When sports and cinema converge

As Film Heritage Foundation hosts Olympic film festival in Mumbai and Delhi, archivist Shivendra says exhibition’s aim is to inspire people to pursue sports as a career

After a successful edition in Mumbai, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s Film Heritage Foundation is hosting Olympics in Reel Life: A Festival of Films and Photographs in Delhi this week. During the festival, the spirit of Olympics and sports will be celebrated through films and a photography exhibition. Not many know that Olympic Museum has a heritage of films, with a renowned filmmaker entrusted to make a movie for it every season. In the ongoing edition, films made by celebrated directors Kon Ichikawa, Miloš Forman, Carlos Saura and Leni Riefenstahl are being showcased. One of the highlights is a series from Olympic Channel that throws light on India’s journey at the games. “What makes this film festival significant is that it is a part of Olympic Museum, and a prelude to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Mumbai this month. Our idea is to pitch India as a hosting country for the Olympics in the future,” says Dungarpur.  

Dungarpur

He also hopes that the festival will make our cricket-obsessed country aware of other sports, and inspire many to pursue a career in them. “Today, we have so many sports icons like Abhinav Bindra, Saina Nehwal, Aparna Popat, and Neeraj Chopra. Such a programme will inspire the younger generation to follow [in their footsteps],” he beams, adding that he plans to take the festival to tier-2 cities.

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