India Kaleidoscope Festival Shines at Museum of the Moving Image

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 07 December 2016 11:56

Written by Brad Balfour

Tope

The Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave, Queens, NY) and The India Center Foundation are launching India Kaleidoscope, a festival celebrating the rich cultural heritages of India and Indian cinema. Running December 8 to the 11th, the festival features eight films tackling societal and changing issues within India.

“India Kaleidoscope is an auspicious start to MoMI’s collaboration with The India Center Foundation. This dynamic partnership is proven by the quality of the Festival lineup and the participation of so many emerging and established film directors,” said the Museum’s Chief Curator, David Schwartz.

One of the highlights of the festival is India in a Day,  which was shot over the course of a single day in October 2015 when thousands across India recorded and shared moments from their everyday lives.  The film was directed by Richie Mehta and executive produced by Ridley Scott.

Films at the festival include:

• Loktak Lairembee (Lady of the Lake) - Director Haobam Paban Kumar attending
  Dir. Haobam Paban Kumar.
  Set amidst the unique community of fishing families that populate the floating islands of northeast India’s Lake Loktak, the spellbinding narrative debut from nonfiction filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar blends documentary-like realism with a touch of the surreal.
  
  

  

• Lathe Joshi - Director Mangesh Joshi attending
  U.S. PREMIERE
  Dir. Mangesh Joshi
  After losing his job, a lathe worker takes a stand to reclaim his dignity in a society that no longer seems to value him. This lyrical, meditative character study is both a moving portrait of a man and a perceptive look at globalization’s human toll.
  
  
• The Violin Player - Director Bauddhayan Mukherji attending
  NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
  Dir. Bauddhayan Mukherji
  A chance encounter with an enigmatic filmmaker sets a struggling violinist on a surprising journey of self-discovery. This mesmerizing tale of art and destiny conjures a quietly gripping air of mystery as it builds towards its soul-shaking denouement.
  
  
• Sila Samayangalil (Sometimes)
  NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
  Dir. Priyadarshan.
  In a doctor’s office waiting room, eight people of varying backgrounds nervously await the results of their HIV tests. When they learn that one among them has tested positive, tensions mount and anxious guessing games begin. This richly emotional comedic drama tackles a serious subject with compassion and unexpected humor.
  
  
• Ghatashraddha (The Ritual) – Director Girish Kasaravalli attending
  Dir. Girish Kasaravalli.
  One of the key works of the Indian New Wave, this spare, haunting drama tells the story of a bond that develops between two outsiders: a Brahmin boy who contends with bullying at school and an unmarried young woman who faces excommunication when she becomes pregnant.
  
  

  

• Harikatha Prasanga (Chronicles of Hari) - Director Ananya Kasaravalli attending
  NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
  Dir. Ananya Kasaravalli
  The lines between stage and reality begin to blur for a male actor who plays female roles in traditional Yakshagana theater. Taking the form of a faux-documentary, the provocative feature debut of Ananya Kasaravalli examines issues of gender, performance, and identity within Indian society.
  
  
• Tope (The Bait) - Director Buddhadeb Dasgupta attending
  U.S. PREMIERE | CLOSING NIGHT
  Dir. Buddhadeb Dasgupta
  Internationally renowned auteur Buddhadeb Dasgupta directs this seductively surreal, folkloric fable about three fantastical characters—a traveling tightrope walker, a tree-dwelling postman, and a wealthy, tiger-hunting raja—whose lives intertwine in the lush Bengal countryside.

To learn more, go to: http://www.movingimage.us/

India Kaleidoscope
December 8 - 11, 2016

Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35th Ave.
Queens, NY 11106