‘Indian cinema
continues moving
beyond Bollywood’
ARTHUR J PAIS
Sakti Sengupta, founder and director of the New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest, has been carry- ing on the annual event almost by himself. The software professional, who once dreamt of making films, continues showing old and new trend-making films from
India and its neighboring countries. The festival’s sixth
edition will be held October 5 through 7 at the Big
Cinemas in Edison.
The festival was started with the conviction that New
Jersey ought to have its own South Asian film festival,
especially those who cannot make it to similar festivals in
New York. “We also knew that there is a small audience for
non-Bollywood type of films that is also eager to discuss
themes and content of a different kind of cinema,”
Sengupta said.
Nearly 2,000 people attended the festival last year.
“We have been trying to show that Indian cinema con-
tinues moving beyond Bollywood,” Sengupta said. There
are a lot of good films being made elsewhere in India and
other parts of South Asia, and we have shown there is a
hunger to see these films. Our festival draws people from
more than four or five states on the East Coast.”
He pointed out that the festival has screened quality
Dekh Indian Circus
films – like
Priyadarshan’s
award-winning
Kanjeevaram –
“We have also shown films such as Adoor Gopal-akrish-
nan’s A Climate For Crime, which had its North American
premiere at our festival,” Sengupta added. “We have shown
films from other South Asian countries. We have also paid
a tribute to Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithange. We
have also shown from regional Indian cinema, including
Girish Kasravalli’s Kannada films, which are not easily
screened here.”
This year, the festival will also screen films about the
challenges faced by children in the developing world, and
by children of immigrants in developed nations. As part of
B.A. Pass
this section, Mrinal
Sen’s 1982 Cannes Film
Festival Jury Award
winner Kharij ( The Case
Is Closed) will be
screened.
Among the other films
this year is Dekh Indian
Circus, featuring
Tannishtha Chatterjee
and Nawazuddin
Siddiqui and directed by
Mangesh Had-awale. It
is one of the many independently made films
being shown.
Bollywood director
Imtiaz Ali (Rock Star,
Jab We Met) will be the
main guest at the event.
The North Ame-rican premiere of award-winning films
include Guerillas From Bangladesh (judged best feature film
at the Kolkata International Film Festival, 2011) and B. A. Pass
from India (winner of best feature film and best leading male
actor at Osian's Film Festival, 2012) and adaptation of Anita
Nair’s novel of the same name, Lessons In Forgetting.
Kasaravalli’s Kurmavatara, the story of a simple older
man who confronts the parallels in his own life to those in
Gandhi’s life while acting as the Mahatma in a television
serial, will also be shown at the festival. It was screened
recently in Toronto.
This year, the New Jersey festival is also inviting independent film, documentary and music video makers to
meet representatives of Kan Kan Film Ventures of India.
The digital company is looking for short filmmakers from
North America.
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