Sandhya Suri’s fiction feature debut “Santosh,” which bows in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard strand, has unveiled its first clip.
In the film, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her slain husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India. When an underage girl from one of India’s so-called “lower castes” is murdered, Santosh is pulled into the investigation by charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Suri is known for her documentaries “I for India” (2005), which bowed at Sundance, and “Around India with a Movie Camera” (2018) and Toronto-winning and BAFTA nominated fiction short “The Field” (2018). The “Santosh” script, which predates “The Field,” participated in the Sundance lab. “I was researching things about violence against women and trying to make a sort of anatomy of a violence and I couldn’t find a way to do it in documentary. So I found this way into fiction,...
In the film, a government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her slain husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of northern India. When an underage girl from one of India’s so-called “lower castes” is murdered, Santosh is pulled into the investigation by charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Suri is known for her documentaries “I for India” (2005), which bowed at Sundance, and “Around India with a Movie Camera” (2018) and Toronto-winning and BAFTA nominated fiction short “The Field” (2018). The “Santosh” script, which predates “The Field,” participated in the Sundance lab. “I was researching things about violence against women and trying to make a sort of anatomy of a violence and I couldn’t find a way to do it in documentary. So I found this way into fiction,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
France’s mk2 Films has boarded Sandhya Suri’s title Santosh ahead of its premiere at Cannes in Un Certain Regard.
The Hindi-language, narrative fiction debut from UK-Indian filmmaker Suri (Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023).
A newly widowed woman inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of a charismatic, feminist inspector. Zwigato and A Suitable Boy’s Shahana Goswami stars.
It is produced by Mike Goodridge and James Bowsher of the UK’s Good Chaos,...
The Hindi-language, narrative fiction debut from UK-Indian filmmaker Suri (Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023).
A newly widowed woman inherits her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of a charismatic, feminist inspector. Zwigato and A Suitable Boy’s Shahana Goswami stars.
It is produced by Mike Goodridge and James Bowsher of the UK’s Good Chaos,...
- 4/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
UK sales outfit Protagonist Pictures has boarded Cannes Directors’ Fortnight title Sister Midnight, from director Karan Kandhari, and unveiled a first-look still.
The Mumbai-set feature, starring Radhika Apte, has been backed by Film4 and BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, and produced by the UK’s Alastair Clark for Wellington Films, Anna Griffin for Griffin Pictures, with India’s Alan McAlex.
Sweden’s Filmgate Films and Film i Väst are co-producers and India’s Suitable Pictures are associate producers.
The black comedy follows the journey of a small-town misfit in a newly-arranged marriage who attempts to navigate an awkward spouse, nosy...
The Mumbai-set feature, starring Radhika Apte, has been backed by Film4 and BFI, awarding National Lottery funding, and produced by the UK’s Alastair Clark for Wellington Films, Anna Griffin for Griffin Pictures, with India’s Alan McAlex.
Sweden’s Filmgate Films and Film i Väst are co-producers and India’s Suitable Pictures are associate producers.
The black comedy follows the journey of a small-town misfit in a newly-arranged marriage who attempts to navigate an awkward spouse, nosy...
- 4/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Updated: The Cannes Film Festival will have an admirable UK and Irish presence in 2024, including three films from Dublin, London and Belfast-based production company Element Pictures, Andrea Arnold’s Bird in Competition and features from fresh talents Sandhya Suri and Rungano Nyoni, as well as Sister Midnight in Directors’ Fortnight.
Competition is still proving a tricky spot to land for UK or Irish directors. In 2022, none made the cut, while in 2023, UK filmmakers Ken Loach and Jonathan Glazer made it through with The Old Oak and The Zone Of Interest respectively.
This year, Arnold is flying the flag with her...
Competition is still proving a tricky spot to land for UK or Irish directors. In 2022, none made the cut, while in 2023, UK filmmakers Ken Loach and Jonathan Glazer made it through with The Old Oak and The Zone Of Interest respectively.
This year, Arnold is flying the flag with her...
- 4/17/2024
- ScreenDaily
Streaming
Prime Video has unveiled the first trailer for “Poacher,” the new series from Emmy-winning “Delhi Crime” creator Richie Mehta, executive produced by Bollywood star Alia Bhatt. An eight-part crime drama based on true events, “Poacher,” which bowed at Sundance 2023, uncovers the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It is produced by QC Entertainment, the Oscar-winning production and finance company known for Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman.” Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya lead the cast.
Mehta said: “I am sure the series will act as an eye-opener in many ways – how interdependent and complex the relationship between humans and other species is and how any negative action can result in an environmental imbalance, leading to dire repercussions.”
Bhatt added: “I hope that Richie’s powerful storytelling compels everyone to champion the urgent need for wildlife preservation and encourages us to embrace co-existence with all living beings.
Prime Video has unveiled the first trailer for “Poacher,” the new series from Emmy-winning “Delhi Crime” creator Richie Mehta, executive produced by Bollywood star Alia Bhatt. An eight-part crime drama based on true events, “Poacher,” which bowed at Sundance 2023, uncovers the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It is produced by QC Entertainment, the Oscar-winning production and finance company known for Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman.” Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya lead the cast.
Mehta said: “I am sure the series will act as an eye-opener in many ways – how interdependent and complex the relationship between humans and other species is and how any negative action can result in an environmental imbalance, leading to dire repercussions.”
Bhatt added: “I hope that Richie’s powerful storytelling compels everyone to champion the urgent need for wildlife preservation and encourages us to embrace co-existence with all living beings.
- 2/15/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, who is the executive producer for the crime drama series ‘Poachers’ has shared an awareness video about poaching, saying that “murder is murder.”
Written, created, and directed by Richie Mehta, ‘Poacher’ stars Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya, the series based on true events and uncovers the largest ivory poaching ring in India.
In the video, shared by Prime Video on Instagram, Alia is seen in a state of shock, as she comes across a loaded rifle, bullet casings, and the silhouette of a lifeless body.
She is heard saying: “Ashok was murder reported at 9 in morning. Third murder in the month. His body was lifeless, mutilated. Ashok was just 10. He didn’t even see his killers. They might think they may get away with it but they won’t. Just because Ashok wasn’t one of us, the crime doesn’t become small because murder is murder.
Written, created, and directed by Richie Mehta, ‘Poacher’ stars Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya, the series based on true events and uncovers the largest ivory poaching ring in India.
In the video, shared by Prime Video on Instagram, Alia is seen in a state of shock, as she comes across a loaded rifle, bullet casings, and the silhouette of a lifeless body.
She is heard saying: “Ashok was murder reported at 9 in morning. Third murder in the month. His body was lifeless, mutilated. Ashok was just 10. He didn’t even see his killers. They might think they may get away with it but they won’t. Just because Ashok wasn’t one of us, the crime doesn’t become small because murder is murder.
