Film Countdown

Film Countdown

 

St. Xavier's College has a Film society called "Film Countdown." The society, which has existed for a long time but was seriously revived only last year, is back in the new academic session - and it's bigger and better.

The aim of Film Countdown is to create a community of film-and-cinema lovers. People united by their common passion for movies get together to attend screenings of films, sit in on talks by celebrities and discuss film with other cinephiles.

Xavier's, being a premier Liberal Arts college in the country, is home to a multitude of students with disparate tastes. But stand in a corner and you'll see umpteen film-buffs walk by. Needless to say, the Film Countdown's initial membership drive was a huge success and received a great response. By paying just Rs. 150, students could become a member for the whole year and gain access to any-and-every Film Countdown event, be it a screening or a panel discussion.

Close to 250 students - pursuing Majors as diverse as Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and Bachelor of Mass Media (B.M.M.) - signed up as members of the society. All members were given a Film Countdown card and badge as proof of membership at the first event.

Talking about the first event ... to start proceedings with a bang, Naseeruddin Shah came to the college. He spoke for almost an hour to all the attendees about art, cinema, mankind's expression for creativity, the state of Bollywood today and finally, New-Realist cinema. Why, you ask? Because the movie being screened (At Mr. Shah's personal request) was the Italian classic, Bicycle Thieves.

The movie was very well-received by the audience and there was healthy applause at the end. Following that, there was a small discussion wherein students spoke about what they thought of the film. This back-and-forth threw up some enlightening observations.

While this was the only event planned for the first semester, Film Countdown is ready to make a bigger splash in the second semester. When the students return from Diwali vacations, they will have a lot to look forward to.