NY film fest celebrates Shabana Azmi

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW YORK: Actress and activist Shabana Azmi will be honored at the ongoing 40th New York Film Festival being held at the Walter Reade Theater in Lincoln Center.<br />"Since her first major screen role, as Lakshmi in Shyam Benegal''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Ankur</span> (The Seedling), Shabana Azmi has generated an intensity that makes it impossible to take your eyes off her," said a festival press release."In many of her films, she at first seems somewhat distant, almost opaque; only gradually does she allow us to peer inside of her, to understand the depths of feeling that are usually masked by simple gestures and quick glances. The experience of watching her in a film is often that of watching a woman undergo a remarkable and unexpected personal transformation."<br />This year''s event includes feature screenings of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Ankur</span> (1973), <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Godmother</span> (1999), Deepa Mehta''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Fire</span> (1996), and a special screening of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Mrityudand</span> (Death Sentence).<br />Mrinal Sen''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khandahar</span> (The Ruins, 1996) was screened with a 30-minute documentary by Dev Benegal on the actress''s work, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Shabana! Actor, Activist, Woman</span>(2002).<br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kamla</span> (1985), <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Sati</span> (1989), <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">In Custody</span> (1993), <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Mandi</span> (1983), <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Immaculate Conception</span> (1992) - an English film by Jamil Dehlavi and one of Azmi''s favorites - and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Paar</span> (1984, with Naseeruddin Shah) were also scheduled.<br />One of the event''s highlights is sure to be the screening of <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Anjuman</span> (1986) on October 8 and 9. Directed by Muzaffar Ali, the film portrays the romance and struggles of a young woman who dares to dream of changing her life and the world around her. Living with her mother and siblings, Anjuman ekes out a living doing chikan embroidery, earning just enough to survive. A possible romance appears with Sajid, a young aristocrat who lives next door. Presented in Urdu, Anjuman offers a rare opportunity to hear Azmi''s lovely singing voice. Anjuman has never been released commercially in India, so these will be among the film''s very first public screenings anywhere.<br />The Shabana Azmi film series was organized by Uma da Cunha and Richard Peña, and is presented in collaboration with the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival with additional funding by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (New Delhi), the National Film Development Corporation (Mumbai), the Directorate of Film Festivals (New Delhi), the Consulate General of India in New York, Film Four International, Prakash Jha, Jagmohan Mundhra and Ismail Merchant are supporters of the festival.<br />Visit www.filmlinc.com for more information. </div> </div>