Films from 14 Asian countries will be unspooled next August in the first ever Asian Film Festival to be organized in India, Asian Film Foundation (AFF).
The opening film of the festival will be Baran (rain), directed by Iranian Majid Majidi, according to Tehran Times.
40 Asian films will be screened from August 3 to 10 in Bombay, where India’s film industry, Bollywood is located.
Moreover, two other Iranian films Under the Skin of City directed by Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Bemani by Dariush Mehrjouei will also be screened in the Iranian section of the festival.
Some of the highlights of the festival would be movies such as Spring Festival from China directed by Huang Jianhong and Li Xiaowen, Ard al Khawf (land of fear) from Egypt directed by Daoud Abdel Sayyed, Do Ankhen Bara Hath (two eyes, twelve hands) from India directed by V. Shantaram and two other Indian movies from Oscar-winning Indian director Satyajit Ray -- Aparajito (undefeated) and Agantuk (stranger).
The aim of the project is to give a platform for Asian films in world cinema. However, the five sections of the festival would comprise a special focus on Taiwan cinema. Six Taiwanese films: Blue Gate Crossing, Beijing Bicycle, The Hole, Heartbreak Island, Mirror Image, and Blue Moon, will be screened.
Apart from the special focus category, the week long festival would be broken into four other categories -- Spectrum Asia, Award-winners, Parallel cinema in the 90s and Special screenings.
The Spectrum Asia would present the latest Asian films made in the last two or three years and the Award-Winners would be comprised of major award winning films from Japan, China and India. The Parallel Cinema in the 90s would show some of India's realistic and artistic movies, while Special Screenings would show some outstanding films of the past and the present.
The festival will also offer a special Asian film culture award to Sri Lankan director Lester James Peries, whose movie Mansion by the Lake will close the festival – Albawaba.com
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