- 2/12/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
“Delhi Crime” creator Richie Mehta’s Prime Video series “Poacher” is the first time Los Angeles-based QC Entertainment has ventured into India.
Led by partners Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield and Edward H. Hamm Jr., QC – which stands for Quality Control – backed Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning “Get Out” and “Us” and Spike Lee’s Oscar, BAFTA and Cannes-winning “BlacKkKlansman,” among many other successful ventures. Set up as a one-stop shop, QC develops, physically produces, finances productions and handles sales and distribution.
Based on true events, Amazon original “Poacher” unearths the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It bowed at Sundance 2023. The process began with Mehta’s agents at Gersh trying to introduce him to producers who had funding and had a reputation for being hands-on and who were transparent and collaborative. Netflix show “Delhi Crime,” which went on to win the International Emmy for drama series, was brought to QC...
Led by partners Sean McKittrick, Raymond Mansfield and Edward H. Hamm Jr., QC – which stands for Quality Control – backed Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning “Get Out” and “Us” and Spike Lee’s Oscar, BAFTA and Cannes-winning “BlacKkKlansman,” among many other successful ventures. Set up as a one-stop shop, QC develops, physically produces, finances productions and handles sales and distribution.
Based on true events, Amazon original “Poacher” unearths the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It bowed at Sundance 2023. The process began with Mehta’s agents at Gersh trying to introduce him to producers who had funding and had a reputation for being hands-on and who were transparent and collaborative. Netflix show “Delhi Crime,” which went on to win the International Emmy for drama series, was brought to QC...
- 2/9/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
An investigative crime series based on true events, Amazon Prime’s original series, Poacher, unearths the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. A first-of-its-kind project, Poacher brings the world of environmental conservation and entertainment together to highlight a critical global concern – illegal poaching.
Today, Prime Video today announced that actor, producer and entrepreneur, Alia Bhatt has come onboard as Executive Producer for Poacher. Alia is known as a champion of nature and has actively lent her voice towards conservation and sustainability. Her association with Poacher as an Executive Producer with her production company Eternal Sunshine Productions, underscores her belief in the story and her commitment to bring important and relevant stories alive and be a voice for the voiceless.
Based on court documents and testimonials, Poacher is a fictional dramatization of events that transpired in the dense forests of Kerala and the concrete jungle of Delhi. The series showcases...
Today, Prime Video today announced that actor, producer and entrepreneur, Alia Bhatt has come onboard as Executive Producer for Poacher. Alia is known as a champion of nature and has actively lent her voice towards conservation and sustainability. Her association with Poacher as an Executive Producer with her production company Eternal Sunshine Productions, underscores her belief in the story and her commitment to bring important and relevant stories alive and be a voice for the voiceless.
Based on court documents and testimonials, Poacher is a fictional dramatization of events that transpired in the dense forests of Kerala and the concrete jungle of Delhi. The series showcases...
- 2/6/2024
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Actress Alia Bhatt will be seen as the executive producer for the crime series ‘Poacher’, created by Richie Mehta. She said that the impact of it was deeply personal, and the Emmy-Award filmmaker’s portrayal of the urgent issue of wildlife crime resonated strongly with her.
Talking about coming onboard as the executive producer for ‘Poacher’, Alia shared, “Being part of this incredibly significant project is an honour, for both me and the entire team at Eternal Sunshine Productions. The impact of ‘Poacher’ was deeply personal, and Richie’s portrayal of the urgent issue of wildlife crime resonated strongly with me and the team.”
She added: “The storytelling genuinely moved me, especially knowing it’s based on true events, that sheds light on brutal crimes occurring in our forests. I am confident that ‘Poacher’ will serve as an eye-opener, delivering a powerful message to be more compassionate and considerate towards all living beings.
Talking about coming onboard as the executive producer for ‘Poacher’, Alia shared, “Being part of this incredibly significant project is an honour, for both me and the entire team at Eternal Sunshine Productions. The impact of ‘Poacher’ was deeply personal, and Richie’s portrayal of the urgent issue of wildlife crime resonated strongly with me and the team.”
She added: “The storytelling genuinely moved me, especially knowing it’s based on true events, that sheds light on brutal crimes occurring in our forests. I am confident that ‘Poacher’ will serve as an eye-opener, delivering a powerful message to be more compassionate and considerate towards all living beings.
- 2/6/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Bollywood A-lister Alia Bhatt has boarded Richie Mehta’s already-completed Amazon original investigative crime series “Poacher” as an executive producer.
Created, written, and directed by “Delhi Crime” filmmaker Mehta based on true events, “Poacher” unearths the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It premiered at Sundance in 2023. The cast features Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya in the lead.
Bhatt is on board via her Eternal Sunshine Productions outfit. She debuted as a producer with 2022 Netflix film “Darlings,” alongside Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. Bhatt helps raise awareness about relevant causes such as environmental sustainability, animal welfare and mitigating human-animal conflict through her platform, Coexist. She also promotes sustainable fashion through her initiative, Mi Wardrobe is Su Wardrobe.
“Poacher” is executive produced by “Get Out” producer QC Entertainment’s Edward H. Hamm Jr., Raymond Mansfield and Sean McKittrick, in association with Suitable Pictures, Poor Man’s Productions and Eternal Sunshine Productions.
Created, written, and directed by “Delhi Crime” filmmaker Mehta based on true events, “Poacher” unearths the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It premiered at Sundance in 2023. The cast features Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya in the lead.
Bhatt is on board via her Eternal Sunshine Productions outfit. She debuted as a producer with 2022 Netflix film “Darlings,” alongside Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. Bhatt helps raise awareness about relevant causes such as environmental sustainability, animal welfare and mitigating human-animal conflict through her platform, Coexist. She also promotes sustainable fashion through her initiative, Mi Wardrobe is Su Wardrobe.
“Poacher” is executive produced by “Get Out” producer QC Entertainment’s Edward H. Hamm Jr., Raymond Mansfield and Sean McKittrick, in association with Suitable Pictures, Poor Man’s Productions and Eternal Sunshine Productions.
- 2/6/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Prime Video has acquired and set a stream date for “Delhi Crime” creator Richie Mehta’s investigative drama series “Poacher.”
Based on court documents and testimonials, “Poacher” is a fictional dramatization of events that unfolded in the dense forests of Kerala and the urban jungle that is India’s capital Delhi. The series highlights the contributions made by Indian forest service officers, Ngo workers from the Wildlife Trust of India, police personnel and good samaritans who risked their lives to investigate the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It was filmed in real-life settings across Kerala and New Delhi and is primarily in the Malayalam, Hindi and English languages.
Created, written and directed by Mehta, whose Netflix show “Delhi Crime” won the International Emmy for drama series, the “Poacher” cast includes Nimisha Sajayan (Tallinn title “Adrishya Jalakangal”), Roshan Mathew (Busan winner “Paradise”) and Dibyendu Bhattacharya (Emmy nominated series “Rocket Boys...
