Date:28/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/28/stories/2008052850940200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Israeli film festival begins in Chennai

Staff Reporter

Chennai: An Israeli film festival – in celebration of the 60th year of the formation of Israel – opened to a packed auditorium here on Monday.

Inaugurating the festival, Consul-General of Israel in Mumbai Daniel Zohar Zonshine said his country and India shared values such as democracy. Films to be screened during the festival would be a mix of the old and new, so that viewers could get different perspectives on Israel, he said.

German Consul-General in Chennai Roland Hermann was one of the visitors to the festival. He said his interest in Israel grew when he had been posted in the country.

He expressed hope that peace would soon come to the Middle East.

President of the Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation S. Kannan, Big Motion Pictures vice-president Muthuram Natarajan; Indo Israel Friendship Association president C. Lakshmi Narain; Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary S. Raghavan; film director Agathian and actor Rhea spoke at the function.

The first film to be screened was ‘Out of Sight’, which tells the tale of a visually-challenged girl who tries to solve the mystery behind her friend’s suicide.

The films to be screened over the next few days have themes of love and war. The screening will be at the South Indian Film Chamber Theatre, Gemini Circle.

Schedule

The schedule is as follows: Tuesday — The Schwartz Dynasty (6.15 p.m.) and Foul Gesture (8 p.m.); Wednesday — Sallah Shabati (6.15 p.m.) and Free Zone (8 p.m.) and Thursday — Beaufort (6.30 p.m.). For more details, call 98401-51956.