Monday 12th October 2009
10am Screening
Music With-in
(U.S.A, 2007, Steven Sawalich, English, 94mins)
Cast: Ron Livingston - Richard Pimentel, Art Honeyman - Michael Sheen, Dr. Padrow - Hector Elizondo, Christine - Melissa George, Mike Stoltz - Yul Vazquez.
Awards: AFI Dallas International Film Festival - Audience Award in 2007 for Narrative Feature Film - Steven Sawalich
Synopsis: A heart warming story that takes you through the true life story of Richard Pimentel, a brilliant public speaker who played a pivotal role in making the Americans with Disabilities Act a reality, played by Ron Livingston (Sex and the City, Band of Brothers, Office Space). As a young man, Pimentel finds he has an innate ability for public speaking but is informed by his idol College Bowl founder Dr. Padrow that to be a great orator, he needs more life experience. This prompts Pimentel to enlist in the military. While on duty in Vietnam, Pimental loses most of his hearing and is left with permanent tinnitus. After returning home, he becomes frustrated when people tell him he can never achieve his dreams because he is deaf, and makes it his mission to prove them wrong. He is aided in his quest by a foul-mouthed genius Art Honeyman, played by Michael Sheen (The Queen, Underworld, Twilight), who in this film essays the role of a man with Cerebral Palsy.
1pm Screening
Blind Loves
(Slovakia, 2008, JurajLehotský, Slovak, 77mins)
Synopsis: This stunning documentary follows 4 sets of people in their quest for love. Directed by Slovakian film-makerJurajLehotsky, Blind Loves (SlepeLásky) is a touching and life-affirming film, which does not shy away from showing us the depth of despair, these blind couples sometimes find themselves in, and yet managing to give a glimpse of hope nevertheless. This intimate, revealing movie is also a curiously voyeuristic experience, as it makes us look at the people in a way they can never look at themselves. It is a delicate portrayal of complicated lives in the modern world, told and filmed beautifully, with interesting technical touches (the mixture of animation and real-life sequences, the camera angles, the engrossing music) and finds a charming and witty visual language to express their unique and imaginative perceptions of the world.
4pm Screening
Through Deaf Eyes
(USA, 2007, Lawrence R. Hott& Diane Garey, English, 120mins)
Synopsis:‘Through Deaf Eyes’ gives us an insight intothe last 200 years of deaf life in America. It weaves together historic photographs, movie clips along with other recent examples of deaf culture, and includes interviews with prominent members of the deaf community, including actress MarleeMatlin (Picket Fences, Children of a Lesser God) and Gallaudet University president emeritus I. King Jordon. The documentary covers many aspects of life, such as religion, education, sports, music, race and ethnicity, and arts. This is a fascinating film is a poignant and sometimes humorous documentary that reaches the heart and soul of what it means to be human.
7pm Screening
Beyond Silence (JenseitsderStille)
(Germany, 1996, Caroline Link, German, 109 Mins)
Cast: Sylvie Testud – Lara, TatjanaTrieb - Young Lara, Howie Seago - Martin, SibylleCanonica – Clarissa. Awards: Academy Awards: Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Bavarian Film Awards: Best Direction for Young Film & Best Music. Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Plaque for Special Mention - Caroline Link & Best Film, Tokyo International Film Festival - Best Screen Play Award, Tokyo Grand Prix, 1997 Vancouver International Film Festival - Award most Popular Film.
Synopsis: Since the earliest days in her childhood Lara has had a difficult but important task. Both her parents are hearing and speech impaired and Lara has to translate from sign language to the spoken word, and vice versa when her parents want to communicate with the outside world. As she gets older she gradually becomes interested in music and starts to play clarinet, very successfully. However since her parents are deaf and they cannot share Lara's musical career. This story takes us through the heart-wrenching story of how Lara has to eventually decide between her parents and her own ambitions. What makes this film even moresignificant is that Lara’s parents are both played by deaf actors.
Music With-in
(U.S.A, 2007, Steven Sawalich, English, 94mins) Cast: Ron Livingston - Richard Pimentel, Art Honeyman - Michael Sheen, Dr. Padrow - Hector Elizondo, Christine - Melissa George, Mike Stoltz - Yul Vazquez.