Based on court documents and testimonials, “Poacher” is a fictional dramatization of events that unfolded in the dense forests of Kerala and the urban jungle that is India’s capital Delhi. The series highlights the contributions made by Indian forest service officers, Ngo workers from the Wildlife Trust of India, police personnel and good samaritans who risked their lives to investigate the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. It was filmed in real-life settings across Kerala and New Delhi and is primarily in the Malayalam, Hindi and English languages.
Created, written and directed by Mehta, whose Netflix show “Delhi Crime” won the International Emmy for drama series, the “Poacher” cast includes Nimisha Sajayan (Tallinn title “Adrishya Jalakangal”), Roshan Mathew (Busan winner “Paradise”) and Dibyendu Bhattacharya (Emmy nominated series “Rocket Boys...
- 1/16/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
British-Indian filmmaker Suri is a Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023.
Sandhya Suri’s UK-European co-production Santosh has wrapped production in India.
The Hindi-language film is the narrative feature debut of Suri, a Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023. It is produced by Mike Goodridge and James Bowsher of the UK’s Good Chaos, France’s Balthazar de Ganay and Alan McAlex of India’s Suitable Pictures.
The co-producers are Razor Film in Germany and Haut et Court in France. Haut Et Court Distribution will release Santosh in France.
Backers are the British Film Institute, BBC Film., Zdf/Arte and Cnc.
Suri directed...
Sandhya Suri’s UK-European co-production Santosh has wrapped production in India.
The Hindi-language film is the narrative feature debut of Suri, a Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023. It is produced by Mike Goodridge and James Bowsher of the UK’s Good Chaos, France’s Balthazar de Ganay and Alan McAlex of India’s Suitable Pictures.
The co-producers are Razor Film in Germany and Haut et Court in France. Haut Et Court Distribution will release Santosh in France.
Backers are the British Film Institute, BBC Film., Zdf/Arte and Cnc.
Suri directed...
- 12/14/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Ajitpal Singh’s debut feature, “Fire in the Mountains,” which premiered in the World Dramatic Competition of the Sundance Film Festival in 2021.
A powerful feminist tale set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.
The film is produced by Alan McAlex and Ajai Rai of prolific Indian arthouse producers Jar Pictures alongside Mauli Singh and Amit Mehta. Jar previously produced Busan title “Children of the Sun” and Toronto title “The Elder One.”
Kino Lorber will open the film at Film Forum in New York this spring, followed by a theatrical rollout in the U.S. and...
A powerful feminist tale set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.
The film is produced by Alan McAlex and Ajai Rai of prolific Indian arthouse producers Jar Pictures alongside Mauli Singh and Amit Mehta. Jar previously produced Busan title “Children of the Sun” and Toronto title “The Elder One.”
Kino Lorber will open the film at Film Forum in New York this spring, followed by a theatrical rollout in the U.S. and...
- 2/12/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car triumphed this eve at the 14th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The movie scooped best film, which Japanese filmmaker Hamaguchi shared with producer Teruhisa Yamamoto, and best screenplay, which the director shared with Oe Takamasa. Scroll down for the full list of winners on the night.
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
Further winners included Asghar Farhadi, who took Best Director for A Hero, and Hogir Hirori’s Sabaya, which win Best Documentary Feature Film.
Two Jury Grand Prizes were awarded this year, one to Abdullah Mohammad Saad, director of Rehana, and Leah Purcell for The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson.
Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Georgian actor Merab Ninidze for Alexey German Jr’s House Arrest, while Best Performance by an Actress went to Azmeri Haque Badhon for Rehana. Nguyễn Vinh Phúc won achievement in cinematography for Taste.
This was Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s...
- 11/11/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) announced today its full lineup of narrative and documentary features, and shorts for the festival’s 19th edition, which will be held virtually and geo-blocked to California, on May 20-27.
“This is a very special year for Iffla. Taking the festival online has given us the freedom to curate programs we would not have been able to present in a physical setting. We have expanded our reach to all California residents, doubled the shorts program with a strong representation of films from the diaspora, added special programs like “Childhood on Edge”, and curated discussions on timely and pressing topics, celebrating the independent film community from India and the Indian diaspora,” said Christina Marouda, Executive Director.
Iffla will open with the Los Angeles premiere of the powerful female-centric film, Fire in the Mountains, the 2021 Sundance-selected debut feature by Ajitpal Singh that immerses audiences...
“This is a very special year for Iffla. Taking the festival online has given us the freedom to curate programs we would not have been able to present in a physical setting. We have expanded our reach to all California residents, doubled the shorts program with a strong representation of films from the diaspora, added special programs like “Childhood on Edge”, and curated discussions on timely and pressing topics, celebrating the independent film community from India and the Indian diaspora,” said Christina Marouda, Executive Director.
Iffla will open with the Los Angeles premiere of the powerful female-centric film, Fire in the Mountains, the 2021 Sundance-selected debut feature by Ajitpal Singh that immerses audiences...
- 4/16/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Feature directing debutant Ajitpal Singh’s “Fire In The Mountains,” the lone Indian film in Sundance 2021’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition, is a powerful feminist tale told by a male who learnt to face down his own prejudices.
Set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.
Singh, who had previously directed several shorts, including the Oberhausen festival-winning “Rammat-Gammat” (2018), says that he found himself not heeding advice from his wife, sister and mother, while having plenty of time to listen to the men of the house.
“I understood my own prejudices, how it’s so deep-rooted, and how just with education and by reading books, it doesn’t just go away,...
Set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.
Singh, who had previously directed several shorts, including the Oberhausen festival-winning “Rammat-Gammat” (2018), says that he found himself not heeding advice from his wife, sister and mother, while having plenty of time to listen to the men of the house.
“I understood my own prejudices, how it’s so deep-rooted, and how just with education and by reading books, it doesn’t just go away,...
- 1/8/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States, celebrates bold, creative, and distinctive voices. The upcoming 2021’s edition will offer an online platform featuring seven days of premieres, events, artist talks, and cutting-edge Xr exhibitions. It will also be partnering with independent cinema communities across the U.S. to safely host in-person events. From January 28 through February 3, adventurous audiences and indie film lovers everywhere will come together to be the first to discover exciting new creative visions that people will be talking about all year.
This year the Festival will downsize to 72 feature films (from last year’s 128) but still including a 50% of the total of female directors, more than 50% of the total of filmmakers of color and a number of genderqueer artists.
The full line-up includes few interesting Asian titles. Here they are:
“Fire in the Mountains“
a searing portrait of the power dynamics...
This year the Festival will downsize to 72 feature films (from last year’s 128) but still including a 50% of the total of female directors, more than 50% of the total of filmmakers of color and a number of genderqueer artists.
