by Dr Elizabeth Menon

Created on: November 06, 2008

Indian Films in London

The love of films becomes a celebration in London for two weeks, during the Times BFI 51st London Film Festival'. The capital city is buzzing with people who love films and filmmakers from all over the world. This festival gives a chance to view films, documentaries and provide opportunity to meet filmmakers and celebrity artists. It also promotes world films that may not be available for screening in the cinemas across the nation. The festival is an important venue for development and promotion of films from UK and abroad and it showed around 184 feature films and 133 short films from 43 countries, at various venues in London. The Festival Started on 17 October with the opening night gala showing David Cronenberg's 'Eastern Promises' and finished on 1 November with the closing night gala showing Wes Anderson's 'The

Darjeeling Limited', a train voyage across India. Richard Attenborough, Wes Anderson, Susanne Bier, Saverio Constanzo, Andrew Dominik, Shivajee
Chandrabhushan, Shamim Sarif, Amitab Bachan, Robert Redford, Tom Cruise, Halle
Berry and Adrien Brody were among the celebrities who attended the screening of their films. Some of the films from around the world are reviewed below:

Frozen': Shivajee Chandrabhushan/India:
Frozen' is a story told from a young girl's perspective.

Frozen' is a film that makes the audience transfixed to their seat till closing credits disappear! It is the brilliance of the black and white landscape and the directorial restrain in bringing the conflict between individuals and society. Frozen tells the story of an aging father Karma, his teenaged daughter Lasya and her 'little brother' Chomo and the story is told through Lasya's eyes. The action takes place in Ladakh, Indian side of
Jammu-Kashmir border, 15000 feet above sea level in freezing conditions at 30 degree below. Lasya grows up watching her father making apricot jam and selling his product at the local market place. Unfortunately, he is unable to compete with others in the trade, as they use machines to make jam. Karma is in financial ruin, having to borrow from unscrupulous moneylenders. Their simple lives are shattered by the arrival of the army that protects the frontier and sets up a camp close to their house. Karma is asked to take his children and leave his ancestral home, which brings him close to a breaking point. Amidst all this, Lasya is blossoming into a very attractive woman and she is encountered by a local boy Romeo. Karma is oblivious to

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