South Asian Film Fest to kick off in Goa from June 26

New Delhi, June 14: With more than 50 films entered from eight Saarc countries and a special screening of 12 Iranian films, the fourth annual South Asian Film Festival starts in Goa June 26. The four-day event will feature movies from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and will have the theme "dissolving boundaries", the official website of the festival said.

"Films are the single most effective medium for improving communication and cooperation within the South Asian region. The influence of films on the psyche of the masses in the region is enormous," Rahul Barua, secretary general of the South Asia Foundation, said in a statement. The films have been chosen by two separate committees whose members include Union Minister Kapil Sibal and prominent film personalities like actor Vinod Khanna, filmmakers Goutam Ghose, Sudhir Mishra, Pankuj Parashar and Pakistani actress Zeba Bakhtiyar, among others. The films have been divided into four categories - classic , short, documentary and mainstream. Some of the notables to be screened are "Welcome to Sajjanpur," "Fashion," "A Wednesday", "Aha!", "Megher Por Megh", "The Roots", "Opium War", "Ramchand Pakistani", "Mohabattan Sachian", "Death on a Full Moon Night", "The Dark Night of the Soul" and "In An Iranian Market". A seminar on Indian Cinema and South Asia with participation from various directors and actors from the Saarc countries will also be held. The festival is hosted by the South Asia Foundation and supported by Entertainment Society of Goa and Kala Academy, Goa and co-sponsored by the Goa government and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. IANS