The full line-up includes few interesting Asian titles. Here they are:
“Fire in the Mountains“
a searing portrait of the power dynamics...
- 12/17/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Exclusive: Film Independent has unveiled their keynotes, conversations and panelists for the 15th annual Film Independent Forum. The Forum, which is traditionally a weekend event, will now be a week-long virtual event that will reach all corners of the globe from July 31 to August 7.
The event has set a roster of banner names in the industry, featuring a U.S. Filmmaker Keynote with Lulu Wang (The Farewell); a U.S. Executive Keynote with Elissa Federoff, President of Distribution at Neon; a Documentary Keynote with Dawn Porter; and a Global Executive Keynote with Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group. Traditionally a weekend event, the Forum has expanded to a full week-long event accessible online to global audiences the week of July 31 to August 7.
In addition, panels will cover financing, production and distribution of films to digital content across diverse platforms...
The event has set a roster of banner names in the industry, featuring a U.S. Filmmaker Keynote with Lulu Wang (The Farewell); a U.S. Executive Keynote with Elissa Federoff, President of Distribution at Neon; a Documentary Keynote with Dawn Porter; and a Global Executive Keynote with Ashok Amritraj, Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group. Traditionally a weekend event, the Forum has expanded to a full week-long event accessible online to global audiences the week of July 31 to August 7.
In addition, panels will cover financing, production and distribution of films to digital content across diverse platforms...
- 6/30/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Awards‘Moothon’ was the inaugural film at the Ffsat, which started on January 27.Tnm Staff “Thank you to my entire crew and cast and especially my amazing producers! Our first International award,” Geetu Mohandas, who wrote the story, announced the news on Facebook on Monday. Congratulating Geetu, actor Nivin Pauly said, “Congrats Geetu Mohandas! You deserve all the accolades. Congrats to our entire team! This is truly an honour.” Nivin plays the central role in the bilingual film. He plays the role of ‘Bhai’, a member of a gang in Mumbai. The movie also stars Roshan Mathew, Sobhita Dhulipala, Shashank Arora, Melissa Raju Thomas and Sanjana Dipu, among others. The action thriller revolves around a 14-year-old named Mulla, who leaves his home in Lakshadweep, and goes to Mumbai in search of his elder brother (or moothon), who left the shores years ago. Moothon was first premiered at the Toronto International...
- 2/4/2020
- by Shiba
- The News Minute
MollywoodThe critically acclaimed film directed by Geetu Mohandas has Nivin Pauly in the lead. Digital NativeMoothon, which did well in several international festivals, is easily one of the milestone films in Nivin Pauly’s career. Now the film had its European premiere with the screening at Ffast – South Asian Film Festival, Paris -- happening on Tuesday, January 27. Nivin took to his Instagram and shared a picture with the director of the film Geetu Mohandas, confirming their participation in Ffast. “Moothon premiering at Ffast in Paris today,” Nivin captioned the picture on Tuesday. View this post on Instagram #moothon premiering at Ffast in Paris today! @geetu_mohandas A post shared by Nivin Pauly (@nivinpaulyactor) on Jan 27, 2020 at 6:58pm Pst It may be noted here that Moothon had premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September last year to critical acclaim and then at the Mumbai Film Festival on October...
- 1/31/2020
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodWritten and directed by Geetu Mohandas, 'Moothon' has Nivin Pauly playing the central character.Digital NativeMoothon, which did well in several international festivals, is easily one of the milestone films in Nivin Pauly’s career. The film deals with a serious issue. The making-of-the-film video that was recently released shows how much the team enjoyed working on the project. Despite the heaviness in the subject, the team has had some lighter moments to share. The video shows the behind the scene preparations including Nivin getting his ears pierced as Geetu watches anxiously. Rajeev Ravi can be seen looking for the perfect shots while the actors wait for the director’s instructions. The video ends with a shot of Nivin falling down and Geetu waiting before saying: “Cut, that was nice.” It may be noted here that Moothon was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September this year to...
- 11/19/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
Selected projects include four debut features and the second fiction feature from Pushpendra Singh.
Film Bazaar, organised by India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc), has selected five projects to participate in this year’s Work-in-Progress (Wip) Lab, four of which are from first-time directors.
The four debut features are Kannada-language Pedro, directed by Natesh Hegde, and Hindi-language titles Shankar’s Fairies, directed by Irfana Majumdar, Switzerland, from Ajitpal Singh, and The Knot (Uljhan), from Ashish Pant. The one project from a returning director is the Gujari-language The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs, directed by Pushpendra Singh (Lajwanti).
The mentors...
Film Bazaar, organised by India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc), has selected five projects to participate in this year’s Work-in-Progress (Wip) Lab, four of which are from first-time directors.
The four debut features are Kannada-language Pedro, directed by Natesh Hegde, and Hindi-language titles Shankar’s Fairies, directed by Irfana Majumdar, Switzerland, from Ajitpal Singh, and The Knot (Uljhan), from Ashish Pant. The one project from a returning director is the Gujari-language The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs, directed by Pushpendra Singh (Lajwanti).
The mentors...
- 11/4/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Mollywood The film is directed and produced by actor-turned-director Geetu Mohandas. Tnm StaffScreengrabThe much-awaited trailer of Moothon was released on Friday, Nivin Pauly's birthday, and by the looks of it, the film promises to be an dark, intense crime thriller, not for the faint-hearted. Starring Nivin Pauly, the film is directed and produced by actor-turned-director Geetu Mohandas. It is about a 14-year-old boy who leaves his home in Lakshadweep to go to Mumbai in search for his elder brother. The trailer captures the innocence of the boy, who, when asked by his friend how he will get to Mumbai, simply says, “The tide will take me to Bombay.” The film, it appears, will show the teenager navigating through Kamathipura, Mumbai’s red light area, as he attempts to find his elder brother. In a departure from his other roles which portray him as the likeable boy-next-door in Mollywood, Nivin...
- 10/11/2019
- by Geetika
- The News Minute
MollywoodActor Dhyan Sreenivasan wrote and directed the film.Digital NativeNivin Pauly-Nayanthara starrer Love Action Drama which hit the screens last month during the Onam season has crossed the Rs 50 crore mark worldwide. The makers have released an official teaser declaring the film's collection. Reportedly, the film has been performing well in all the centers not only in Kerala but also in Bengaluru, Chennai and the UAE. Taking to his social media handle Nivin wrote, "#LoveActionDrama crosses 50 crore plus worldwide! Thank you so much for accepting Dineshan & Shobha! Love you all!" He also shared a new teaser from the film. With this, Nivin Pauly has added yet another movie to the prestigious 50-crore club. Earlier, his movies like Bangalore Days, Premam, Kayamkulam Kochunni, etc., have entered the 50-crore club at the worldwide box office. Actor Dhyan Sreenivasan wrote and directed the film. According to the director, it is a modern-day take on the 1989 film Vadakkunokkiyanthram,...
