Bollywood is all set to make its presence felt at I-View Film 2010, one of the biggest film festivals that explores the issues of ‘gender, sexuality, culture and religion', reports the Mumbai newspaper DNA.
The festival, which begins inNew York on September 18, will see many Indian filmmakers and actors fly in all the way from Mumbai to New York to talk about issues concerning alternative sexuality.
Film personalities who have confirmed their attendance include Rituparno Ghosh, Aparna Sen, Vishal Bharadwaj, Onir, Rohan Sippy, Abhishek Choubey, Sudipto Chattopadhyay, Dibakar Banerjee, Rahul Bose, Juhi Chawla, Raima Sen, Arshad Warsi, Zeenat Aman, Helen, Sanjay Suri, Maradona Rebello, Purab Kohli, Konkona Sen Sharma and fashion designers Bina and Malini Ramani. They have already booked their tickets for the festival as official delegates.
“We have scheduled live interactions between the actors, filmmakers and their audience and fans. All of them have agreed to talk upon the complex issues of gender and alternative sexuality, and the complex issues that the LGBT community faces in the country,” says a source.
The festival note also makes a mention of screening a pre-recorded keynote address by Bipasha Basu. It is scheduled to take place before the screening of Sudipto Chattopadhyay's Pankh, which starred her in a key role.
“I'm happy to be a part of that festival, and I am going there with my whole cast of the film. We need these kind of platforms to showcase our films,” says Onir, whose film I am will be screened at the festival.
Adds filmmaker Sudipto Chattopadhyay, “Bollywood has never given a response like that for the cause of the LGBT community before. I am going there with the hero of my film (Maradona Rebello). This film festival focuses on South East Asian Films, but I am sure that we'll be doing similar things in Mumbai, and won't have to fly to New York for it.”
