Goethe Institut brings Mini-Input to Pakistan

After an extensive festival in Hungary, the International Public Television brought forth its best work to Pakistan.


Saadia Qamar February 15, 2011

KARACHI: After an extensive festival in Hungary, the International Public Television (Input) brought forth its best work to Pakistan. The Goethe Institut and the Karachi University recently collaborated in bringing the 5th Mini-Input to Pakistan that consists of the best variation of work that was originally displayed in Budapest, Hungary in May 2010.

Hence, in recognition of the best work that is part of the annual Input in Hungary, Mini-Input is a small project, an off-shoot that is held in more than 30 countries to allow greater access to the general public.

On the first day of the 5th Mini-Input, four short films were screened at the Goethe Institut Auditorium, two were from Pakistan, Chitra and Living Desert, while the other two,  Rabbit a la Berlin and The Stasi Files of Hans Kramer had already been part of the original festival.

Rabbit a la Berlin talks of rabbits that were resident to the Potsdrammer Platz, a strip that used to divide East West Berlin. The film is an interesting tale told from the rabbits’ perspective by directors Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosolowski. The film sheds light on Germany’s unification into one country and the human cost of understanding the ideals of freedom. The other film that took a political turn with anti communist elements was The Stasi Files of Hans Kramer directed by Heika Bachelier.

While Chitra mirrored the life and the work of the painter,  Chitra Pritam, a student of Jamil Naqsh, Living Desert was more of a poetic diction that told the tale of the fascinating magical Thar Desert and showed the brilliant cinematography of director Sarwar Mushtaq. William Gilcher, the moderator of the event highlighted the fact that two Input films such as Rabbit a la Berlin and The Stasi Files of Hans Kramer were important as they provided “an insight into the socio-political and economic spheres of Europe and the then divided Germany. It is in the interest of people who want to know what Europe was before the Unification. (Though, a glossier) Life was painted by the East Germans, one fears it was certainly not the case,” said Gilcher.

The Mini-Input film seminar continues in Karachi in the Goethe Institute on Thursday and Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2011.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