- 10/2/2019
- by Cris
- The News Minute
Film Anurag Kashyap, who has co-produced the film, was also present.Tnm StaffMoothon - Nivin Pauly’s much awaited bilingual crime thriller is off to a great start. The film, directed by Geetu Mohandas, had its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) on Wednesday, September 11. The main cast and crew of the film, which includes Geetu, Nivin, Roshan Matthew, Sobhita Dhulipala, Sanjana Dipu and others had flown down to Canada to attend the premiere in Toronto. Accompanying them was ace director Anurag Kashyap who has co-produced the film along with Ajay Rai and Alan McAlex. In an interview to the Indian Express on his film premiering at Tiff, Nivin Pauly said that it was ‘his dream come true’. “It is an absolute honour to have my film Moothon premiering at the Toronto Film Festival. I must say it is a dream come true moment,” he stated in the interview.
- 9/12/2019
- by Sreedevi
- The News Minute
MollywoodThis is Geethu Mohandas's second directorial.Tnm StaffThe official teaser of Moothon (meaning elder brother in Malayalam), Geethu Mohandas’s second film after Liar’s Dice that released in 2014, is out. Moothon is Geethu’s feature film debut in Malayalam. The clip that is one minute and 30 seconds long begins with a voice-over that narrates the story of a man, a migrant. “Long ago, countless years ago, a swine came here from the island. I saw him struggling here doing all kinds of odd jobs. His body was covered with scars. When fortune turned a blind eye to him, he started whatever he could to survive. The cops would nab him from time to time. When finally he came to me a defeated man. I finished him off myself,” goes the deep voice, and then we finally get to see Nivin Pauly’s face smeared with a yellowish, dry paste.
- 1/17/2019
- by Anjana
- The News Minute
Mollywood The movie, touted to be a family entertainer, is Haneef Adeni’s third directorial venture. Tnm StaffYoutube ScreengrabThe much-awaited teaser of Nivin Pauly’s newest film Mikhael was released on Wednesday. The movie’s shooting was wrapped up in less than three months which led to a lot of expectations among his fans. The teaser begins with shots of a woman and a child, walking in a cemetery with flowers in their hands and a voice-over saying that he was not God to liberate a soul by making it repent. Ample shots of action and suspense dot the 1.24- minute-long teaser. The teaser also shows quite a few shots of Nivin Pauly and the leading lady Manjima Mohan in white coats, strengthening the rumours of them playing doctors in the film. Ending with Nivin Pauly’s voice saying ‘I am Mikhael’ in Malayalam, the teaser reveals just enough to...
- 1/9/2019
- by Meghak
- The News Minute
MollywoodThe movie has reportedly been titled ‘Thuramukham’ and will begin shooting in mid 2019.Digital NativeActor Nivin Pauly will reportedly be teaming up with cinematographer turned director Rajeev Ravi for a new project which will be set in the backdrop of Cochin harbor and revolves around the people living in that coastal region. The film will begin shooting in mid 2019 after Nivin completes his current set of projects. According to the reports that have been doing the rounds, the movie has been titled as Thuramukham. However, an official confirmation about the same is awaited. Nivin Pauly’s last release Kayamkulam Kochunni, directed by Rosshan Andrrews, turned out to be a hit and the star recently wrapped up Mikhael, directed by Haneef Adeni. The film is touted to be a family entertainer and will have elements of a thriller as well. Reports are that Nivin Pauly will be playing a doctor in this film.
- 12/29/2018
- by Cris
- The News Minute
MollywoodTouted to be a family entertainer, 'Mikhael' will have elements of a thriller as well.Digital NativeFans of Nivin Pauly are waiting for the release of his upcoming film Mikhael. The shooting of this film is almost over and it is gearing up for release, say sources. Meanwhile, the first look poster featuring Nivin Pauly has been released and it is going viral among his fans. Touted to be a family entertainer, Mikhael will have elements of a thriller as well. Reports are that Nivin Pauly will be playing a doctor in this flick. The film also has actor Unni Mukundan playing an important role as well. However, his character in it has not been revealed yet. Manjima Mohan plays the female lead in Mikhael and the film also has Jd Chakravarthy, Siddique, Renji Panicker, Ashokan, Shanthi Krishna, Kalabhavan Shajon and Kpac Lalitha playing supporting roles. Nivin has earlier written,...
- 11/21/2018
- by Cris
- The News Minute
Eros International just announced its current film production line up for 2017-18 and is a very exciting list of film. The company plans to produce over 50 films across multiple languages, making it the largest slate by any Indian studio this year, offering a diversified slate of marquee and content-driven films.
The company has ramped up its own productions with an exciting line-up under development through key partnerships including talented producer-director, Aanand L Rai and their joint production entity Colour Yellow Production, Viki Rajani’s NextGen Films and Trinity Pictures, Eros’ in-house franchise label.
Following the critical and commercial successes of Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Nil Battey Sannata and Happy Bhag Jayegi, Eros continues its association with Aanand L Rai and will roll out eight more titles with Colour Yellow which include Rai’s directorial venture starring Shah Rukh Khan. As well as a quirky romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Savdhaan by south director Rs Prasanna,...
The company has ramped up its own productions with an exciting line-up under development through key partnerships including talented producer-director, Aanand L Rai and their joint production entity Colour Yellow Production, Viki Rajani’s NextGen Films and Trinity Pictures, Eros’ in-house franchise label.
Following the critical and commercial successes of Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Nil Battey Sannata and Happy Bhag Jayegi, Eros continues its association with Aanand L Rai and will roll out eight more titles with Colour Yellow which include Rai’s directorial venture starring Shah Rukh Khan. As well as a quirky romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Savdhaan by south director Rs Prasanna,...
- 1/13/2017
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Aanand L Rai whose love for cinema encouraged him to launch his own home production banner, Colour Yellow Productions in association with Eros International has always stressed on the importance of creative processes and people behind the camera as the first vital steps towards good content. Last year saw a very well acclaimed Nil Battey Sannata and a hit family entertainer Happy Bhag Jayegi from this production banner.
This year, the director-producer is also collaborating with some immensely talented directors from across the board.
Apart from working one of the most anticipated films – Rai’s directorial next with Shah Rukh Khan, which goes on floors this year, he recently joined hands with Anurag Kashyap, who will work on two films. Buzz is one of them is an intense love story-musical, set in a small town. Expect a bouquet of versatile genres this year as Aanand L Rai will also be...
This year, the director-producer is also collaborating with some immensely talented directors from across the board.
Apart from working one of the most anticipated films – Rai’s directorial next with Shah Rukh Khan, which goes on floors this year, he recently joined hands with Anurag Kashyap, who will work on two films. Buzz is one of them is an intense love story-musical, set in a small town. Expect a bouquet of versatile genres this year as Aanand L Rai will also be...
