Israeli Film Festival Held in Mumbai

The JDC, Embassy of Israel, New Delhi, and the Federation of Film Societies in India hosted an Israeli Film Festival in Mumbai from March 29th to April 1st 2004 to mark a decade of rich cultural relations between Israel and India.

The films covered a wide range of social, cultural and moral issues, which concern and stimulate Israeli society today, yet are also pertinent to contemporary Indian audiences.

The opening ceremony was held at the Y.B. Chavan Centre when the Sheriff of Bombay – Mr. Kiran Shantaram, who is also the Vice President of the Federation of Film Societies of India, along with a Jewish film critic – Mr. Bunny Reuben and his wife Krishna Sarah Reuben lit the menorah. Elijah, the Country Manager of JDC India, read a welcome message from the Israeli Ambassador to India, Mr. David Danieli, to an audience of over 450 film enthusiasts.

The 3-day festival attracted over 1,000 film enthusiasts, which included a sizable number of members from the local Jewish Community.

The closing ceremony was held at the Gemini Theatre at Bandra and Mr. Ravi Chopra, a famous Bollywood producer and director, along with the Secretary General of the Film Federation of India paid fitting tributes to the Israeli Film Industry and hoped that more Israeli films would make their presence felt in India. The menorah was again lit on the concluding day to mark the end of the Israeli Film Festival.