Cinema Against Communalism

South Asia is a region that often grapples with the problem of communal and ethnic divides. The issue has been dealt with in the cinema of the region and some leading directors, including Bangladesh's Tanvir Mokammel, who have made films on this, are coming together later this month in the western Indian city of Pune to share their experiences and views.
A symposium on 'Cinema Against Communalism' is being organised by the Pune Film Institute from August 12 to 14 bringing together veterans Govind Nihalani and MS Sathyu from India; Tanvir Mokammel and Prasanna Vithanage of Sri Lanka.
Nihalani's acclaimed TV serial, which was later converted into a feature film “Tamas”; Sathyu's “Garam Hawa”; Mokammel's feature film “Chitra Nadir Parey” (Quiet Flows the River Chitra) and documentaries “Swapnabhumi”, “Karna-phulir Kanna” and Vithan-age's “August Sun” will be screened on the occasion.
The different topics of the symposium are 'Community and Nation State: A Historical Overview'; 'Different Aspects of Communal Violence'; 'The Breaking of Silence and Recent Films' and 'Enduring Myths and Icons of Communalism'.

Mokammel's “Chitra Nadir Parey” made in 1999 was the first in Bangladesh to grapple with the subject of the Partition. On the other hand, more than a quarter of a century before “Chitra Nadir Parey”, Sathyu had made “Garam Hawa” on the plight of a Muslim family contemplating whether they should shift to Pakistan after the Partition.
“The Partition, the Liberation War and their fall-outs raise important issues relating to values like secularism. I consider the Partition at the root of all political and economic problems,” Mokammel said.
Referring to “Chitra Nadir Parey”, he said, “as a committed artiste, I would like to highlight the problems of minority groups in Bangladesh. Minority groups are at the receiving end of communal violence almost all over the world.”
Vithanage's 2003 film “August Sun” is set in the midst of the battle between Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan army and how it affects the life of three different individuals -- a Sinhalese woman looking for her Air Force pilot husband whom, she believes was shot down and captured by LTTE; a Tamil Muslim boy trying to escape the war and a young soldier who walks into a brothel only to find that his sister is among the sex workers.