They came from all over for a film festival

They came from Bankura, Purulia, Bokaro and even Jamshedpur to attend the festival from February 7 to 9. The festival was a matter of pride for Junglemahal, they said.

“For years we have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. People know Junglemahal as a Maoist stronghold. They assume that it’s violence-ridden and has no cultural significance. We want to change that notion,” says Siddhartha Roy Bhandari, a theatre artiste from the area and a member of Cine dot Manbhum, which organised the film festival.

“We are culturally inclined youths of the area and we want this festival to go from strength to strength,” adds Anirban Banyopadhyay, a member of the organising committee.

The festival was attended by Trinamool leader Shantiram Mahato, Minister, Self-Help Group and Self-Employment. Stressing that their organisation is completely apolitical, Banyopadhyay says: “He wanted to actively help us with the festival but unfortunately he was busy with the Rajya Sabha elections happening then.”

Eleven movies were screened at the festival, including an Iranian and a Bangladeshi film. “I was amazed at the way people reacted to the Iranian film My Tribe. Since people of this area are not exposed to world cinema, I was apprehensive about their ability to grasp a sensitive film like that,” says film scholar and Head of the Department (Editing) of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Shyamal Karmakar.

A festival such as this can go a long way towards benefiting the economy of a place like Junglemahal, feels Karmakar. “This is a beautiful place and there is no reason why people should shy away from it. Tourism will help develop the area and if we manage to promote this festival properly, there is no reason why it cannot be a destination festival,” he says.