Mumbai:  Osian’s-Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema that brings the finest films from India, Asia and the Arab countries celebrates its 10th anniversary in Mumbai and Delhi.

Last year Mumbai witnessed a one-day premiere of this event. Taking this initiative further, this year, a two-day Mumbai Festival on 13 and 14 June is being organized at NCPA wherein some of the best films to be screened at the festival in Delhi will first be seen. The entry is free on a first come first seated basis.

While films are the ultimate stress busters and the most reliable source of entertainment, film festivals provide the platform to argue, agree, learn, challenge, and ignite one’s imagination. This year the IBM (Infrastructure-Building for Minds & Markets) initiative in Mumbai consists of a two-day long program at the Godrej Theatre.

Three Exhibitions from the Osian’s Arts & Film archive collection will be showcased at NCPA. The special focus for this year’s festival is the relationship between ‘writing and cinema’ and this will be further explored through the antiquarian ‘The Shakespeare Gallery’ engravings from the Boydell Gallery and the original artworks for Vintage Hindi Novel Covers (1950-70s).  The third exhibition is a tribute to Shammi Kapoor. Entry is free for all exhibitions.

Joint festival director Latika Padgaonkar says, "Osian’s-Cinefan is both fun and serious business. Viewing good cinema is part of the total experience. Then there are the exhibitions, the discussions, and the homage to an icon. We hope that the event in Mumbai will whet the appetite for a fuller banquet in Delhi."           

The grand finale will celebrate 10 years of Cinefan and this year it pays tribute to Shammi Kapoor. The evening will end with the first unveiling of the scale model of The Osianama by some of the leading lights of the cultural world. The Osianama, Osian’s flagship cultural complex, will open in Mumbai in mid 2009.