International Festival of Films on Tribal Art and Culture in MP

Bhopal, Jan 30: A three-day International Festival of Films on Tribal Art and Culture (IFFTAC) will get underway at Gandhi Hall in Indore on February 1.

The film festival is being organised by 'Vanya', an undertaking of the Madhya Pradesh Government's Tribal Welfare Department, and Mumbai-based Indian Infotainment Media Corporation (IIMC).

Secretary (Culture and Public Relations) Manoj Shrivastava and Director (Swaraj Bhawan Sansthan) Shriram Tiwari said the festival would exhibit films from about 40 countries, including Angola, Azerbaijan, Australia, Bosnia, Cameroon, China, Ethiopia an official release said here yesterday.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan heads the board of patrons of IFFTAC - 2008. Other patrons include Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah, Minister of State for Tribal Welfare Ranjana Baghel and Principal Secretary (ST&SC Welfare Department) O P Rawat.

The advisory board is headed by former Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, actor Randhir Kapur, President South India Film Chamber of Commerce Sv Sr Ramanathan, Ethiopia Ambassador Gennet Zewide, Botswana Ambassador Porcas Anna Keosietsile, and U K Acting Ambassador of Peru Carlos A Yngoven would be guests at the festival.

Many film and TV personalities are expected to grace this three-day competitive film festival.

Films based on the theme of tribal culture, art, religion, architecture. philosophy, traditions, mythology, history, life-style, food, costumes. jewellery, sports and various aspects associated with them will be showcased in during the festival.

Besides, there would be exhibitions on tribal paintings, photos, sculptures, instruments and programmes on tribal dance and music.

More than 600 tribal performers from entire Madhya Pradesh would participate in the festival.

Free workshops on writing, lyrics writing and composing film and TV music would be organised. Television script writer Rajesh Dube, lyricist lbrahim 'Aska' and film composer Siddharth Kashyap will conduct these workshops.

The festival aims at providing a common platform to the filmmakers involved in film making on tribal art and culture across the globe.

There are five awards in the film competition. Scheduled categories for filmmaker from any part of the world are: International Award (to all filmmakers), National Award (to all filmmakers from India only), Tribal Film Maker Award (to filmmakers belonging to any tribe), M P Filmmaker Award (to filmmakers from M P) and Student Award (For students only), the release added.

UNI