This afternoon I received a short sms from my brother Hansel 'Hey, do check out the env. Film fest at Goa Int. Centre'. Making me curious, I called up Fred, a friend who is associated with a lot of associations and usually is in the know of a lot of my type of 'happening' events. Unfortunately, he didn't know of it, but also informed me that the Goa Science Centre was also screening their own set of films.
So right after work, I sped off into the horizon at 6pm in the direction of Dona Paula to the International Centre where I soon realized that Prakriti'05 had already ended day 1. This is a festival of Indian documentary films on Environment, Development and Human Rights and will be on from September 19th to the 21st at The International Centre in association with Goa University and The Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC), New Delhi. I may have missed out on the first day's films, but I did get a catalogue of the film festival schedule and I'll say that it's defiantly worth a 'dekho'. Those of us who missed it today missed 12 short films on various topics such as Rainwater Harvesting, Mangroves, Olive Ridley Turtles, Dams, Tigers in the Sunderbans, Whale Sharks and more. In between screenings, there are discussions and very fancy tea breaks (so my brother tells me). September 20th film schedule is as follows (with a mini Synopsis by me): 10.00 Vendanthangal - Winter Heaven For Birds A movie about the Vedanthangal bird scantuary and the birds seen there. 10.28 Tsunami - Yesterday Today And Tomorrow About the Tsunami of 2004 and a Tamillian version with some history on an earlier tsunami 10.56 Maru Banjare A film tracing the roots of the Banjara community history and culture. 11.45 Timeless Traveller - The Horseshoe Crab A Sci-wildlife film on the highliy endangered horseshoe crab that has revolutionalized medical history. 12.12 Naata Waqar and Bhau's film about the Neighbourhood Peace committees in Dharavi, Mumbai, Asia's largest slum. 13.07 No School For Bincy & Benson A story of 2 AIDS affected children in Kerala, and the stigma associated with thier infection. 14.30 Swayam About Micro-Finance groups or Self Help Groups, set up by NGOs in India. 15.10 Love For A Longer Life The AIDS epidemic in Asia and the way it is seen as in Asia. 16.15 Glided Mirror A film based on Manipuri Folklore explaining the importance of retaining the eco system in that area. 16.50 Sooni Mama Bikhra Bachpan No Synopsis 17.20 Zero Farming Disadvantages of Modern Agricultural Methods and the advantages and benefits of shifting to Natural Farming. September 21st Film Schedule is as follows: 10.00 Hunting Down Water A movie on The shortage of Water and the dynamics of this man made crisis. 10.42 Children Of The Street A realistic account of street children that captures their spirit of childhood, narrated by the children themselves. 10.59 Voices From The Waves The Global Warming and rising sea threat as seen by two Fijian and Kiribati teenagers. 11.39 In The Very Shahajahanpur Celebration of Holi in Shahjahanpur which is very differently celebrated from the rest of India. The film festival organizers are Dr. Rajendra Mishra and Ms. Shaikh Hasina and can be contacted at 245 2805-10 and 5641869 or e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] Clinton.. [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 9860036828 Benaulim, Goa
