A golden opportunity for film students in Himachal

Dharamshala International Film Festival 2014 is thrilled to host A Conversation with Rajat Kapoor, a session on acting, directing and more with the acclaimed filmmaker whose Ankhon Dekhi is Opening Night film this year. (3:30pm on November 1, 2014, at Club House Screening Room 2, Mcleodganj)

Rajat attended FTII and made his acting debut in the 1989 Kumar Shahani film, Khayal Gatha. His directorial debut was with Private Detective: Two Plus Two Plus One (1997). In 2003, he wrote and directed the independent film, Raghu Romeo, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. 

How can people forget his Bheja Fry, which really fried the Bheja of most of us. Soak in the magic of cinema and learn from the best at a unique #filmfestival in the shadow of the majestic Dhauladhars. All those who wants to attend this session or watch the films can visit the film festival from 30 October to 2 November in TIPA, Mcleodganj, DHaramshala. You can see the complete schedule here : http://www.diff.co.in/

Cinema in Himachal & Film Festivals

How can we develop cinema in Himachal Pradesh if there is no cinema hall for the people to watch films? This is the question many filmmakers shoot in response to producing Pahari films. Off course they are not wrong but they are not right either. Cinema halls are for mainstream cinema and which have always been. They always play the mainstream films where millions or billions of rupees are spent to produce them. Being a less populated state, it's not easy to run a cinema hall in Himachal Pradesh. But the saying is that necessity is the mother of all. If we focus on producing the films for international audiences, the local audience will also come forward to watch the film.

Well filmmakers produce Pahari films or not, the businessmen build cinema halls or not, but the demand for cinema has already been increasing in Himachal. In response to that some people have started providing good cinema to the people over here. As of now, two film festivals are being organized in Himachal every year. 

Shimla Film Festival was organized in the beginning of this year in Shimla which received an overwhelming response from local community as well as from the tourists. Although some of the delegates were not happy with the management and the judges decision but all this happens during the first time. 

On the other hand Dharamshala International Film Festival was started in 2012 and is being organized this year for 3rd time subsequently. Dharamshala International Film Festival is a non-profit venture presented by White Crane Arts & Media, a trust set up by long-term Dharamshala residents and internationally renowned filmmakers, Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, to promote contemporary art, cinema and independent media practices in the Himalayan region.

Soon there are some other groups looking forward for the development of Cinema in Himachal and working on certain projects. Hopefully we will be able to see some good and meaningful cinema in Himachal soon.

Upcoming Festival

Dharamshala International Film Festival 2014

30 October - 2 November 2014

Venue : Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA)

Mcleodganj, Dharamshala

For more details visit

http://diff.co.in/

Article by : +Ajay Saklani  (Silent Hills Studio)