Editor

The much awaited, biggest bi-annual documentary film festival, The 11th Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF 2010) will open from February 3rd, 2010 at the National Centre for Performing Arts, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai.

The inauguration of the Festival will take place at 6 p.m. on. Wednesday, February 3, 2010. Veteran film maker and Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner Mr.Yash Chopra will be the Chief Guest. The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Ms.Ambika Soni will preside.

The festival will be inaugurated with Naresh Bedi's documentary ‘On a Tiger Trail' and Shih-Ting Hung's ‘Viola :The Traveling rooms of a little giant'. And Uma Dogra's live Kathak performance.

Looking at the other Highlights, The National Film Archives of India, Pune will stage a unique show of pre-cinema projection technique called ‘Shambharik Kharolika' (the magic lantern) on February 5, 2010.

Open Forum will focus on "Creating Documentary Culture, Getting finance for international projects, Taking documentaries to the audiences - national and international and Single window clearance for documentary films.

Full day seminars will focus on ‘Redefining the Documentary', Working environment of the documentary film maker, Government accreditation of documentary film maker etc. in which  Mike Pandey, Anand Patwardhan, Mani Kaul, Jabbar Patel, Jahnu Barua among others will Participate.

Other interactive sessions include "Changing Style of Acting" with Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher as key speakers, "Film Music - then and now' with Anandji, Sameert Tandon, Ila Arun and Sudesh Bhosle as key speakers. ‘Content in Indian Cinema' with Subhash Ghai, Govind Nihlani, Javed Akhtar and Jabbar Patel as key speakers.

Report by Rajendra Joshi