M’lore: Sahamatha Film Society bags John Abraham Award

The Hindu

Mangalore, 11 June 2011: Sahamatha Film Society has been honoured with the John Abraham Award for the most active film society in southern region by the Federation of Film Societies of India for 2010-11.

 

Film-maker Parameshwara Guruswamy at a film-making workshop organised by Sahamatha Film Society (File Photo)

 

The spirit of those who are behind the numerous activities of the society probably reflects a bit of the person after whom the award is named. A Malayali, film-maker John Abraham is considered to be a genius not only for the four films he made, but also for his efforts in starting the Odessa Collective, an attempt to make film production and distribution a collaborative effort with the public. Sahamatha Film Society will receive the award at a ceremony at Tenali in Andhra Pradesh on July 10.

 

With just 26 members in the general body, the society has managed to organise three film festivals, a filmmaking workshop and a film appreciation workshop since October 2009, and has set up film clubs in seven colleges in the city. Besides, its holds monthly film previews with an assured audience of around 30 people.

 

President of sahamatha H.M. Somashekarappa said that the society was a means to respond to the social, economic, cultural, and environmental realities and engage with these realities together with others through cinema. The intention was to show cinema that was “not just mainstream and not just about acting”. He said that Sahamatha was “trying to build up a base” to “take up issues” that had social relevance. All films shows by the society were followed by discussion.

 

Secretary of the society Ivan D’Silva said the society had screened films for the clubs at the Government Junior College in Bokkapatna, Govind Das College in Suratkal, Gokarnatha College in Mannagudda, Karnataka Polytechnic, Government Women’s College in Balmatta, Madhav Pai Memorial College in Manipal, and Alva’s Degree College in Moodbidri. Mr. D’Silva also shows films to students at National Service Scheme camps wherever they are held. During an NSS camp held at the Morarji Desai School in Manchi, Belthangady, the children of the school also watched the film “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”.

 

It was an English film with English subtitles. The perception was that they would not understand, but they understood the film very well, he said. He said that they perfectly understood that violence was perpetrated in the name of race and class, when they saw a film about Nazi Germany.

 

After the screening of “Mathrubhoomi”, a film about a woman who is “shared” by five brothers because there are no other women in the village, Mr. D’Silva said the all-girl audience scolded him. “They told me that the film should have been shown to boys and that they knew the situation,” Mr. D’Silva said.