International Angle

The first half of the Asian Film Festival,which was inaugurated by director Govind Nihalani on Friday,has offered interesting film screenings to moviegoers.

The first half of the Asian Film Festival,which was inaugurated by director Govind Nihalani on Friday,has offered interesting film screenings to moviegoers. Apart from the carefully selected international films,the festival has also scored on its ‘director interactions’. Directors Xie Fie from China,Siddique Barmak from Afghanistan and shared interesting aspects about their worlds of film-making. Barmak’s films Opium War and the award-winning Osama and Xie Fie’s films Black Snow,Woman from the lake of Scented Souls,Song of Tibet and A Mongolian Tale were screened over the weekend.

Seventy-year-old Xie Fie,whose film Black Snow won the Silver Bear award at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival in 1990,was delighted at the inclusion of his works. Young directors do not research deeply for their stories nowadays. Quality is what really matters in film-making,” he said. Glad that Chinese films now have a bigger impact on world cinema,he also added,I really liked Raj Kapoor’s films in the 1970s. They were a pleasure to watch. Now,I feel Bollywood is mixing up a lot of elements to attract viewers.

Barmak’s films gave the audience a realistic glimpse into the Afghan conditions in the Taliban period. “It is really hard to create films and work in our country because of the unsuitable conditions,” revealed the director. The Afghan film industry received a boost after the fall of the Taliban. “It gave a new meaning to ‘Freedom of Speech’. People now go out to watch movies and we have many young directors who are exploring different topics and making excellent films,” he added.

One such young director from Iran is Azar Faramarzi. Her short film – Loneliness – was screened at the National Films Archives of India (NFAI) on Monday afternoon. This one-scene film (18 minutes) revolved around a drastic situation in the life of the character (played by Faramarzi). “I am interested in doing social films rather than just entertaining ones, she says. Faramarzi has worked in many short films and television serials in Iran. She has been assistant director for five teleserials. There is a similarity between our Iranian films and Bollywood films,” says this upcoming director who is also a fan of actor Shah Rukh Khan.

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