Banyan trees and monkey screeches bring Bengal cinema to life

Published on 29/04/2009 22:41

A CHURCH hall in the heart of Edinburgh will be transformed into a Bengali cinema with banyan trees, the sounds of monkeys and the scents of India at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. Film maker and critic Mark Cousins – created a stir with the quirky Cinema of Dreams at the Nairn film festival he founded with actress Tilda Swinton last year.

He will show three days of Indian films at his Paradise Movie Hall in the converted St John's Church Hall on Princes Street. "When people step across the threshold, hopefully they will step from Scotland to west Bengal," said Mr Cousins.

Indian actress Sharmila Tagore, who has starred in films by Bengali film-maker Satyajit Ray, will be a guest.

She is chairwoman of India's Board of Film Certification.

Signs will be hand-painted evoking Indian film posters, there will be sounds of the jungle and atmospheric odours from josh sticks or scented oils.

India produces 800 films a year outside the best-known Bollywood productions, Mr Cousins said. "Bengali cinema is the artistic and creative heart of India but it's not well known."

The Paradise Movie Hall, with seating for about 130 people, will be showing films by Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Tapan Sinha.