lingo of my inner voice

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Kara Film Festival - 10th Dec 2005

I reached the venue 15 mins late because of the heavy traffic but didn't miss much. So here is the review of my second visit at Kara.

Documentary: Ragpickers: Scavengers of a Different Graveyard by PRITI CHANDRIANI
The documentry was well executed. It was informative, opinionated and interesting. Both the emotional and comical moments delivered made it a show rocker. The documentry narrates stories of different ragpickers working in India, what they feel about the world which only gives them rubbish? The thing which was most inspiring about this film that people have alot of dignity in doing this work, despite the fact that mostly they are considered as beggar by ingnorant public. All these people want to indepedent, they don't want to work for others and spend whole day in finding the trash. It is us who see them as beggar but the fact is that they are like toothbrushes for society who remove the trash in the morning. Mafia all exist there, from building guards to cops and everyone in between want there illegal share as bribes. The price payers are always these innocent Ragpickers. 80% of these workers are females because most of them have no support from their free or alcoholic husbands so they alone raise their big families which have approx. more than 4 children in one household, both the main members were mostly found illiterate. The most dangerous thing is that they donot wear any protective gear so they hurt themselves and catch many diseases and some die very young. Organizations like Stree Mukhti Sangathan(Women Empowerment Federation) is trying their level best to give them their well-deserved identity, educate these women, make them independent, teach them effective stills so that they can earn more money and feel more dignified. One question from the audience highlighted the fact that they feel dignity about their work but still don't want their children to come into same line but everyone has right to look forward to better choices, so their children won't have to bear such hardships in future so these people are trying to educate their children. Did you ever know that there are two type of wastes.. dry and wet?! At least I didn't knew this fact before watching this documentary. Rating: ****1/2

SHORTS:-(In descending order on the basis of the cinematic experience)
Fragile --> this was the show stopper.. a short film nominated for 2 academy awards directed by Sikander Goldau. It was very well-conceived, well-executed, nicely shot, great storyboard, great music, infact everything was nice about this film. It was on spititual concept. Everyone liked the feel of movie but unfortunately many didn't get the point because sorry to say we people aren't thought to think and reflect broad mindedly.
Dangerous Animal --> another well executed short --> talks about how dangerous are nuclear bombs.. very hilarious!!
Little Dog Turpie --> a very creative concept and animation, revolves around a loyal dog who was betrayed by his owner but then for his brave attmept to save her owner's wife was praised and owner was then betrayed by his wife. It also won an award for best animated short.
Jam Session --> animated, concept: you're never too old to enjoy simple pleasures of life like dance-n-music. For the first time I discovered that animated shorts can also be fun.
King of fools --> my lips are sealed, no comments!! But the interesting thing was indirect sarcasm thrown over some celebrities who have indulged themselves in luxuries, cars, drugs and then have suffered alot, in some cases their life were ruined.
Only love can break your heart --> animated potrayng interesting outlook over relationships, sacrifices and ego clashes.
Boys Don't Cry --> a boy is recording a cd for her mom, telling her how much he loves her despite of the fact that he himself was not her biological son.. very touching but sound wasn't clear :(
Die Wand --> nice graphics and concept, otherwise nothing special. It was just about few visuals that lasted for I guess 30 sec or maybe less than that.
Scraper --> beautifully shot, narrates a story which deals which technological advancements and challenges faced.
37oC --> very complex, boring at times, concept: none of your possessions will ever remain yours.

I usually like shorts over which you think and then learn several different things from it. The most depressing part was most people didn't even had any concept of what shorts are all about. They were neither thinking or reflecting about films, either they were mourning or else they were laughing.. thatz it! And it made me angry too but I am good at faking smiles.

Short World Premiers:-

Khamoshi:-
Cast: Sania Saeed, Faisal Qureshi and Salem Mairaj
Directed By: Imran Patel
Produced By: Atiqa Odho
This had to be great. It was a story about a young married couple down on its luck moves to a noisy neighbourhood, and the constant sound creates a barrier between the two, driving them to isolation from one another. Scenes spoke for themselves and performances were superb, sizzling. mindblowing. The only painful part was the constant noise of machines which left me half deaf but it was a crucial of requirement of the story. Rating:****3/4

Shahrukh Khan Ki Maut:-
Cast: Tabraiz Shah, Rashid Farooqi, Saleem Mairaj, Aqeel Ahmed And Saife Hasan.
Directed By: Mohammed Ehtashamuddin
Produced By: Natasha D'souza and Arjumand Raheem
The concept was good but the execution was very bad. Performances by some actors was great. The star of the movie was the kid who had the dream to become SRK.. potrayed by Tabraiz. and also Saleem Mairaj who did a fantastic job. Something was severely missing.. yes the Balance. The styling department should've considered the fact that a poor car mechanic cannot afford to wear classy shoes. Child Labour and Effect of Media were nicely highlighted.. everything else was just okay. An okay film with overrated response just because it was emotional and catering to masses!! Rating ***1/2



These movies were fun. Q/A sessions were also arranged this time but the only regreat is that Sania Saeed wasn't there and her fan and AirConditioner i.e. yours truly couldn't meet her and ask some important questions about her acting, education and personality. She is the best paki actress ever.

PS: Grammar and spelling mistakes should be ignored because I am in no mood to proof-read this biggy post. And did I tell you that ambience and arrangements made at the venue were great and refreshing.

Scented Words posted by Raheel Lakhani :: 11:28 PM :: 0 Comments:

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