CiNEsoc

DENDY Upcoming Events (Water & Deepa Mehta in Discussion)

Hey guys!

I've been liasing with Dendy recently, and they've asked me to post a few of their upcoming events amongst our members. Please read the following:

I just have an item that I thought may interest you soc. - a film banned
in
India and a very controversial filmmaker in discussion. It's down at
Dendy
Opera Quays and is the only one in Sydney so it would be great if you
could
get the word out via e-news and other film soc paths etc. Included all
the
details below but if there's anything else at all I can provide you with
I'd
love to hear back from you at your earliest.
Cheers Eren, look forward to talking soon.

Jen

WATER (M)
Discussion with acclaimed director Deepa Mehta, hosted by Garry Maddox
Join Sydney Morning Herald film journalist, Garry Maddox for a discussion
with one of today's most prolific and controversial directors, Deepa
Mehta.
An important voice in global cinema, Mehta will premiere her stunning new
drama, WATER in this exclusive screening and discussion session.

Where? Dendy Opera Quays
When: Tues March 28th
Time? 6.30pm
Tickets: $18/$15 * no free list
Bookings: ph (02) 9247 3800, on sale now


DEEPA MEHTA IN DISCUSSION
When renowned Indian director Deepa Mehta commenced filming WATER in
2000,
only a handful of tranquil days passed before film sets were being thrown
in
the river, her effigy was being burned by protesters across the holy city
of
Varanasi and eventually, one man attempted suicide by jumping into the
Ganges. The production was banned from continuing in the interests of
"public safety".
India's most controversial filmmaker is soon touring Australia and will
be
appearing at Dendy Opera Quays to discuss the importance of her film
trilogy
Fire, Earth and most recent release, Water. Finding it impossible to
finish
Water in India, the filming was moved to Sri Lanka where filming
continued
under an assumed name and strict code of secrecy. Even with a committed
cast
and crew, it took a painful 5 years to complete and is to this day banned
from screening in India.

FIRE (1998) and EARTH (1999) - Mehta's films "a sort of social AIDS"?
When Mehta's first feature, FIRE was screened in Bombay, Thackeray's
so-called Shiv Sainiks (i.e. members of Shiv Sena) rampaged through a
matinee show, smashing glass and burning posters. The next day, theatres
in
New Delhi, Pune and Surat were similarly hit. "Is it fair to show such
things which are not part of Indian culture?" Bal Thackeray, asked in a
magazine interview. "It can corrupt tender minds. It is a sort of a
social
AIDS." Thackeray was referring to the lesbian relationship between the
two
main female characters in the film, relationships which he claimed did
not
exist in India. Every newspaper in India and many around the world
including the New York Times carried coverage of these events and thus
Thackeray achieved his objective of being seen as the protector of the
Hindu
faith. In spite of the fact that the Supreme Court ordered that troops
be
mustered to protect the theatres and armed guards be provided for
director
Mehta, the theatre owners were too intimidated to re-open Fire to the
public. Fire became the highest-selling pirated DVD in India.

WATER (2005)
Despite death threats against the director Mehta and the actresses
Shabana
Azmi and Nandita Das, Water continued production and is set to be
released
in Australia in March. Water is set in the holy city of Varanasi, India,
in
the late 1930s when the practice of child marriage was still prevalent.
Young girls were often wed to older men for economic reasons. When the
men
died, they left behind young widows who were farmed out to ashrams
(institutions). Considered a financial burden by their families, this was
generally the fate of most widows. This story follows the fate of an
eight-year-old widow and her life in an ashram where her presence starts
to
disrupt and affect the lives of the other residents.

Water is due to be released nationally on April 13th Deepa Mehta will be
discussing her film in an exclusive Q+A at Dendy Opera Quays on Tuesday
March 28th.

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Meet Brenda Blethyn, internationally
acclaimed actress and star of...

ON A CLEAR DAY (PG)

Join Golden Globe winning actress, Brenda Blethyn, for a preview of her latest film, followed by a one-off 'Question+Answer' session.

Brenda Blethyn's feature film breakthrough came with her moving performance in Mike Leigh's "Secrets and Lies" for which she won the Best Actress Award at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, a BAFTA Film Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. She was also nominated for both American and British Academy Awards for her role in "Little Voice", directed by Mark Herman. Blethyn made her film debut in 1990 after many triumphant years on the stage with a small part in Nicolas Roeg's "The Witches".

Dendy Opera Quays present Brenda Blethyn in a gala preview screening and Q+A.

Where? Dendy Opera Quays, 2 East Circular Quay, Sydney
When? Wednesday March 29th
Time? 6.30pm
Tickets: $14 adult/ $8 seniors/ $10.50 conc. On sale now
Bookings: ph (02) 9247 3800

posted by CiNEsoc @ 11:22 pm