25th June 2023, Mumbai: Nandita Das returned from Shanghai where she participated in the jury for the just-completed Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF). The actor-turned-director believes that these film festivals give creative a democratic platform, something India still needs. “In our nation, we either view film festivals as the gold standard for films or despise them as a gathering place for the upper crust of the artistic elite. I believe that these film festivals offer a wonderful public forum for creators and moviegoers,” Nandita tells us.
Nandita has participated in numerous prestigious international film festivals, including Cannes, the Busan Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival, but the 25th edition of SIFF marked her first appearance as a juror in an Asian nation.
The 53-year-old, who has always enjoyed in exhibiting her films before an audience exposed to a variety of international cinema, finds the Q&A session that follows the screening to be quite enlightening and stimulating.
“Additionally, it’s a great way to meet other film industry professionals and enthusiasts because it results in thought-provoking talks and, occasionally, collaborative projects. Additionally, going to these festivals is a terrific way for me to visit a lot of major and tiny places that I would not have otherwise been able to”, adds the director, whose most recent film, Zwigato, shown at a number of festivals before being released in theatres earlier this year.
The Manto creator talks about her experience at the festival, saying that even though it was her first time visiting Shanghai, she could appreciate the enthusiasm that went along with it because the festival was returning after two years due to the pandemic. “Thanks to OTT platforms, youthful viewers are now considerably more exposed to international cinema, which draws them to numerous festivals nowadays. Zwigato was also shown on the big screen. A friend who saw the movie reported that it was a filled theatre with people watching with rapt attention. I was informed that the majority of the audience remained for the entire end credit. This is why the excitement of presenting a movie to an attentive audience that appreciates it undivided attention, is very special. I was so delighted to be there, a city I was curious to visit,” she elaborates.Nandita says that while it was an honour for her to represent India on a global level, she didn’t allow it affect her judgement while serving on the jury.
“I’m not a juror for my country when I sit on a jury. We had to judge films from all around the world; there were seven of us on the jury. Therefore, regardless of where we came from, it would have been wrong to bring one’s national identity to that event that demanded objectivity. We took our life experiences, film preferences, worldviews, aesthetics, and perspectives on life and cinema with us”, says Nandita, who acknowledges that she always carries a piece of India with her when she travels abroad, and with, “My brown skin, dark hair and Indian clothes, I inevitably represent my country”.
-by Kashvi Gala