- 1/7/2017
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Line-up includes projects from Geetu Mohandas, Mostofa S. Farooki and Haobam Paban Kumar, along with the event’s first ever animation projects.
India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc) has unveiled the 18 projects selected for the Co-production Market at this year’s Film Bazaar, including new works from Geetu Mohandas, Mostofa S. Farooki [pictured] and Haobam Paban Kumar.
Mohandas, whose first feature Liar’s Dice screened at Sundance and won six international awards, is bringing her new project Insha’allah to Film Bazaar, with Jar Pictures attached as producer. Farooki, whose credits as director include Television and Ant Story, is producing fellow Bangladeshi director Abu Shahed Emon’s A Foolish Man.
Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar, whose debut Lady Of The Lake premieres in New Currents at Busan this week, is again working with Oli Pictures on Joseph’s Son.
The Film Bazaar line-up also includes the event’s first two animation projects –Soumitra Ranade’s Kabuliwala, to be...
India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc) has unveiled the 18 projects selected for the Co-production Market at this year’s Film Bazaar, including new works from Geetu Mohandas, Mostofa S. Farooki [pictured] and Haobam Paban Kumar.
Mohandas, whose first feature Liar’s Dice screened at Sundance and won six international awards, is bringing her new project Insha’allah to Film Bazaar, with Jar Pictures attached as producer. Farooki, whose credits as director include Television and Ant Story, is producing fellow Bangladeshi director Abu Shahed Emon’s A Foolish Man.
Manipuri filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar, whose debut Lady Of The Lake premieres in New Currents at Busan this week, is again working with Oli Pictures on Joseph’s Son.
The Film Bazaar line-up also includes the event’s first two animation projects –Soumitra Ranade’s Kabuliwala, to be...
- 10/4/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Label is designed to drive Asian cinema into Us.
Kino Lorber is launching a theatrical distribution label, Silk Road Cinema, dedicated to award-winning arthouse films from India, Pakistan and the rest of South Asia.
The Us distributor is partnering with New York and Mumbai-based independent director-producer Shrihari Sathe to curate the collection and collaborate on distribution strategy.
Silk Road Cinema will release around six titles a year throughout North America, in theatres and across all other platforms including DVD and VOD, starting with five titles acquired by Sathe and Alan McAlex’s 3 Monkeys.
The five titles include Afia Nathaniel’s Dukhtar and Geetu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice, which were Pakistan and India’s submissions respectively to the 87th Academy Awards; 1000 Rupee Note [pictured], directed and produced by Sathe; Avinash Arun’s Killa, which won a Crystal Bear at Berlin in 2014; and award-winning drama Harud, directed by Aamir Bashir.
Sathe, who met Richard Lorber when he was a juror...
Kino Lorber is launching a theatrical distribution label, Silk Road Cinema, dedicated to award-winning arthouse films from India, Pakistan and the rest of South Asia.
The Us distributor is partnering with New York and Mumbai-based independent director-producer Shrihari Sathe to curate the collection and collaborate on distribution strategy.
Silk Road Cinema will release around six titles a year throughout North America, in theatres and across all other platforms including DVD and VOD, starting with five titles acquired by Sathe and Alan McAlex’s 3 Monkeys.
The five titles include Afia Nathaniel’s Dukhtar and Geetu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice, which were Pakistan and India’s submissions respectively to the 87th Academy Awards; 1000 Rupee Note [pictured], directed and produced by Sathe; Avinash Arun’s Killa, which won a Crystal Bear at Berlin in 2014; and award-winning drama Harud, directed by Aamir Bashir.
Sathe, who met Richard Lorber when he was a juror...
- 5/12/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Mumbai-based Jar Pictures is attending Film Bazaar with a busy, multiple-language slate, including Ajitpal Singh’s The Man Who Broke The Mountain, to be co-produced by Mexican writer-producer Guillermo Arriaga [pictured].
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012.
Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang.
The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012.
Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang.
The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
- 11/23/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Mumbai-based Jar Pictures is attending Film Bazaar with a busy, multiple-language slate, including Ajitpal Singh’s The Man Who Broke The Mountain, to be co-produced by Mexican writer-producer Guillermo Arriaga [pictured].
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012. Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang. The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
The Hindi-language drama, based on the true story of India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, was selected for the Mumbai Mantra/Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2012. Arriaga, who wrote Babel and produced Venice Golden Lion winner From Afar, was a mentor at the lab.
Jar’s Alan McAlex and his partner Ajay G. Rai are also producing the next film from Liar’s Dice director Geetu Mohandas, Malayalam-language Mulakoya, which will shoot next year in Lakshadweep Islands, Kerala and Mumbai. The project was selected for this year’s Drishyam/Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Following its success with Avinash Arun’s award-winning Killa, which opened in France last month, Jar is also producing Arun’s next Marathi-language film, Boomerang. The company will also produce the next project from Crossing Bridges director...
- 11/23/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
2015 is proving to be more and more lucky for Akshay Oberoi… After Abhishek Kapoor’s Fitoor, Indo-Brit film Bombairiya and bagging a special appearance with Deepika in Piku, Akshay Oberoi has been signed for yet another interesting film called Gurgaon as the lead.
Gurgaon, directed by national award winning cinematographer Shanker Raman is co produced by Ajay G Rai and Alan McAlex of Jar films and Mukesh Chhabra. Jar also produced India’s official entry to Oscars – Liar’s Dice starring Nawazuddin and Mukesh Chhabra. Interestingly, while Akshay was shooting for Fitoor in Kashmir, Ajay Rai, who is the line producer on Fitoor liked his work and recommended his name to the director of the film. Shanker saw few scenes from Akshay’s film Pizza and the public service ad he had done and liked him instantly.
Akshay will be seen a totally new look and role in the film.
Gurgaon, directed by national award winning cinematographer Shanker Raman is co produced by Ajay G Rai and Alan McAlex of Jar films and Mukesh Chhabra. Jar also produced India’s official entry to Oscars – Liar’s Dice starring Nawazuddin and Mukesh Chhabra. Interestingly, while Akshay was shooting for Fitoor in Kashmir, Ajay Rai, who is the line producer on Fitoor liked his work and recommended his name to the director of the film. Shanker saw few scenes from Akshay’s film Pizza and the public service ad he had done and liked him instantly.
Akshay will be seen a totally new look and role in the film.
- 1/25/2015
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Exclusive: Jar Pictures has unveiled a slate of upcoming productions headed by DoP Shanker Raman’s directorial debut Gurgaon and Gaurav Saxena’s feature version of his celebrated short film, Rangzen.
Ten-minute short Rangzen (which means freedom in Tibetan) premiered in the Generation Kplus competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and was also voted best international short at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival.
