iLEAD's Breakthrough Seminar on Underground and Experimental Cinema

iLEAD's Breakthrough Seminar on Underground and Experimental Cinema

The Media Science department of iLEAD organized a thoughtful seminar on Experimental and Underground cinema. The seminar was focused on making the students of media science aware of the history, dynamics and current trends of this exciting branch of film making. The honorable chief guest of this occasion was an eminent personality from art fraternity- Mr. Shiladitya Sarkar. He is an eminent art critic and author cum editor of several books on performing arts. He is also a lecturer on the areas of modernism and underground cinema. He is also a national level debate champion.  The session started with Mr. Sarkar being felicitated by Mrs. Subha Das Mollick – Faculty of Media Studies department.  After the felicitation, Mr. Sarkar was invited for giving the lecture on the history and current trends of experimental cinema. His lecture was filled with several information and film presentations on underground and experimental cinema. He introduced the students with the history of both Indian and Western format of this genre of cinema. In his lecture he even emphasized on the fact that the influence of great artists were also visible in the iconic films of experimental and underground cinema. During his lectures he also focused on the style of film making of great experimental film makers like Maya Deren and Alexandr Hackenschimed. Their cult film Meshes of the Afternoon was also shown in the iLEAD auditorium.  This experimental short film of the West was made in 1943 and the duration of the film was 18 minutes. This film incorporates in its repeated images, slow motion and also a mysterious cloaked figure which is created for examination of an emotional experience.

A short film on the great American conceptual artist John Baldessari was also shown in the seminar. The film revolved around the funny confessions of Mr. Baldessari of his art and its history of creation. An Indian experimental film Om Dar-B-Dar was also shown as atypical representative of this genre of film from India. The film was actually made in 1988 by Mr. Kamal Swaroop, but because of several social and cultural controversies it released on 17Th January 2014. The film revolves around the life of a young boy Om who is fascinated with magic and religion and visits a fantasy city. The session on underground and experimental cinema came to an end with the understanding of what makes a real underground and experimental cinema. The inference which was gathered from the seminar was that whenever any challenging idea is presented through the medium of cinema it takes the format of an underground and experimental cinema.

About iLEAD:

Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development (iLEAD) is one of the premier Media and Management School of Kolkata having world class infrastructure   excellent teaching and non teaching staff and is using latest educated technologies and is affiliated to West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) and is located in the heart of the City. To know more about iLEAD one can visit: www.ilead.net.in.