Kolkata to host international students' film festival

Offering a peek into the future of cinema, a three-day international students' film festival will be held here from Friday.

Around 80 select works of film students from all over the world will be screened at the premier Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) during the Clapstick International Students' Film Festival.

"The festival will bring together films made in different socio-cultural spaces by some of the most promising young filmmaking talent in the world today. It will also offer a peek into the future of cinema," said Sanjaya Pattanayak, SRFTI's director.

Besides national film schools like SRFTI, FTII and Mumbai's Whistling Woods, students from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, would showcase their bounty of films.

In the international section, film institutes from various European nations, Australia, USA and China are coming.

"The variety of content and innovative style of visual storytelling would inspire and motivate young filmmakers and enthusiasts seeking exposure to the inventive ideas in filmmaking today," Pattanayak said.

Clapstick aims at bringing new expressions and content with emerging styles and idioms created by young students.

The documentaries and short films would be in varied formats including DVD, 35 mm, beta and Blue Ray.

Eminent Kannada filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli will be felicitated at the carnival for his inspiring cinematic contribution.

In an open forum session on the last day, the emergence of Manipuri cinema will be discussed. Manipuri filmmakers Lancha Ningthouja and Haobam Paban will take place in the discussion.

"Films by students are different because they present a young, original vision of the world as the filmmakers are nurtured in an environment that offers great freedom of creative expression, formal approaches and encourages experimentation," said Shyamal Karmakar, head of the editing department at SRFTI.