The fourth annual International Film Festival of Cinematic Arts (IFFCA) was held at the Laemmle Music Hall Three in super swanky Beverly Hills right on Wilshire Boulevard from October 10th to the 12th.
The IFFCA was started by passionate cinema enthusiasts who liked to contribute to the film community and recognized the excellence and hard work which goes in the making of a film. The festival’s goal is to foster a meaningful global conversation between cultures and countries through Cinema.
“This year our festival is three full days and we screened over a 100 films, many of which were from all over the world like England, Australia, and India,” said Masud.
“I’m so excited that we are screening the films at a Laemmle Theatre, which is a family owned business and it’s a good match for us as all our hearts are passionate about the art and craft of cinema,” he added.
The festival is a joyous celebration of the art and craft of cinematic storytelling. They celebrate and recognize not only the directors, actors, but also present jury awards to screenwriters, editors, and composers. At this festival, they celebrate all artists responsible for creating cinema.
Finally, it is indeed possible to tell evocative, visceral, meaningful, and moving films without spending millions of dollars. The Cinematic Arts Film Festival will inspire filmmakers around the world by premiering examples of films made on micro-budgets. They have also included a new category just for music videos to appreciate the creativity and talent it takes to make these short forms of filmmaking.
I got a chance to watch The Interrogation of Guru Kartaar Singh by Akash Chopra, who wrote, directed and starred in this film and did a truly outstanding job even though he wore many hats. This film is based on a play of the same name and is a fictitious Indian short film that revolves around an interrogation of a young Sikh who attempts to assassinate a political figure in the name of religious vengeance and propaganda. Based on true facts surrounding the Sikh secessionist demand for a new state also known as the ‘Khalistan’ Movement, the infamous genocidal Operation Blue Star in year 1984, Chopra gives a stellar performance and is the only character on-camera.
“Sikhs have the most peaceful religion, so it’s really tragic what they’ve had to go through. Certain episodes in the 80’s really left a mark,” said Chopra, who is not a Sikh himself.
The trailer of this film is at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2353050393 and more info about the festival at http://iffca.org/
