American Center, Cine Darbaar Celebrate Hollywood Musicals

NEW DELHI The New Delhi-based American Center (the U.S. State Department's education and culture wing) and film appreciation club Cine Darbaar will host a three day festival "Celebrating Hollywood Musicals" from August 19-21.Opening with 1929's "The Broadway Melody" the first sound feature to win an Academy Award the festival will include screenings of other classics such as "Singin' In The Rain," "West Side Story" and a Vincente Minnelli double bill including "Gigi" and "An American in Paris." The festival will close with Tim Burton's 2007 title "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" starring Johnny Depp."Our objective with this festival is to give cineastes a perspective on the rich legacy of the Hollywood musical," Cine Darbaar president Supriya Suri told "The Hollywood Reporter." "Film screenings will be followed by interactive discussions on various topics so that audiences can get a better understanding of this important artform."Topics will cover the emergence of musicals and the genre's evolution in contemporary times in addition to a focus on Gene Kelly. The event will also include a curating competition in which participants will be asked to write a programming note on a series of American films they would like to curate with the winning entry forming the basis of an upcoming Cine Darbaar event.New Delhi-based Cine Darbaar has been organizing other film-related events with various cultural bodies covering genres such as Japanese anime and world cinema in addition to conducting film education workshops.In April, the American Center and Cine Darbaar organized a documentary film festival "Chasing Dreams" focusing on youth and their dreams with respect to the American immigrant experience. The screenings included titles such as "Racing Dreams," "Which Way Home" and "No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlos and Vilmos" (focusing on acclaimed Hollywood cinematographers Laszlos Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond who sought refuge in the U.S. following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution). The Hollywood Reporter