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M.P
Carves out a Global Cultural
Niche in Tribal Art & Culture
India's central State of Madhya Pradesh
is creating a niche for itself as
a global centre for promoting tribal
art and culture. Vanya, a State Government
department looking after tribal welfare
has succeeded in hosting an International
Film Festival of Tribal Art and Culture
(IFFTAC) 2008 last February and is
now all set to hold the second edition
of the event in the bustling commercial
city of Bhopal from 19 to 21 June,
2009.
The inaugural three-day IFFTAC 2008
was an overwhelming success, with
films from across 40 countries participating
in the festival, besides showcasing
tribal culture through an impressive
exhibition and seminars. According
to O.P. Rawat, Principal Secretary
in the State Government's Tribal Welfare
Department, the idea of IFFTAC has
received instant global response because
tribal culture is spread across the
world, with the host India, especially
Madhya Pradesh, having its own distinct
identity in this arena. The IFFTAC
organizers believe Madhya Pradesh
rightfully qualifies for hosting a
festival on a global scale as tribals
constitute a fifth of the State's
total 60 million population and mostly
live in their natural habitat of forests,
spread across a third of its total
area.
This Indian cultural identity is derived
from the essence of various forms
of folk life, lyrics, songs and dances.
Tribal society, without any ambiguity,
has been the custodian of culture,
tradition and natural resources. It
has thus become imperative for the
civilized world to conserve its tribal
culture, while achieving an integral
connection with it.
Against this background the IFFTAC
2008 was conceptualized to highlight
the essence of tribal culture and
way of life and help remove the misconceptions
about these vibrant people. In this
era of Global Village, the necessity
of putting forward these thoughts
became a necessity. Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,
young and dynamic in outlook, personally
took up the matter with his Cabinet
colleague and Forest and Tribal Welfare
Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for directing
Vanya to conceptualize the IFFTAC
2008. Vanya in association with Mumbai's
Indian Infotainment Media Corporation,
a professional organization committed
to social causes, organized the festival,
the first of its kind in the world
in Indore from 1 to 3 February, 2008.
The IFFTAC 2008 took off to a glittering
start with popular Bollywood star
and politician Shatrughan Sinha, along
with actor Randhir Kapoor and several
other film and television personalities
attending the inaugural function.
Among the distinguished foreign guests
were Peru's acting Ambassador Carlos
A. Yrigoyen, and Shewangizaw Endale,
a representative from Ethopia.
Speaking on the occasion, Sinha said,
“The effort to bring the tribal
people into the mainstream and develop
their tribal art, culture and civilization
is not only appreciative but also
exemplary. All should learn from this.”
On his part, Kapoor congratulated
the Madhya Pradesh Government and
the organizers of this unique event.
He said, “This is a special
occasion, which not only the country,
but the whole world will witness.”
The festival received as many as 250
film entries from 40 countries. Of
these, 69 films were selected for
competition and for screening. Apart
from these, non-competitive documentary
and short films and feature films
on tribal issues were also screened
during the festival.
The countries participating in the
festival included Australia, France,
Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand,
Pakistan, Peru, Russia, Scotland,
Singapore, South Africa, Sri-Lanka,
Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom
and the US. Ethiopia, Ecuador, Peru
and Botswana were country-partners
of the festival.
The award for the best International
Film went to to Haken Berthas of Sweden
for her film "Thin Ice"
an inspiring interpretation of women's
empowerment in a remote area of Ladakh.
Director and Producer Vijay Pratap
won the award for the Best National
Film for her film 'Tribal Fertility
Rites (Itikela Panduga). She won the
award for its well researched documentation
of ritualistic practices of tribes
in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh.
Joseb (Soso) of Georgia was awarded
for the Best film by a Tribal Film
Maker for his truthful & convincing
portrayal of tribal culture &
ethos in his film "Svani".
Director Ravi Williams won the award
for the best film by a Film Maker
from Madhya Pradesh for his film "Oh
Lohgundi Raja Ho" depicting the
honest and sincere treatment of the
problems of Agadiya tribes.
Director M Yashwanth Reddy and Producer
Ch. Shriniwas Reddy won the award
for Best Film by a student film maker
for the film "Please Don't Disturb
Us" for its sensitive, realistic
documentation of the lives of the
Khond tribes of Andhra Pradesh.
Director Lesile Mackenzine & Tara
Douglas won the Jury award for the
best Animation Film "The Tallest
Story Competition" for its elegant
craftsmanship and handling of tribal
stories from different parts of India.
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