The Valedictory function of the 7th Filmsaaz 2014, an annual International Film Festival of documentaries and short films, organized by University Film Club, Aligarh Muslim University, concluded last Wednesday. The film festival (9th-12th March), which saw a huge participation (150 entries), ended with a grand award ceremony.
The first two days saw the screenings of the shortlisted films from across the world. The eminent jury consisted of names such as film critic Anuj Kumar, celebrity blogger, film reviewer, journalist, TV show host and author of The Adventures Of An Intrepid Film Critic, Anna M. M. Vetticad and last but not the least filmmaker, Dr. Parvez Imam.
The notable winners included Whistling Woods International’s Maula Baksh De, actor S.M. Zaheer, The Last Delivery from Oman and the Dr. Indu Bala Singh directed Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar.
National Award winning director (and actor), Tigmanshu Dhulia, was the chief guest, who along with the AMU Pro-Vice chancellor, Brigadier S. Ahmad Ali (retired), the guest of honour, felicitated the winners under various categories of International and Domestic entries.
Addressing the audience on the occasion, Tigmanshu Dhulia said, “I feel proud to be a part of the festival and it feels great to be at the AMU campus.”
Answering queries about the current cinema scenario in India Tigmanshu said, “The Indian cinema has undergone a sea change since 2013, and many of the recent movies (appreciated both critically and commercially), departed from the tradition, latest example being that of Queen.”
For the uninitiated, a large portion of iconic films like Mere Mehboob and Nai Umar Ki Nai Fasal were shot in and around the AMU campus. And just last year it was the turn of the Sandeep Sahota produced Anjali Patil and Satya Anand starrer, Mrs. Scooter, which was screened at the NFDC Film Bazaar of the 44th International Film Festival Of India in Goa, and will in all probabilities go to the New York Film Festival, later this year.
During the course of his AMU sojourn, Tigmanshu took a tour of the sprawling Aligarh Muslim University campus, along with the film club president, Mr. S. Abid Hasan, and saw the locales of the above mentioned films and said that he would love to shoot a film in the beautiful and serene campus of the university.
