A two-day film festival, Parda Faash, with a focus on the South Asian milieu and the issues that the region experience on a daily basis
A panel discussion with (Left) Mitu Varma, Abhro Banerjee, and Alok Adhikari at Parda Faash 2024
Films as an art of storytelling have a great impact on our lives. The Asia Society of India Centre is organising a two-day film festival titled Parda Faash at NCPA’s Little Theatre. The event’s theme is The Poetry of Presence. The festival aims to narrate non-fiction stories from and about South Asia which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Inakshi Sobti, CEO, Asia Society India Centre, explains the theme of the festival, “We wanted to talk about everyday, individual lives, and how the profound lurks in the mundane.” She added, “The festival is called Parda Faash because we wanted to pull back the curtain on life in South Asia by bringing together films about the realities of life in the subcontinent, which are best expressed through the perspective of the individual. What does climate change mean for the individual walking along a vanishing mangrove? Who are the people that make up a massive public uprising? We wanted to see what happens when we observe life on the periphery of society with an open mind, and engage people in conversation through film.”
Film Screening of Amid the Villus at Parda Faash 2024
The Centre aims to highlight issues in South Asia and have dialogues around it. She elaborated, “Through film, we come to see that experiences of grief, hope, and determination are not bound to India. Films can reach people in a way that is unlike anything else; people can slowly slide into the skin of a farmer, a young trans person, a classical musician and wonder how many unique, individual lives exist within the same boundaries on a map.”
To have an effective conversation around independent films, they will also have panel discussions. One of the key panel discussions is on the future of independent cinema. Sobti talks about the highlight of the event, “Our closing panel is with Anand Patwardhan and the directors of Chardi Kala on the future of independent cinema; we’re hopeful that people will be provoked to slow down, feel, and respond to the conversations.”
Inakshi Sobti
Bruce Guthrie, Head of Theatre & Film, NCPA, said “This festival stands as a vital platform for independent, non-fiction filmmakers from across South Asia — artistes who are capturing the complexities of our time with nuance, sensitivity, and courage.” When asked about her opinion on the power of cinema, Sobti explained, “There’s a power that comes from deliberately cultivating a nuanced understanding of the world, particularly in an age of constant information bombardment. Independent cinema is a path for understanding the lives of others in our shared society, and we hope people will enjoy the films, the discussions around them, and revel in being curious around curious people.”
AT April 26-27, Little Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point
TIME 10.30 am - 6.30 pm
ENTRY FREE
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