the spirit that refuses to be pinioned, Films For Freedom had a screening of films that expressed solidarity with the Campaign Against Censorship
Films for Freedom, Bangalore recently organised screenings of three documentaries with themes which run parallel to our times at the Centre of Film and Drama. Films for Freedom was an immediate response by Bangalore based documentary film makers and intellectuals to a movement launched by another Mumbai-based organisation Vikalp to repel the Campaign Against Censorship initiated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting at the Mumbai International Film Festival back
in August, 2003. As per the origin the documentaries showcased came with a social message and was a tribute to some of the greatest historical incidents which later shaped the future of our country.
The first film was “Dirty Laundry” directed by Sanjeev Chatterjee. The film focuses on the lives of the Indians living in South Africa and their struggle for a true, pan South African identity. The film is also a journey of introspection by the director himself as he continues on his quest to figure out what the Indians living in post-Apartheid South Africa actually seek. “Dirty Laundry” which brings back memories of the Indian revolutionaries in the Apartheid movement is also a satire on present day India as the director uses impeccable animation to satirise the modern society of our country. This 42-minute documentary left the minimal audience spell-bound.
The second day of the screenings saw “Continuous Journey” by Ali Kazmi take centre-stage.
Ali Kazmi who is a Canadian based film-maker has previously directed non-fiction films like “Narmada: A Valley Rises” (1994) and “Shooting Indians” (1997). “Continuous Journey” tells the story of those 376 Indians who sailed from India to Canada in the infamous Komagata Maru, the first vessel to carry Indian immigrants out of India. These 376 immigrants on their arrival at the Toronto harbour were detained for 61 days which brought out the injustice and discrimination of the British Government. This film is an essay which interlinks photographs, news reels and official documents and unveils an important, but obscure event in the history of Indian Independence. The voice over for Gurdit Singh, the leader of the immigrants, is done by the renowned actor Naseeruddin Shah.
The screenings culminated with the showcasing of “The Legend of Fat Mama” by Rafeeq Ellias. This 23-minute documentary tells the story of the Chinese community living in Calcutta and their search for the Chinese woman who once made the most delicious noodles in the city’s Chinese district. The film revolves around the heritage of the Chinese living in Calcutta and how they suffered after the Indo-China war which motivated them to migrate to Canada.
Though the films did not cater to a large audience they certainly made their presence felt in the hearts of those few who turned up for the screenings. This was another initiative by Films for Freedom, Bangalore, and their battle against the censorship campaign. These screenings was another attempt by the group to infuse the spirit of documentary making in Bangaloreans.
DEBAYAN DEB
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