Russia to present five films at SCO Film Festival

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries film festival will be held in Mumbai, the birthplace of the Indian film industry, Bollywood, in the Hindi language from 27 to 31 January.

The seventh art event is organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting through the National Film Development Corporation and is timed to the India's presidency of the SCO. The opening ceremony of the event will be held on 27 January at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai.

Tamil film Appatha directed by veteran Priyadarshan, the 700th film by actress Urvashi, will open the event.

Undersecretary for Cinema, Prithul Kumar, said the festival aims to build film partnerships and connect the cultures of the eight countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which includes China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

A total of 57 films from the participating countries will be screened during the event, 14 of which are in competition.

In addition to the screenings, the film event will feature master classes, conversation sessions, country and state pavilions, photo and poster exhibitions, craft tents and other events, as reported by Prensa Latina, a partner of TV BRICS.

Photo: istockphoto.com