Via Rashed Zaman

The Satyajit Ray web site. Good to see it all pulled together under one roof.

Tasveer announced Seattle's first independent South Asian Film Festival. The opening night is on September 16 at 8 p.m. If any one of you goes, please send me blurb about it. I'll post it here.

Via Aag News

The Censor Board of India recently banned Rakesh Sharma's internationally-acclaimed documentary – Final Solution. An online petition has been created by Anand Patwardhan to protest against the ban. The petition asks Central Government to intervene and revoke the ban immediately. As you may already know, under clause 6 and 9 of the Cinematograph Act, the Central Government is empowered to overturn any decision/ recommendation by the Censor Board.

People who have already signed the petition include Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das, Vijay Tendulkar, Shyam Benegal, Javed Akhtar, Aparna Sen, Karan Johar, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Farhan Akhtar, Rahul Bose, Vishal Bhardwaj, Mansoor Khan, Arundhati Nag, Sanjana Kapoor, MS Sathyu, Lekh Tandon, Dr Asghar Ali Engineer, Ram Puniyani, Yogendra Yadav, Sunil Khilnani, Harsh Kapoor and Teesta Setalvad among others.

Please extend your support by signing the petition online by clicking the following link Please forward the petition details to people in your mailing list asking them to sign and circulate the petition widely. Those who have seen the film – please add your comments!

Final Solution ( India; 2004; Digital Video format – miniDV; 209/148 minutes).

Final Solution is a study of the politics of hate. Set in Gujarat during the period Feb/March 2002 – July 2003, the film graphically documents the changing face of right-wing politics in India through a study of the 2002 genocide of Moslems in Gujarat. The film documents the Assembly elections held in Gujarat in late 2002 and records in detail the exploitation of the Godhra incident (in which 58 Hindus were burnt alive) by the right-wing propaganda machinery for electoral gains. It studies the situation after the storm and its impact on Hindus and Moslems – ghettoisation in cities and villages, segregation in schools, the call for economic boycott of Moslems and continuing acts of violence more than a year after the carnage.

Final Solution is anti-hate/ violence as “those who forget history are condemned to relive it.”

Awards:
Wolfgang Staudte award and Special Jury Award (Netpac), Berlin International film festival.
Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Documentary, HongKong International film festival.
Silver Dhow ( Best Doc category), Zanzibar International film festival
Special Jury Mention, Munich Dokfest.
Special Award instituted and given by NRIs for a Secular and Harmonious India (NRI-SAHI), NY-NJ, USA.

The Village (idiot). Ouch!

I can't think of one movie of his since Sixth Sense that hasn't been a major (box-office or critical) disappointment. I shall skip this as well. Ten bills saved.

Via Auditi Guha (SAJA/Boston chapter coordinator)

Please join us for a screening of Anand Patwardhan's documentary “War and Peace: Nuclear Nationalism and its Antidote.”

When: Wed., February 25, 2004, 7:30 p.m.
Where: ASEAN Auditorium, Cabot Hall

A discussion with the filmmaker will follow the screening.

This is FREE and open to the public … and is TODAY!

For details on the film: www.patwardhan.com
Directions to Cabot

Sponsored by Comparative Religion, Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, Peace and Justice, International Relations, Political
Science, History, Asian Studies, TASA, and the Office of the Provost