Bachchan to host South African AIDS film screening in Goa:

[Guest guest]

Bachchan to host South African AIDS film screening in Goa:

[Cinema India, Bollywood]: Durban, Oct 26 : Bollywood icon Amitabh

Bachchan will host the screening of an acclaimed South African film

on HIV/AIDS at the 35th International Film Festival of India in Goa

to coincide with World AIDS Day Dec 1.

South African producer Anant Singh announced this here Tuesday.

The feature film, " Yesterday " , which is South Africa's official

entry for the 2005 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film

category, will also have a special screening at the American Film

Institute Festival in Los Angeles Nov 10 as it moves both east and

west after being acclaimed at several film festivals in recent weeks.

" We are delighted to be taking 'Yesterday' to the Indian festival

and presenting it on World AIDS Day, " Singh said.

" The film has a special relevance to India as it highlights issues

that women in developing countries have to deal with and celebrates

the strength of women in the face of adversity and the

stigmatisation of HIV/ AIDS.

" India is also faced with a huge HIV/AIDS problem and we hope

that 'Yesterday' will have some impact on the Indian audience.

" We are also thrilled that our friend Amitabh Bachchan has agreed to

host the screening of 'Yesterday' at the Indian festival. "

Bachchan is a close friend of Singh, who produced two sell-out live

performances featuring the superstar in Durban.

The International Film Festival of India, the country's premiere

film extravaganza, aims at providing a platform for world cinema and

promoting excellence in the art of film while contributing to the

understanding and appreciation of people and cultures from around

the world.

Singh said the theme of " Yesterday " , in which a rural Zulu woman

defies tradition and myths to fight off the stigma of HIV/ADIS, is a

perfect fit for the Indian festival as it focuses on critical social

issues in a cultural context different to that of India, but with

the same message and challenges.

" The American Film Institute Festival gives 'Yesterday' exposure in

the important US market, which will benefit the film tremendously

and, judging by the reactions at the Venice and Toronto film

festivals, we are confident that it will be well received, " Singh

added.

'Yesterday' is produced by Singh's company Videovision Entertainment

in association with the Mandela Foundation, pay TV channel M-

Net, and the National Film And Video Foundation.

--Indo-Asian News Service

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