Cinema of Prayoga
Indian Experimental Film and Video 1913–2006

Friday 15 September – Tuesday 19 September 2006

For the first time in the UK, Cinema of Prayoga presents the rich and unseen artists' film from India. Prayoga is a Sanskrit word which loosely translates as 'experiment' in English but can also mean 'representation'. Over the past three years no.w.here has worked closely with its Indian partner organisation Filter India to establish the Experimenta festival in Mumbai and Delhi to provide a platform for international artists' film work in India.

During this period, no.w.here and Filter have researched a rich vein of visual-arts based work that, despite the huge popularity of Indian cinema, remains relatively unknown. This project aims to present these works to UK audiences in a comprehensive appraisal of film work outside of the popular Bollywood films for which India is traditionally known. Cinema of Prayoga  draws on a broader context of the arts for its influence than just cinema and traces a history of powerful and personal filmmaking outside of the industrialised system.

no.w.here is particularly interested in representing a non-western perspective on artists' film practice as a challenge to the dominant US- and Euro-centric histories mainly known in the UK.

Curated by Karen Mirza and Brad Butler from no.w.here.

Three programmes from Cinema of Prayoga tour to venues throughout the UK after the launch at Tate Modern. For more information on the tour, visit the Independent Cinema Office.

The screening on Saturday 16 September is part of UBS Openings: Saturday Live - Mumbai.

The screening on Sunday 17 September is followed by a panel discussion featuring Johan Pijnappel, Shai Heredia, Amrit Gangar and Surekha Kumar.

  Film