Sunday, July 30, 2006

SIGNS 2006 update

25 documentaries have been selected for the competition for John Abraham National awards under 3 categories

Social / Gender
1.7 Islands and a Metro(Madhusree Dutta)2.AFSPA ,1958(Haobam PabanKumar)3.Beyond the Wheel(Rajula Shah)4.Erosion (Saurav Srangi) 5.Good News( Altaf Mazid) 6.I am the Very Beautiful(Syamal Kumar)7.Night Will Break(J Maathavaraj)8.Notes from the Crematorium(Amuthan RP)9.Redefining Peace(K P Sasi)10.She Write(Dr. Anjali Monteiro &Dr.K P Jayasankar)11.The Legend of Fat mama(Rafeeque Ellias)12.Untitled:3 Narratives(Kavitha Joshi)13.Uppukattu(P Harigopu)14.Waiting..(Atul Guptha&Sabnam Ara)
Environmental
1.A Paradise for The Dying( M A Rahman)2.Ode to the luminous green living(Rajendra Prasad)3.Song of The Road(R.R.Srinivasan)4.Video Game(Vipin Vijay)5.Village of Dust, City of Water(Sanjay Barnela)
Biography/ History
1.Blue Sun Green Moon(K Rajagopal)2.Fingerprint(Jayadeep Kothamangalam)3.Land of The Diggers(Biju Toppo)4.Matha to Ma(C S Venkiteswaran)5.Riding solo to the top of the World(Gaurav.A.Jani)6.The House on Gulmohar Avenue(Samina Mishra)

12 films have been selected for the short feature section

1.Everyday(Anu Srinivasan)2.Friday Skies(Emmanuel Quindo Palo)3.In Las Vegas(Altaf Mazid)4.Kadaltheerathu (Sherry)5.Mouse Race(Avira Rebeca)6.Purgatory(Sreejith Paul)7.That Day Also It Rained(B.Unnikrishnan)8.The Marbles Game(Manu)9.Their Story(Reema Borah)10.Vanishing Days(Mir Md. Falak)11.Xeno(Albert Kurian)12.Baba Black Beard(Sanghamithra Karmakar)

Jury

Noted director Saeed Akhthar Mirza will be the chairman of the Jury. Saeed Akhtar Mirza, an FTII graduate made three documentaries for the television- Corpses, Slum Eviction and Urban Housing shortly after coming out of the Institute. He made his first feature film, Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan in 1976 with a non narrative structure. The film portrayed the alienation of the upper middle class urban youth. This film marked Mirza as an important filmmaker. His second film, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980) dealt with the problems faced by the Christian community in secular India. Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984) focused with wry humour and hidden rage on the little man's dilemma in the corrupt, exploitive environment of modern India. Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989), his fourth feature film dealt with the problems of another minority community but here the community is the one which he also belongs to. The film is dedicated to his long time friend Safdar Hashmi. Naseem too deals with the problems of the Muslim community and the story is set during the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

Film Editor Beena Paul and M R Rajan will be members