Osian film festival rocking Delhi

Zee News, India
July 21 2007

New Delhi, July 21: Film lovers will have the opportunity to watch
nearly 140 movies from over 35 countries at the 9th Osian’s Cinefan
Festival that began here on Friday night.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit inaugurated the festival dedicated
to Asian and Arab cinema, which will continue till July 29.

The Iran-Azerbaijan co-production "Raami", directed by Iran’s Babak
Shirinsefat, was the opening film of the fest.

It tells the story of a middle-aged Azerbaijani folk music composer
who has spent a decade in a war refugee camp in Sabirabad and then
goes looking for his Armenian wife and child 10 years after the
Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Two films from Tunisia, "Tender Is The Wolf" and "Making Of", one
from Lebanon — "Falafel" — and eight others from Asia are in the
fray for the top award.

A competition for first feature films has been introduced for
newcomers. Among the films selected for this section are "She And He"
(Tunisia) and "Crossing The Dust" (Iraq-Kurdistan).

Rachid Bouchareb’s war epic, "Days Of Glory", nominated for the
foreign film Oscar this year, will also be screened. It won the Best
Actor Award for the Ensemble of Actors at Cannes in 2006.

Coinciding with the India-Japan Friendship Year, the festival will
have a focus on Japan, including films, exhibitions and lectures.

Contemporary Japanese cinema, samurai films and a tribute to Kenji
Mizoguchi, known for championing the cause of women, are all part of
this focus.