FILM CLUB SCREENING - The Great Indian Butterfly (English/2008/110mins) Dir. Sarthak Dasgupta. Krish and Meera, form a young Indian couple climbing the ladder of the corporate rat race. Stressed, frustrated and unable to come to terms with the sacrifice required for success, they go in search of a legendary magical insect - The Great Indian Butterfly. Last seen by the unknown Portuguese explorer Carodiguez, in a remote valley located in erstwhile colonial Goa, the butterfly possesses a magical aura, granting immense happiness to the person who catches it. In the journey, the couple lose more than what they want to rediscover. It becomes a passage, which seems to travel with a metaphor of its own and an insect as elusive as happiness itself. Collab: Enlighten Film Society

FILM CLUB SCREENING - Well Done Abba (Hindi/2009/144mins) Dir. Shyam Benegal. Cast: Ila Arun, Sammir Dattani, Boman Irani, Rajit Kapoor. The film tells the story of Armaan Ali, a driver working in Mumbai. He takes leave for a month to find a husband for his teenage daughter. However, when Armaan returns to work after 3 months, his young employer threatens to sack him. But, Armaan Ali has a story to tell and the story he tells is a humorous and often hilarious account of the events and happenings that delayed him from returning after a month. He avails a government scheme to dig a well in his agricultural patch. Things spiral out of control so much so that the Government is about to collapse! The question remains, how true is this compelling story! Collab: Enlighten Film Society

DOC FILM - Public Service Broadcasting Trust continues with its monthly series Chilika Banks: Stories From India's Largest Coastal Lake (1970-2007) Dir. Akanksha Joshi

FILM CLUB SCREENING - The Last Lear (English/2008/130mins) Dir. Rituparno Ghosh. Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal. Veteran thespian Harish Mishra is gravely ill. The punishments of a film shoot have left the old man in a coma. His co-star, Shabnam, is wracked with worry, but their director, Siddharth, keeps strangely distant and refuses to visit his ailing star. In flashbacks, their story emerges. Collab: Enlighten Film Society

FILM CLUB SCREENING - Frozen (Hindi/Ladakhi/2007/109mins) Dir. Shivajee Chandrabhushan. Cast: Danny Denzongpa The touching and somber journey of Lasya, who lives with her father Karma and younger brother Chomo in a remote village in the Himalayas. When the army moves in to settle a hundred yards across their doorstep, the last bit of comfort the family draws from their familiar surroundings changes into a harsh ceaseless irreversible conflict. The director will be present for an interaction post-screening. Collab: Enlighten Film Society

FILM CLUB SCREENING - Ocean Of An Old Man (Hindi/2008) Dir. Rajesh Shera. Cast: Tom Alter The film succeeds in bringing on screen the physical and emotional devastation wrought by the 2004 tsunami. Having been shot on location in the Andaman Islands, it narrates the story of the oceanic concern of an archetypal school teacher, for his young students who come every day to attend the school from the nearby islands. Until one day the ocean unfurls its fury on these islands in the form of a tsunami. After few months when the school reopens, five students become conspicuous by their absence. The teacher goes out in search of the missing children but strange experiences and emotions await him in those devastated islands. Collab: Enlighten Film Society

FILM CLUB SCREENING - What’s Cooking Stella (Eng/Hindi/2009/103mins) Dir. Dilip Mehta. A warmhearted social satire about a Canadian diplomat and her chef husband Michael who are posted to New Delhi. Upon arrival they inherit a household of Indian servants headed by the charming, totally inspiring – and wily – cook, Stella. When Stella agrees to become Michael’s cooking guru and to teach him traditional Indian dishes, little does he know that she’s cooking up a scheme of her own.

DOC FILM - Child Birth Film Festival - Birth As We Know It (English/2006/75mins) Dir. Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova. The way we procreate defines our ability to thrive. It's a matter of utmost urgency as everyday babies are born into unnecessary suffering, with easily avoidable, harmful complications, which limbically imprint their nervous system with suffering as the 'norm' and diminishes their capacity for intimacy and kindness. The documentary shows an alternative: it shows women who approached the art of people-making consciously and with dignity. Collab: Kriti team & Delhi Birth Network

FILM CLUB SCREENING - Leaving Home: The Life And Music Of Indian Ocean (English/Hindi/2008/114mins) Dir. Jaideep Varma. The documentary traces the story of four men who came together to make music as Indian Ocean. It takes us through the life and times of the four individuals who made personal sacrifices, took risks and eschewed commercial considerations to form one of the greatest Indian music bands of all times. 

DOC FILM - The Groundwater Up Project (English & Hindi with subtitles/2010/36mins) Dirs. Tarini Manchanda, Katie Gillett & Moriah Mason. In this upbeat documentary, meet Dolly, who has to be resourceful for water, Deya, who says that even posh Delhi colonies don’t get reliable water supply, and Maya, who is embarrassed to go fetch the water she needs for daily life. The film doesn’t solve Delhi’s “water crises”, but it explores current solutions like dams and sewage treatment plants. It discovers ideas in unexpected places and highlights people who are pursuing creative solutions. The screening will be followed by an interaction with the directors. Collab: Kriti team

FILM CLUB DISCUSSION - Group meets to discuss Caro Diario (Dear Diary) (Italian/1993/101mins) Dir. Nanni Moretti. Travelling on his scooter through Rome, Nanni Moretti explores the connections between history of cinema and the millennial city. Cruising with his friend around a set of remote islands in search of peace to finish his new film and consulting doctor after doctor to cure his annoying rash, he casts a humorous look at his life and those around him. In some of the most touching scenes, the Italian director enacts traumatic events of his own life to debate on the contradictory spaces of the modern citizen and the relevance of the imaginary in everyday's life. Carlos Izquierdo Tobias, Research Scholar at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, will introduce the film and facilitate the discussion.