IndiEarth On Screen: Showcasing the Independents

Chennai – an artistic hub, cultural melting pot, and creative mecca of the South Indian performing arts – also home to a fresh breed of new wave films in the Indian independent circuit. The first April edition of IndiEarth OnScreen – happening at Ashvita Bistro on Thursday, 2^nd of April  – pays homage to this artistry with a line up that features a wide spectrum of Chennai’s independent filmmakers and their work.

The screening opens with Vydianathan Ramaswami’s Chennai Gaana (Chennai Blues) documenting the Gaana tradition of Chennai – a unique form of Tamil rap culture that has its roots in the slum communities of Chennai, speaking about issues like politics, urban poverty, caste, violence and sex and blending a variety of Tamil dialects. Raja Magal’s Manikandan is a story about the film’s protagonist and his infatuation with Janani – a lover who’s graceful dance to a classic film song possesses him and remains etched in his memory forever. Ramakrishna Dhanasekaran’s Children Of The Republic documents the darker side of the city, offering a glimpse into the life of Santhosh Kumar – a student in class 5 who collects bottles for money and sniffs correction fluid for recreation, while filmmaker Vijay Jaypal showcases his work Meelparvai – a romantic drama about love and relationships. Helmet Thirudargal’s Parthy KL is a short comedy on helmet awareness, and finally the evening closes with Balaji Maheshwar’s Madras is Beautiful – a poetic ode to the beauty in the every day of living in Madras, often overlooked due to the busy schedules and fast paced lifestyles of the modern generation.

And for the Mumbai-based lovers of independent cinema, there’s something for you too. This evening (Tuesday 31st of March), The Root Reel in collaboration with IndiEarth OnScreen and Films Division brings you Anifest –  a series of thought provoking films from around the world, showcased at Alliance Francaise de Bombay. The series ranges from Pramod Pati’s classic Ravi Shankar – a portrait of the musical genius; to Ehsan Kabir’s Folk Nations; and finally Ernest Hariyanto’s musical documentary Voice Over The Bridge – documenting a unique collaboration between two traditional musicians of Myanmar and a troupe of Western musicians.

For more details, visit the Facebook event page here.

SCREENING SCHEDULE

TUESDAY, 31 MARCH 2015:
Venue: Alliance Francaise de Bombay

Address: Theosophy Hall, Alliance Française Auditorium, New Marine Lines, Mumbai.
Time: 6:30 pm

Film 1:
Ravi Shankar (India) / Filmmaker: Pramod Pati / 27 min / 1974/ English/ B&W / Genre: Bio, Music Documentary

Film 2:
Folk Nations (Bangladesh) / Filmmaker: Ehsan Kabir / 30 min/ 2013/ English/ Colour / Genre: Music Documentary

Film 3:
Voice Over the Bridge (Myanmar) / Filmmaker: Ernest Hariyanto / 24 min/ Burmese (English Subtitles) / 2009/ Colour / Music/ Art Documentary

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THURSDAY 2 APRIL 2015
Venue: Ashvita Bistro

Address: Bawa Road (off TTK Rd.), Alwarpet, Chennai
Time: 7:30 pm

Film 1:
Chennai Gaana / Vydianathan Ramaswami / 18 min/ Color/ 2012/ Tamil (English Subs)
Music Documentary
Trailer

Film 2:
Raja Magal Filmmaker: Manikandan / 13 min/ Color/ 2014/ Tamil (English Subs) / Short, Drama
Trailer

Film 3:
Children of the Republic / Filmmaker: Ramakrishna Dhanasekaran / 18 min/ Color/ 2013/ Tamil (English subs) / Social Message
Trailer

Film 4:
Meelparvai / Filmmaker: Vijay Jayapal / 22min/ Color/ 2014/ Tamil (English subs) / Short, Drama
Trailer

Film:5
Helmet Thirudargal / Parthy KL / 20 min/ Color/ 2014/ Tamil (English Subs) / Comedy, Social Message
Trailer

Film 6:
Madras is Beautiful / Balaji Maheshwar / 4 min/ Color/ 2014 / Music video
Trailer

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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.

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