Joymoti on its way for screening in America

GUWAHATI, Jan 2: While Assamese cinema is passing though a phase of quality cinema even after 75 years of its existence, Jyotiprasad Agarwalla’s classic creation Joymoti continues its journey to far off places till today. A press release stated that after it made its international premier in the film festival of “Bollywood and Beyond” in Stutagart in 2006, and subsequent screenings in Asiaticafilmidale (Encounters with Asian Cinema) of Rome, Munich Film Festival and Asian’s Cinefan of Delhi, the surviving version of the first Assamese film is now on its way to Los Angeles, the historic home of “Hollywood” film and television industries.

The Society of Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS) of the Northwestern University has invited the surviving version of Joymoti for its 50th anniversary international conference to be held from March 17-21, 2010. Nick Davis, Department of English/Gender Studies Program of the university, has written to Altaf Mazid to consent their request. “One of our members has nominated the film Joymoti for an official screening. The screening committee has voted enthusiastically to accept this proposal and I hope to confirm it with you that with your help, we may show Joymoti to our members,” Davis said.

Stating the purpose of SCMC conference, Nick Davis stated that every year, it draws together over 1,000 film professors, filmmakers, and film students committed to the exhibition, circulation, study and preservation of a wide range of films. These screenings offer the best chance to showcase important films to the members, who sustain the visibility and reputation of these films by assigning them in college courses, writing about them in books and publish articles, purchasing copies of these films for their libraries or for personal research or recommending titles to colleagues, curators, festival programmers, and fellow artists.

He further wrote that “on behalf of your film, we can promise a devoted, vocal, and discerning audience of film scholars and artists from around the world. The sooner I hear from you, I can also begin advertising the film to our membership, so that your film can be promoted even to those SCMS members who cannot attend the March conference.” Altaf Mazid has already replied to him with assurance of providing the screening format of Joymoti at the earliest. Screening of the film in the SCMC conference bears a significant co-incidence. Its their 50th golden anniversary and for Assamese cinema the 75th aniversary platinum jubilee. In 1935 the film was released in the month of March while the platinum jubilee celebration in 2010 and this conference screening, both are happening in the same month of the calendar. THE SENTINEL