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Bringing Cannes film festival to Mumbai

In the recent buzz surrounding the ongoing Cannes film festival, all one reads about in the papers or sees on Indian television are names of celebrities attending the event and what they were wearing on the red carpet.

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In the recent buzz surrounding the ongoing Cannes film festival, all one reads about in the papers or sees on Indian television are names of celebrities attending the event and what they were wearing on the red carpet.

“The only thing seems to be missing from the discussions are the names and genres of films being screened at what is one of the most prestigious film fests in the world,” says film buff Radhika Mehra.

However, film clubs and societies in the city are now bridging this gap by bringing world cinema to connoisseurs and discerning audiences.

“Our strength lies in digging out films that others may not have seen or even heard of before,” says Cyrus Dastur, founder of the Shamiana Film Club that sources and showcases short films from countries such as Denmark, Iceland and Greece.

A variety of films
Another cinegoer, Swati Deshpande, gets her fix of movies by Bernardo Bertolucci, Akira Kurosawa and Majid Majidi at the screenings held by film society Prabhat Chitra Mandal. “More and more people are increasingly looking beyond formula films and the glitter of glamour. Fortunately, film societies and clubs are now offering good regional and international cinema throughout the year,” Deshpande adds.

Meanwhile, some of these clubs also offer their members other incentives such as interaction with filmmakers and critics and a chance to visit international film festivals. “Very soon, we will give our members the option to travel to Cannes and watch the movies at the film festival itself,” says Pranav Ashar, chairman of the Taj Enlighten Film Society.

Organisers insist that the appeal of alternate world cinema is taking root in Mumbai like never before and there is a lot of interest in offbeat films from India and abroad. “We are present in seven cities across the country and every screening is packed to capacity,” says Dastur who will soon launch an online chapter of Shamiana.

Tough to procure
However, sourcing the films is not an easy task for film societies that often have to struggle against red tape and bureaucracy. “The entire process has to be legalised and the films need copyright and censorships exemptions from the government,” says Ashar who frequently travels to international film festivals to acquire the movies from distributors, sales agents and film studios.

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