Osian’s Cinefan this year celebrated its tenth year with an abundance of offerings in its core presentation of films, as well as a liberal spread of activities and exhibits that relate to film in one way or another. The festival screened a chock- full programme of 190 films of which as many as 40 were shorts. It had four separate juries judging competing segments of Asian-Arab, India, First Features and In-Tolerance and films judged by Netpac (Pan-Asian cinema) and Fipresci (international film critics).
Within this packed viewing were a series of talks under the heading ‘Infrastructure Building for Minds and Markets’(IBM2). In addition there were discussions on a variety of subjects, starting with Tuli’s upcoming magnum-opus in Mumbai, the Osianama arts centre and from there, to co-productions, film criticism, literature on film and the making of a first feature. The speakers were well chosen professionals in art and cinema from India and abroad. Osian’s draws a wide and impressive number of film personalities from abroad, not only from the West but from the lesser-known but productive film regions of Asia and the Far East. Then there is the festival’s Talent Campus which scouts for emerging talent in various film forms.
One well-attended audio-visual event on costume design was presented by Sangita Kathiwada in conjunction with American film producer David Wiseman. The cynosure of this occasion was the noted costume designer from the US, Milena Canonero. She was meant to be present on this occasion but a sudden crisis prevented her from travelling to India. Sangita screened an 8-minute short which she put together on the remarkable films that bear Milena Canonero’s stamp. While she found the task exciting, she said the editing was both daunting and demanding. Her film linked excerpts from some of the outstanding films that Canonero has worked on, which include Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) and The Shining (1981), Hugh Hudson’s Chariots Of Fire (1981) and Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006). David Wiseman and Sangita then talked of the individual eye and energy that Milena brings to her work and to her films. Sangita Kathiwada herself is extending her role as a leading fashion designer. She now makes her debut as costume designer in Ketan Mehta’s latest film, Rang Rasiya.
A special festival presentation was ‘The Osian Asian II’, a remarkable exhibition held at the India Habitat Centre’s Visual Arts Gallery showcasing a selection of rare Indian and Asian art works from the Osian’s Archive and Library Collection. It included Asian art works from Japan, China, Tibet, Nepal, Cambodia and India spanning artistic traditions from the B.C. period to the 20th century. A highlight was the early 13-18th century Tibetan and Nepali Thangkas from the famed Jucker Collection. The exhibit also features about fifty Kabuto or helmets (16th to 19th century) used by the great Samurai warriors of Japan, alongside the Japanese full body armour, which provides a first hand look into the complex and hierarchical world of the Japanese Samurai warrior. Of interest too were the Japanese Dolls, which have a spiritual significance in Japan. Also on view were miniature paintings from the Pahari and Rajasthani schools, depicting the cult of the Devi, ardently worshipped in the court of the Pahari rulers. This exhibition has proved to be a major draw among young and old in Delhi, attracting some 500 viewers every day.
Osian’s balances Tuli’s objectives when he says, “A film and more so a film festival, has to have the ability to galvanise and energise the public. It must have the ability to open their minds, make them want to travel, explore, discuss.”