Event Updates- A Tribute to William Shakespeare on 400th Death Anniversary  

To mark the 400th death anniversary of literary giant William Shakespeare a four-day film festival and poster exhibition called 'Shakespeare on Screen' would be jointly organized by the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) and English Language Teaching Institute of Symbiosis (ELTIS)

Between April 22 and April 25, lovers of the Bard will be able to see films based on his work and also influenced by his lifetime.

The introductory speech to the festival will be delivered by Prakash Magdum, NFAI director, and Shirish Sahasrabudhe, director of ELTIS.

Nine films will be screened at two locations - the NFAI auditorium at Prabhat Road and the ELTIS auditorium at Gokhale Cross Road. Among the nine films being showcased there is one Japanese, one Russian, one English and six Indian. On day one Malayalam film, Kaliyattam (1977) will be showcased. On day two Angoor (1982), Ishaqzaade (2012), Macbeth (1960) and Akira Kursawa's Throne of Blood (1957) will be shown. On day three film-buffs will see Omkara (2006), Hamlet (1954) and Russian film King Lear (1971).

Santosh Ajmera, an officer on special duty, National Film Heritage Mission, said, "We will be showcasing the work done by Indian filmmakers by adapting or basing films of the works of Shakespeare. While widespread celebrations are planned on the occasion of Shakespeare's 400th death anniversary all over England, this is our way of showing how we respect and treasure his writings."

Echoing the thoughts of Ben Jonson, Sahasrabudhe, who was also present at the press conference, spoke about the wide spectrum of the Bard's writings. "His works have been omnipresent. In the 19th century, the first Shakespeare translation was done in India. Since then there has been no looking back. His work included all elements of theatre and drama, viz horror, tragedy, comedy and romance and by means of this festival we will try to showcase the same," he said.

Special effort has been made while choosing films that have been curated for the festival. Stressing upon the fact that the Bard wrote plays that were to be performed Sahasrabudhe said, "This is a theme based festival to bring out the theatrical and cinematic element in Shakespeare's works."

A session on 'Shakespeare in Cinema' by Vinay Hardikar and Anil Zankar; and a presentation on Actor's Shakespeare will also be a part of the closing ceremony.

The 14 posters on display during the exhibition are also to be showcased at a conference being organized in London on 'Indian Shakespeare on Screen' between April 27 and 29. This conference is being organized by the University of London, University of Birmingham, University of Warwick and University of York. Noted Indian film-maker Vishal Bharadwaj known for his trilogy has been invited to speak at the conference.

The posters up for display in this exhibition will be of movies like Khoon ka Khoon (1935), Ambika Pati (1937), Shakespearewala (1965), Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981), Romeo and Juliet (1947) and 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981).