Cinema in the Snow

Ladakh’s barren snow-capped mountains may hold little life,but it has been the backdrop to a slew of Bollywood dramas. It is also home to a small,local film industry. Next year,this picturesque town,located at 12,000 ft,will play host to the highest altitude film festival in the world. Slated for June,with filmmaker Shyam Benegal as the Chairperson,the first Ladakh International Festival aims to bring cinema buffs in Ladakh closer to the world. The entries for the festival open on January 1.

“It is also the only green festival in South Asia. We will have a green carpet instead of a red carpet and use solar energy on the premises,” says Melwyn Williams Chirayath,filmmaker and director of the festival. Chirayath had just finished shooting the Malayalam film Veettilekkulla Vazhi in Ladakh,when a cloudburst rocked the area,leaving death and devastation in its wake. “It seems that the world has exploited Ladakh for long. It is time to give something back,” says Chirayath. Fittingly,the festival will have a snow leopard called Schan as its mascot.

The festival,which has been divided into the categories World Cinema,Indian films,Competition Films and Ladakhi Films,will also screen films made on cellphones. The think-tank of the festival includes several heavyweights from the world of film — Christian Juene,Deputy Director General of the Cannes Film Festival,and Jacob Neiindum,director of the Copenhagen Film Festival,director Govind Nihalani and actor Shekhar Kapur.