Nandita Das is again from Shanghai after serving as a jury member on the lately concluded Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF). The actor-filmmaker feels such movie festivals present a democratic area to creators, one thing, which India nonetheless lacks. “In our country, we either think of film festivals as the ultimate benchmark for films, or we look down upon them as a space for arty-farty elite. I think these festivals provide a great open space for filmmakers and film lovers,” Nandita tells us.
When it involves worldwide world movie festivals, whereas Nandita is a veteran with most of her tasks securing a spot at prestigious festivals together with Cannes, Busan Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, the twenty fifth version of SIFF was her first time as a juror in an Asian nation.
The 53-year-old, who has at all times loved displaying her movies to an viewers that’s uncovered to numerous world cinema, finds the QnA session publish the screening fairly insightful and thought-provoking.
“Also, it’s a wonderful place to meet other film professionals and enthusiasts, as it leads to stimulating conversations and, at times, even collaborations. Moreover, attending these festivals is a great way to see so many big and small places that I’d probably not otherwise have been able to go to,” says the director, whose final launch, Zwigato, travelled to a number of movie festivals earlier than it received a theatrical launch earlier this 12 months.
Sharing about her expertise on the competition, the Manto maker says this might need been her first time in Shanghai, however she may perceive the joy of individuals hooked up with it, because the competition returned after two years of the pandemic. “These days many festivals are drawing young audiences who are now much more exposed to world cinema, thanks to the OTT platforms. There was a screening of Zwigato, too. A friend who went to see the film said that it was a packed hall with audiences that watched in wrapped attention. I was told, most of the audience stayed back for the entire end credit. This is why, as a filmmaker, the joy of showing one’s film to a discerning audience that gives its undivided attention, is very special. I was so delighted to be there, a city I was curious to visit,” she elaborates.
For Nandita, it was a proud second to symbolize India at world scale, nonetheless, she asserts that she didn’t let it fog her decision-making potential whereas being on the jury panel.
“When I’m on a jury, I’m not representing my country. We were seven jurors and we had to judge films from all over the world. So it would have been unfair to bring one’s national identity to that experience that required us to be objective, irrespective of where we came from. What we brought with us was our life experiences, our taste in films, our world views and aesthetics and our way of looking at life and cinema,” concludes Nandita, who admits that every time she goes to a international land, she carries a bit of India along with her, and with, “My brown skin, dark hair and Indian clothes, I inevitably represent my country”.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com