Starting tonight (Friday) and running through Sunday afternoon, the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY is holding a special retrospective of director Mani Ratnam’s films under the title Politics as Spectacle: The Films of Mani Ratnam.
The organizer of the program, Christina Marouda, the Museum’s Deputy Director for Development and Founder of the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles, said “Mani Ratnam is a treasure, and we are pleased to host him in New York with three of his most significant and beloved films. This weekend tribute offers audiences, both devoted fans and new viewers, a rare opportunity to see his gorgeous films on the big screen, presented in 35mm.”
Tonight, Friday, July 31st, they will screen Roja. Saturday afternoon, Bombay, and Sunday afternoon, Dil Se.
The director himself is here for the weekend and after each film he will participate in a discussion with Richard Peña, Director Emeritus, New York Film Festival and Professor of Film Studies at Columbia University. Of Mani Ratnam’s work, Peña said ““The false dichotomies that are used to categorize films—art vs. commercial cinema, entertainment vs. political filmmaking—disappear when one sees how easily Mani Ratnam is able to combine aspects of all of them into his work. A New York tribute to this important filmmaker is long overdue.”
This is a treat to have Mani Sir in NYC for three separate discussions about his work – don’t miss it. I certainly won’t!
You can find all details about the Museum of Moving Image and the program here.
