NALSAR to hold its 1st Film Festival from August 25-26 2012 Festival to include film screenings and discussions with directors experts and students

NALSAR, Hyderabad shall be hosting its 1st Film Festival from August 25-26, 2012. The festival shall screen ten films and also include discussions with film directors, academicians and students. Bar & Bench spoke to one of the festival’s organisers, Sanya Samtani, on how the festival came into being and what are some of the films to particularly watch out for..Bar & Bench: Film festival. Law School. The two are rarely used in the same sentence. How did you come up with the idea of organising a film festival?.Sanya Samtani: To have to sit through continuous classes and listen to lectures one after the other can get monotonous. Teaching shouldn’t have to be the only platform for learning. So, we decided to club art, mass communication and the law together, and that practically spelled out film festival. We’re hoping this adds a whole new dimension to the academic culture that we want to further, since we’re inviting students from colleges across Hyderabad, across disciplines to participate in the discussions so that we get a myriad of views..Bar & Bench: How did you choose which films you were going to screen?.SS: This being the first edition of the Film Festival, we decided to look at films from the margins – marginalized groups in society and their portrayal in cinema. We did a bit of research, looked at what we found interesting and what fit the theme, and that’s what we decided to screen..Bar & Bench: Was it difficult convincing the directors to come and discuss the movie?.SS: Not really. In fact most directors were quite interested in the idea of discussing their films with students – it would offer them a fresh take on how their films are received by various audiences..Bar & Bench: Where are you getting funding for this? .SS: We had trouble with funding in the initial stages, but the NALSAR Alumni Association is proving to be a massive support system. The Centre for Legal Philosophy and Justice Education also provided considerable financial assistance. Also, a few individuals in their personal capacity have contributed..Bar & Bench: Is it open to anyone? What are the timings etc? .SS: The film festival is open to all. We are inviting students from across disciplines in Hyderabad to participate in viewing and discussing the films. The timings are from 10am to 9pm on both days..Bar & Bench: Is the University going to providing any travel assistance of any sort? .SS: Yes, NALSAR is funding the travel and accommodation of the directors that are attending the festival, but not for the institutions that are collaborating with us..Bar & Bench: Any movie that you are particularly looking forward to? .SS: Yes, Jashn-e-azadi, by Sanjay Kak. It is one of those films whose screening has been interrupted repeatedly – it has been screened from beginning to end a grand total of four times in India. It will be a wonderful experience to talk to Mr. Kak about the making of his film, and the challenges he faced..I am also looking forward to Nakul Sawhney’s Izzatnagari ki Asabhya Betiyaan. It is a film that has a very different narrative from the generic khap panchayat victimhood narrative – women are placed in a positon of subversion, and this is the story of how they have prevailed against all odds to subvert the social norms of honour in their village..You can find visit the festival’s homepage here.