Showcase for social cinema

kolkata: come mid-february and city cinema lovers may have yet another reason to cheer. the state department of information and cultural affairs (doica) has lined up what is being touted as the first international festival of social communication cinema at nandan from february 15 through february 21. (incidentally, media experts say that social communication cinema belongs to either the documentary genre or to films that showcase real life stories which, in turn, relate to a larger section of our society.) the week-long screening is being organized by nandan, roop kala kendra - a registered society under doica - and centro orientamento educativo, an ngo from italy.anita agnihotri, the director and ceo of roop kala kendra, said on monday, this (the festival) is our way of starting an interaction with the people concerned. we are keen to explore why the reality of the lives of common and marginal people and their struggle and triumphs are not finding a place of importance with the mainstream viewers of television today.'' the screenings, which will showcase selected cinema from within india and from bangladesh, nepal, pakistan, iran, africa and iran, among others, will be held daily from 12 noon to 3 pm and from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm for a total of six hours daily. there will be four panel discussions which will see professionals from the media industry, social activists, advertisers, ngos and representatives of co-operative sectors thrash out issues on the problems faced by the common and marginalised people of our society. the kendra, initially funded by the state government, plans to become self-sufficient. we want to tap funds from various sources including government and non-governmental ones,'' agnihotri added. according to agnihotri, the kendra will develop real-life video films based on hard ground realities'' and then take these outputs to the people through both the broadcast networks - comprising television - and the narrow cast networks like screenings for small groups such as panchayats and women's organisations.