Bergman film festival from September 5
Around the city, Events & Happenings — By The Desk on September 4, 2008 at 10:37 AMTimes of India: ‘Remembering Bergman: A Retrospective,’ a film festival showcasing the works of renowned Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, will be held at the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) from September 5 to 11. Palador Pictures, in association with the Swedish Embassy, have lined up the cinematic treat for the city’s movie buffs.
Some of the classics to be screened are ‘Winter Light’ and ‘Through A Glass Darkly’ , which explore the theme of faith and doubt in God, ‘Wild Strawberries’ , an intense psychological drama analysing the effect of guilt, religion and death on a person , ‘Summer Interlude,’ a haunting tribute to a tragic first love, and ‘The Silence’ , a tale of two sisters in a hotel.
The festival comes calling on the city after having travelled to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore . “Through this festival, we are trying to find out how many people are interested in this kind of cinema. We want to establish a rapport of the audience with such classics,” says Gautam Chitnis , founder of Palador Pictures.
Bergman and his cinema continue to enthrall film fans around the world. Swedish documentary filmmaker Gunnar Bergdahl made a documentary on Bergman, ‘Intermezzo,’ in 2002. ‘Intermezzo’ lends an insight into Bergman’s thinking.
“Bergman had told him (Bergdahl) that he had got over the idea of death when he was 18 years old and accepted death as it is. Hence, his pscyhological interpretations of death through his movies,” says Chitnis.
Bergdahl also interacted with the audience who came for the festival in other cities. There, the documentary filmmaker spoke about the internal conflicts that the characters in Bergman’s films face. The audience also frequently asked Bergdahl about Bergman’s obsession with the theme of death.
“These films are not easily accessible to the general public. So this festival is a good opportunity for film lovers. I have also asked the festival organiser to put up a collection of these films on sale at the venue,” said NFAI director Vijay Jadhav.
The schedule
Screenings at NFAI at 6.30 pm
Sept 5: Wild Strawberries
Sept 6: Summer Interlude (at 4.30 pm)
Sept 7: Through A Glass Darkly
Sept 8: Winter Light
Sept 9: The Silence
Sept 10: Summer With Monika
Sept 11: The Devil’s Eye
