BY SUDDHASATYA GHOSH. KOLKATA, INDIA (CINEMA MINIMA) — Cine Central — probably the largest film society in Asia — will screen 70 films from 30 countries as part of the 14th Kolkata Film Festival to be held here 2008 November 10-17. A good selection of movies — from Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Iran, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Pakistan, Sweden, South Korea, Slovakia, and Uruguay — will be warming the occasion. A tribute to Che Guevara to commemorate his 80th birthday in the ‘Documedia’ section; homages to Cuban Humberto Solas and Egyptian Youssef Chahine; and a good bunch of Turkish, Norwegian, and Dutch contemporary movies are some of the interesting aspects of this festival.
Wait! The list is yet to complete: There is a Tribute section to Manoel de Oliveira, the documentarist of ACTO DE PRIMAVERA | RITE OF SPRING and of FRANCISCA. Believe me I am all in hunger to face him in the dark theatre. I remember him as a forerunner to Italian neo-realist trend with his depiction of Oporto’s street children. Some months ago as I was watching TRAFFIC SIGNAL, a movie by an Indian director Madhur Bhandarkar from Mumbai’s so-called offbeat class, I was just thinking about Oliveira’s influence in movie world.
Well I am raring to go. It will start on 14th November. This Cine society had a great influence in our movie culture. But as the censorship is too tough in India, it is difficult for them to get uncensored movies from around the world to exhibit. They have a fund crunch too.
I think these and some other reasons had made them work with the state government of West Bengal after they had started this festival at 1986 as the first independent International festival in India. That time it was called ‘Calcutta International Film Festival’ and now it is International Forum of New Cinema from 1998, after the collaboration with the government.
There is another thing that I noticed here — the absence of digital representations. I will ask them about it soon. Whatever the problems are — these few good men, volunteers of movie world, are not compromising on quality. That is why this festival is a must for the movie maniacs of India till date — and you may count me as one.
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Suddhasatya Ghosh
Suddhasatya Ghosh is based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Chris WinsomeChristopher Winsome is the Publisher of Cinema Minima for Movie Makers
Ogova OndegoNairobi-based full time worshipper at the shrine of arts and culture; writer specialising in issues related to children, youth, media, culture and development, with a bias towards african and children's cinemaKietryn Zychal
Kietryn Zychal is a Correspondent for the New York Bureau of Cinema Minima. She has worked as a journalist in the American state of Pennsylvania. Prior to working as a journalist, Zychal was an actress. She toured several American states performing a one-woman show “Merely the Ravings of a Maniac,” that she wrote and produced. Her screenplay, “What Comes Next,” is a dark comedy about the difficulty of being married to a professional golfer. Zychal is writing a TV pilot called “Eco-Hookers.” She was educated at Lehigh University and studied abroad in England and Switzerland.Austin Burbridge
Austin Burbridge is Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Minima. After successful careers in manufacturing and in technology, he founded Cinema Minima, Sustainable Cinema, and Far From Hollywood. A native of Texas, he learned cinéma vérité technique at Rice Media Center. At Brown he concentrated in Semiotics and in Art; he studied Art History at the University of Chicago. He lives in Los Angeles.
