artsy film majors; easily breaking cultural divides

This past week there was a film festival at the Film and Television Institute of India, located about 5 minutes from my house. We were given the opportunity to attend some of the screenings as we liked. Seeing as I didn't have afternoon class on either Wednesday or Thursday I figured I'd take advantage of it! We easily walked from Fergusson College and made it to the main theatre on campus. I went after lunch with two other girls, and we ended up being a little late for the start of one film. When going into the theatre it was definitely hand disappearing in front of your face dark as we attempted to walk up the disorienting ramp into the theatre. Once we got our bearings we plopped down in the closest empty seats we could find. The first documentary was about the first female Bollywood film star. It was really interesting in that the famous star, now an old woman, was very witty and sharp. She was snapping at the camera and quite entertaining to watch, wrinkles and chapatti making and all. When the lights came on a young man, presumably a Film student, introduced the next film. We immediately commented on his long, somewhat unruly hair, coupled with his similarly long beard and his 'cool' way of talking. We then noticed the some of the students in the auditorium and their somewhat noticeable alternative style. I noticed one guy with hair like yours mom (well, probably more unruly, but close enough). Obviously the connotations of being a Film student translate across cultural borders. Yes, they were artsy, yes they were a real cool kind of cool, and yes, they filled the theatre. The second film started up, but, less than two minutes in the power went out. I've learned that in India, nothing is ever completely dependable. However, they got it started back up within a few minutes time, without subtitles. So, we left.

The three of us sat in Cafe Coffee Day (slowest service ever) for a few hours talking.

We went back to see some more films on Thursday, all of which I found really interesting. The first was about a small village hidden within the forests of India that built a 10,000 ft (i think) suspension bridge out of bamboo and sticks. The second happened to be very pertinent to my potential research/internship while here in India and gave me some specific ideas to pursue. It was a documentary that highlighted many cases throughout India in which mining companies, both Indian and International, essentially stole or are attempting to diminish and ultimately destroy the livelihood of ancient village people. These villages are completely dependent on their land for their daily sustenance which is being challenged by the encroaching mining projects. The last film was about an orphanage turned school in Nepal created years ago by the Scottish. It was filmed by students returning 20 years later for a reunion and revealed the importance of this establishment to the lives and success of the children. Although the topics of all three documentaries definitely sparked my interest, the composition and actual execution of the films wasn't all too impressive; at times each film seemed to drag on without directional purpose. However each film left me with distinct impressions regarding diverse aspects of Indian culture and society today.


Here is the website for the Film and Television Institute of India, The festival was called 'Persistence Resistance Film Festival'

http://www.ftiindia.com/newftii/index.html