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Catch an indie movie screening, hear live music and learn the ropes of Japanese pottery. With this unusual medley of activities, the organisers of the city’s independent cultural fest, ‘MAFIA’, hope to bring in the crowds.
Catch an indie movie screening, hear live music and learn the ropes of Japanese pottery. With this unusual medley of activities, the organisers of the city’s independent cultural fest, ‘MAFIA’ (acronym for musicians, artists, filmmakers, interesting log… aa jao!), hope to bring in the crowds.
Anyone is welcome
The event has been held previously on a smaller scale, with like-minded people from various professions showcasing their ideas. But no prior registration is required — setting it apart from events like the Kala Ghoda Festival and Bandra Fest. In fact, the two-day event has no screening process for the motley crew of participants. Everybody is welcome to attend and perform.
Organiser Gurpal Singh first launched this idea with ‘BYOFF’ (Bring Your Own Film Festival) — an annual gathering of indie filmmakers in Puri, Orissa. Eight years after its inception, the festival witnesses an audience of around 200 people each year. Singh says, “The idea behind MAFIA is to expand the audience and include more than just the filmi crowd. As filmmakers, we all talk about the same things. It is important to meet with people of other professions who share the same interests,” he adds. Also, unlike BYOFF, today’s event is as conducive to the tastes of children as it is to seasoned art connoisseurs, with a number of activities being planned keeping them in mind; particularly a workshop in papier-mâché and trash art by Sudarshan Juyal.
Pottery workshop
Besides this, musician Pankaj Awasthi will perform original compositions while Sandeep Manchekar will conduct a workshop in Raku-yaki, a form of Japanese pottery. Movie screenings include Indradhanush: the Shadow of the Rainbow, an Oriya film by Sushant Mishra, and a documentary, The Family Album by Nishta Jain. Sculptor and art director for films such as Dev.D (2009), Sukant Panigrahy, also a felllow-organiser, has constructed a 20-foot long mermaid entirely from bamboo shoots and organic material.
