Kolkata :

The ministry of culture has shortlisted 10 films made by students from as many city schools to create awareness about Kolkata’s heritage and promote tourism.

Three of these films will make it to the final list and find a place, along with shortlisted films from other cities, on the websites of ministries of culture and tourism. Posters from these films will also be used by the Centre in its ‘Incredible India’ campaign.

The films were screened on Tuesday at Birla High School as part of a nationwide screening of ‘Film It’, as the initiative has been christened.

Schools that made it to the top-10 list are Modern High School for Girls, Apeejay Park Street and Salt Lake, Birla High School, Lakshmipat Singhania, Loreto Sealdah, DPS Megacity, Heritage and South City International. “As many as 400 films were submitted from Kolkata. Choosing 10 best from the lot was a tough task. But I must say that Kolkata kids showed a lot of imagination while looking at heritage from a completely fresh angle,” said Purnima Dutt, who came from Intach-Delhi. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has been appointed the nodal agency for this countrywide project.

It is not built-heritage alone that the kids focused on. Even intangible heritage came in for filming. Take the case of Birla High School for Boys that made a film on fish markets of the city. “Visiting the fish market was an eye opener. It was a journey of sorts. Right from the catch, the sorting, the quality that goes into the different markets, the preservation, the sale and finally the preparations,” said Deepon Roy, a Class IX boy who was part of the film unit.

Similarly, Modern High School focused on the ancient game of Chaupar (dice) and how some ancient Marwari families still play it. Interesting mediums like animation and verse were also used to tell tales.

Schools from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad have also been selected for the final round. Films screened by them showcase the heritage and culture of respective states.

“We have tied up with the Helen Hamlyn Trust in th UK that will also showcase the films in UK schools,” said Intach convenor GM Kapur.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / February 04th, 2015