Domain Theatre FREE

In 7th century AD India, mystical texts called Tantras began to promulgate the idea of Shakti: raw female energy, without which the gods, in particular Shiva, could not function. ‘Women are divinity; women are vital breath,’ states one Tantra. In both Asian and Western cinema intelligent, strong, active and assertive female actors have been a symbol of empowerment for women, often representing the perfect model of female balance and delivering power with sex and sex with power. The Goddess Film Series celebrates some of the goddesses of Asian and Western cinema, screening films from India and China as well as Western classics.

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Music courtesy of Deva Premal “Dakshina” Homage to Krishna

A video introduction
Daily 12–1pm, 3–5pm,
Wednesdays 5.30pm–8.30pm

Allow time to view some of the spectacular images of the Goddess in contemporary Indian society through still and documentary footage.

Includes: The Goddess in Hindi cinema, The Goddesses in Tamil cinema, Bearing the heat: Mother goddess worship in south Asia and Celebrating the Hindu goddess.

Screening of the silent masterpiece Shiraz
Thursday 18 January 6–9pm

The Art Gallery Society presents a rare 35mm screening of Indian producer, Himansu Rai’s, silent masterpiece, Shiraz – a fictionalised account of the origins of the of Taj Mahal.

A visually sumptuous historical romance, set in the Mughal Empire in the 1600s, Shiraz is the epic story of love, mistaken identity and devotion that eventually led to the building of the Taj Mahal. Remarkable for its extensive and evocative location shooting and its sumptuous photography, the film relates the tale of the Empress Mumtaz Mahal, her lover, the 17th century Mughal emporer, Shah Jahan, and her devoted brother, Shiraz, who designed one of the seven wonders of the world as her tomb.

The Art Gallery Society screening will be the Sydney premiere of a new 35mm print of this landmark production – the most complete version known to exist – recently made at the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra from an original nitrate print released in Australia in 1929.

The film will be presented with unique, live accompaniment by Dva – the internationally renowned musical duo of Tunji Beier and Linsey Pollak – performing an original score on percussive and hybrid wind instruments.

		$50, $40 members Includes refreshments Bookings essential: tel. (02) 9225 1878 or book online   Shiraz Dir: Frank Osten 1928 112 mins 18fps 35mm B&W Silent Indian/British/German co-production Himansu Rai, Charu Roy, Seeta Devi