Journalism of Courage
Buddhism is not just an institutionalised religion; its a way of life with a deep pursuit towards exploration of truth, said actor,director,producer Amol Palekar,whose film And Once Again is among those that will be screened as part of The Inner Path: A Festival of Buddhist Films. Being held in the city for the second time,the festival is organised by the Pune International Centre (PIC) in collaboration with Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC),and National Film Archive of India (NFAI).
Showcasing 11 films from nine Asian and Western countries,the festival which starts today and goes on till November 10 seeks to reveal the myriad streams of Buddhism practised around the world. Latika Padgaonkar,a member of the programme committee at PIC and also a member of NETPAC,said,The films that will be screened are kind of classics. They have been curated by Aruna Vasudev of NETPAC,with a few additions. We have a mix of styles,including documentaries and feature films.
In another Oscar-nominated work,titled The Burmese Harp,Japanese master Kon Ichikawa reflects on the carnage of war and how it changes the life of one individual. Palekars And Once Again raises questions on the intricacies of man-woman relationship. The festival also includes David Grubins The Buddha and Goutam Ghoses Impermanence,biopics on the Buddha and the Dalai Lama respectively.
A common theme that runs through all the films is the temptations of the world and how the characters grapple with them. Another common sub-text is of self purification, said Padgaonkar.
Explaining the motivation behind a niche festival,Padgaonkar added that such festivals are being held in many different cities across the world. We wanted to bring them to Pune as well. Also,Buddhism seems to be a religion that is inspiring filmmakers, she said. Adding to the thought,Prashant Girbane,Director of PIC,said they are not essentially trying to promote one religion over another. We are here to promote what we learnt from the films, he said.
The films will be screened at National Film Archive of India.
