Short And Sweet: IndiEarth On Screen

A new year, a new space, with a whole new line up of the finest independent cinema – IndiEarth On Screen returns in 2015 this Wednesday, 14th of January, with a new screening space to call home, and a brand new collection of films for Chennai audiences.

The screening has partnered with the The Cinema Resource Centre (TCRC)– a non-profit organisation based out of Chennai that operates as a public archive of Indian cinema, seeking to promote film culture from a historical, educational, and artistic perspective. The organisation collects various forms of audio-visual artifacts including film posters, LP records, photographs, newspaper/magazine clippings and books, sourced from collectors, films producers, technicians, artistes and fans. “I have been collecting film memorabilia for over 11 years now – but eventually, I realised that these pieces of cinematic history needed a larger audience,” says founder Sruti Harihara Subramanian. “I also wanted to tell the world that Indian Cinema is not just ‘Bollywood’. Independent films find it difficult to get noticed in the country – they also have fewer avenues to exhibit their works. That way, I really appreciate IndiEarth’s efforts to support such cinema – TCRC is really excited to collaborate with IndiEarth! By having regular screenings of independent films we are not only giving deserving talent the chance to showcase their work, but also educating people that this kind of cinema  exists in our country.”

Ashvita Bistro – a cozy little café in Alwarpet – will play host to IndiEarth’s short film special, featuring a scintillating line up of award winning short films from a diverse cross section of independent Indian filmmakers – both from the reputed Films Division, and the latest works from a select few up and coming filmmakers who are making their mark in the realm of Indian independent cinema. The Films Division works being screened will speak of the various interesting nuances of short film making and documentary cinema, beginning with Kuldeep Sinha’s Through a Lens Starkly – chronicling 100 years of cinema in India and the systematic growth of documentary filmmaking in the country. Baba Mazgavkar’s Yes We Make Them Short reflects on the importance of the short film format, and the various experimentations and innovations in cinema that the format has enabled. Siddharth Kak’s India Through the Looking Glass presents a history of the Indian documentary film – from the coming of cinema to India at the turn of the century to its present development – including various relevant documentary excerpts. Finally, filmmaker Satyarth Shaurya Singh presents Alfiya – an abstract short that explores a single day in the life of protagonist Alfiya as she oscillates between blurred perceptions of reality and delusion, while Rajdip Ray’s Silent Night, Holy Night follows a homeless child living on the streets of Calcutta, on Christmas Eve.

The screening will be followed up by a discussion led by IndiEarth on “Why short films and documentaries are important; to be made and screened to audiences”.

For more details, check out the Facebook event page here.

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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