Films unite cultures, people: Rajyavardhan Rathore

NEW DELHI: I&B minister Rajyavardhan Rathore on Friday said films were a big unifier and Indian cinema and its stars were known across the world. Speaking at the inauguration of the six-day Asean India Film Festival, the minister said cinema was a medium powerful enough to unite cultures.
“It is not about the stories or the language, but about the commonality between human emotions.Cinema cuts across languages and binds everyone,” he said.
The minister highlighted the government’s efforts to deepen its contacts with Asean countries. He said cinema helped to lighten the serious conversations about diplomatic ties and the Asean India film festival would serve as a platform for cultural exchange.
The festival opened with the screening of National Film Award-winning film ‘Sinjar’ from Lakshadweep. As a vehicle of cultural exchange, the Directorate of Film Festival aimed to provide access to new trends in filmmaking by providing a platform for exchange of ideas, culture and experiences in the field of cinema, the I&B ministry said. “The film festival will have countries which have immense cultural diversity but share a common historical thread. This will be showcased through screenings of films, alongside exchange of ideas, discussions between film personalities and interactive sessions with the audience,” it said.
Films from 11 countries are scheduled to be screened during the festival, the tagline of which is ‘Friendship through Films’.