African, Arab movies to be screened at Osian film festival

Several critically acclaimed Asian, Arab and African films will be showcased at the 13th Osian's Cinefan Festival beginning here tomorrow.

The festival will open with "Wadjda", the first feature film made by a female film director from Saudi Arabia.

"India has had a relatively weak and apathetic attitude towards world cinema, especially African, absorbed in its own escapism, and so naturally the development of a sensitive and quality-conscious cinematic culture becomes very difficult despite a deep love for cinema," Neville Tuli, Chairman, Osian's Group, said in a statement here today.

"Nurturing this sensitivity must become an imperative of all members of the film fraternity if we are to truly grow into a global cinematic force," he added.
 

Other films to be part of the festival include "20 Fingers" by Maina Akbari, "Moolaade" by Ousmane Sembene, "Under The Skin of The City" and "Life Above All".

Film critic-author Aruna Vasudev will be honoured with the 1st Osianama Lifetime Achievement Award for Nurturing Cinematic Culture.

Apart from this, panel discussions will also be held on "The Hypocrisies and Double Standards of the Depictions of the Female Sexuality in Cinema - What is the Way Forward?" and "Role of Cinema in Helping Women Overcome Abuse, Violence and Injustice".