Kasaravalli’s restored ‘Ghatashraddha’ to be showcased in Classics section of Venice film fest

PTI, Aug 27, 2024, 2:57 PM IST

A scene from the film (credit: X / @FHF_Official)

Bengaluru: The restored version of legendary filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli’s ‘Ghatashraddha’ will be showcased in the Venice Classics section of the 81st Venice International Film Festival to be held between August 28 and September 7.

Speaking to PTI, Kasaravalli said he is looking forward to seeing how relevant the audience find the film today.

“This was made in 1977. I have changed a lot since ‘Ghatashraddha’ (The Ritual), so I am curious to know what the audience think of it now,” said the Bengaluru-based filmmaker who has won 14 National Awards.

Kasaravalli said he will be going to Venice for the festival.

“Also, I will be watching the film for the first time after it was restored by the Film Heritage Foundation. I do not own great prints of any of my films. The ones I have, have been exposed to a bit of wear and tear. Dust and scratches affect the quality of the print, after all. So, I am curious to see the restored version,” he added.

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, the founder-director of Film Heritage Foundation, had collaborated with Martin Scorsee’s The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project to restore ‘Ghatashraddha.’ The restoration was done at L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, considered one of the best restoration labs in the world.

According to a press statement issued by 81st Venice International Film Festival, in the classic section, ‘Ghatashraddha’ is among the 18 films that were restored over the past year, which will be premiered at the festival.

“It is possible that the name of Girish Kasaravalli is not very well known in Italy, even if he was one of the founders of the Parallel Cinema movement, inspired by the principles of Italian Neorealism. His debut film, ‘Ghatashraddha,’ earned him immediate renown and three of the most important awards in Indian cinema that year (1977),” said Festival Artistic Director Alberto Barbera in a note introducing the films and the directors being featured in the classic section.

According to him, director and screenwriter Renato De Maria will chair the Jury of Film Students which – for the eleventh year – will award the Venice Classics prizes for the respective competitions for Best Restored Film and for the Best Documentary About Cinema.

The jury chaired will be composed of 24 students, each of them recommended by professors of film studies from various Italian universities, DAMS and from Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, he added.

Venice Classics is the section that since 2012 has presented at the Venice Film Festival a selection of the best restorations of film classics.