austraLasia #2468

Brisbane Film festival invites Salesian filmmaker into jury

BRISBANE: 30th July 2009 -- The Brisbane International Film Festival, which began today, 30th July, in that city, the capital of the Australian State of Queensland, has gained worldwide interest, and even a little notoriety, given its decision to screen films that China regards as controversial - you can follow that debate in the daily papers.
    So it becomes even more significant that Fr Joseph Pulinthanath, the Salesian filmmaker responsible for Roots, due to show on 2nd and 3rd August at the Festival, tells us he has been invited as Festival guest for the duration of the Festival (30th July - 9th August) and has been invited onto the Interfatih Jury for the Festival.  Described as a 'cultural document', by Fr Pulinthanath of Kerala, India, Roots tells of the people displaced by the construction of the Dumbar Dam, which in 1979 submerged huge areas of arable land in the fertile Raima valley.
    Musing on the success of Roots, and the fact that Salesians are involved worldwide in media of the kind, Fr Pulinthanath, in a recent letter to austraLasia, does a little thinking aloud: "Can we Salesians think of some mechanism that can exclusively focus on films?  Maybe, a film subdepartment within the Communication (Social Communications) Department!  And/or perhaps set up a Salesian Jury that will look out for a 'youth bias' in films?  And7or perhaps a Salesian International Film Festival designed with youth in mind?....Why do youth need to go elsewhere when they want to 'see' a film?'.
    These seem to be excellent musings from someone whose work has now gained worldwide respect.  And in the democratic age we live in, yes, even in Salesian life (!) questions like these are not just for the top brass to think about, hence, now that we have a particularly appropriate medium in the EAO Blog, 'cEterA tOlle', austraLasia invites you to go to the latest post (which is in fact this item) and begin the conversation with your comments.  Go for it, especially since this blog is now able to be read and commented on by the rest of the Salesian world.
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 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org

Title: australasia 2468
Subject and key words: SDB General, S Asia Roots Brisbane Film Festival
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2468