Girish Kasaravalli's 'Ghatashraddha' to feature at Venice Film Festival
The restored version of Girish Kasaravalli's 1977 film Ghatashraddha will be showcased in the Venice Classics section of the 81st Venice Film Festival. The festival is scheduled to take place from Wednesday, August 28 to September 7. The Bengaluru-based filmmaker, who has won 14 National Film Awards, expressed his excitement about the film's inclusion in the festival and his curiosity about the audience's response.
Kasaravalli to watch restored 'Ghatashraddha' for the first time
Kasaravalli revealed that he will be attending the international film festival in Venice and watching the restored version of Ghatashraddha for the first time. The film was restored by the Film Heritage Foundation in collaboration with Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project. The restoration process was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, one of the world's leading restoration labs.
'Ghatashraddha' among 18 restored films to premiere at festival
According to a press release by the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Ghatashraddha is one of the 18 films restored in the past year that will premiere at the event. The festival's Artistic Director, Alberto Barbera, acknowledged that Kasaravalli might not be well-known in Italy, but highlighted his significant contributions to the Parallel Cinema movement and the acclaim Ghatashraddha received upon its initial release.
'Ghatashraddha' earned Kasaravalli immediate renown: Festival artistic director
Barbera said, "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." He added, "His debut film, Ghatashraddha, earned him immediate renown and three of the most important awards in Indian cinema that year."
What is 'Ghatashraddha' all about?
The landmark Kannada film—adapted from a novella by U.R. Ananthamurthy—is set in southern India. The film portrays the story of a young woman who is ostracized for challenging the strict sexual codes of a traditional society. It centers on Yamuna, a child widow living with her father at the religious school he runs. After being seduced and impregnated by a local schoolteacher, Yamuna tries to end her life but is saved by a devoted student of her father.
