Dreaming Lhasa at Martin Chautari

Ritu Sarin & Tenzing Sonam’s Dreaming Lhasa (2005, Tibet, 90 mins)
Media Discussion Series (Thursday)
20 March 2008/7 Chait 2064 Time: 3 pm

About the film

A Tibetan-American filmmaker seeking to capture the tales of former political prisoners on film is drawn into the plight of Tibet’s exile community in this drama from filmmakers Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. Though she currently hails from New York City, Karma (Tenzin Chokyi Gyatso) is one-hundred-percent Tibetan by blood. Upon arriving at the Indian border town of Dharamsala that is currently occupied by a number of Tibetan exiles, Karma makes the acquaintance of ex-monk Dhondup (Jampa Kalsang), who has fled from Tibet after fighting against the government. Soon embarking on a journey with Dhondup to seek out the missing Loga (Phuntsok Namgyal Dhumkhang) and deliver to him a treasured charm box, Karma finds herself immersed in Tibetan Buddhist culture and forming a close bond with a handsome young and unwittingly falling in love with even as she is sucked into the passion of his quest, which becomes a journey into Tibet’s fractured past and a voyage of self-discovery.

Farewell dear Koili Devi

By Eliza Rana

Kathmandu, Dec. 21: Veteran artiste Koili Devi Mathema, who composed and sang more than 4000 songs, died at the age of 78 on Friday. She has had the honour of being the first female composer and lyricist in the Nepalese music after the establishment of Radio Nepal, the then authority on music and broadcasting.

She was suffering from heart disease for the last four years. Dr. Arun Sayami had performed the surgery to place the pacemaker in her heart in 2061 B.S. Regarded as a legendary singer of Nepal, she had, however, released her first solo album, named Chitta Nirantar at the age of 71 and her second album, Hajurali came when she was 74.

Her all-time hit songs include Samjhi Rahanchu, Nisdin Kabal Hajurlai, Gaucha Geet Nepali, Timro Siudo Sajai dine, Kina Kina Timro Tasbir, and Gajaluti Tula Tula Aakha. She received lessons on the Oriental classical music from her musical guru Ram Bahadur Tandukar.Born to a Chhetri family in Makwanpur she migrated to the Kathmandu Valley and practised music at the palace of Singh Shumsher.

It is here that she earned the name of Koili Devi for her melodious voice replete with pleasant mellowness.  Married to Saakar Bhakta Mathema, Koili Devi had to go through many ups and downs of life, particularly after the demise of her spouse. It is disheartening to the art lovers that she had to spend her entire life at a rented room.In honour of Koili Devi, Bhawak Aviyaan Nepal had established a Koili Devi musical fund in 2057 B.S.Noted singers and musicians paid their last tributes to Koili Devi and her last rites were performed at Pasupati Aryaghat Friday.

She had earlier wished that her last rites were performed without putting her mortal remains at the Nepal Academy premises. According to noted artiste, and film director Prakash Sayami, late Koili Devi had wished so because she used to allege that the Academy had done nothing for her during her lifetime.

Courtesy: The Rising Nepal

Satyajit Ray triology at Martin Chautari

Martin Chautari has shown two of Satyajit Ray’s world famous triology films, Pather Panchali and Aparajito. The third part Apur Sansar is being screened at the premises of Martin Chautari, Babermahal at 3 pm on Dec 27.

PATHER PANCHALI (1955)

This is a tour de force around a family’s quest for that better future amidst sheer poverty. The film’s success is not limited only to realistic depiction of human condition in early 20th century Bengal, but it brings up the triumph of human spirit, love and affection in spite of utter struggle in the most poignant way that one may think. Anybody remotely connected with movie making should also watch APARAJITO AND APUR SANSAR, to complete the experience, and off course to understand the art and craft of cinematic expression from the Maestro. No doubt it ranks in top 100 movie list from Time magazine, not to speak of almost all Indian publications connected with films rate this one as THE MOVIE.

APARAJITO (1956)

Ray’s ‘Aparajito’ continues with its second installment as we see the beautiful but harsh world through the eyes of ‘Apu’. Ray’s portrayal of Apu’s innocence and curiosity during his maturation into adolescence was spectacular. However, the pinnacle of the film is heart wretching performance of Apu’s Mother, whose portrayal of fretfulness, nurturing, and loneliness pulled at this reviewer’s heart strings. Although this film is filled with moments of sadness and despair, this film is about Apu weathering the seemingly endless storm of personal tragedy and eventually reaching maturation.

