7th Goa Marathi Film Festival begins tomorrow. Marathi flavour to hit Goan shores from June 6-8 across various venues
- ‘A Rainy Day’ the only Goan film to be showcased at the festival amidst 14 other shortlisted films from Maharashtra
KISHORE AMATI / Team Café
Considered to be the Goan launchpad of critically acclaimed Marathi films, the Goa Marathi Film Festival is back in its seventh year. Organised by Vinsan World and supported by the Directorate of Art and Culture, Entertainment Society of Goa and Kala Academy, GMFF will be held from June 6 to 8, 2014 with the inauguration ceremony set to happen in the evening of June 6. Film enthusiasts can get their fix of Marathi reel action on June 7 and 8 on the screens at Kala Academy, Inox and Maquinez Palace. Apart from 15 carefully selected Marathi films being screened at the festival, a few filmmakers will be seen presenting their newest works and paying tribute to their favourite artists and remarkable treasures from the past.
Goan filmmaker Dnyanesh Moghe, the festival director of GMFF, says, “Although there is no single theme common among the selected films, we have meticulously chosen films after consulting filmmakers like Umesh Kulkarni, Paresh Mokashi, Gajendra Ahire, etc. We have also chosen films based on the reports of film critics. One of the reasons why this festival is genuine is the fact that the films are selected not by a jury but by the word-of-mouth popularity that they garner.”
The festival will open with a yet to be released film ‘Rege’, directed by Abhijit Panse, starring Mahesh Manjrekar, Pushkar Shrotri and Santosh Juvekar. Another interesting addition to the festival is the film ‘Bioscope’ which is a compilation of four stories based on four different poems, directed by 4 different directors – Ravi Jadhav, Gajendra Ahire, Viju Mane and Girish Mohite. There will also be a special screening of a compilation of short films by Umesh Kulkarni. This one can turn out to be a crowd puller!
Amidst the screening of the films, workshops and celebrity interviews, the festival will also recognise the contribution of veteran Marathi film / theatre actress, Ashalata Wabgaonkar by conferring her with Kritadnyata Puraskar Award for lifetime achievement. A talented artist who was born in Goa, Ashalata went on to act in more than a 100 Hindi and Marathi movies. So, for those of you who enjoy Marathi action on the big screen, we suggest you give the mainstream cinema halls a miss this weekend. Watch your favourite films, interact with your celeb crush and be a part of the gala extravaganza that the Goa Marathi Film Festival promises to be.