The Prismatic ground festival is honoring Indian filmmakers Kumar Shahani and Ashish Avikunthak in its upcoming fifth edition. The festival will be celebrating Shahani’s work with a four-film retrospective, while Avikunthak will be receiving the festival’s Ground Glass Award for “outstanding contribution in the film industry.”
• Kumar Shahani’s films are known for their formal rigor and intellectual constructs. He was born in Larkana, Pakistan, and moved to Bombay after the 1947 Partition. Shahani studied at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune, where he was influenced by filmmakers Ritwik Ghatak and Robert Bresson. • Ashish Avikunthak’s films are known for their engagement with Hindu iconography and their rejection of psychological realism. Avikunthak was born in Calcutta, India, and grew up in a Hindu family. His films often feature visceral and graphic violence, and he has been associated with the Parallel Cinema movement in India.
| Feature Films | Short Films |
|---|---|
| Kumar Shahani | 7 |
| Ashish Avikunthak | 8 |
Shahani’s first feature, Maya Darpan, was released in 1972 and was a radical departure from the intellectually respectable idiom of neorealism. The film was met with criticism from Satyajit Ray, who accused it of “threatening film language with extinction.” Despite this criticism, Shahani continued to work on his films, often with long gaps between projects. • Ashish Avikunthak’s film, Vakratunda Swaha, was released in 2010 and is a prime example of his engagement with Hindu iconography. The film features a prismatic ground, a symbol of the interconnectedness of all things.
“Realism of detail can be a mask for eluding the real problems of society, its class relations.” – Kumar Shahani
Shahani and Avikunthak have both been associated with the Parallel Cinema movement in India, but their work stands far removed from the socially minded but formally conservative works that dominate the Parallel Cinema tradition. Both artists present their films as intellectual constructs undergirded by strong philosophical frameworks. • Kumar Shahani’s films often feature a theory of the epic form, while Ashish Avikunthak’s films are grounded in Tantric spiritual thought. Both artists reject the psychological realism that dominates classical narrative cinema, instead inviting viewers to engage with their films on a rational level. • Shahani’s films are often described as formalist, while Avikunthak’s films are often visceral and graphic. Despite these differences, both artists share a common goal: to challenge the viewer and invite them to engage with the world in a new way. The Prismatic Ground festival will be held in New York, and will feature a variety of films and events. Audiences will have the chance to discover two singular artists whose works stand in serious dialogue with the politics of their times. • The festival will include a four-film retrospective of Kumar Shahani’s work, as well as a screening of Ashish Avikunthak’s film, Vakratunda Swaha. • The festival will also feature a panel discussion with the two artists, as well as a Q&A session with the audience. • The festival will be held on a date to be announced, and will be open to the public. Highlights of the Festival
• A four-film retrospective of Kumar Shahani’s work
• A screening of Ashish Avikunthak’s film, Vakratunda Swaha
• A panel discussion with the two artists
• A Q&A session with the audience
The Prismatic Ground festival is a unique opportunity to engage with two singular artists whose works stand in serious dialogue with the politics of their times. Don’t miss out on this chance to discover new films and ideas. Definitions
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: A festival of experimental documentary and avant-garde film
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: An award given to outstanding contributors in the field of experimental media
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: A movement in Indian cinema that emphasizes intellectual and philosophical themes
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: A genre of film that emphasizes innovation and experimentation
Key Takeaways
• Kumar Shahani and Ashish Avikunthak are two Indian filmmakers who have made significant contributions to the field of experimental cinema. • Their films often feature intellectual constructs and philosophical frameworks, and reject psychological realism in favor of a more rational approach. • The Prismatic Ground festival will be held in New York, and will feature a variety of films and events, including a four-film retrospective of Kumar Shahani’s work and a screening of Ashish Avikunthak’s film, Vakratunda Swaha.