APUR SANSAR (1959)

“The quiet but deep observation, understanding and love of the human race, which are characteristic of all his films, have impressed me greatly. …I feel that he is a ‘giant’ of the movie industry.” Akira Kurosawa, Japanese Film Director.Apur Sansar (the World of Apu) is the third and final film of the Apu Trilogy . Apu (Soumitra Chatterjee) is now a graduate and without a job. He lives in a rented room next to a busy railway yard. He finds himself among a large population of the unemployed youth in the city. To pay his rent, he has to sell his books. The job search turns out to be an amusing and a tormenting experience. Unfazed, He is writing a novel based on his life, which he hopes will make him famous. His life takes a turn, however, when he meets his old friend Pulu. He coerces Apu to travel to his ancestral village to attend the wedding of his cousin, Aparna ( Sharmila Tagore ). Apu wanders bitterly through the Indian landscape, searching for solace and peace. The end moments can not be explained in words, and simply must be experienced. Ray’s lyrical realism breathes beauty in the mundane acts of his characters. One of the greatest films of all time.   

Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin

Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zamin (India, 1953, 119 mins), Hindi with English subtitles is being screened in Martin Chautari on 29th Nov at its premises at 3 pm.

Shambhu (Balraj Sahni) celebrates the arrival rains, after two years of drought with his son Kanhaiya and wife, Parvati (Nirupa Roy). His joy is short-lived, as the zamindar wants Shambhu’s land for putting up a factory. The zamindar manipulates and bribes the local officials into declaring Shambhu a defaulter, for not having repaid loans taken from the zamindar.

Determined in holding on to his land at any cost, Shambhu goes to Calcutta to try and make money to repay the zamindar. Just when things seem to be working his way, Shambhu meets with an accident and is confined to bed. As the deadline for the repayment draws near, Shambhu is determined to take up pulling the rickwhaw again. Alarmed, Kanhaiya writes to his mother asking her to come to Calcutta. On receiving the letter Parvati sets out to Calcutta, and then…

Into a cinema devoted chiefly to gaiety and adventure, Do Bigha Zamin introduced an element of seriousness and naturalism. The influence of Italian neo-realism can be seen in this feature by the major Indian director Bimal Roy. Roy’s use of the familiar musical and melodramatic style enabled audiences to comprehend his films; at the same time the new naturalistic elements prepared the ground for the more uncompromising and formally innovative political cinema of the 1970s.

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Behind every National Geographic photo is a story that will amaze you.

Like an ever-changing window onto the wonders of our world, the stunning images of National Geographic Magazine have delighted and amazed readers for generations. Now get to know the unforgettable people behind the cameras. And find out what it’s like to travel, explore and “get the shot” on assignment with the celebrated photographers of National Geographic. Journey to the most remote corners of the globe with these gifted, award-winning professionals. Listen in as they reflect on their painstaking art — and their hair-raising adventures! Get a close-up look at the dangers they face and the often chaotic life they lead for the love of their craft. And discover the remarkable talent required to take pictures that make history, as you gain a fascinating new perspective on the world through the eyes of The Photographers.

Martin Chautari is going to screen this documentary on 26 July 2007 / 10 Saun 2064, Thursday at 3 pm at Martin Chautari premises.
The show will be followed by discussion with Nepali photo journalists Gopal Chitrakar, Bikash Rauniyar, Shruti Shrestha, Kantipur, Min Bajracharya, Himal Khabarpatrika.

National Geographic Channel’s The Photographers (2000, 56 mins) documentary is edited by Jud Johnston.

IN THE NAME OF FATHER

A searing, true-life drama of criminal injustice, Irish film maestro Jim Seridan’s In the Name of the Father takes liberties with the truth even as it bemoans those qualities in the authorities. In early 70s Belfast, Gerry Conlon is a petty crook who plays the mortally dangerous game of stripping lead from roofs. To the ever vigilant security forces he looks just like an IRA sniper, while to the terrorists he’s a pain and deserves knee-capping.

At eight o’clock in the evening of October 5, 1974, in a pub in Guildford, England, an IRA bomb explodes, killing five people. As public demands for justice grow to a fevered pitch, the police force, headed by Robert Dixon, is forced to turn to the most likely suspects without regard for their guilt or innocence. Gerry Conlon and Paul Hill, a pair of squatters recently arrived in London from Belfast, become prime targets. When Gerry’s father Giuseppe arrives from Ireland to help his son obtain a lawyer, he is charged with participating in an IRA support network.

In a trial high on speeches and rhetoric but low on facts, the “Guildford Four”, including Gerry and Paul, are sentenced to life in prison because the judge can’t find a reason to hang them, and Giuseppe is given fourteen years. When, after sentencing has been carried out, the police find incontrovertible evidence of the Conlons’ innocence, they keep it carefully buried until Gareth Peirce ferrets out the truth while attempting to get Gerry and Giuseppe’s convictions overturned.

As much as In the Name of the Father is about the true facts surrounding the conviction and eventual freeing of Gerry Conlon and his three innocent friends, the movie’s primary aim is more intimate and personal: to show the development of the relationship between an estranged father and son. When Gerry and Giuseppe arrive in prison, they are virtual strangers, distant and cold. Years later, both have confronted their hidden demons and made their peace with themselves and each other.

Shooting Dogs

Martin Chautari set to show Michael Carton-Jone’s Shooting Dogs (English, UK, 2005, 115 mins) on 12 April 2007 / 29 Chait 2063 , 3pm.

