Satara is a city in Maharashtra that is known for its culture, history and socio-political movements, and hence, also for its artists, film-makers and activists. Though the city has given the nation good filmmakers, it has been quite unfortunate that these filmmakers have not been in the native film industry i.e., the Marathi film industry. Hence there is a need to encourage more people to take up filmmaking. The idea of having more filmmakers is not merely to make commercial films but also use films as a medium for assertion and the camera as a tool to express the discrimination that is found in society.
The knowledge about caste began reaching the masses with Ambedkar and Ambedkarite writings. But caste as a social institution or rather as a social stratification has existed in the Indian society for time immemorial, now. With Ambedkar’s writings and the growing Ambedkarite literature, there has been an academic discussion as well as discourse and undoubtedly a faster momentum in the social movement. But, it is quite unfortunate that this ideology has not made its way through film-making. “Filmmaking” here refers to the so-called commercial films and films as a medium of assertion, as mentioned before. There have been a handful of film-makers who have made films based on these inhumane discriminatory practices and there is indeed a need to have more such films and film-makers.
The idea to organise this film festival is to bring in filmmakers who make films on these issues that show the brutal reality of our society to the mainstream audience. The film festival is not limited to films that are based on caste based discrimination or centric to the same. It includes other means of social stratification such as race, colour, class, religion, etc. Also, the organisers of the event would be very happy to welcome entries that are based on the issues that are related to educational spaces.
This festival, an initiative by a group of Ambedkarites led by Tushar Tanaji Bokephode has a motto of its own kind. The primary motto is to bring out the filmmakers and their films on social issues to a larger audience spaces and create awareness. The festival also has other aims such as the following:
1. Provide a library to ZP Primary School;
2. Provide help to students facing issues in academics;
3. Create spaces for folklore, art etc by creating workshops.
The ultimate aim is to create a new cinema movement that would take forward the caravan of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s anti-caste movement.
The festival is open to all filmmakers across the world to send entries that are based on the following themes:
1. Caste, class, race or colour based discrimination;
2. Superstition;
3. Educational issues;
4. Bahujan feminism.
The festival accepts the following entries:
1. Short films
2. Documentaries
3. Animated films.
Entry Fees: INDIA – Rs 700/- | FOREIGN – $15/-
The contact details for the film festival are as follows:
Tushar Bokephode ( Organiser ) : +918806434666
Website : www.behindeyesisffestivalsatara.in
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[Via Omey Anand]
