The third edition of a film festival that celebrates the spirit of struggle of the Chambal is currently on at Pachnada, the confluence of five rivers, in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district.
Named after a filmmaker who despite making just three films enjoys an iconic status, the third K. Asif Chambal International Film Festival is an effort to bring films from across the world to a diverse and often overlooked rural audience. This edition had 113 film entries, of which 67 were selected by the jury and of these 36 screened between October 12 to 14. These include both feature and short films, as well as documentaries and animation films that have come from 14 countries including Germany, US, Turkey and UK.
From a festival which started with just 12 films three years ago, the first two days of this edition have already been attended by over 1,000 people.
The festival’s director Shah Alam, a documentary filmmaker says that the goal of the event is to present the Chambal in its myriad forms and varied layers. “Hindi cinema has not gone beyond the depiction of dacoits on speeding horses from Chambal. But this is an area of unsung heroes, architectural beauty and stunning natural vistas”, he told THE WEEK. The festival is remarkable in that it comes without any sponsorship in opposition to the star-studded neighbouring Saifai Mahostav promoted by the Samajwadi Party.
“Films are an inclusive medium. All shades of people are attracted to them. Support for a film festival—even for something as small as pasting a poster comes easily. This would not have been possible if we were to say, organise seminars”, explains Alam.
As the country’s cinema veers towards more realistic stories, the festival hopes to act as a bridge between those whose lives often serve as inspiration for these stories and the filmmakers who draw inspiration from them. It brings cinema away from high profile urban settings to put it in the midst of those from a rural background.
All film screenings at the festival are free and the audience often includes former dacoits—once the area’s most significant calling cards.