Screening of selected short films on rural India, conversations with filmmakers, interactions with acclaimed directors, actors and critics – you can catch all this and more at Chitrashaala on August 3. Here’s what the day will bring.
Village Square brings an action-packed day, showcasing the various facets of rural India on celluloid, as well as a chance for filmmakers, fans and critics to interact with each other at the inaugural edition of its Chitrashaala short film festival. We will host acclaimed film personalities Muzaffar Ali, Adil Hussain and Faisal Malik, besides other directors of short films, on the occasion. The event, being organised by Village Square as a part of Transform Rural India’s (TRI) annual India Rural Colloquy, in partnership with Film Critics Guild, will be held on Saturday, August 3, at Alliance Francaise, New Delhi.
The morning will begin at 9 am, with attendees having the opportunity to learn more about Village Square. The three selected films from the ‘Student Winners’ category will then be presented. These are the winning entries from Village Square’s competition for college students as selected by a three-member jury from the Film Critics Guild, comprising movie reviewers Suparna Sharma, Arnab Banerjee and Shomini Sen. The work of up-and-coming filmmakers will be presented during the hour-long segment.
Chitrashaala’s next section of the day will bring a screening of short films on Indian arts and crafts. These include gems like Dastaan-e-Dastkari — Moradabad by Muzaffar Ali, Mask Art of Majuli by Utpal Borpujari, Wooden Tales from Thammampatti by Vivi Raaj and Khiew Ranei (Black Clay) by Riah Taipodia.
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The highlight of the morning segment is a talk on ‘Craft and Cinema’ moderated by film critic Suparna Sharma, wherein directors Muzaffar Ali, Utpal Borpujari and Riah Taipodia will share their thoughts. This 30-minute interaction will be a candid chat with the directors who will share their perspectives.
Felicitation of the student winners, whose films will be screened earlier in the day at Chitrashaala, will take place before the day’s proceedings halt for a lunch break at 1 pm.
The second half of the day will begin with five films being screened on environment and climate change at Chitrashaala. It will comprise Aravali: the Lost Mountains by Jigar Nagda, Coral Woman by Priya Thuvassery, Jaisalmer’s Khadeens by Novita Singh and Amir Malik, Last Days of Summer by Stenzin Tankong and Wade by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya and Kalp Sanghvi.
You can look forward to hearing more from two of the filmmakers of this segment when film critic Shomini Sen moderates an interaction with directors Jigar Nagda and Stenzin Tankong. All those concerned by the looming spectre of climate change would want to sit in on this session.
Actors Adil Hussain and Faisal Malik need no introduction. The former has won accolades for his roles in movies like Reluctant Fundamentalist, Life of Pi and English Vinglish while the latter is popular for his character of Prahladcha “Prahlad” Pandey in Panchayat, besides his appearance in Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2. Film critic Saibal Chatterjee will anchor the conversation with the two famous personalities during this session of Chitrashaala. The day will end with the screening of two movies chosen by the Film Critics Guild – Giddh (The Scavanger) by Manish Saini, starring renowned actor Sanjay Mishra, and Bittu by Karishma Dubey, which was among the 10 films shortlisted for the Best Live Action Short Film segment of the 93rd Academy Awards.
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Village Square’s Chitrashaala short film festival focuses on stories from rural India.
Date: August 3, 2024
Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