The feature will expand on the story of a Tibetan boy in Dharamshala coming to terms with his refugee identity.
Raman’s noir drama Gurgaon spotlights gender prejudice in the ‘new town’ of the film’s title, which is located close to New Delhi. Aamir Bashir and Pankaj Tripathi have been cast in the film, which is scheduled to start shooting early next year.
Raman describes Gurgaon as “a cautionary tale about social fragmentation that disintegrates first the community, then the family, and ultimately our sense of humanity.”
A renowned...
Ten-minute short Rangzen (which means freedom in Tibetan) premiered in the Generation Kplus competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and was also voted best international short at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival.
The feature will expand on the story of a Tibetan boy in Dharamshala coming to terms with his refugee identity.
Raman’s noir drama Gurgaon spotlights gender prejudice in the ‘new town’ of the film’s title, which is located close to New Delhi. Aamir Bashir and Pankaj Tripathi have been cast in the film, which is scheduled to start shooting early next year.
Raman describes Gurgaon as “a cautionary tale about social fragmentation that disintegrates first the community, then the family, and ultimately our sense of humanity.”
A renowned...
- 11/24/2014
- by uditaj@gmail.com (Udita Jhunjhunwala)
- ScreenDaily
Leviathan leads contenders; 36 films from 21 countries in the running.
Films in the running for the 2014 Apsa for Best Feature Film include Winter Sleep (Turkey, France, Germany), Leviathan (Russia), I’m Not Angry (Iran), The Owners (Kazakhstan), and Memories on Stone (Iraqi Kurdistan, Germany).
Leviathan, also nominated for Achievement in Cinematography for Mikhail Krichman, has received three nominations in total, the most for any film.
In total, 36 films from 21 countries are in the running for awards.
Nominees vying for the award in the Achievement in Directing category are: Rolf de Heer (Charlie’s Country, Australia), Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Russia), Im Kwon-taek (Revivre, South Korea), Rakhshan Banietemad (Tales, Iran) and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, Turkey, France, Germany).
For the first time, a film from Syria has received a nomination, with Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait (Syria, France) nominated for the Apsa for Best Feature Documentary.
Films from the China and Russia lead the nominations with six each, closely followed...
Films in the running for the 2014 Apsa for Best Feature Film include Winter Sleep (Turkey, France, Germany), Leviathan (Russia), I’m Not Angry (Iran), The Owners (Kazakhstan), and Memories on Stone (Iraqi Kurdistan, Germany).
Leviathan, also nominated for Achievement in Cinematography for Mikhail Krichman, has received three nominations in total, the most for any film.
In total, 36 films from 21 countries are in the running for awards.
Nominees vying for the award in the Achievement in Directing category are: Rolf de Heer (Charlie’s Country, Australia), Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Russia), Im Kwon-taek (Revivre, South Korea), Rakhshan Banietemad (Tales, Iran) and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, Turkey, France, Germany).
For the first time, a film from Syria has received a nomination, with Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait (Syria, France) nominated for the Apsa for Best Feature Documentary.
Films from the China and Russia lead the nominations with six each, closely followed...
- 10/28/2014
- ScreenDaily
This coming week the oldest and largest Indian film festival in North America will inundate the cultural fabric of New York City with award-winning, cutting-edge and entertaining films from the Indian subcontinent.
The New York Indian Film Festival, now in its fourteenth edition, is set to screen more than 40 films—features, short narratives and documentaries—from at least four South Asian countries. Organized by the Indo-American Arts Council, the week-long festival will mark the New York premiere screening of director-producer Anurag Kashyap’s widely admired thriller Ugly. It will be the second time for Kashyap at the festival, whose film Gangs of Wasseypur was the closing night film two years ago.
This time the closing film is acclaimed Bengali auteur Aparna Sen’s Goynar Baksho (The Jewelry Box), a film based on a novel of the same name. The centerpiece film is Malayalam director Geethu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice – which...
The New York Indian Film Festival, now in its fourteenth edition, is set to screen more than 40 films—features, short narratives and documentaries—from at least four South Asian countries. Organized by the Indo-American Arts Council, the week-long festival will mark the New York premiere screening of director-producer Anurag Kashyap’s widely admired thriller Ugly. It will be the second time for Kashyap at the festival, whose film Gangs of Wasseypur was the closing night film two years ago.
This time the closing film is acclaimed Bengali auteur Aparna Sen’s Goynar Baksho (The Jewelry Box), a film based on a novel of the same name. The centerpiece film is Malayalam director Geethu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice – which...
- 5/4/2014
- by Shelly Walia
- Bollyspice
India@Berlinale
What:
Film Discussion on ‘India@Berlinale’.
A discussion with Indian filmmakers whose films were selected for the Berlin Film Festival 2014. The conversation will include short clips from the selected films, and will be moderated by the Berlin Film Festival’s India Consultant Meenakshi Shedde.
Organised by the Goethe Institut at Max Mueller Bhawan.
When:
25 April 6.30 Pm
Entry:
Free and open to all.
Venue:
Galerie Max Mueller
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan
K Dubash Marg
Kala Ghoda
Mumbai 400001
About the event:
The Berlin Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale, is one of the top international film festivals in the world today. This year the Berlinale selected a record 12 Indian films, including international films by directors of Indian origin. This reflects the exciting vitality of Indian cinema today, as well as its young talent: three directors, who were selected by Berlin for their first feature films, are still in their 20s!
What:
Film Discussion on ‘India@Berlinale’.
A discussion with Indian filmmakers whose films were selected for the Berlin Film Festival 2014. The conversation will include short clips from the selected films, and will be moderated by the Berlin Film Festival’s India Consultant Meenakshi Shedde.
Organised by the Goethe Institut at Max Mueller Bhawan.
When:
25 April 6.30 Pm
Entry:
Free and open to all.
Venue:
Galerie Max Mueller
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan
K Dubash Marg
Kala Ghoda
Mumbai 400001
About the event:
The Berlin Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale, is one of the top international film festivals in the world today. This year the Berlinale selected a record 12 Indian films, including international films by directors of Indian origin. This reflects the exciting vitality of Indian cinema today, as well as its young talent: three directors, who were selected by Berlin for their first feature films, are still in their 20s!
- 4/24/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
This year the 12th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) includes a lineup of narrative and documentary features and short films. The impressive program reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema, as well as the future of Indian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers and emerging voices bringing their acclaimed films to Los Angeles.
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
- 4/8/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
From April 8th to the 11th, Indian films will once again be showcased in the Us at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). In its 12th year, Iffla boasts an incredible lineup of fabulous films that reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema. Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani says, “I’m thrilled and proud that Iffla’s line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora.”
