<p>Short films based on Rabindranath Tagore’s poems, gender disparity in villages and the role of art and artists in society by community film-makers were screened at the 14th Udaan Community Film Festival here on Monday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The event was organised by Aseem Asha Usman Foundation, Flying Birds of India and the Outreach Programme of Jamia Millia Islamia to develop a common understanding about community issues through digital films made by children from Okhla and Seelampur areas. <br /><br />Films were not longer than five minutes and had titles such as Amar Praner Manush, Tagore’s Kitchen, Mere Charo Taraf, Choona Hai Aasman, Kuch Bolnay Do, and Rangeele Kangan, among others. <br /><br /> “We wanted to narrate our problems in the form of short films. But they are not only about the existing problems in villages but about art and even cooking. We shot cooking sequences for Tagore’s Kitchen where we cooked and ate Tagore’s favourite dishes by searching them on the Internet,” said Mustaq Ali, a community film-maker.<br /><br />Foundation members said there were numerous problems such as the plight of artisans, discrimination of girl child, issues faced by children with disabilities, and others which needed to be communicated to the society. <br /><br />“The main agenda of this festival is to give these children, especially girls, a platform to communicate their problems. All short films are shot by children who come from villages and are not trained in videography but they have the zeal to show everyone the kind of issues their community faces on a daily basis,” said Aseem Asha Usman, director of the Foundation.</p>
<p>Short films based on Rabindranath Tagore’s poems, gender disparity in villages and the role of art and artists in society by community film-makers were screened at the 14th Udaan Community Film Festival here on Monday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The event was organised by Aseem Asha Usman Foundation, Flying Birds of India and the Outreach Programme of Jamia Millia Islamia to develop a common understanding about community issues through digital films made by children from Okhla and Seelampur areas. <br /><br />Films were not longer than five minutes and had titles such as Amar Praner Manush, Tagore’s Kitchen, Mere Charo Taraf, Choona Hai Aasman, Kuch Bolnay Do, and Rangeele Kangan, among others. <br /><br /> “We wanted to narrate our problems in the form of short films. But they are not only about the existing problems in villages but about art and even cooking. We shot cooking sequences for Tagore’s Kitchen where we cooked and ate Tagore’s favourite dishes by searching them on the Internet,” said Mustaq Ali, a community film-maker.<br /><br />Foundation members said there were numerous problems such as the plight of artisans, discrimination of girl child, issues faced by children with disabilities, and others which needed to be communicated to the society. <br /><br />“The main agenda of this festival is to give these children, especially girls, a platform to communicate their problems. All short films are shot by children who come from villages and are not trained in videography but they have the zeal to show everyone the kind of issues their community faces on a daily basis,” said Aseem Asha Usman, director of the Foundation.</p>
