Anna De Pass, one of the GalleryFilm team, whets the appetite for an unusual and interesting evening on 17 November at Dulwich Picture Gallery
GalleryFilm, the Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s film club, is proud to present an evening in which India provides the theme. Short films from the British Film Institute’s Film Archive will be followed by the main feature, Water. We are delighted also that Ganapati, South Indian Kitchen, have very kindly sponsored nibbles and there will be free beer and wine too. This evening is a must for film buffs and gourmets!
Water
Each November for the last three years, Gallery Film has shown a film from Deepa Mehta’s Elements Trilogy. On 17th November the last of the trilogy Water ( 2005) will be screened. All three films are set in India and explore gender, marriage, religion and sexuality.
Mehta has attracted controversy in the country of her birth (she now lives in Canada). She was forced to film Water in Sri Lanka as objections to her subject matter (she was accused of stereotyping Hindu culture) drew hostility from the Hindu community.
Water is set in 1938 and tells the story of the ‘widows’ house’ where women of all ages go to live, isolated and shunned by their communities following the deaths of their husbands and three in particular as they attempt courageously to stand up for themselves as Gandhi begins to loosen the British grip on India. Will they be able to remarry, or must they spend their remaining days shut away? A compelling storyteller, Mehta charts their moving emotional journeys with gentle humour and visual excitement.
Before Midnight: A Portrait of India on film between 1899 and 1947
A punjab village 1925
On the stroke of midnight 14/15 August 1947, India finally achieved independence from Britain. The collection of short films from the British Film Institutes National Film Archive, which make up Before Midnight gives an unparalleled glimpse of life in India during the first half of the 20th century.
Some of these films are being made publicly available for the first time. Ranging from home movies of Indian princes to an intimate picture of British family life, to scenes of cities, temples and rural life, the extracts in the programme take us on a journey from the North West frontier to Lahore, Rajasthan, Darjeeling and beyond. The selection gives an unrivalled portrait of how lives – both Indian and British – were led across the subcontinent.
Ganapati
We are delighted that Ganapati South Indian Kitchen has again, very kindly sponsored the event and will be providing delicious south Indian nibbles. Ganapati can be found at 38 Holly Grove, Peckham, but come and whet your appetite and try out some of the food on 17th November.
For prices and times go to the Dulwich Picture Gallery website
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