Spring 2009 Films
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Sat. April 18th at Rutgers’ Busch Campus Center, 11am to 11pm Spring Festival of Regional Films from India |
 Starts at 12:00 pm |
Genesis
Directed by Mrinal Sen Cast: Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, M. K. Raina Music: Ravi Shankar Running time: 108 minutes NJISACF revives an obscure and lost gem by a master of International Cinema A story about the rise and fall of human civilization “A parable of love and jealousy, freedom and slavery…. done with grave humanity…. brings home the sparseness, beauty and perils of existence at a basic level” NY Times A weaver (Om Puri) and a farmer (Naseeruddin Shah), run away from exploitation, settle near a desert, and live like brothers. The weaver creates textiles that uses to barter with an itinerant trader (M. K. Raina). The farmer tends the land. Life goes on fine. Into their sparse Eden comes a teen-aged lonely woman (Shabana Azmi). She proves a hard worker who scrubs the sandy floor and also scrubs away some of the men’s crudeness. She softens their lives and joins in their play. The men compete in their efforts to please her. Trouble ensues. The trader observes them and waits ….. |
 Starts at 4:45 p.m. Director will be present for post-screening Q & A |
Kaalbela
Directed by Goutam Ghose Story by Samares Mazumdar Cast Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Paoli Dam, Santu Mukhopadhyay, Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Rudranil Ghosh, Anandi Ghosh, Bratya Basu, Mousumi Saha Running time: 165 minutes Another masterpiece from the internationally acclaimed director of PAAR and YATRA In the seventy year of the new millennium, Animesh Mitra recollects moments from his youth - his college days, his love and his passions. The days of idealism and desperation, of agony and ecstasy in the midst of a turbulent time, that changed the lives and minds of the youth all over the world. The city of Calcutta has witnessed political turmoil, clashes of ideologies, state terror and mob violence. Young people were up in arms to reject the repressive semi-colonial system inspired by the student movement in France, war in Vietnam and the ultra left Maoist revolutionary movement in the late 1960’s. Animesh reminisces his love for Madhabilata, a classmate in the University. As their love blossomed, the turbulent times took over Animesh’s love. He was drawn to the armed revolution which was crushed in the matter of a few years. He was arrested and sent to jail as an under trial criminal. But Madhabilata’s love remained like a deep-rooted tree. Amidst his agony and frustration, Animesh sees Madhabilata’s love and resilience as a symbol of revolution. |
 Starts at 8:35 p.m. |
Maati Maay (A Grave-keeper’s Tale)
Direction: Chitra Palekar Cast: Nandita Das, Atul Kulkarni Original Story: MAHASWETA DEVI Running time 98 minutes Year: 2006 In Marathi with English subtitles A young mother trapped between her instincts and needs Chandi, a beautiful young woman from a lower caste, whose family has traditionally been in charge of a children’s graveyard, inherits the job, due to absence of a male member in the family, and performs it with great pride as her sacred duty after her father death. Soon she gives birth to her son Bhagirath, and being a nursing mother, Chandi now begins to get deeply affected by children’s deaths and wishes that she could be relieved of that duty. But, the community forces her to continue with her work. Also, her moral dilemmas and growing anxieties are simply beyond her husband, Nasru’s, comprehension. She rebels and is punished by the villagers in the harshest possible manner. Twelve years later Narsu, hoping to justify his own actions, narrates Chandi’s story to their now adolescent son. If Chandi gets justice in the end, it is only through the love and courage of her son Bhagirath who dares to defy the system. |
 Starts at 2:20 p.m. Director will be present for post-screening Q & A |
Bioscope
Director: K.M. Madhusudhanan Cast: WALTER WAGNER, MURUGAN, RAMGOPAL BAJAJ In MALAYALAM, TAMIL with ENGLISH SUBTITLES A dreamlike ode to the magic of early cinema The story, set in 1920s Kerala, follows Diwakaran (Murugan), a poor man entranced by the bioscope show, who buys the projector from its French owner and operator, and takes it back to his village. There, these new moving pictures are greeted with equal parts fascination and fear. While they gaze in awe at Lumière shorts and German expressionism, the townsfolk begin to gossip about the images’ wickedness, some even speculating that the bioscope box contains the ghosts of white people. Meanwhile, Diwakaran’s wife Narimi lies ill, and a disturbing dream replays itself over and over again, like a film loop, in her fevered brain. Bioscope is the first part of a trilogy planned by Madhusudanan. |
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Venue: Busch Campus Center
NJISACF Free Parking on Lot#s 51 & 67 Building Details: *Campus Center contains food court with 5 eateries and an ATM machine. |
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