March 21, 2013 The Role of Jews in Indian Cinema is Subject of Film Talk

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Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov

While the Indian cinema industry known as “Bollywood” is a global phenomenon, few people know about the formative role Indian Jews played in the development of what has become the world’s largest film industry.

Filmmaker Danny Ben-Moshe will present a film talk on the role of Jews in the Indian film industry, with clips from his new documentary film, “Shalom Bollywood: The Untold Story of Indian Cinema.”

The event will be held at noon on Thursday, April 18 in the Mary Pickford Theater, located on the third floor of the James Madison Building at 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored jointly by the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division at the Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and the LCPA Hebrew Language Table, in cooperation with the Embassy of India.

“Shalom Bollywood” provides an entry into the colorful and vibrant world of Indian cinema and the unique circumstances that led Indian Jews to play a key role in this industry. It tells the tale of interfaith harmony in the cultural mosaic that is India.

Ben-Moshe is a documentary filmmaker based in Melbourne, Australia, whose films explore global issues of culture and identity. His films have been broadcast on Australian TV channels ABC and SBS and on TV channels around the world. They include “The Buchenwald Ball” (2006), ‘The End of the Rainbow” (2010), “Carnaby Street Undressed” (2011) and “Rewriting History” (2011).

Ben-Moshe is an associate professor at the Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University in Melbourne. He is the co-editor of “Israel, the Diaspora and Identity.” His research and publications focus on Israel-Diaspora relations, anti-Semitism and Jewish identity. He is a regular contributor to the Jerusalem Report.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

The Library is home to more than 1.3 million moving images. With a collection ranging from motion pictures made in the 1890s to today’s TV programs, the Library’s holdings are an unparalleled record of American and international creativity in moving images.

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PR 13-054
2013-03-22
ISSN 0731-3527