22 May 2019  |   05:07am IST

Goan films for Goa’s viewing pleasure

Goa in Film is a four-day film festival that begins today, at Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts, celebrating the creativity of Goan films makers as they showcase their works based on different facets of Goa

Dolcy D’Cruz

The glorious cashew’s journey from a fruit to the distilled

taste of Goa, feni; the village of Kurdi that resurfaces only in the summer to show its haunting remains; the heritage of luscious green paddy fields; the riches of the sea showcased by the lives of fisher folk; and the dances and songs of Goa. These are few of the themes that are captured on film by various filmmakers and now Goans have a unique opportunity of watching them at a single film festival. Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts is hosting a four-day film festival, titled ‘Goa in Film’. The focus of the festival is on documentaries and features made by Goan filmmakers on Goan themes.

On May 22, 2019, ‘A Cold Summer Night’ directed by Yash Sawant and ‘Scars’ directed by Ronak Kamat will be screened. On May 24, 2019, ‘Remembering Kurdi’ directed by Saumyananda Sahi and ‘Saxtticho Koddo’ directed by Vince Costa will be screened. ‘Caazu’ directed by Ronak Kamat and ‘Juze’ directed by Miransha Naik will be screened on May 25, 2019. The concluding day, May 26, 2019, will see the screening of ‘Amchem Cantar Hanv Gaitam’ directed by Ruth Lobo, ‘Dances of Goa’ directed by Nalini Elvino de Sousa and ‘Shifting Sands’ directed by Sonio Filinto. Post screening discussions will be moderated by journalist Frederick Noronha.

Ronak Kamat has two of his short films, ‘Caazu’ and ‘Scars’, being screened at the festival. His 2015 short documentary film ‘Caazu’ tells the story of the traditional occupation of producing cashew feni in Goa. It was awarded the Best Documentary Award at the 2nd Rajasthan International Film Festival 2016. The documentary was produced by Xantara Media Works, a group comprising Ashley Fernandes, Ronak Kamat, Anurag Verdekar and Mohit Sukhtankar. The film has been directed by Ronak, with script by Anurag, while Mohit was responsible for production and Ashley handled the on location and background score. In Goa, ‘Caazu’ was screened at 6 Assagao and at Fundação Oriente, Panjim.

Ronak’s short fictional film ‘Scars’ was previewed at Alliance Française; Goa in Film will be the first festival where the final cut will be screened. “It feels good that different kinds of films – fictional, short films and documentaries – are being screened at a Goan festival. This is a fantastic initiative by Sunaparanta for the Goan audience and filmmakers to meet and discuss the future of Goan cinema. The audience bandwidth has also increased and they can see the creative voices of fellow Goans on film. There are many films that I have not seen and I am looking forward to viewing them at the festival. Though Goa is a small state, the festival will feature nine films that are all extremely different voices,” says Ronak, who is currently based in Mumbai. He is now working for QED Films, where he writes and develops web shows. His next documentary in the making is based on Vamona Navelcar.

Miransha Naik’s first feature film ‘Juze’ had a world premiere at the 41st Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF). The story is based around exploited migrant workers and their abusive slumlord, Juze. “The film has been to different film festivals but it is exciting to screen it in Goa. I have had nearly 30 screenings of the film at Inox, Panjim and at Ravindra Bhavan Margao. There is excitement to show the film in Goa as I want Goans to watch it,” says Miransha.