The Peacock Screen shines brightly: The Cultural eXchanges Festival ended with a bang on Friday with The Peacock Screen “Shines” event. This exciting evening celebrated Indian cinema, in particular the work of Mahmood Jamal.

Mr Farrukh Dhondy, writer and ex-Commissioning Editor for C4, and Mr Ahmed Jamal, film director and brother of Mahmood Jamal, took us on a mesmerising journey through history perfectly navigated by film historian Dr Monia Acciari.

The evening was dedicated to Mahmood Jamal who sadly passed away recently but whose documentary, The Peacock Screen (1991) shows a compelling history of Indian cinema and Jamal’s work in the most wonderful light.

The audience were taken through discussions on silent film, Indian mythology, women in film and Mahatma Gandhi’s influence plus many other interesting topics, all accompanied by insightful excerpts from the documentary itself.

With passion and emotion the three experts delved deep and opened-up about their experience, knowledge, and feelings. Dr Acciari ended the evening with her reflections on Mahmood Jamal as a ‘sensitive and perceptive artist’ and a ‘wise teacher’.

The event was wondrous to watch and beautifully expressed. I was honoured to be part of it.  Where can I book for next year?