Awards: AFI Dallas International Film Festival - Audience Award in 2007 for Narrative Feature Film - Steven Sawalich
Synopsis: A heart warming story that takes you through the true life story of Richard Pimentel, a brilliant public speaker who played a pivotal role in making the Americans with Disabilities Act a reality, played by Ron Livingston (Sex and the City, Band of Brothers, Office Space). As a young man, Pimentel finds he has an innate ability for public speaking but is informed by his idol College Bowl founder Dr. Padrow that to be a great orator, he needs more life experience. This prompts Pimentel to enlist in the military. While on duty in Vietnam, Pimental loses most of his hearing and is left with permanent tinnitus. After returning home, he becomes frustrated when people tell him he can never achieve his dreams because he is deaf, and makes it his mission to prove them wrong. He is aided in his quest by a foul-mouthed genius Art Honeyman, played by Michael Sheen (The Queen, Underworld, Twilight), who in this film essays the role of a man with Cerebral Palsy.
1pm Screening
Blind Loves
(Slovakia, 2008, JurajLehotský, Slovak, 77mins) Synopsis: This stunning documentary follows 4 sets of people in their quest for love. Directed by Slovakian film-makerJurajLehotsky, Blind Loves (SlepeLásky) is a touching and life-affirming film, which does not shy away from showing us the depth of despair, these blind couples sometimes find themselves in, and yet managing to give a glimpse of hope nevertheless. This intimate, revealing movie is also a curiously voyeuristic experience, as it makes us look at the people in a way they can never look at themselves. It is a delicate portrayal of complicated lives in the modern world, told and filmed beautifully, with interesting technical touches (the mixture of animation and real-life sequences, the camera angles, the engrossing music) and finds a charming and witty visual language to express their unique and imaginative perceptions of the world.
4pm Screening
Through Deaf Eyes
(USA, 2007, Lawrence R. Hott& Diane Garey, English, 120mins)
Synopsis:‘Through Deaf Eyes’ gives us an insight intothe last 200 years of deaf life in America. It weaves together historic photographs, movie clips along with other recent examples of deaf culture, and includes interviews with prominent members of the deaf community, including actress MarleeMatlin (Picket Fences, Children of a Lesser God) and Gallaudet University president emeritus I. King Jordon. The documentary covers many aspects of life, such as religion, education, sports, music, race and ethnicity, and arts. This is a fascinating film is a poignant and sometimes humorous documentary that reaches the heart and soul of what it means to be human.
7pm Screening
Beyond Silence (JenseitsderStille)
(Germany, 1996, Caroline Link, German, 109 Mins) Cast: Sylvie Testud – Lara, TatjanaTrieb - Young Lara, Howie Seago - Martin, SibylleCanonica – Clarissa. Awards: Academy Awards: Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Bavarian Film Awards: Best Direction for Young Film & Best Music. Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Plaque for Special Mention - Caroline Link & Best Film, Tokyo International Film Festival - Best Screen Play Award, Tokyo Grand Prix, 1997 Vancouver International Film Festival - Award most Popular Film.
Synopsis: Since the earliest days in her childhood Lara has had a difficult but important task. Both her parents are hearing and speech impaired and Lara has to translate from sign language to the spoken word, and vice versa when her parents want to communicate with the outside world. As she gets older she gradually becomes interested in music and starts to play clarinet, very successfully. However since her parents are deaf and they cannot share Lara's musical career. This story takes us through the heart-wrenching story of how Lara has to eventually decide between her parents and her own ambitions. What makes this film even moresignificant is that Lara’s parents are both played by deaf actors.
Tuesday 13th October 2009
10am Screening
The Way Home (Jibeuro)
Korea (South), 2002, Jeong-hyang Lee, 80 Mins)
Cast: Cast:Eul-boon Kim - Grandmother, Seung-ho Yu - Sang-woo, Hyo-hee Dong -Sang-woo's Mother.
Awards: Baek Sang Art Award - Baek Sang Film Best Film,Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema - Bronze Castle (Jeong-hyang Lee),Grand Bell Awards, South Korea-Grand Bell Award Best Film,Hong Kong Film Awards-Hong Kong Film Award Best Asian Film,SanSebastián International Film Festival- Best New Director - Special Mention ,Young Artist Awards - Best Young Actor in an International Film (Seung-ho Yu).
Synopsis: The Korean film "The Way Home"( Jibeuro) is the heartwarming story of city boy seven-year-old Sang-woo who is left with his grandmother in a remote village while his mother looks for work. Disrespectful and selfish, he lashes out in anger, perceiving that he has been abandoned. Through his grandmother's boundless patience and devotion, he learns to embrace empathy, humility and the importance of family.
