Forging New Alliances: IndiEarth On Screen

‘Without music, life would be a mistake’.

The words of Friedrich Nietzsche quite accurately sum up the theme for the next edition of IndiEarth On Screen – a colourful mélange of alternative cinema, bound together by the common thread of music that weaves through each of the stories told. The first film – Parveen Sultana: The Queen Of Melody, directed by Kaberi Chakraborty – tells the story of Assamese Hindustani classical legend Begum Parveen Sultana – one of the foremost classical vocalists in India. The second – titled A Day In The Life – interdependence – IndiaJAM – is a musical video collaboration between guitarist/composer Bhrigu Sahni – based out of Boston/NYC – and Jamun – a collective of independent forward thinking filmmakers based out of New Delhi. The final film that will be screened is Oinam Doren’s Songs of Mashangva – a national award winning documentary shot in the magical lands of Shillong, Kolkatta, Rajasthan, and Nagaland, and remote villages of the Ukhrul district in Manipur. The beautifully captured film is shot over 18 months and documents rare Tangkhul folk songs and chants.

This edition of IndiEarth On Screen on Thursday, February 27th, will happen in three cities – Pune, Bangalore and Chennai. It also marks the formation of a new alliance, and the first IndiEarth screening at the Alliance Francaise of Madras. With the Alliance Francaise’s and IndiEarth’s shared vision for pushing the envelope in the promotion of alternative art and culture, this collaboration has a promising future for the cultural landscape of Chennai. Benoit Olivier – director of the Alliance Francaise of Madras – spoke more to IndiEarth about the upcoming collaboration, and its future plans for the independent arts in India.

Benoit Olivier – Director – Alliance Francaise of Madras

IndiEarth: Can you tell us a bit about the philosophy of the Alliance Francaise – with respect to music, film, art and culture?
Benoit: The Alliance tries to work in a few directions – showcasing the creativity of artists from France especially in the fields of dance and music, working to enhance dialogue between French and Indian artists, and also offering support in creating new work in Chennai through residency programs that are conducted within the Alliance.

IndiEarth: How does the Alliance work to promote independent artists and musicians in India?
Benoit: We open up our auditoriums  as a venue for any new, creative trend in the field of music. We also sometimes sponsor concerts of local musicians – as long as it’s within our production budget.

IndiEarth: Can you share your thoughts about this collaboration – between the Alliance and IndiEarth?
Benoit: We’ve actually been looking forward to a regular programme between both our organizations – so it’s a great achievement!

IndiEarth: What are you looking forward to – in showcasing alternative cinema in Chennai, through these IndiEarth On Screen evenings at Alliance Francaise?
Benoit: We are looking forward to becoming a destination venue for alternative cinema! And also to promote our venue as a good screening space for movies – we have a cine club that happens twice a month as well.

IndiEarth: How can the Alliance Francaise and the IndiEarth collective work alongside each other – to nurture an independent music, film and arts scene in Chennai and India? What do you see for the future?
Benoit: I would be delighted to participate with the annual IndiEarth XChange in the coming year. It would be a great space  and avenue to showcase more French talent in Chennai – which I would like to do.

Screening Schedule:

Chennai Screening:
Date: 27th Feb – Thursday /Venue: Alliance Francaise of Madras, 24, College Rd, Subba Road Avenue, Nungambakkam, Chennai. Time: 8pm

Pune Screening:
Date: 27th Feb – Thursday /Venue: High SpiritsHigh Spirits, Koregaon Park, Mundhwa, Pune Time: 8pm

Bangalore Screening:
Date: 27th Feb – Thursday /Venue: The Humming Tree, 12th Main Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore  Time: 8pm

Film 1 – Parveen Sultana: The Queen of Melody – 26 mins  | Biography, Short | 2011 | English | Director: Kaberi Chakraborty     

Film 2 – A Day in the Life – 1.5 mins  |Short, Music Video| 2012 | English | Director: Jamun

Film 3 – Songs of Mashangva  – 64 mins  |Biography, Documentary| 2012 | English, Tangkhul/Manipuri (English subtitles) | Director: Oinam Doren

More details on the Facebook Event page here.

/ ENTRY FREE /

IndiEarth

IndiEarth is an online B2B platform that connects India’s non-mainstream independent Musicians and Filmmakers to worldwide Media. The platform features a blog, offers value-added services and wider opportunity networks through its partnerships. IndiEarth is an EarthSync Initiative.

More Posts