A Full Circle

“We wanted to fill the current vacuum of cinematic culture in the city. And by cinema we mean significant and meaningful films that seldom make it to the multiplexes,” says Mishra. Mishra,whose theatre background has come in handy,has managed to bring in filmmakers who have established themselves over the years. “These people have proved that films can be made with small budgets and a good idea doesn’t necessarily need stars or crores of investment,” says Mishra.

To give people of Chandigarh a taste of real,inspiring cinema,the team of 4C,along with Gurpal Singh of the television show Chhupa Rustam,zeroed in on films that are from in and around the region. “Since this is a festival of passion and not paisa,we had to keep the budget in mind ,” adds Mishra.

Amlan Dutta’s award-winning documentary Brothers of Malana,Nitin K. Pamnani’s Main Tumhara Kavi Hoon,Ashish Pandya’s The Boot Cake,G S Channi’s Holla Mohalla,Gaurav Chaabra’s Karma- Inklab and Hemant Kumar Gaba’s Shuttlecock Boys are some of the films that will be screened at the festival. “We have made it a point that each film be introduced and discussed by the filmmaker,” says Mishra,who wants this to be a regular,monthly feature along with film workshops.

Meanwhile,the basement at the Lala Lajpat Rai Bhawan is charged with activity. The chairs have been set and the crew of volunteers have keyed in their laptops. It is a crowd-funded event and Mishra says that many people have helped,including students from Government College of Arts,who have put up posters and advertisements . Harish adds that he was the “courier boy”,running pillar to post for permits and contacts. The festival has been organised within ten days.

The festival will take place on August 18 and 19 from 11 am to 9 pm at Lala Lajpat Rai Bhawan,Sector 15,Chandigarh. Entry is free.