When I first read the title of this film, I instinctively expected a Maury Povich style investigation into the wild world of people with balloon phobias, crying hysterically at the thought of that squeaking sound they make when rubbed against your fingers. Perhaps a psychological issue stemming from a childhood incident involving an exploding balloon at a birthday party. ‘Twisted – A Balloonamentary’ has avoided the darker side of balloons, instead opting to give us a look into the unique lives of those few folks who make a living at creating balloon art. The films tagline, ‘Once you can make a balloon dog, you can do anything.’ pretty much sums it up. It’s not just about the physical act of creating these pieces of balloon art, but the joy it brings to everyone involved. (Except those few aforementioned balloon haters) The trailer, which you can see here, displays some pretty amazing achievements in balloon twisting. I’ve never really had an interest in this hobby, but I do enjoy watching people talking passionately about their love of unusual things. The film makes its premiere at this years SXSW Film Festival, so for anyone lucky enough to be in the area, make sure you check it out.
Related Link: Twisted – A Balloonamentary
Related Video: Maury Povich – Balloon Phobia
Jeevika: South Asia Documentary Festival, which began in 2003, aims at capturing the livelihood challenges faced by the rural and urban poor and bringing it to the attention of current and future policy makers. Over the years, Jeevika has been successful in advocating for the cause of numerous entry-level entrepreneurs – rickshaw pullers, street vendors, prostitutes, child labour, farmers and forest-dwellers.
The premier event of the festival to be held at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi will be the awards ceremony from 20-23rd July 2007, which will culminate four days of screening for the top films. The last date for the submitting the entries is May 31, 2007
In addition as part of the festival tour, the award-winning films will travel and be screened in premier schools and colleges in over 20 states in India and other organisations working on livelihood issues as well as in our South Asian neighbours.
Over the years, Jeevika has become an increasingly popular and news-worthy event as well as an important catalyst for positive social change. The Film-makers whose films have been showcased in the past include Rakesh Sharma (of the Final Solution fame), Sanjay Barnela (Turf Wars) and Shohini Ghosh (Tales of the Night Fairies).
For further details, please log on : http://www.ccs.in/jeevika