Applied Fiction | Pors & Rao - Saturday 1st @ 19.00

Crossing the Bridge | The Sound of Istanbul - Thursday 29th @ 18.15

Crossing the Bridge deals with a director's love for a city. It is Fatih Akin, who is in love with the city and about to explore its sound. The film describes a western point of view, a view from the distance, in a foreign, tense, erotic, dangerous, tempting city. It is a seeking, an odyssey, undertaken by the protagonist to explore the musical sources, influences and perspectives of the city. Istanbul is burning. If Berlin was the hippest city in the early 90ies, Havanna at the end of the 90ies, it might be the beginning of the new millenium that gives Istanbul the role to represent Europe's ultimate megacity.Crossing the Bridge is the ideal curtain-raiser to the 5th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2012 (BIFF), scheduled from December 20 to 27, 2012. Germany is Country of Focus at the Festival and apart from a package of exciting contemporary German feature films, there will be a Fatih Akin Retrospective, with no less than 6 of his best films.

Sunday historical outing - Srirangapatna

Srirangapattana has since time immemorial been an urban center and place of pilgrimage. During the Vijayanagar empire, it became the seat of a major viceroyalty, from where several nearby vassal states of the empire, such as Mysore and Talakad, were overseen. When, perceiving the decline of the Vijayanagar empire, the rulers of Mysore ventured to assert independence, Srirangapattana was their first target. Raja Wodeyar vanquished Rangaraya, the then viceroy of Srirangapattana, in 1610 and celebrated the Navaratri festival in the town that year. It came to be accepted in time that two things demonstrated control and signified sovereignty over the Kingdom of Mysore by any claimant to the throne:

1. Successful holding of the 10-day-long Navaratri festival, dedicated to Chamundeshwari, patron goddess of Mysore;
2. Control of the fort of Srirangapattana, the fortification nearest to the capital city of Mysore.

Srirangapattana remained part of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1610 to after India's independence in 1947; as the fortress closest to the capital city of Mysore, it was the last bastion and defence of the kingdom in case of invasion.

Hyder and Tipu

Srirangapattana became the de facto capital of Mysore under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. When Tipu finally dispensed with the charade of deference to the legitimate Wodeyar Maharaja who was actually his captive, and proclaimed the "Khudadad State" under his own kingship, Srirangapattana became de jure the capital of that short-lived political entity. In that heady period, the state ruled by Tipu extended its frontiers in every direction, encompassing a major portion of South India. Srirangapattana flourished as the cosmopolitan capital of this powerful state. Various Indo-Islamic monuments that dot the town, such as Tipu Sultan's palaces, the Darya Daulat and the Jumma Maseedi (Friday congregational mosque), date from this period.

The battle of Seringapatam, 1799

Srirangapattana was the scene of the last and decisive battle fought between Tipu Sultan and a combined force of 50,000 men provided equally by the Nizam of Hyderabad and the British under the overall command of General George Harris. This battle was the last engagement of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The Battle of Seringapatam, 1799, was truly momentous in its historic effects.

In any event, Tipoo Sultan was killed within the fort of Seringapatam, betrayed by one of his own confidants; the spot where he ultimately fell is marked by a memorial. For the last time in history, Seringapatam had been the scene of political change in the Sultanate of Mysore. The joint forces of the victorious army proceeded to plunder Seringapatam and ransack Tipu's palace. Apart from the usual gold and cash, innumerable valuables and objets d'art, not excepting even the personal effects of Tipoo Sultan, his rich clothes and shoes, sword and firearms, were shipped to England.

While most of this is now to be found in the British Royal Collection and in the Victoria and Albert Museum, some articles have occasionally become available at auctions and have been retrieved for their native land. The sword of Tipu Sultan has been acquired by Vijay Mallya, a liquor baron from Karnataka, who purchased the same at a Sotheby's auction.

Much of the site of the Battle is still intact including the ramparts, the Water Gate, the place where the Tippu Sultan's body was found, the area where the British prisoners were held and the site of the destroyed palace.

Source : Wikipedia

An interesting article by William Dalrymple :

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2005/may/24/foreignpolicy.india

Sagara kanyaka : the lady from the sea - Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th @ 19.30

Set in no particular time or space against a beautiful live score by Robert Davidson, Sagara Kanyaka delves into the internal anguish, conflicts and confusion implicit in romantic relationships.

A meditative and poetic adaptation of the original play by Henrik Ibsen, The Lady from the Sea: Sagara Kanyaka observes the three main characters of a husband, wife and a stranger. The stranger, once engaged to the wife, has a compelling power over her and has returned to take her away. Her husband gives her the freedom to choose between staying with him and leaving with the stranger.
Sagara Kanyaka harnesses the infinite possibilities offered by the modern stage and is punctuated by stunning animation to create a moving space installation.

This work is the result of a year long collaboration between two extraordinary collectives of artists, Abhinaya Theatre Research Centre of Thiruvananthapuram, India and Brisbane-based Topology.

The Art of the Book by Sunandini Banerjee - Tuesday 27th @ 18.30

The Art of the Book by Sunandini Banerjee

The Art of the Book celebrates Seagull's passion for good design through a series of digital collages and book covers created by the designer Sunandini Banerjee.

This selection from The Art of the Book presents the covers and collages from Seagull Books' German List. A literary programme supported by the Goethe-Institut, the German List presents classic and contemporary German writing in new translations to readers across the world.

Award-winning children's book author and illustrator from Germany, Nadia Budde will be present at the event. During her 2-week residency in Bangalore, she will meet and exchange with local artists, illustrators and writers, as well as conduct a series of readings and workshops in various schools, libraries and other venues. She will also spend time at Sangam House and participate in the Bangalore Literature Festival.

Sunandini Banerjee completed her Masters in English Literature from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, in 2000 and joined Seagull Books. She is now both Senior Editor and Senior Graphic Designer, and designs all of Seagull's books, book covers and catalogues, and is currently having a fantastic time exploring the world of the digital collage.

Nadia Budde was born in Berlin in 1967. After secondary school she apprenticed as a retail display designer. She began studying graphic arts at the Berlin College of Art in Weissensee in 1992 and later studied at the Royal College of Art in London. She completed her degree in 2000 and since then she has worked independently as an illustrator in Berlin. Her first picture book Eins zwei drei Tier, was published in 1999 and received several awards. Since then she has published other picture books, all of which are hits. Her books have been translated into several languages. Nadia Budde lives with her family in Berlin.

The Indian National Symphony Orchestra - Sunday 2nd @ 18.45

Pick up your tickets from William Joseph International Academy for Performing Arts, #687, 6th A Cross, 16th Main, 3rd Block, Koramangala, +91 98441 19956, +91 98451 74324

Dub Inc. - Friday 23rd @ 20.30

Over the last decade, Dub inc. has symbolized the revival of reggae made in France at its best. At the end of the 90s and the turn of the millenium, the decline of a number of highly representative bands looked inevitable; then a voice, more precisely two voices namely Bouchkour's and Komlan's, along with a band, Dub inc., rose and blew over the French reggae scene as never before.

Their secret: it is a group of well-inspired buddies, capable of writing outspoken lyrics, arranged with sharp melodies, perfectly voiced by the two singers.