The Media Resource Centre (MRC) at the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia began its inaugural activities in August 2007 and hosted several events where a substantial number of film and media enthusiasts participated.
We began with a Documentary Workshop in collaboration with PSBT: “How to Read a Documentary Film” held on August 23rd, 2007, for over 500 students of the leading media schools in the city. The workshop was conducted by Shohini Ghosh and Sabeena Gadihoke was part of Open Frame: An Annual Festival of Documentary organized by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT).
In October,well-known documentary film-maker Amar Kanwar screened his new film, The Lightning Testimonies that traces narratives of sexual violence in India since partition, at the Yasser Arafat Hall in Jamia.
The MRC held its first Public Lecture in the month of November.Dr. Ranjani Mazumdar, Associate Professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University , delivered a public talk titled “The Art of Detection and James Bond Films” at MCRC on the genre of James Bond films
A two-hour Live-Conversation with Shyam Benegal was recorded at the MCRC studio and is now being edited for archival purposes at the MRC. In this lively dialogue, Benegal spoke in detail about his works and the practice of filmmaking. As part of the tribute, MRC organized a retrospective of his select films in January, in collaboration with the Jamia Cultural Committee.
On December 4th and 5th 2007, "Menspotting"- A Festival of films on Masculinities was held. This two-day festival of films marked the launch of a UNDP/UNFPA/UNIFEM joint Asia Pacific Program Films that were screened included a selection of international (In the Pit, Mexico; Our Boys, Bangladesh; I am a Man, USA; Beyond the Border Mexico; Simple Past, Brazil etc) and national documentaries (When Four Friends Meet, India; That's What my Dad used to say, India etc) on the theme of masculinities. It also included two films on female masculinities, Manjuben Truckdriver and Who Can Speak of Men.
MRC hosted an Interactive Session with Visiting Journalists, Khademul Islam (Literary Editor, The Daily Star, Dhaka) and Musadiq Sanwal (Interactive Producer, BBC Online Urdu, Pakistan/UK) where they discussed the contemporary media situation in Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively.
David MacDougall screens and discusses 'With Morning Hearts' .The second of the five-part Doon series by David MacDougall, documentary filmmaker, scholar and Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Cross-Cultural Research, The Australian National University, was screened at MRC. A Documentary Workshop with the filmmaker followed the screening.
Upcoming Events in February
Director's Showcase: Anurag Kashyap with the film No Smoking (9.30 AM, 6th February 2008, Edward Said Hall )The screening will be followed by discussion with the Filmmaker.
Public Talk by Nasreen Munni Kabir -" The Art of Interviewing on Camera". (9:30 AM, 14th February 2008) Her film on Guru Dutt and Shahrukh Khan (The Inner and Outer World of Shahrukh Khan) will be also screened and discussed.
