Dear Friends

 

SAATHII is happy to announce Siddhartha Gautam Film Festival 2009 - from January 24 to 29, 2009. In its 5th edition, we aim to continue taking the film festival to newer venues and audiences. This will also be the first time that the film festival will be organized on and around Siddhartha's birthday, January 25, which will make it emotionally even more special - especially for those of us who feel that a year is simply incomplete without the film festival having been organized, viewed or participated in.

 

We also hope that the film festival will be able to contribute to social action around the petition and larger campaign against Section 377 IPC.

 

This announcement carries a call for submission of films for screening and information about the dates and venues of the film festival. While we will be contacting a number of filmmakers whose productions are already in our reference libraries in Kolkata and Bhubaneswar to invite them to participate, we will happy to welcome more submissions provided the following criteria are met:

 

1) The films may focus on issues of queer communities, people infected or affected by HIV, as well as larger gender, sexual rights and human rights concerns - particularly in the Indian / Indian Diaspora / South Asian contexts. These were the core areas on which Siddhartha was committed to bring about social change

 

2) Feature films, documentaries, docu-features, shorts - all genres are welcome

 

3) Films can be in any language, but where possible sub-titling in English / Bengali / Oriya will be preferred

 

4) DVD formats (compatible with Indian systems) will be preferred. Please make sure print quality is good for public screening in both theatres and television for mobile shows 

 

5) Last date for receipt of films and synopses: January 17, 2009. But decision for participation should be intimated by January 13, 2009.

 

Films need to be submitted / couriered to: SAATHII, 229, Kalitala Main Road, Purbachal (N), Kolkata 700 078. Phone: 033 2484 5002

 

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Film festival programming and schedules will be worked out based on the following venues and audiences:

 

Jan 24 (Sat): Film festival opens at IDCOL House, Bhubaneswar to an audience of queer and PLHIV communities, government officials and NGO workers

 

Jan 25 (Sun): Mobile film screenings in and around Bhadrak town for viewing by audiences in specific urban and rural sites

 

Jan 27 (Tue): Mobile film screenings in and around Balangir and Titlagarh towns for viewing by audiences in specific urban and rural sites. Also: Screenings at Mitro Sammeloni in Siliguri to an audience of queer and PLHIV communities, government officials and NGO workers

 

Jan 28 (Wed): Gyan Manch, Kolkata: Screenings and interaction with filmmakers for students of mass communication from different colleges and universities in Kolkata, especially those keen on making audio-visual material on queer and other health and development issues

 

Jan 29 (Thu): Gyan Manch, Kolkata: Final day screenings for an "all are welcome" audience

 

More information will be available on our website in the coming days. Please look out for further announcements.

 

We are grateful to our partners for co-organising / co-hosting / supporting the film festival in different venues: Fellowship, Santi Seva and Saraswati in Bhadrak; Rajendra Yuvak Sangh and Laxminarayan MSM / TG Group in Balangir; Maa Manikeswari MSM / TG Group in Titlagarh; and Northern Black Rose in Siliguri. We also thank Interact Worldwide, Bhubaneswar and DFID-Civil Society Challenge Fund for their support.

 

Anupam, Biswa, Mayadhar, Mitali, Pawan, Sayan, Soma, Subhadip, Sudha

Along with volunteers Anis, Dibyendu, Lily and Tahmid

 

Contact: saathii@... / 033 2484 5002 (Kolkata) / 0674 239 1245 (Bhubaneswar)