Barabanki may be an out of world, back of beyond town but it's soon going to be on the 'filmy map'. A two-day national film festival is being organised at the Jehangirabad Media Institute (JMI) on April 15-16. This will be the first of its kind event not only for the district but also for the state. Documentaries produced by students of various media institutes across the country will be exhibited at this festival. Evident by the response the institute is getting in terms of entries shows that the students are excited about it. They are getting a chance to showcase their talent before various luminaries many of whom are admired by them. JMI on its part is leaving no stone unturned for the success of the event.
Two specially-designed preview theatres are being readied. Work is in full swing for the other infrastructure tasks. Expert guidance from the Arts College students of the Lucknow University is coming in handy for decorating the venue.
Apart from the film festival, a photo exhibition is also planned on the campus of JMI. The picturesque environment of the institute is ideally suited for it. “The theme of the exhibition will be ‘Jehangirabad Fort - Past and Present’,” says faculty member Bijumohan. Around 200 documentaries are expected for the event. The documentaries are further divided into fiction and non-fiction categories.
A special category dealing with social issues like women's empowerment, AIDS, child labour is also planned. “Social agencies like Oxfam and ActionAid have agreed to be part of the event,” adds Bijumohan. Cash prizes will be given in each category. Renowned people like Harsh Mander, Roop Rekha Verma, Sanjay Kak, Rakesh Sharma have given their consent to attend the festival and help the students. An open discussion forum is also planned where students can interact with the jury and colloborative agencies regarding their documentaries.