Abrupt withdrawal of sponsors, low attendance mark Women filmfest

New Delhi, Dec 13 (UNI) An abrupt withdrawal of corporate sponsors and an unusually low attendance from delegates as well as cinema lovers has marred the International Women's Film Festival being held in the capital since December 11.

The Film Festival, which opened at the Siri Fort auditorium in the capital on Monday with the screening of acclaimed Iranian film "Yek Shab" (One Night) by director Niki Karimi, seemed to have been thrown in a disarray with its corporate sponsors, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) suddenly announcing the withdrawal of its sponsorship yesterday.

FICCI's withdrawal led to cancellation of many programmes like an important seminar on 'Women Behind the Camera: Reality and Projection', to be held at Siri Fort yesterday and today.

The seminar was to be attended by many national and international film personalities like leading Italian actress Gina Lolobrigida (who is also a goodwill ambassador of FAO), US filmmaker Cassandra Gava, Italian filmmaker Mariarosie Calleri, French filmmaker Chantal Richard, Polish filmmaker Ana Jadowska, Indian filmmakers Manju Borah and Kanika Verma and former IFFI director Malti Sahai.

The development also put in disarray the film screening schedule at the seven-day festival. In fact, screening of many films scheduled for today was not held.

Even otherwise, film screenings at the various auditoriums at the Siri Fort have evoked a lacklustre or poor response.

Repeated attempts to reach the sponsors for the reason for the withdrawal proved futile.

The festival is to close on December 18 with Lebanese director Jocelyn Saab's "Kiss Me Not on the Eyes" -- about a belly dancer struggling against sexual repression.

Being organised by the Kolkata-based Kolkata Film and Media Studies in association with the Union ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Directorate of film Festivals of the Government of India, the IIWFF has 20 films competing in the world cinema section while 29 films will screen in the non-competitive section including Hungary's ''Just Sex and Nothing Else'' by Krisztina Goda.

Also included is a special retrospective of the work of German director Caroline Link ("Nowhere in Africa"). Link is expected to attend the festival along with foreign delegates such as IIWFF jury member and Budapest Film Festival manager Katalin Vajda.

The festival also features another special retrospective on the works of well-known Indian filmmaker Aparna Sen which will include screening of her highly-acclaimed films like "36 Chowringhee Lane," "Mr.&Mrs. Iyer", 'Sati', 'Paromiter Ek Din'.

Speaking at the inauguration on Monday night, Festival director Shyamali Banerjee said Former Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida will receive a lifetime achievement award.

Lollobrigida, 79, a glamorous sex symbol of the 1950s and 1960s, has starred in films like 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', 'Come September', and 'Strange Bedfellows'.

Ms Banerjee said Bollywood actress Rekha would also be honoured with a similar award at the festival.

She said the festival wished to explore the myriad aspects of women's point of view in terms of screenplay, camera, dialogue, text or artistic direction.

''This is necessary moreso because there is very little scope for a film festival in India absolutely meant for women directors.

thriving in a situation when film viewing was considered as a vice and crossing many hurdles in its path when film is likely to be taken as a combined work of art and industry, women Director's film festival is surely a big leap forward,''she said.

She said the festival would also include a Women Directors' Film Market to promote various business opportunities for filmmakers and production companies.

Another feature of the festival is a Male Voice section featuring five Indian films including Goutam Ghose's "Yatra" (Journey) and Buddhadev Dasgupta's "Kalpurush" (Memories in the Mist).

The five-member jury for features is headed by former International Film Festival of India director Malti Sahai and film critics and filmmaker Khalid Mohamed. Bangladeshi writer Daud Haider, actress Mita Vasisht and filmmaker Sajo Singh.

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