I went to see Anupam Kher’s Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara at Alliance Francaise last night. While the movie was great, I thought it was quite unorganized compared to the screenings at PIIA. The movie screening before this one was Subhahsh Ghai’s Iqbal, which ended an hour after Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara was supposed to start. Also, for anyone planning to attend the gala screenings, remember they are held in the open air, so dress very warmly.

As fas as the movie is concerned, Hasan Zaidi, organizer of the Festival said during the Q and A session to Anupam Kher - the fact that so many people have stayed till so long on such a cold winter night to watch the movie shows how good it is. Everyone should definitely see it once it releases on DVD :)

What a lovely way to start off a Sunday morning - receiving a copy of the 5th Karafilm Festival’s schedule with Dawn. They’re airing some really good movies this time around, and I love their tagline for this year - ’sab se karara’. Check their website for the schedule, details about passes and about the festival.

From their website:

In keeping with the landmark nature of the 5th KaraFilm Festival, this year there are more films on offer than ever before, in fact over 150 shorts, documentaries and features! As a result, we are screening at three separate venues ñ PIIA, Alliance Francaise and Iqra University ñ just to accommodate all of them.

The film themselves are from over 30 countries, including Pakistan, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, India, Argentina, Chile, Iran, Tunisia, Lebanon, Spain, Austria, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Costa Rica, Serbia, Tajikistan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Lithuania, and many more. They include films that have won awards at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, London, Sundance, Mumbai, Film South Asia and the many other festivals. And there are a number of features, shorts and documentaries which will be receiving their world premieres at the Festival. Many of the rest are also being screened in Asia or Pakistan for the very first time.

The 5th KaraFilm Festival is also proud and privileged to host some of the most celebrated filmmakers from the region and beyond. Some are new to the Festival, others have shown their commitment and support by returning again and again. It is they, the actors, the directors, producers, writers, cameramen, editors, musicians and other technicians who truly make such a festival happen and we welcome them all to what is essentially a space they can call their own.

yellow

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I finally visited this new store on Zamzama that everyone’s been talking about, probably because of its huge sign - Yellow. The store is a blessing for anyone aged in their late teens or early twenties. Yellow is a Bangladeshi venture which stocks clothes that are designed for major designers and retailers abroad - including Calvin Klein, JC Penny and H&M. The prices were surprisingly affordable - and the store has some amazing bags, shoes and clothes. A must visit for anyone who doesn’t have time to sift through piles of clothes at Zainab Market, and who can’t afford to buy expensive clothing for everyday wear.

The KaraFilm Festival is very grateful to all the terrific volunteers who help make it all happen. So, thank-you in advance, if you are planning on coming on board and becoming one of the team! Before you email us, please think carefully about your existing schedule and your ability to commit to 8-10 hours a day of volunteer work during the festival which is to be held from December 1, 2005 to December 11, 2005 and prior to the festival.

Volunteers who quit early, arrive late or donít show up for scheduled shifts can cause serious problems, and as much as we would love to have you become involved, we must stress the importance of making a commitment.

Volunteers are needed in all areas, including but not limited to:

Pick up/drop off guest directors at Airport and Hotel.
Distribute Festival programs and posters.
Opening and Closing night ceremonies, other special events.
Shipping/Receiving.
Ticket sales.
Theatre ushers/ticket collectors.
On Site Event Assistance
location decoration

Duties and schedules shall be assigned to you by the Volunteer Coordinator prior to the festival.

The decision to accept and assign volunteers depends upon the skills they have to offer, the dates they are available, and their overall enthusiasm. There is a limited number of places and even though we would love to accommodate every person that we get, the same shall not be possible.

Volunteers will be notified no later than November 20 as to acceptance.
If you are interested in volunteering, please write an email telling us about yourself, why you want to volunteer and the time that you are willing to commit and email to: Volunteer Coordinator tahera.hasan@gmail.com

Surprisingly, I can’t think of anything else now…

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