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UP Cinefest allures film buffs of all ages
The day-long event featured short film screenings, panel discussions, interactive sessions with television and film personalities, cultural performances, and more.
Young film students, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and theatre personalities gathered at Ganna Sansthan in Lucknow on Saturday to be a part of the fourth iteration of UP Cinefest, organised by the Lucknow Film Forum.
The day-long event featured short film screenings, panel discussions, interactive sessions with television and film personalities, cultural performances, and more. The audience eagerly awaited each new speaker to take the stage and share their experiences and advice.
The chief guest at the event was Suresh Kumar Khanna, the state minister for finance and parliamentary affairs. He praised the festival, saying, “This festival not only celebrates cinema but also the spirit of human creativity and resilience. It’s a platform that connects artists, thinkers, and audiences in a dialogue that transcends boundaries.”
Film personalities such as actors Meenakshi Dixit and Pratik Gandhi, and filmmakers, directors, and writers Jyoti Kapur Das and Arijit Lahiri took the stage to recount their journeys in the film industry, sharing their achievements and the challenges they faced. Jyoti Kapur Das, during her candid address, emphasised how some ideas are best conveyed through short film formats, while other stories are better suited for feature films. She also advised students and aspiring filmmakers and actors that “the more you read, the better you become as a director or technician in the film industry.”
Dixit and Gandhi, the two young actors who attended the event, spoke to the audience about the struggles they encountered on their journey to establish themselves in the industry. Lahiri, now a director-writer who spent 15 years in advertising, discussed how he selected subjects for his films, delving into the exploration of human nature and the dilemmas and dualities it presents. He also provided insights into screenplay, scriptwriting, and cinematography. All the guest speakers engaged openly with the audience, making the interactive sessions highly enjoyable for the crowd.
Renuka Tandon, the woman behind the event and the president of the Lucknow Film Forum, summed up the spirit of the festival in her closing address, “This festival is more than an event; it’s a vision where Lucknow emerges as not just a host but a feeling, an experience... We want to make this city not just a place on the map but a destination in every cinematic journey.”
