Reality Check: IndiEarth On Screen

In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director.
                                                                                                                           – Alfred Hitchcock

Perhaps Hitchcock’s quote rings true in some ways, but more often than not the genre of documentary film seems to occupy the limbo space in between fact and fiction, art and objectivity, entertainment and document. Michel Brault may have been closer to the truth when he stated, “I don’t know what truth is. Truth is something unattainable. We can’t think we’re creating truth with a camera. But what we can do, is reveal something to viewers that allows them to discover their own truth”. In the upcoming edition of IndiEarth On Screen, we pay homage to the many avatars and varying perspectives of documentary film – from legendary Bengali filmmaker and Padma Shri award recipient Ritwik Ghatak’s stark depictions of social reality, to the more light-hearted portrayals of a Kakapo parrot’s rise to stardom in up and coming filmmaker Ashwika Kapur’s Sirocco – The Film.

A still from Ritwik Ghatak’s Scientists of Tomorrow

Ghatak as a filmmaker stood decidedly and staunchly outside the world of Indian commercial cinema, with films like Nagarik (1952) considered one of the earliest examples of Bengali art film. Unlike his contemporary and supporter Satyajit Ray, Ghatak sadly did not achieve the same fame outside of India and died an early death due to alcoholism. His film Scientists Of Tomorrow – Ghatak’s petition to Indian youth to contribute to the nation’s growth by taking to science, will be the first film of the night to be screened.

Also being screened is Santi P. Chowdhury’s Hussain – a film showcasing the work and artistic preoccupations of illustrious painter M.F. Hussain; Karuna Vishwanath’s environmental documentary A Boat In The River; and Nikita Mor’s The Way Of The Drum, celebrating the spirit of native culture in contemporary times.

The screenings will happen on Thursday May 22nd in two cities – in Bombay at The Hive, with filmmakers Nikita Mor and Karuna Vishwanath present to conduct an engaging discussion; and in Bangalore at The Humming Tree, with a post screening Q & A session and free popcorn for Bangalore’s cinemaratti.

If you’re passionate about documentary film, this is an evening not to be missed!

SCREENING SCHEDULE:
Bangalore:
Date: 22nd May  – Thursday | Venue: The Humming Tree, 12th Main Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore | Time: 8pm

Mumbai:
Date: 22nd May – Thursday | Venue: The Hive, 50 A Huma Mansion, Chuim Village Road, Khar West, Mumbai | Time: 8pm

Film 1: Scientists of Tomorrow / Director: Ritwik Ghatak / Duration: 11 min
Film 2: A Painter Of Our Time: Husain / Director: Santi P. Chowdhury / Duration: 27 min
Film 3: A Boat in the River / Director: Karuna Vishwanath / Duration: 17 min
Film 4: The Way of the Drum / Director: Nikita Mor / Duration: 14 min
Film 5: Sirocco The Film / Director: Ashwika Kapur / Duration: 16min

For more details on the films and the screening, visit the Facebook 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.

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