The beautiful landscapes of Ladakh are going to witness the first edition of ‘The Himalayan Film Festival 2021’ (THFF) from September 24 to September 28 as part of the celebrations of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ for commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence.
While ‘Shershaah’ directed by Vishnuvardhan shall be the opening film, Ladakhi film ‘Shepherdess of the Glaciers’ directed by Christiane Mordelet and Stenzin Dorjai will be the closing film. ‘Shershaah’ will be screened in the auditorium at the Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra and in Picturetime’s inflatable theatre. It is being hosted by the Union Territory of Ladakh.
On Ladakh now experiencing the joys of watching films on the big screen and sharing his thoughts on the upcoming film festival in Ladakh, Sushil Chaudhary, Founder and CEO, Picturetime asserts: “The theatre we installed last month at the height of 11,562 ft where we screened ‘Bellbottom’, witnessed a mind boggling response and now we are elated to collaborate with the Administration of UT Ladakh and participate in ‘The Himalayan Film Festival’, the highest altitude film festival in the world.”
Popular films from the Himalayan states viz Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh besides Indian panorama selected films will be showcased during the festival.
The festival is being organised in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and will be held at the Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra at Leh. The administration of Ladakh has also collaborated with Picturetime (An inflatable cinema theatre company) to also screen films in one of the Picturetime theatres. There will also be a competition section for short films and documentaries to recognize talented film-makers in the Himalayan region of India.
The Himalayan Film Festival shall play host to enriching and interactive conversation sessions by film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anupama Chopra and actress Kirti Kulhari. While National Award-winning Indian film producer, writer, director and editor who works predominantly in Hindi and Tamil cinema, Priya Krishnaswamy will conduct a session on editing, Nila Madhab Panda, Indian film producer and director will conduct a Masterclass on direction.
