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August 27, 2007

Pioneer of India's alternative cinema to screen film at Del Mar Theater

By Scott Rappaport (831) 459-2496; srapp@ucsc.edu

UCSC's Satyajit Ray Film and Study Collection (Ray FASC), the Humanities Division, and the Santa Cruz Film Festival will present director Shyam Benegal in person, along with a screening of his 2001 film Zubeidaa (color, in Hindi with English subtitles), on Saturday, September 8, at noon at the Del Mar Theatre.

One of the foremost filmmakers and pioneers of India’s New Cinema, Benegal has played a pivotal role in the history of the country's alternative cinema movement. His career spans the genesis of the movement in the 1970s, to an exciting trend today in which mainstream films appropriate the language of arthouse cinema. Benegal's critically acclaimed first film, Ankur, was released in 1974, and his films have since been widely seen in India and at international film festivals.

The core subjects of Benegal's films center around development and social change in India. Besides feature films, he has also made several documentaries including Nehru (1983), Satyajit Ray (1984), and Nature Symphony (1990). Working with Godfrey Reggio, Francis Coppola, and Tom Luddy, Benegal served as producer for the groundbreaking documentary Powaqqatsi--Life in Transformation (1988).

In 2001, Benegal directed Zubeidaa with top Hindi film star Karisma Kapoor in the title role, and the country's premier music director, A. R. Rahman, providing the score. Zubeidaa is the third part of a trilogy; the first two films are Mammo (1995) and Sardari Begum (1996).

In 2007, Benegal received the Dada Saheb Phalke award, the most prestigious filmmaking prize in India. He is currently working on a film based on the life of the Buddha. Benegal also serves as a member of the Upper House of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha.

Tickets are $8 general, $7 students and seniors, available for purchase at the door. For more information, contact Ray FASC at (831) 459-4012.

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