Florence -- Firenze -- the city of Dante, Michelangelo, Botticelli's Venus
... and also of the first and only film festival in Europe dedicated
exclusively to Indian film!
Officially called the "RIVER TO RIVER INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF FLORENCE, director Selvaggia Velo, explains that this appelation refers to the holy river Ganges in India and the local waterway, the Arno, which flows through this exquiste Tuscan city into the Tyrrhenian sea near Pisa. How did such a festival get started here? -- explains Selvaggia: "I visited India as a tourist with my parents years ago and fell immediately in love with the country and the culture. On numerous successive visits I began to meet various Indian film people in Bombay and, based on these personal connections, decided that it was time to give this extremely important film industry an exclusive showcase in Europe -- in my culture intensive home town of Florence". -- "However, she continues -- our focus is definitely not on Bollywood, or the commercial Indian cinema, but more on so-called "Art and essay films" by selected personal type filmmakers, of which there are also many in this vast sub-continent".
Thus the opening night films were "15 Park Avenue" by auteur directress
Aparna Sen, and "Amu", a first feature film by Shonali Bose, another young
woman director.
Pictures:
Konkona Sensharma, daugther of Aparna Sen, in leading role of the film "15 Park Avenue"
Director Aparna Sen of "15 Park Avenue"

Alex Deleon in Florence

More on http://www.rivertoriver.it/