JULY PROGRAMME

BIOSCOPE
Colour/94mins/2008/Malayalam

Story, Script, Dialogue & Direction
K. M. Madhusudhanan

Produced by National Film Development Corporation Ltd., India

Cast - Walter Wagner, Murugan, Ramgopal Bajaj, Nedumbram Gopi, Bharathan Njarakkal, T.V. Gangadharan, Mekha Rajan, Kuttiyedathi Vilasini, Nilamboor Ayesha

The story… at the end, only rain
This is a story of history entering the paths of memories and dreams. The story of villagers, made mute by colonialism and slavery, entering the garden of a new vision through a new machine, bioscope.

Perhaps, the protagonist Diwakaran’s new journey starts with his acquisition of a bioscope. The Frenchman DuPont, who does bioscope shows on the coasts of Tamil Nadu, is the architect of his new journey. Diwakaran was stunned by early forms of cinema images. His relationship with DuPont and the bioscope start with his astonishment when he first saw moving images. It turns into a story of inseparable friendship.


K. M. Madhusudhanan

Madhusudhanan developed an early interest in art and cinema, and went to art school at the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum, and subsequently, to the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda.
The brilliance of colour and composition in his films owes itself to his deep rooted visual culture. He has been honoured twice for his masterful use of the film medium by the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA), and he has received an international award for his short fiction film.

The sum of his works reflect a pre-occupation with art and cinema interwoven with memory and history in its cinematic and pictorial structure. Bioscope is his first feature film. It has been honoured with the NETPAC Jury Award for the Best Asian Film at the film festival Osian Cinefest Asian & Arab Cinema, 2008, New Delhi.

JUNE PROGRAMME

JAANAKI

India/2010/35mm
Colour/92’/Malayalam

Direction, Screenplay : M G Sasi
Producer : Prakash Bare
Cinematography : M J Radhakrishnan
Cast : Thampy Antony, Krishna



The vulnerability of twelve year old Janaki deprived of the protection of a home is also a representation of the rejection and humiliation faced by the woman. Janaki’s life improves when she finds a saviour in the Gandhian, Sekharan Master. She is happy in the warmth and company of the children in that house only to be back under the open sky when Sekharan Nair passes away. The inability of the middle class man to rise to the occasion and stem the hostility and aggression is a major strand in the film.

After the screening Meet
Director M G Sasi, Producer Prakash Bare
and Honouring Child Artist Krishna.


Filmmaker M G Sasi is also known as actor and director in Malayalam theatre, and television. Janaki is his second feature film. His debut feature film ‘Adayalangal’ (2007) was well received and won the Kerala State’s award in five categories including Best Feature Film and Best Director. The maiden film traveled to many festivals and was featured in the Indian Panorama. It also received the NETPAC Award at the International Film Festival of Kerala 2008. He has to his credit children’s short films including ‘Sneha Sammanam’ (2008), ‘Mahatma Angayodu’, ‘Oliche.. Kande...’ and ‘Kanavu Malayilekku’.