Watch this film for Eul-boon Kim, the woman who plays the grandmother. She had never seen a movie before in her life before acting in this one! A movie with something for everyone, this poignant story is sure to make you want to reach out to your grandmother! ‘The Way Home’, with its simple, yet touching story line, captured the imagination of Korean audiences when it released in 2002, becoming the country's second highest grossing production.
1pm Screening
Johnny Belinda
(U.S.A, 1948, Jean Negulesco, English, 102mins)
Cast: Jane Wyman - Belinda McDonald, Lew Ayres - Dr. Robert Richardson, Charles Bickford - Black McDonald, Agnes Moorehead - Aggie McDonald, Stephen McNally - Locky McCormick.
Awards: Academy Awards- Oscar Best Actress in a Leading Role - Jane Wyman,Golden Globes - Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Motion Picture Actress-Jane Wyman
Synopsis: Dr. Robert Richardson, a dedicated young general practitioner, seeks to establish himself in an isolated fishing village on Cape Breton Island off the Nova Scotia coast. Here he meets Belinda McDonald, a young hearing and speech impaired woman, callously dismissed by family and neighbors as "the dummy”. He alone senses her innate intelligence and after overcoming the initial skepticism of her flinty, gruff father and indifferently cold aunt, he devotes himself to teaching the young girl sign language and lip-reading.
This black and white film was Warner Bros biggest hit of 1948. It is an example of how films with strong, non-traditional women as the central character became more prominent in the post-WWII era. ‘Johnny Belinda’ features a career-best performance from Jane Wyman in the title role .The music of the film is by Max Steiner, who gave us such memorable scores in “Gone with the Wind” and “Casablanca”.
4pm Screening
Nothing About Us
(Netherlands, Dutch/English, MarjinPoels, 60mins)
Synopsis:The film ‘Nothing About Us’ shows ten Dutch young people with disabilities who travel to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, in order to call attention to the shocking position of their disabled counterparts in Ethiopia. Against the chaotic background of one of the largest cities in Africa, the Dutch and Ethiopian youths practice martial arts and self defense in order to increase their empowerment.
Eventually they give an amazing show for thousands of visitors in the University Stadium of Addis Ababa, to prove that people with disabilities can achieve anything. They can and will participate in society! ‘Nothing About Us’ shows foreign aid through the eyes of these disabled young people. It presents a touching account of their lives, their doubts and their hopes…
7pm Screening
Murderball
(U.S.A, 2005, Dana Adam Shapiro & Henry Alex Rubin,
English, 88 mins)
Awards: Sundance Film Festival-Audience Award Documentary and Special Jury Prize, Seattle International Film Festival - Golden Space Needle Award, Indianapolis, International Film Festival - Audience Award, Gotham Awards - Best Documentary.
Synopsis: This brutally honest documentary follows the US Quadriplegic Rugby team from the 2002 games in Sweden till the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. Young men, most with spinal injuries, play this rough and tumble sport in special chairs, seated gladiators. We get to know several of these tough athletes and their families. They talk frankly about their injuries, feelings in public, competitiveness, and love of the game. There's also an angry former team member gone north to coach the Canadian team, hard on everyone, including his viola-playing son. We meet a recently injured man, in rehab, at times close to despair, finding possible joy in quad rugby. After Athens, the team meets young men injured in war: the future stars of Team.
The Way Home (Jibeuro)
Korea (South), 2002, Jeong-hyang Lee, 80 Mins) Cast: Cast:Eul-boon Kim - Grandmother, Seung-ho Yu - Sang-woo, Hyo-hee Dong -Sang-woo's Mother.
Awards: Baek Sang Art Award - Baek Sang Film Best Film,Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema - Bronze Castle (Jeong-hyang Lee),Grand Bell Awards, South Korea-Grand Bell Award Best Film,Hong Kong Film Awards-Hong Kong Film Award Best Asian Film,SanSebastián International Film Festival- Best New Director - Special Mention ,Young Artist Awards - Best Young Actor in an International Film (Seung-ho Yu).
Synopsis: The Korean film "The Way Home"( Jibeuro) is the heartwarming story of city boy seven-year-old Sang-woo who is left with his grandmother in a remote village while his mother looks for work. Disrespectful and selfish, he lashes out in anger, perceiving that he has been abandoned. Through his grandmother's boundless patience and devotion, he learns to embrace empathy, humility and the importance of family.
Watch this film for Eul-boon Kim, the woman who plays the grandmother. She had never seen a movie before in her life before acting in this one! A movie with something for everyone, this poignant story is sure to make you want to reach out to your grandmother! ‘The Way Home’, with its simple, yet touching story line, captured the imagination of Korean audiences when it released in 2002, becoming the country's second highest grossing production.
