NEW DELHI: About 45 short and feature length films from over 20 countries will be screened at the ninth Voices from the Waters International Film Festival to be held in Bangalore from 11 to 14 September.
In addition to the films, conferences will also be held in multiple venues. The aim is to encourage more documentary filmmakers focus their creativity on water
The selected films are out of 145 films received from 27 countries. Some of the countries which have sent films include the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Iran, Israel, Canada, the Czech Republic, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Italy, Ukraine, Spain, Germany and Norway besides India.
Organised by the Bangalore Film Society, the venue of the festival is the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA).
The inauguration will be studded with cultural events like dance performances, water songs and so on, and prominent people working on water issues from across the country will be present along with film directors and water activists. There will be photography and painting exhibitions, eco bazaars and organic food courts.
The festival comes at a time when the world is going through a phase of uncertain climatic conditions of unseasonal gale and storm, heat wave and cold wave, melting Antarctica and rising seas gobbling up the landmass, increasing desertification and so on. The festival offers you a glimpse into all these and more – the struggle, the hopes and despair, the success stories etc.
Civilizations through the ages harnessed water and grew around it. However, contemporary civilizations have seen it as an economic utility and a dumping ground for all the waste they generate and polluted it. The festival is also the stories of restoration of water to its pristine beauty. Viewing these visual narratives gives us all an opportunity to focus on the global water crisis and engage in deep reflection to conserve this life sustaining nectar for posterity. Water brings us all together.
Apart from films, the other avenues of engagement at the festival would be painting and photo exhibition, art installations, water songs, lectures, roundtables, eco-conscious product bazaar and interaction with film directors, water activists and water scholars.
