GENRE: Features

Cinema in Germany is changing. Even as traditional approaches and perspectives to cinema remain, new currents are finding their way into mainstream filmmaking. These varying influences and emerging trends were all seen at the 5th Indo-German Film Festival, held in Bangalore recently. Source: Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan The festival that ran under the theme of 'Two nations - a single screen' was held by the Goethe-Institut in collaboration the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Germany and Suchitra Film Society. Over the course of a week, 10 German and Indian films were screened at the event.The Indian panaroma had a well thought out selection…

"Oota from your thota" is an initiative by Garden City Farmers Trust to promote better living by encouraging organic urban farming. The immense popularity of the first attempt at oota from your thota in August at BTM, led to this event. The event was this time held at UAS Alumni Association premises next to Veterinary College, Bellary Road, Hebbal on 27th November 2011. Citizen Matters was the media partner for the event. People attending a session on organic farming. Pic: Deepthi Sarma Spearheaded by Dr Viswanath, the Garden City Farmers are a growing tribe of people who believe in greening…

Sharmila,16, and her five younger sisters were brought to Child Fund Association (CFA), an orphanage home in Puttenahalli, after their mother passed away. Their father, visually challenged, could not take care of them. Sharmila, who is from Kollegal, has been living there for 6 years. "I am lucky to have found a place like this to live," she says. Children playing at the centre. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. Eighty-five children, mostly girls, have found a home in CFA and since its beginning in 1982, close to 750 children have grown up in the home. Most children in the orphanage have a…

The crowd erupted with joy as Rajib Deb, forward for the army Service Corps (ASC) Boys Bangalore under-16 football team, slipped the ball past the goalkeeper to score a goal for his team. That it happened in the first few minutes of the match, added to the crowd's resounding cheer. Deb made the most of the penalty kick as he scored the solitary goal of the match, leading his team to a 1-0 victory over Farook Higher Secondary School (FHSS), Kerala. ASC celebrating the goal by Deb Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi ASC were playing FHSS at the final match of…

After moving to Mahalakshmi Layout with her family, a few months ago, Lakshmi Teeka, 32, found that there weren't too many grocery stores in her neighbourhood. At supermarkets, she had to wait in line to pay the bill and checkout. Her friends introduced her to Town Essentials (towness.com), an online grocery shopping website that takes orders online and delivers groceries home. "I could do shopping at 12 am in the night and didn't have to wait in line anymore. The prices too are on par with wholesale prices so I began to order all my groceries including vegetables and fruits…

If you are thinking of Jab we met when you are watching director Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar, it's a memory you'll have to soon forget. Missing is the refreshingly original sense of humour that you have come to expect in an Imtiaz Ali film. Even when you do find traces of that old familiar magic, it's soon lost in this dark and brooding tale of the making of a rockstar. Playing the rockstar is Ranbir Kapoor, supported by debutant Nargis Fakhri. The film also has the sentimental appeal of being Shammi Kapoor's last film, albeit in a cameo role.To Imtiaz's credit,…

Hundreds of bibliophlies, of all ages, flocked the fourth edition of the ‘Pustaka Parishe' at the Volley Ball Ground, on Sunday, 30 October at Netkallappa Circle in Basavangudi. Dr Anasuya Rajeev, in her forties, an astrologer and a resident of NR Colony, was at the parishe for the second time, looking for books on astrology and spirituality. Thousands attended the day long parishe in Basavangudi. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi "They have a lot of books here and it is good for someone to find a book in the subject they are interested in." Thriteen year-old Manoj, a resident of Thyagarajanagar,…

There was an extra festive element at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Festival this time, as it fell between Dasara and Deepavali. The Theatre Festival started on October 16 and wound up on October 23. Street play at Ranga Shankara. Pic: H V Venugopal This year's theme was "Political Theatre," a controversial topic that brings out debate, and creativity, in people. Keeping with the theme, there were several contemporary folk theatre performances and documentaries screened, with vigorous discussions at the end. Sadanand Menon's workshop on Theatre and Arts Appreciation was very well-attended, as was the seminar on the same theme. "It…

The Ranga Shankara Theatre Fest 2011 had a political theme- all the events including seminars, film screenings, plays and platform performances have a political thread running through them. But then, who can get more political than Badal Sircar, the doyen of anti-establishment theatre in our country? Pic Courtesy: Ranga Shankara The Rangshila theatre group from Mumbai staged Sircar's "Teesveen Shatabdi" or "Thirtieth Century," on 21 October, a fascinating play about the moral aspects of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. This is one of Sircar's early plays written in 1966. A time when the echoes…

Even after making her home in Koramangla, dust-free, Shilpa Rao, 55, a teacher at an international school, suffered from persistent allergic reactions. Her doctor suggested that the problem might lie in her mattress and she needs to get it cleaned. She contacted ‘Clean Fanatic', a company specialising in cleaning mattresses. Shilpa says that after the cleaning, her wheezing has reduced considerably. Cleaning in progress at the Prabhakarans' home in Banaswadi. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi Brothers Anuroop and Sanjay Prabhakaran, 34 and 38, who live in Banaswadi, too opted for the service after constant allergic reactions to dust. "We thought it…