IndiEarth On Screen: Celebrating Independents
Two years since the first ever IndiEarth On Screen – bringing independent cinema to wider audiences through non-commercial community screenings across the country – and the initiative is still forging ever forward on its mission. The next edition this Tuesday September 8th at the Alliance Francaise of Madras brings two very different pieces of cinema together in the same screening space – SNS Sastry’s short documentary Yes It’s On and Mika Mattila’s Chimeras.
Sourced from the precious Films Divisions archive, Yes It’s On is an unusual look at India post independence, capturing almost playfully the nation and its people with a focus on its women. Sastry – an iconic documentary filmmaker regarded as one of the first Indian masters of the short documentary – is distinctly satirical in his style, a reputed cameraman and filmmaker with the Films Division.
Finnish filmmaker Mika Mattila spent years based in China working as a cameraman, surrounded and inspired by Beijing’s art scene and avant garde circles. This is where the idea for his film Chimeras was born – a unique reflection on modern Chinese identity as portrayed by the film’s two protagonists, a successful contemporary artist named Wang Guangyi and a burgeoning young artist named Liu Gang. Mattila weaves their two lives together into one beautifully crafted cinematic tapestry, incorporating elements of cinema verite and art biography. The film was screened at one of the past editions of the Dharamshala International Film Festival – who IndiEarth On Screen has partnered with for a second year in a row to showcase world cinema and provide further outreach for festival goers, creating interest in world cinema in the South of India.
For more details on the upcoming IndiEarth On Screen, visit the Facebook event page here.
For details on the Dharamshala International Film Festival, visit www.diff.co.in
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