They have stayed wide awake (in most cases) to a selection of war comedies and films from genres like gangster, monster, murder mystery, modern romance and animation. But this month, rooftop Film Festival’s (RTFF) curator, Murugananth Sabapathy, an eye surgeon, says it is going to be all about musicals. The format of RTFF is simple - every month for the past eight years (they had a long break when some of the founding members moved out of Chennai), cinephiles huddle up on mattresses on a terrace or open space, watching about four movies, from dusk to dawn, together with meaningful discussions. The idea is to showcase unusual movies and discuss the impact it has on viewers. “For the past few months, it has been very serious. So I want people to come and sing along, dance and have a good time. also, I am a vocalist and a music composer so it was obvious I was going to select this topic,” says Sabapathy, who was preceded by journalist Sudhish Kamath as curator last month.
Save the schedule
The event that starts at six in the evening goes on till early morning, with a chief guest for every chapter. “I want to show how movies transitioned between 1950 and 80. There were only silent movies initially and then musicals evolved. I want to show movies such as Casablanca, The Artist, Sound of Music, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, My Fair Lady and Chicago,’’reveals Sabapathy. The schedule for April 28 is on Twitter.
Spreading a passion
The Rooftop Film Festival has also been imitated in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and China, the last because one of the members moved to China. “We have increased the number of seats for the film festival to 200,” says Javeeth Ahmed, an active organiser of RTFF, which includes students, doctors, journalist and engineers. This month, RTFF is on April 28 at the Corporation Bank terrace, opposite Sathyam Theatre in Chennai. Tickets (`200) are inclusive of food.
Details: @ChennaiRTFF