Fresh controversy dogs film fest 3 Dec 2007, 0336 hrs IST , TNN (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Kolkata/Fresh_controversy_dogs_film_fest/articleshow/2590517.cms)
KOLKATA: First came the alleged threats from CPM bosses to keep out celebrated filmmaker Aparna Sen out of the 3rd International Women's Film festival. Now, comes a move that could jeopardise the festival that is scheduled to start on December 9.
On Sunday, the organisers - International Women's Film Society of India - claimed they were abruptly told that the bookings made at Stadel, a hotel in the Salt Lake stadium complex, for foreign delegates have been cancelled. The hotel is patronised by sports minister and CPM heavyweight Subhas Chakraborty.
Earlier, the organisers had earned the wrath of the ruling CPM by insisting on getting Aparna Sen to inaugurate the third edition of the film festival. Aparna had taken a strong stand against the CPM-led violent 'recapture' of Nandigram, and now stands on the other side of the Left divide in the intellectual fraternity. Last Wednesday, the organisers had claimed that they received phone calls from the CPM headquarters at Alimuddin Street warning them about "trouble" if they went ahead with Aparna Sen.
"We were expecting something on these lines," said festival director Shyamali Deb Banerjee on the cancellation of bookings at Stadel.
The organisers claimed the bookings were made two months back. "Five rooms were booked for the first day and three for the second day. We were told that rooms could not be made available on December 12. We had agreed to that," Deb Banerjee said.
On Sunday, Deb Banerjee and a colleague in the organisation Dilip Ganguly went to Stadel to check out the arrangements for the delegates. "A hotel employee told us that our bookings had been cancelled. We asked him how could this happen since our bookings were made well in advance," she said. Then, they called up one of the higher-ups at Stadel, who told them that the hotel needed the room for it's own programme.
However, Stadel's manager (operations) Arnab Kumar Sen claimed that the organisers had made the cancellations last month. "They told us to cancel the bookings," Sen told TOI.
The organisers have managed to arrange for rooms in two guest houses, but they are finding it increasingly difficult to find sponsors for the nine-day festival. They claim to have met Subhas Chakraborty last week at his residence to discuss the sponsorship issue. "Though he didn't say a word, some of his close aides assured that everything will be arranged," said one of the organisers.
However, Bidhannagar municipality councillor Tapan Samaddar, a close aide of Chakraborty, denied the meet. "Subhasda has never met them," he insisted.
The Bidhannagar Film Society, which was roped in by the International Women's Film Society of India as an associate, has distanced itself from the fresh controversy. The society's general secretary Anshu Sur said he didn't know anything about the festival. "Please talk to our joint secretary Subhas Pal," was all Sur would say.
Pal claimed to be unaware of the cancellations. "The organisers can tell you what has happened. We have nothing to do with the festival," Pal said. The society is against Aparna Sen being invited to inaugurate the festival.
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