Winds From The East

Satyajit Ray Produced- Film Divison Directed- Shyam Benegal Language- English Documentary More on Ray:- Satyajit Ray, Ray film's and Ray Movie. Satyajit Ray Issue no-5 Pic- Ray and Kurosawa.

A recent comment from Haridas B at the Indian Auteur website pointed us towards these set of lectures given by Mani Kaul at the International Film Festival of Kerala, 2006 and also a subsequent debate on the same with cinematographers and filmmakers at the Osian film festival 2007. This debate was further revived by the same group of cinematographers and they had this to say: " We found Mani Kaul's argument very interesting and relevant. But unfortunately this subject has not been picked up and debated enough. So we have compiled the video recordings of both the events here. Please view the videos and contribute to the debate" I would like to know the views of people here, so we to can contribute to the overall discussion. Mani Kaul also wrote an essay exploring similar themes and topics in Beneath the Surface: Cinematography and Time which is available online at the Indian Autuer website. The N...

Editorial How to Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare One of the sole motivations for working towards establishing a scope for co-operative film criticism, production and distribution here in India was when an acquaintance in Mumbai told me it would take 20 years to change things. That’s when I believe we had a target date in hindsight. What we seek is an age where there would be freedom for the director to film the places he loves, the restaurant he visits and the college he studied. In a manner that is personal and close-and a camera style that is distinctively his very own. And a time where one is not deprived of reading criticism against great men of cinema who are thought to be infallible- A time of questioning. A time when people will not hide behind the veil of mediocrity- in the name of serving the interest of the masses- Or protecting the rights of the proletariat. Above all; a time of choice, for every film from Mumbai we should get to hear a story from Chhattisgarh, Manipur, and ...

I haven't been writing much lately, but a number of activities are taking place on the ground to take cinema and discussion to a whole new level. In the span of two weeks we've managed to hold two big cine experiences and each one of them had people from all walks of life turning up for the screenings. The just concluded Shakti Samanta retrospective ran to packed houses and people where more than eager to participate in the discussions. A full report with pictures would be published soon. Cine Darbaar has been instrumental in the last six months to push towards several initiatives such as film festivals, film appreciation and workshops. The just concluded Shakti Samanta retrospective was the fifth cine experience by the group. Here are two recent reports on Cine Darbaar:- Time Out- New Delhi. Court is in session A six-month-old group of Delhi cinephiles is hoping to popularise World Cinema in India, reports Ajitha GS. On January 1 this ...

Directorate of Film Festival of India & Cinedarbaar The Minister of Information & Broadcasting Smt. Ambika Soni will inaugurate the retrospective of Shakti Samanta Films on 10th July 2009 at 1830 hrs at Siri Fort Auditorium II, New Delhi. Director and son of late Sh. Samanta, Sh. Ashim Samanata will be the Keynote Speaker. Shakti Samant’s award winning film Amar Prem (Hindi Colour, 1972, 153 minutes) would be screened at the inaugural function. Sh.Samanta, the noted film director/producer passed away on April 9, 2009. Shakti Samanta directed first feature film in 1954 and started his own production company, Shakti Films, in 1957. In all, Samanta has directed 43 feature films: including 37 Hindi, and 6 Bengali films. His best known films are: Howrah Bridge, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evenin...

- Debojit Ghatak A report on the recently concluded Russian Cine Experience. The programming for the week of Russian cinema was planned in way that one moved back in time from the contemporary Russian cinema to a retrospective on Tarkovsky and then back to 1925 through Battleship Potemkin. After the inauguration which involved the lighting of the lamp by young cinephiles, the series of screenings commenced with Oksana Bychkova’s Piter Fm, a film disliked by all are team members but liked by the audience. And since the first day is always difficult to break the ice among the audience, this conflict was the perfect provocation for the audience and the team to get involved in an active discussion on the film. The next day, Ostrov/The Island by Pavel Lungin was screened. The film is about a spiritual transition of a guilt stricken man, and how he overcomes the fear of death by the end of the film. Anatoly, the father of the island, had once killed an innocent m...