1pm Screening
Johnny Belinda
(U.S.A, 1948, Jean Negulesco, English, 102mins) Cast: Jane Wyman - Belinda McDonald, Lew Ayres - Dr. Robert Richardson, Charles Bickford - Black McDonald, Agnes Moorehead - Aggie McDonald, Stephen McNally - Locky McCormick.
Awards: Academy Awards- Oscar Best Actress in a Leading Role - Jane Wyman,Golden Globes - Golden Globe Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Motion Picture Actress-Jane Wyman
Synopsis: Dr. Robert Richardson, a dedicated young general practitioner, seeks to establish himself in an isolated fishing village on Cape Breton Island off the Nova Scotia coast. Here he meets Belinda McDonald, a young hearing and speech impaired woman, callously dismissed by family and neighbors as "the dummy”. He alone senses her innate intelligence and after overcoming the initial skepticism of her flinty, gruff father and indifferently cold aunt, he devotes himself to teaching the young girl sign language and lip-reading.
This black and white film was Warner Bros biggest hit of 1948. It is an example of how films with strong, non-traditional women as the central character became more prominent in the post-WWII era. ‘Johnny Belinda’ features a career-best performance from Jane Wyman in the title role .The music of the film is by Max Steiner, who gave us such memorable scores in “Gone with the Wind” and “Casablanca”.
4pm Screening
Nothing About Us
(Netherlands, Dutch/English, MarjinPoels, 60mins)Synopsis:The film ‘Nothing About Us’ shows ten Dutch young people with disabilities who travel to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, in order to call attention to the shocking position of their disabled counterparts in Ethiopia. Against the chaotic background of one of the largest cities in Africa, the Dutch and Ethiopian youths practice martial arts and self defense in order to increase their empowerment.
Eventually they give an amazing show for thousands of visitors in the University Stadium of Addis Ababa, to prove that people with disabilities can achieve anything. They can and will participate in society! ‘Nothing About Us’ shows foreign aid through the eyes of these disabled young people. It presents a touching account of their lives, their doubts and their hopes…
7pm Screening
Murderball
(U.S.A, 2005, Dana Adam Shapiro & Henry Alex Rubin, English, 88 mins)
Awards: Sundance Film Festival-Audience Award Documentary and Special Jury Prize, Seattle International Film Festival - Golden Space Needle Award, Indianapolis, International Film Festival - Audience Award, Gotham Awards - Best Documentary.
Synopsis: This brutally honest documentary follows the US Quadriplegic Rugby team from the 2002 games in Sweden till the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. Young men, most with spinal injuries, play this rough and tumble sport in special chairs, seated gladiators. We get to know several of these tough athletes and their families. They talk frankly about their injuries, feelings in public, competitiveness, and love of the game. There's also an angry former team member gone north to coach the Canadian team, hard on everyone, including his viola-playing son. We meet a recently injured man, in rehab, at times close to despair, finding possible joy in quad rugby. After Athens, the team meets young men injured in war: the future stars of Team.
Wednesday 14th October 2009
10am Screening
Darius Goes West
(U.S.A, 2007, Logan Smalley, English, 92mins)
Synopsis: ‘Darius Goes West’ is the story of, Darius Weems; a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia. Until in the summer of 2005, he and a group of young college students travel across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV to test accessibility in the United States. Their ultimate goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV's hit show, "Pimp My Ride," to customise Darius's wheelchair. This touching story shows how along the way, they find joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.
1pm Screening
Beyond Silence (Jenseits der Stille)
(Germany, 1996, Caroline Link, German, 109 Mins)
Cast: Sylvie Testud – Lara, Tatjana Trieb - Young Lara, Howie Seago - Martin, Sibylle Canonica – Clarissa.
Awards: Academy Awards: Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Bavarian Film Awards: Best Direction for Young Film & Best Music. Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Plaque for Special Mention - Caroline Link & Best Film, Tokyo International Film Festival - Best Screen Play Award, Tokyo Grand Prix, 1997 Vancouver International Film Festival - Award most Popular Film.
Synopsis: Since the earliest days in her childhood Lara has had a difficult but important task. Both her parents are hearing and speech impaired and Lara has to translate from sign language to the spoken word, and vice versa when her parents want to communicate with the outside world. As she gets older she gradually becomes interested in music and starts to play clarinet, very successfully. However since her parents are deaf and they cannot share Lara's musical career. This story takes us through the heart-wrenching story of how Lara has to eventually decide between her parents and her own ambitions. What makes this film even moresignificant is that Lara’s parents are both played by deaf actors.