The film is based on the experiences of BBC news producer David Belton, who worked in Rwanda during the Rwandan Genocide. Belton is the film’s co-writer and one of its producers.

The setting of the film is the École Technique Officielle (ETO) run by priests and home to Belgian UN troops in Kigali, Rwanda in 1994, during the Rwandan Genocide. A powerful, based-on-fact film, Shooting Dogs follows John Hurt’s priest and Hugh Dancy’s idealistic young teacher as they watch bureaucracy, institutional racism and generations of hate lead to mass murder in Rwanda. It’s April, 1994 and after the apparent assassination of the president, the country is in uproar: the majority Hutus are blaming the Tutsis – and killing them. By the bus load.

Refugees seek shelter at the United Nations-guarded school of Father Christopher (Hurt), but no one’s sure how long the UN troops will stay… The story centres on a massacre at ETO, where Belgian peacekeepers abandoned thousands of people, ordered by the Belgian government to help, instead, with the frenzied evacuation of all expatriates. Some 2,500 Tutsis who took shelter there were slaughtered by militia after the UN troops left. The film’s title refers to the actions of UN soldiers in shooting at the stray dogs that scavenged the bodies of dead. Since the UN soldiers were not allowed to shoot at the Hutus that had caused the deaths in the first place, the shooting of dogs is symbolic of the madness of the situation that the film attempts to capture.

Oscar awarded film at Martin Chautari

Martin Chautari is set to show Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi (South Africa, 2005, 94 mins) on 29 March (Chait 15, Thursday at 3pm). The film was awarded Oscar for Best Foreign Film, 2006.

Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto – where survival is the primary objective – TSOTSI traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.

TSOTSI is a gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme urban deprivation. His world pumps with the raw energy of “Kwaito music”- the modern beat of the ghetto that reflects his troubled state of mind.

Awards & Nominations

Academy Awards 2006
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

BAFTA 2006 Nomination

The Carl Foreman Award

Pan African Film and Arts Festival 2006 Award

Jury Prize for Best Feature

Santa Barbara Film Festival 2006 Award

Audience Award

Thessaloniki Film Festival 2005 Award

Independence Day section, Greek Parliament’s Human Values Award

Denver International Film Festival 2005 Award

Audience Award

Cape Town World Cinema Festival 2005 Award

Critics Jury Award

St. Louis International Film Festival 2005 Award

Audience Choice Award

Los Angeles AFI Film Festival 2005 Award

Audience Award

The Toronto International Film Festival 2005 Award

People’s Choice Award

The Edinburgh International Film Festival 2005 Award

The Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film

Rakesh Sharma’s Final Solution at Martin Chautari

Final Solution, an Indian documentary by Rakesh Sharma is being shown by Martin Chautari at its Babermahal premises at 3 pm on Feb 15. If you are interested please be there. The entry is free. The synopsis of the film is given below-

Final Solution is a study of the politics of hate. Set in Gujarat during the period Feb/March 2002 – July 2003, the film graphically documents the changing face of right-wing politics in India through a study of the 2002 genocide of Moslems in Gujarat. It specifically examines political tendencies reminiscent of the Nazi Germany of early/mid-1930s. Final Solution is anti-hate/ violence as “those who forget history are condemned to relive it”

This documentary has been screened at over 80 international film festivals and has won several international awards.

Discussions take place at Martin Chautari

Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’ at Martin Chautari

Martin Chautari, a discussion forum based at Babermahal, organises famous film show fortnightly. This time, Chautari is set to show Deepa Mehta’s world famous film Water on Thursday, February 1 at 3 pm. If you are interested, please be there. The entry is free. The summary of the film is given below-

Set in the 1930s during the rise of the independence struggles against British colonial rule, the film examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social restrictions imposed on widows, and a man who is from a lower caste and a follower of Mahatma.
Not yet in her teens, Chuyia is married to a much older and sickly male, who shortly after the marriage, passes away. Chuyia is returned unceremoniously to her parents’ house, and from there she is taken to the holy city of Banaras and left in the care of a wide assortment of widows who live at “the widows’ house,” shunned by the rest of the community. Here she meets several elderly women, including the head of the house, Madhumati; a quiet, confident woman named Shakuntala; and a gorgeous young woman named Kalyani — all widows. Chuyia does not know that according to Holy Hindu Scriptures she has been destined to live here for the rest of her life, for when a woman’s husband dies’, she has three options: One, to marry her husband’s younger brother, if his family permits; two, to kill herself on his funeral pyre; three, to live a life of celibacy, discipline, and solitude amongst her own kind. A new law in India which permits a widow to re-marry is not popular, and it is these customs and openly welcoming the lower castes that will pit Gandhiji against his very own people, apart from struggling with the British to leave India. Kalyani meets and falls in love with young Narayan, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, who wants to marry her, despite his mother’s protests. But on the day he comes to take her to his home, as they are crossing the river to his family estate, Kalyani recognizes the house, the very same house she had been forced to visit as a “prostitute,” to be with Narayan’s father.