Date:28/09/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/09/28/stories/2005092806120200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

For city's film buffs, a treat

Staff Reporter

Campaign held to re-emphasise the importance of quality cinema

NO HOLDS-BARRED: Culture critics Sadanand Menon (right) and Theodore Bhaskaran during an interactive session as part of the `See Quality Rolling.'

CHENNAI: A cross-section of Chennai's film buffs thought cinema continuously for about 12 hours during the "See Quality Rolling," an event espousing quality cinema on September 23.

The programme was organised by the Communication Department of Madras Christian College at Suprageet Preview Theatre in Alwarpet as the finale to a PR campaign.

Around 200 students participated.

A highlight was the interactive sessions with experts such as Theodore Bhaskaran and Sadanand Menon, film critics, Krishnakant Mishra, creative director, Frameflow India and Sunny Joseph, cinematographer.

Anup Kurien's `Manasarovar' was screened for the first time in India to roll out the treat.

The panel discussion that followed examined the film from various angles and prompted several questions from the audience. A screening of `Dreams' by Akira Kurosawa followed.

Sunny Joseph's unique topic " Cinema- A Love 24 times per Second" accompanied by excerpts from several films kept the audience riveted, as did Krishnakant Mishra's talk on the development of computer graphics. Questions relating to careers in this line cropped up at the interactive session that followed.

The curtains came down with the screening of `Children of Heaven' by Iranian director Majid Majidi.

The campaign featured a film appreciation workshop by Louis Mathew, Programme Manager, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy; a screening of Federico Fellini's `La Strada;' an interactive session with Sashi Kumar Menon, chairman of the Asian College of Journalism and screening of his movie `Kaya Taran' and an exhibition.