International RTI Film Festival starts Oct 7
By IANSTuesday, October 6, 2009
NEW DELHI - Aimed at highlighting the role of the Right to Information (RTI) in bringing a change in the common man’s life, the International RTI Film Festival (IRFF) will begin in the capital Wednesday.
Organised by a group of NGOs and civil society groups, the five-day festival will be inaugurated by Central Information Commission chief Wajahat Habibullah.
“The RTI Act is going to complete four years of its successful implementation. This act has been a tool for the socially secluded and marginalised segments and they have used this act to their benefit. Various filmmakers have beautifully taken up this usage of RTI and its effect on the life of the common man,” Neeraj Kumar of NGO Kabir told IANS.
The festival will see 44 entries from countries like Bulgaria, North Korea, South Africa, Bangladesh and Switzerland.
“The festival would also have a special session where films highlighting the work done by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan on RTI in Rajasthan would be screened,” Kumar said.
“A movie on the usage of the RTI Act by the journalists in Bulgaria will be screened after the inauguration. This would be followed by a panel discussion on how journalists are using RTI in India,” he added.
The films have been selected by a screening committee comprising among others of Wajahat Habibullah and Magsaysay award winner RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.
