THE first teaching guide has been launched by the British Film Institute in response to growing interest in Asian cinema, to enable schools in the United Kingdom to learn more about the art form.
The document, Bollywood And Beyond, offers a comprehensive overview of Indian cinema, from the early days of silent film, to the big-budget Bollywood extravaganzas of today, as part of a nationwide celebration of Asian cinema.
The BFI launched the project recently under the umbrella programme title, ImagineAsia, and the eight-month nationwide activity showcases the cinema cultures of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan, including British-Asian work.
UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in a letter of support of the festival, stated: “It is of great importance to everyone that we celebrate the cultural diversity which we have in this country, and film is an art form which reaches out to more people than any other.”
Bollywood And Beyond, covers a range of films from classics such as Mother India to recent releases such as Monsoon Wedding. It also considers British-Asian films, including the recent UK box-office hit, Bend It Like Beckham.
A touring exhibition — Bigger Than Bollywood — containing film publicity and poster images from the cinema of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, depicting their rich cinema culture heritage on the silent era, short films, science-fiction, horror, as well as Bollywood, has gone to libraries, schools and museums.
The surge of interest in Asian films, particularly of India cinema, is not surprising considering the fact that over the past decade, aspects of Asian culture have rapidly moved from the periphery of UK society into the mainstream.
Shyam Bengal, one of the foremost filmmakers of India’s alternative cinema, explains why their films are following suit. He says that more than 850 films are made annually in about 14 Indian languages, making the industry bigger than Hollywood’s.
THE first teaching guide has been launched by the British Film Institute in response to growing interest in Asian cinema, to enable schools in the United Kingdom to learn more about the art form.
