Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 384

Jagran Film Festival

7.7.2014

The 5^th edition of the Jagran film Festival this year presents a special section ‘Cinema of the Uprising’ with a clutch of seven very special films. Freedom of human spirit has been a subject close to the Jagran philosophy. The festival seeks to bring alive the strife and struggles of human beings, social groups and the human race in general that rose against oppression and torture. This special section brings together seven features, four international and three Indian, dedicated to the fight to free human lives and minds.

The list of films include Beatriz’s War /East Timorby directed by Luigi Acquisto Bety Reis traces the oppression and struggle by women from East Timor against colonization of their region by Indonesia, Outside The Law/Algeria/Tunisia,France directed by Rachid Bouchareb presents a deep insight into the struggle by the Algerians against colonization by France and their desire to free their country. Battleship 

Potemkin/Russia a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm presents a dramatized version of the mutiny that occurred in 1905 when the crew of the Russian 

Battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers of the Tsarist regime. The Trial of Joan of Arc /France, by Robert Bresson stars non-professional performers and is a film about restrained style Birsa Munda/India is a biopic by Jharkhand director Ashok Sharan on the gutsy freedom fighter who raised weapons against the oppression by the British. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose by Shyam Benegal is about his struggle against the British. Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja is a Malyalam film about a Hindu king who fought against the British in the 18th century.

Jagran Film Festival is unique in the way; it seeks to connect with audiences across the country. It’s the first international film festival that reaches out to the people by visiting their cities, presenting cinema in their comfort zones, in their very own environment.

Tune into Monday ka Mantra box-office collection of new releases every morning 9.15 on breakfast link with me on @927BigFm.

Bhawana Somaaya/ Tweets @bhawanasomaaya