DHARAMSHALA, October 15: Come November, the Tibetan exile headquarters of Dharamshala in north India will make its debut on the international film festival circuit with the launch of the first ever Dharamshala International Film Festival 2012.
Conceptualised by internationally acclaimed filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam and presented through their trust, White Crane Arts & Media, the first edition of the Festival will showcase around 20 contemporary independent films comprising of documentaries, features and shorts curated from the best of global contemporary cinema from November 1-4 at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.
Having lived in Dharamshala for many years, Tenzing said it was their way of “giving something back to the community, to create an event where all the different communities that call Dharamshala home can share and take pride in.”
“One of our aims in starting this festival is to create a non-partisan, international cultural event where all the communities in Dharamshala – Indians, Tibetans and foreigners – can share in and be proud of,” Tenzing, director of the award-winning documentary ‘The Sun Behind the Clouds’ told Phayul. “We hope to make this an annual event that will put Dharamshala on the international cultural map.”
Some of the curated films that will be premiering for the first time in India at the Festival, includes ‘Five Broken Cameras,’ winner of the World Directing Cinema Award at Sundance 2012, ‘My Reincarnation’ by celebrated American filmmaker Jennifer Fox, and ‘1/2 Revolution’ by Egyptian/Danish filmmakers Karim el-Hakim and Omar Shargawi, a personal account from the frontlines of the Arab Spring in Tahrir Square.
Other noted feature films include Ashim Ahluwalia’s ‘Miss Lovely,’ Asif Kapadia’s ‘Senna,’ Rajan Khosa’s ‘Gattu,’ and Umesh Kulkarni’s ‘Deool’ accompanied by the world premiere of ‘When Hari Got Married,’ a documentary film set in Dharamshala directed by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam.
The organisers also announced a 12-day international artists’ workshop preceding the Festival, jointly organised by White Crane Arts & Media and Delhi-based Khoj International Artists’ Association from October 20 to November 1.
“The workshop will be an art and cultural interface between International and India based artists, along with local artists and residents of Dharamshala,” Ritu Sarin said in a release. “Works created during the workshop will be on display during the film festival.”
Acclaimed filmmakers like Asif Kapadia, Deepti Naval, Umesh Kulkarni, Karim El Hakim, Jennifer Fox, Hansal Mehta, and Guy Davidi are scheduled to be present at DIFF 2012 to showcase their work, hold master classes and participate in panel discussions on topics like ‘The New Wave of Indian Cinema and Films From The Frontline.’
“We are thrilled and surprised at the amazing local support that we have received, not just from the Himachal Pradesh government and TIPA, who are our partners, but also from various local organisations like Lha, Common Ground, Bedi Travels, Air Jaldi, Himalayan Explorers and two Dharamshala-based internet start-ups, Metataste and Srijan, who have all volunteered to help us,” Tenzing told Phayul.