4pm Screening
Mozart and the Whale
(U.S.A, 2006, Petter Næss, English, 92mins)
Cast: Josh Hartnett - Donald Morton, Radha Mitchell - Isabelle Sorenson, Gary Cole - Wallace, and Sheila Kelley - Janice.
Synopsis:Directed by award-winning director Petter Naess and written by Ron Bass, Mozart and the Whale is a dramatic yet romantic comedy that is not a typical love story. Inspired by the true-life story of Jerry and Mary Newport, who both had Asperger's Syndrome. Donald, played by Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbour, Black Hawk Down) runs an autism support group and Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) is referred to the group by her therapist. When Donald, a taxi driver and numbers whiz, meets Isabelle his routine life is turned upside down as he tries to incorporate her into his world This touching tale shows us how Donald and Isabelle had to lose each other to find themselves and come to realise that love can heal the soul regardless of circumstances.
7pm Screening
Bilal
(India, 2009, Sourav Sarangi, Hindi, 88mins)
Awards: Silver Ace at Las Vegas International Film Festival, Silver Palm at Mexican Film Festival
Synopsis: The story begins inside an 8X10 feet partitioned room in central Kolkata. Almost nothing is visible inside. In fact, Bilal’s parents do not need any light to see, as they are blind and live almost in darkness. However, three-year-old Bilal and his infant brother can see. The story beautifully shows how Bilal communicates with them through sounds and touch. He is never idle - be it guiding his blind parents through the traffic or carefully training his brother in the art of making mischief. Bilal's upbringing and care seems to have become a collective responsibility of all the neighbors. The film tells this curious story by observing the little boy over a year and capturing rare moments of sharing love, fun, and hope; the wonder-filled world of Bilal.
Darius Goes West
(U.S.A, 2007, Logan Smalley, English, 92mins) Synopsis: ‘Darius Goes West’ is the story of, Darius Weems; a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia. Until in the summer of 2005, he and a group of young college students travel across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV to test accessibility in the United States. Their ultimate goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV's hit show, "Pimp My Ride," to customise Darius's wheelchair. This touching story shows how along the way, they find joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.
1pm Screening
Beyond Silence (Jenseits der Stille)
(Germany, 1996, Caroline Link, German, 109 Mins) Cast: Sylvie Testud – Lara, Tatjana Trieb - Young Lara, Howie Seago - Martin, Sibylle Canonica – Clarissa.
Awards: Academy Awards: Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Bavarian Film Awards: Best Direction for Young Film & Best Music. Chicago International Film Festival: Gold Plaque for Special Mention - Caroline Link & Best Film, Tokyo International Film Festival - Best Screen Play Award, Tokyo Grand Prix, 1997 Vancouver International Film Festival - Award most Popular Film.
Synopsis: Since the earliest days in her childhood Lara has had a difficult but important task. Both her parents are hearing and speech impaired and Lara has to translate from sign language to the spoken word, and vice versa when her parents want to communicate with the outside world. As she gets older she gradually becomes interested in music and starts to play clarinet, very successfully. However since her parents are deaf and they cannot share Lara's musical career. This story takes us through the heart-wrenching story of how Lara has to eventually decide between her parents and her own ambitions. What makes this film even moresignificant is that Lara’s parents are both played by deaf actors.
4pm Screening
Mozart and the Whale
(U.S.A, 2006, Petter Næss, English, 92mins) Cast: Josh Hartnett - Donald Morton, Radha Mitchell - Isabelle Sorenson, Gary Cole - Wallace, and Sheila Kelley - Janice.
Synopsis:Directed by award-winning director Petter Naess and written by Ron Bass, Mozart and the Whale is a dramatic yet romantic comedy that is not a typical love story. Inspired by the true-life story of Jerry and Mary Newport, who both had Asperger's Syndrome. Donald, played by Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbour, Black Hawk Down) runs an autism support group and Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) is referred to the group by her therapist. When Donald, a taxi driver and numbers whiz, meets Isabelle his routine life is turned upside down as he tries to incorporate her into his world This touching tale shows us how Donald and Isabelle had to lose each other to find themselves and come to realise that love can heal the soul regardless of circumstances.
