Artworks

Inspired by the positive feedback from the 2020 online documentary film festival organised during the lockdown, Emami Art moved a step forward with an Experimental Film Festival scheduled from 9th to 13th November 2022. Several out-of-the-box films were screened that redefine the language of cinema. The festival was a part of the EA Locus in Focus, an ongoing long-term project aiming to bridge the gap between central and peripheral practices in contemporary art, giving attention to the eastern and northeastern regions of India. In the festival’s debut year, a versatile range of avant-garde films distributed in various categories was shown. An eminent jury panel selected fifteen films from east and northeast India in the competitive category. At the end of the festival, two films from the competitive section were awarded for their excellence. Venturing further into the nuances, three curated sections by Raju Roychowdhury, Rupsa Kundu and Sayantan Ghosh featured some noteworthy works in the experimental genre. These sections intended to act as an expanded layout to delve into this category from a bird’s eye view and reaffirm the power of cinema as a unique place to focus attention. Along with the screening, these sections were designed to create a discursive space to initiate new conversations around the topic. EAEFF also held two special screenings and talk sessions by eminent figures in the field, such as Vipin Vijay and Moinak Biswas. Simultaneously with the screening, a small exhibition with more insights into making the films was held onsite at Emami Art Kolkata.