Anurag Jain's Blog on Bangalore Events, Travel, IIM Bangalore, IIM, IIMB, Management

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Posted 9:22 AM by Anurag

Oct 12-14: Bhubaneswar - 3rd Loka Chitra Utsav/People's Film Festival

"A certain silence seems to have engulfed us!

We have to free ourselves from a politics of power and violence that destroys the rights of citizens to live and work with dignity.

On the other side of this silence, between oppression and the resistance to it, documentary films have always created a unique social space, inspiring us and expanding our capabilities and solidarity.

Documentaries have often helped to preserve and record important voices of protest and hope. At times films have functioned like a mirror forcing you into self-reflection, provoking us to question, debate and introspect.

Friends! Come let us celebrate at the Loka Chitra Utsav, the voices of free expression and the assertion of democratic struggles, against injustice.

Let us look at the other side of silence... here we may find our voices and that of many others who have come together in a common struggle for a just society.

3rd Loka Chitra Utsav - Festival of voices in protest
Date - 12, 13, 14 October 2007
Venue - Lohia Academy, Bhubaneswar

· From epic struggles against mining companies in Peru to the Kalahari where the San Bushmen tribe struggle to survive; from the ongoing resistance to industrialisation by indigenous people in India to the truth behind China's progress; from the 'globalisation' affected coffee farms of Ethiopia to the exploitation of labourers in Bangladesh; from the politics of disaster management in post-tsunami Sri Lanka to tales of horror and torture of innocent people by the US Govt after 9/11; the Loka chitra Utsav will strive to unite voices from across the world this time.

· Vinod Raja's film on tribal resistance to mining companies & state repression in the Eastern Ghats called 'Mahua Memoirs' will be the opening film.

· A special package of films on Women's Issues will also be screened. Amar Kanwar's film on the history of violence on women, 'The Lightning Testimonies' will be part of the special package on women's issues.

· The documentary that made headlines as the most important film ever, 'An Inconvenient Truth' featuring Al Gore, is also scheduled to be screened at the festival.

· We would like thank The Magic Lantern Foundation/Under Construction for making available to us a good selection of films.

· Surprisingly there has been a bigger response from international filmmakers than those of India and Orissa. More than twenty foreign filmmakers have sent their films and have shown great interest in participating in the festival. These films depict burning social issues and many of them are similar to the ones we face at home.

· Our priority is to showcase the cause of Orissa and India. We therefore appeal to Orissa based and India based filmmakers to participate in the Loka Chitra Utsav.

· The festival will hit the roads after the opening in Bhubaneswar and will travel across the length and breadth of Orissa. partnerships will be formed with like minded people from the various towns and villages of Orissa attending the opening festival in Bhubaneswar. A road map will be prepared in consultation with them.

· The festival will not only screen films but also provide a platform for other forms of expression. From theatre groups to artists, everyone is invited to come and make use of the space.

· We would like to clarify to filmmakers that the films are not being shown in proper auditoriums with good projection & sound systems but in places which are easily available to us. W henever and wherever a hall is not available we will screen the films outdoors.

· We welcome you to participate in the 3rd Loka Chitra Utsav, a celebration of voices in protest!

Surya Shankar Dash,
Coordinator,
3rd Loka Chitra Utsav
Contacts –
Loka Chitra Kendra
HIG-54, Sailashree Vihar, Bubaneswar-21
Tel: 6529485
E-mail: lokachitrautsav@ gmail.com
Surya Shankar Dash
N1/A12, IRC Village, Bhubaneswar- 15
Tel: 91-9437500862
Email: dash.suryashankar@ gmail.com "

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