Kriti Team Newsletter - October 2014

Dear Friends

Greetings from the Kriti Team!

We hope you all had a great Diwali!! Our team sends lots of wishes for unending joy, good health, love and light in your life.

With this mailer, we update you on our initiatives and events conducted in October and at the same time, invite you to our November events – Kriti Film Club screening on 1st November (on Men’s perspectives & changing roles) in collaboration with PSBT and ITVS; and the Children’s Film Festival on 15th November where we have lined up some exciting films for the young ones. Ours is a small but one of its kind interactive space for watching and talking films so if you have not been here until now give yourself a chance for a new experience!

Octoberscape with the Kriti team
In October we celebrated the International Day of Older Persons on 1st October with a very inspiring film on Zohra Sehgal by Anant Raina. We were honoured to have both the film-maker and Mr. M.K. Raina, the distinguished actor/director and Anant’s father, for the discussion following the film screening. The audience was spell-bound with the inspirational message of living life to the fullest and Zohra ji’s life-story touched a chord in everyone’s heart! We also had a 72 year old member of our audience play some lovely songs on his harmonica and we salute his spirit and hope that we have many more young spirited oldies perform next year! See pictures on 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.836521113045995.1073741838.195759603788819&type=1

Some of the other important days that we mark in the month of October are:

02 October     Gandhi Jayanti/International Day of Non-Violence
10 October     World Mental Health Day
13 October     International Day for Natural Disasters Reduction
17 October     International Day for Eradication of Poverty
24 October     United Nations Day/World Development Day

In 2011, we had for the first time organised a Mental Health Day event in collaboration with PHFI and a Kriti Film Club curated festival of documentaries called ‘MindReels’. In the Kriti team tradition of consistency, we have continued to mark this day for the last three years. This year we used the social media to organise an Online Mental Health Festival (on facebook) to mark the World Mental Health Day (10th October), where a very path-breaking documentary film “A Drop of Sunshine”, directed by Aparna Sanyal,  was screened online from 10th – 14th October in collaboration with PSBT. Besides the film, there were several other articles, talks, videos and other resources shared to create more awareness and dialogue on mental health issues. There are very few spaces and platforms to discuss mental health concerns; hence it was a small initiative by us to instil more courage, hope and positivity through the social media. See more on https://www.facebook.com/events/1498742460385144/

We continue our efforts of triggering thought and action on socially relevant issues and hope that you will join and support us with full gutso!

Wishing Lights & Joy
Kriti Team

Documentary Screenings in November
Kriti Film Club @Alaknanda (1st November 2014)
Mardistan (Macholand): Reflections on Indian Manhood
26 mins/ English, Hindi
Director: Harjant Gill

&
Men Against the Tide
22 mins/ English, Hindi
Directors: ITVS & CNN-IBN


Date: 1st November, Saturday
Time: 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm
(screenings followed by discussion)
at the Kriti team workplace
A-15 Tara Apartments, near Alaknanda market
New Delhi 110019 (nearest metro – Govindpuri)

https://www.facebook.com/events/278811358982319/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

ABOUT THE FILMS:
Mardistan - Through the experiences of four different men, ranging in age from 20s to 40s, Mardistan explores the notion of contemporary manhood in a rapidly globalising India. A middle-aged writer attempting to make sense of the physical and sexual abuse he witnessed growing up in an elite military academy, a working class father of twin daughters resisting the pressure to have a son, a young college student searching for a girlfriend with whom he can lose his virginity, a middle-aged gay man deciding to come out to his wife after nearly 20 years of marriage, together make up different dimensions of what it means to be a man in India today. 

About the FilmmakerHarjant Gill is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Cultural Studies at Towson University, Maryland. He received his PhD from American University. His academic research examines the intersections of masculinity, modernity and migration in South Asia. He is also a documentary filmmaker and has made several films that have screened at film festivals worldwide and won numerous awards. His previous documentary with PSBT, Roots of Love, explored the changing significance of hair and turban among Sikhs and has been telecast on BBC World News, BBC America, and Doordarshan. He is currently also the Co-Director of Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival.

Men Against the TideHow men across the world are challenging the various facets of masculinity:  December 2012 Delhi gang rape cut short the life of a promising young woman.  It also sparked an emotional response, revolutionizing India’s consciousness around gender-based violence, and provoking many of us to speak out and take action against it.  One year later, a new film by CNN-IBN and ITVS (Independent Television Service, Inc.) honors men throughout India who are striking at the root of gender-based violence.



Children’s Film Festival
(For children 7 – 14 years of age)
On 15th November, 2014
Timings: 12 noon – 5 p.m.
at the Kriti Team workplace
A-15, Tara Apartments, Alaknanda
New Delhi – 110019 (nearest metro: Govindpuri)

To celebrate Children’s Day, Kriti Film Club launches the first edition of Children’s Film Festival with some selected documentary and mainstream films for children. The films have been chosen that will stimulate the young sparkling minds with some lessons and learnings for life, in a light hearted and fun way. The screenings will be followed by reflections and discussions with the kids – to understand their perspectives and ideas.

Films include:
  • I am Kalam
  • Jadui Pankh and selected short films by Nitin Das
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Lukka Chhuppi (the world’s first children’s feature film fully shot in Ladakh) by Vinod Ganatra 
The celebration will include small healthy eats for the children. So do send your kids for a fun-filled yet educational event to ignite their thinking!

Please send us confirmations in advance to help us make suitable arrangements!

ABOUT THE FILM CLUB: Kriti Film Club is an educational and research oriented initiative of Kriti: a development research, praxis and communication team. We offer an independent and informal space for screening documentary films on a whole range of development, human rights &environment issues. We also serve as a borrowing & access space for documentary films.

Phone: 26027845/ 26033088

Facebook group: Kriti team Facebook page: Gestures by Kriti team

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