REPORT OF 2nd SWARAJ FILM FESTIVAL, FEBURARY 2009

SWARAJ FILM ARCHIVE                           

21 B Moti Lal Nehru Road, Allahabad-21002
Phone- 09235406243, 09415367653                                               
REPORT OF 2nd SWARAJ FILM FESTIVAL, FEBURARY 2009

The three day 2nd Swaraj Film Festival started on 19th February 2009. On this occasion, Dr. Swapnil Shrivastava (Chief Archivist, Swaraj Film Archive) said that this film festival is  an attempt to create awareness about social and environmental issues and to inspire people to adopt other alternatives. On the first day of the festival, films and documentaries were shown to students and teachers of four colleges-M.V. Convent Inter College, Shri Raj Deo Public School, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and Department of Maths in Allahabad University.

Paromita Vohra’s Morality T.V. Aur Loving Jehad which challenges the police’s role in stopping eve-teasing was screened in Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth Degree College in the main programme on 20th February. ‘Char Shahroon Ki Ankahi Kahani’ directed by Sunil Umrao, highlighting the plight and struggle of fruit/vegetable vendors , ‘SEZ-Arajakta ki Or’ depicting the problem of forced land acquisition and farmer’s struggle against this and ‘Kachra View’ were shown to students in M.V.Convent Inter College.

Allahabad University’s Maths department and physics department also organised screenings including ‘Development At Gun Point’ directed by Pramod Gupta based on the Nandigram Movement, ‘Truth lies Beneath’ directed by Gautam Sen and ‘New Improved Delhi’ directed by Vani Subramanyam.

A documentary, Continuum, directed by Khushboo Renka regarding the issues of hunger, trade and death was shown in M.V. Convent Inter College. A beautiful ecological  documentary, “The Queen of Trees” directed by Mark Deabal and Victoria Stone caught the imagination of young viewers. Vishakha Dutta directed Taza Khabar, a short film based on the life of uneducated  women running a newspaper in Bundelkhand. Gharat, based on a small alternative Power plant was also screened in Raj Deo Public School. Hollow Cylinder directed by Kavita Behl and Nandan Saxena depicting the importance of bamboo, and Mahua Memoirs, directed by Vinod Raja emphasizing the tribal’s struggle against mining, evoked a good response. Apart from these, Sara Loha Unka, Babu Nandan Ki Keval Dhar, directed by Sunil Umrao  was also shown.

The Journalism and Mass Communication department of Allahabad University also held several screenings, including ‘A Night of Prophecy’ by Amar Kanwar, ‘Passing Conflicts’ by Pankaj Rishi Kumar, ‘A Place to Stay’ by Pryas Abhinav, ‘The mall on top of my house’ by Aditi Chitra and ‘Beggar’ by Vasudeo and Santana Issar. A film on the struggle of bauxite miners Baphalimali directed by Amar Kanwar was shown in the Department of Maths in Allahabad University. Other films screened were, ‘Ye Kaisi Azadi’ and ‘Black Pamphlets’ by Nitin Kumar.      

Approximately  1300 hundred people attended the festival.               

Sandeep Tiwari
Archivist