100 directors’ womancentric films on view at Osian Group’s Womanhood film fest
As the Osian's Group continues its rebuilding process with the welcome return of financial stability after five years, Osianama Calendar starts with "Womanhood - The battle to be thyself" - An International Film & Arts Festival which will open out a magnificent vast world of cinematic and artistic brilliance rarely seen with such cohesion and completeness.
In other words, Osianama now opens the unique concept of 365 days a year Film Festival at the iconic art-deco cinema Liberty, which is the new headquarters of Osianama.
The first two months sees films by over 100 leading film directors including leading filmmakers such as Agnes Varda, Chantal Akerman, Ingmar Bergman, Jane Campion, Vera Chytilova, Deepa Mehta, Aparna Sen, Larisa Sheptiko, Mira Nair, the Makmalbhaf Family, Raj Kapoor, Sam Mendes, Lynne Ramsay, and many leading younger lights of world cinema, such as Haifaa al-Mansour & Shirin Neshat.
The opening day sees The Stoning of Sorayah by Cyrus Nowrasteh (US) at 1-30pm, Girlhood by Ceine Sciamma (France) at 4pm, Sengaal by Leena Manimekalai (India) at 6.30pm and Persona by Ingmar Begman (Sweden) at 8.30pm. Osian’s Cinematic Heritage Exhibition on the History of Women in Indian Cinema opens at 6pm.
“Sharing ideas about Womanhood is complex, just a step short of holding a festival on Humanity. Delicate and deep are the threads which bind the life of a woman, especially in developing regions, such as India, Asia, the Arab World and Africa, where injustice is omnipresent in a myriad ways. We hope that after sharing and participating with us over the next two months there will be a transformation in our understanding and empathy with the subject,” says Neville Tuli, Chairman, Osian’s Group and the driving force behind Osianama.
The Festival is curated along the various eight stages that a Woman’s life mostly and probably progresses: Girlhood – Coming of Age – Mirror Mirror… - Male Gaze& Beauty – Life Interrupted – Marriage & Motherhood – Pursuit of a Deeper Individuality – Seeking Spirituality.
Various challenges and struggles which a girl and woman faces are highlighted throughout the Festival, such as female infanticide, child genital mutilation, child marriage, dowry demands, stoning, rape, prostitution, domestic violence, injustice pertaining to issues such as abortion and inheritance, various sexual choices and gender dilemmas, and widowhood. These struggles along with all the joys, strengths and deeply fulfilling insights are highlighted throughout the Festival.
February 13, 6pm marks the opening of a very rare Exhibition that brings to you a treasure trove of cinematic art that focuses on the History of Women in Hindi Cinema, from the Osian’s Archive and Library Collection, the world’s foremost collection of Indian and Hollywood Memorabilia.
Feb 13-25 marks Part 1 of the fest that focuses on ‘Girlhood’ and ‘Coming of Age’, including Alice and Lolita as cinematic inspirations, the Ingmar Bergman Retrospective and the Cinema of Meena Kumari. This section also showcases films by Siddiq Barmak, Amar Escalante, Priya Goswami, Davis Guggenheim, July Jung, Stanley Kubrick, Nagesh Kukunoor, Adrian Lyne, Hayao Miyazaki, Lukas Moodysson, Kimberly Price, Celene Sciamma, Ousmane Sembene, Jan Svankmajer, Vipin Vijay among others.
Revival of OSIAN’S-CINEFAN, the 13th Edition starts in three parts until August 2016 before the 14th Edition re-opens in New Delhi. This section also includes the ‘Mirror Mirror…’ and ‘Male Gaze and Beauty’ sections. The revival of the celebrated Film Festival: Osian's-Cinefan, especially with the Introduction of African Cinema to the trinity of Indian, Arab and Asian Cinema is a highlight of the Womanhood Festival.
African Cinema is indeed a new powerful and vibrant cinematic voice which is crying out for a wider embrace. Among other foci, will be the Iranian film women’s movement & leading women film-makers; Japanese classics on ‘Womanhood’; and a focus on the cinema of Trinh T. Minh-ha, making this calendar a must watch.
The 1st Osianama Lifetime Achievement award for Contribution to Nurturing Cinema Culture will be awarded to international film authority Aruna Vasudev, who founded both the pioneering journal Cinemaya and the Cinefan Film Festival.
Feb 27-Apr 10 also brings with it a magnificent Fine Arts Exhibition titled ‘Womanhood through the eyes of Indian Modern & Contemporary Art’ from some of the best collections of the country. This exhibition will include the art of modern masters such as Nandalal Bose, Shobha Broota, Sass & Elizabeth Brunner, A.R. Chughtai, Prokash Karmakar, Devyani Krishna, Hemendranath Majumdar, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Akbar Padamsee, Jamini Roy, Amrita Sher-Gil, F.N. Souza, along with contemporary artists such as Namrita Bachchan, Vasundhara T. Broota, Saba Hassan, Pooja Iranna, Bharti Kher, Rekha Rodwittiya, Vasudha Thozdur, among others.
Part 3 from Mar 8–27 focuses on ‘Life Interrupted’ and ‘Marriage and Motherhood’. Flaubert’s Madame Bovary as cinematic inspiration, the cinema of Chantal Akerman, a focus on the cinema of Aparna Sen and Deepa Mehta as well as Women & Animation with a focus on the cinematic art of Signe Baumane besides works of Deepa Mehta and Aparna Sen will be the highlights.
The “Life Interrupted” idea reflects that stage where the idea and/or beckoning of pregnancy and motherhood needs to be considered deeply, and in the process, derails or challenges the normal trajectory of life significantly.
Part 4 – From March 28th to April 6th is on ‘Pursuit of a Deeper Individuality’ & ‘Seeking Spirituality’. The Shabana Azmi Retrospective is a focus of this section, honoring one of India’s finest actresses whose body of cinematic work has no parallel.
There is also a special focus on Female innovation in the world of western rock and pop, Indian classical dance and naturally Indian mainstream cinema, which many badly term as “Bollywood”.
Films will focus on the creativity of Patti Smith to Madonna, Kate Bush to Amy Winehouse; the ideology of master contemporary dancers such as Chandralekha to the choreography of leading “Bollywood” exponent Farah Khan, who will present a Master Class on Choreography in mainstream Hindi Cinema.
Osianama at Liberty is the place to be between 13th February and 16th April 2016 so as to share the creativity of an amazing array of acclaimed film directors from over 35 countries.
As Osianama moves towards becoming the capital of World Cinema, it is a unique chance for the public to engage and participate with the finest creative minds and rare original artistic objects of cinematic history on a daily basis, from students to stars, professionals to connoisseurs, and grasp the nature of a vibrant cinematic culture, which is far different from just having a love for cinema.
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