Synopsis: Deeply disturbed by a spate of honor killings in India this documentary sees Indianostrum, a Pondicherry based theatre group, setting out to introspect the implications of caste, class and gender through an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. What emerges in the process is a critical reflection and commentary on the contemporary world, where love struggles to survive.
About the filmmaker: After graduating from the FTII Pune, India, in 1992, with a specialization in Film Editing, Pankaj was assistant editor on Sekhar Kapur’s ‘Bandit Queen.’ After editing numerous documentaries and TV serials, he made his first film, Kumar Talkies. Subsequently, Pankaj has become a one-man crew producing, directing, shooting and editing his own films under the banner of Kumar Talkies. His films have been screened at film festivals all over the world. He has won grants from Hubert Bals, IFA, Jan Vrijman, AND (Korea), Banff, Majlis, Sarai and Pad.ma. Pankaj was awarded an Asia Society fellowship at Harvard Asia Centre (2003). He is an alumnus of Asian Film Academy (Pusan) and Berlin Talents (2016). Pankaj also curates and teaches. (kumartalkies.blogspot.com)
Dates:
Tuesday, October 8, 2019 – 5:00pm
Foster 103