7pm Screening
Bilal
(India, 2009, Sourav Sarangi, Hindi, 88mins) Awards: Silver Ace at Las Vegas International Film Festival, Silver Palm at Mexican Film Festival
Synopsis: The story begins inside an 8X10 feet partitioned room in central Kolkata. Almost nothing is visible inside. In fact, Bilal’s parents do not need any light to see, as they are blind and live almost in darkness. However, three-year-old Bilal and his infant brother can see. The story beautifully shows how Bilal communicates with them through sounds and touch. He is never idle - be it guiding his blind parents through the traffic or carefully training his brother in the art of making mischief. Bilal's upbringing and care seems to have become a collective responsibility of all the neighbors. The film tells this curious story by observing the little boy over a year and capturing rare moments of sharing love, fun, and hope; the wonder-filled world of Bilal.
Thursday 15th October 2009
10am Screening
The Family Album (Album de Familia)
(Spain, 2007, Frank Toro, Spanish, 80mins)
Synopsis: One day in the life of eight handicapped people. They talk about their problems, realities and dreams. Juan Carlos jumps in a parachute, Jake gives a hip-hop concert, Nadia dances with crutches and Elisabeth is a blind teacher. This straightforward documentary gives us a glimpse into the intriguing lives of disabled people in Spain and shows us the determination with which they pursue their goals. Nothing can stop them!
1pm Screening
Goldfish
(Poland, 2008, Tomasz Wolski, Polish, 70mins)
Synopsis: ‘Goldfish’ is a film about the colourful everyday lives of a group of mentally handicapped people. The film follows the group as they prepare to put on a production of "The Tale of the Goldfish", an adaptation of a work by Alexander Pushkin. They take part in the rehearsals for the play, which will be performed in the theatre in Krakow, Poland. This is a story about simple dreams that may come true.
6pm Screening
Taare Zameen Par (with Audio Description)
(India, 2008, Amir Khan, Hindi, 165 Mins)
Cast: Darsheel Safary - IshaanAwasthi, Aamir Khan - Ram Shankar Nikumbh, TanayChheda – Rajan Damodaran, Sachet Engineer - Yohan Awasthi, Tisca Chopra - Maya Awasthi.
Awards: Filmfare Awards and Screen Weekly Awards
Synopsis:Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate - colors, fish, dogs and kites. These are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks and neatness. And Ishaan just cannot seem to get anything right in class. When he gets into far more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to a boarding school to be disciplined. Things are no different at his new school, and Ishaan has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family. One day a new art teacher bursts onto the scene, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, who infects the students with joy and optimism. He breaks all the rules of how things are done by asking them to think, dream and imagine, and all the children respond with enthusiasm, all except Ishaan. Nikumbh soon realizes that Ishaan is very unhappy, and he sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself.
The Family Album (Album de Familia)
(Spain, 2007, Frank Toro, Spanish, 80mins)Synopsis: One day in the life of eight handicapped people. They talk about their problems, realities and dreams. Juan Carlos jumps in a parachute, Jake gives a hip-hop concert, Nadia dances with crutches and Elisabeth is a blind teacher. This straightforward documentary gives us a glimpse into the intriguing lives of disabled people in Spain and shows us the determination with which they pursue their goals. Nothing can stop them!
1pm Screening
Goldfish
(Poland, 2008, Tomasz Wolski, Polish, 70mins) Synopsis: ‘Goldfish’ is a film about the colourful everyday lives of a group of mentally handicapped people. The film follows the group as they prepare to put on a production of "The Tale of the Goldfish", an adaptation of a work by Alexander Pushkin. They take part in the rehearsals for the play, which will be performed in the theatre in Krakow, Poland. This is a story about simple dreams that may come true.
6pm Screening
Taare Zameen Par (with Audio Description)
(India, 2008, Amir Khan, Hindi, 165 Mins) Cast: Darsheel Safary - IshaanAwasthi, Aamir Khan - Ram Shankar Nikumbh, TanayChheda – Rajan Damodaran, Sachet Engineer - Yohan Awasthi, Tisca Chopra - Maya Awasthi.
Awards: Filmfare Awards and Screen Weekly Awards
Synopsis:Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate - colors, fish, dogs and kites. These are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks and neatness. And Ishaan just cannot seem to get anything right in class. When he gets into far more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to a boarding school to be disciplined. Things are no different at his new school, and Ishaan has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family. One day a new art teacher bursts onto the scene, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, who infects the students with joy and optimism. He breaks all the rules of how things are done by asking them to think, dream and imagine, and all the children respond with enthusiasm, all except Ishaan. Nikumbh soon realizes that Ishaan is very unhappy, and he sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself.