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
- 3/21/2014
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
The Marathi feature film Killa which premiered recently at the prestigious film festival Berlinale has bagged the top award, Glasernen Bär (The Crystal Bear) for the best feature film and also got the Special Mention from the International Jury of KPlus. Killa is the third Marathi film to be selected in Berlinale in its entire history and it is the first Indian feature film to win this much coveted award. Produced by Madhukar R Musle, Ajay G Rai, Alan McAlex under the banner, Jar Pictures and presented by M R Filmworks, the film was a part of Nfdc Film Bazaar's Work-in-Progress (Wip) Lab in 2013. Jar Pictures' film Liar's Dice starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui earlier this year was in Sundance Film Festival 2014 in World Dramatics Competition section. The producer Ajay G Rai says, "The recognition from Berlinale underlines our faith and commitment to produce quality cinema. We feel honoured and proud...
- 2/19/2014
- by Bollywood Hungama News Network
- BollywoodHungama
Avinash Arun’s “Killa”
Avinash Arun’s debut film Killa, won the Crystal Bear at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation KPlus section. Killa is about an 11 year old child who is coping with the death of his father and finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. Director Avinash Arun tells us more about the film.
You’ve been describing Killa as autobiographical. In what sense is it so?
I come from a small town called Solapur in Maharashtra. My father kept getting transferred from one place to another. It was very difficult for me to make friends in one place and suddenly, do it all over again. This went on and on. Later, I realized that it is necessary to explore. So this nostalgia resulted in the genesis of the idea of Killa while I was still at the Ftii.
Avinash Arun’s debut film Killa, won the Crystal Bear at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation KPlus section. Killa is about an 11 year old child who is coping with the death of his father and finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. Director Avinash Arun tells us more about the film.
You’ve been describing Killa as autobiographical. In what sense is it so?
I come from a small town called Solapur in Maharashtra. My father kept getting transferred from one place to another. It was very difficult for me to make friends in one place and suddenly, do it all over again. This went on and on. Later, I realized that it is necessary to explore. So this nostalgia resulted in the genesis of the idea of Killa while I was still at the Ftii.
- 2/19/2014
- by Amit Upadhyaya
- DearCinema.com
Geethu Mohandas
H ot on the heels of its world premiere at Mumbai Film Festival, Geethu Mohandas’ debut feature Liar’s Dice has been selected for Sundance Film Festival 2014.
Before donning the director’s hat, Mohandas has acted in twenty seven Malayalam films over more than three decades. She started out as a child actor when she was five years old.
Her film Liar’s Dice follows a woman and her child on a journey in search for the child’s missing father. Produced by Jar Pictures, the film features Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa and Manya Gupta.
In conversation with Geethu Mohandas:
You are a well-known actress in the South. How did this transition to a filmmaker occur?
Even when I was an actor, I was not only interested in acting, I was interested in cinema. I am so passionate about cinema that it is a totality for me.
H ot on the heels of its world premiere at Mumbai Film Festival, Geethu Mohandas’ debut feature Liar’s Dice has been selected for Sundance Film Festival 2014.
Before donning the director’s hat, Mohandas has acted in twenty seven Malayalam films over more than three decades. She started out as a child actor when she was five years old.
Her film Liar’s Dice follows a woman and her child on a journey in search for the child’s missing father. Produced by Jar Pictures, the film features Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa and Manya Gupta.
In conversation with Geethu Mohandas:
You are a well-known actress in the South. How did this transition to a filmmaker occur?
Even when I was an actor, I was not only interested in acting, I was interested in cinema. I am so passionate about cinema that it is a totality for me.
- 12/5/2013
- by Anita Thomas
- DearCinema.com
K illa is one of the five projects selected for the Work In Progress Lab of Film Bazaar 2013. We spoke to the director Avinash Arun:
Avinash Arun
Tell us about your project. What language will it be in?
Killa is about a child who is coping with the death of his father. An 11-year-old boy finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. He experiences some life changing events; which a new place, people and destiny offer. It is a film about those experiences which shape up your life and make you the person you are today. It is a Marathi film.
Which stage of development is it in currently?
Principal photography is complete. It is in the post production process, mainly sound design and music.
The cast of the film.
In the lead are Amruta Subhash, Archit Deodhar, Parth Bhalerao, Shrikant Yadav.
Tell...
Avinash Arun
Tell us about your project. What language will it be in?
Killa is about a child who is coping with the death of his father. An 11-year-old boy finds it difficult to adapt to a new place he has migrated to. He experiences some life changing events; which a new place, people and destiny offer. It is a film about those experiences which shape up your life and make you the person you are today. It is a Marathi film.
Which stage of development is it in currently?
Principal photography is complete. It is in the post production process, mainly sound design and music.
The cast of the film.
In the lead are Amruta Subhash, Archit Deodhar, Parth Bhalerao, Shrikant Yadav.
Tell...
- 11/19/2013
- by Editorial Team
- DearCinema.com
Ritesh Batra
Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra’s project “A Place in the Future” and Harud (Autumn) director Aamir Bashir’s project “Winter” have been shortlisted for the 2nd edition of Biennale College Cinema, the initiative of Venice Film Festival to promote new talents to make micro-budget films.
12 projects have been selected; each team – composed of directors and producers – will take part in the first 10-day workshop held in Venice in October 2013.
Up to 3 of these 12 projects will receive support for 150,000.00 Euro in order to make 3 feature-length works (first or second work) which will be presented at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.
The announcements were made at the ongoing Venice Film Festival on Tuesday.
Aamir Bashir
A place in the Future
Director: Ritesh Batra (India)
Producer: Seher Latif (India)
Winter
Director: Aamir Bashir (India)
Producer: Alan McAlex (India)
Ritesh Batra’s debut feature Lunchbox premiered at the International Critics’ Week...
Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra’s project “A Place in the Future” and Harud (Autumn) director Aamir Bashir’s project “Winter” have been shortlisted for the 2nd edition of Biennale College Cinema, the initiative of Venice Film Festival to promote new talents to make micro-budget films.
12 projects have been selected; each team – composed of directors and producers – will take part in the first 10-day workshop held in Venice in October 2013.
Up to 3 of these 12 projects will receive support for 150,000.00 Euro in order to make 3 feature-length works (first or second work) which will be presented at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.
The announcements were made at the ongoing Venice Film Festival on Tuesday.
Aamir Bashir
A place in the Future
Director: Ritesh Batra (India)
Producer: Seher Latif (India)
Winter
Director: Aamir Bashir (India)
Producer: Alan McAlex (India)
Ritesh Batra’s debut feature Lunchbox premiered at the International Critics’ Week...
- 9/4/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Exclusive: Participants include Germany’s Sol Bondy, Jennifer Fox [pictured] from the Us, and Canada’s Lauren Grant.
Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap), the intensive training and networking programme for European Canadian and American producers, has announced the 26 participants selected for this year’s programme.
Partners on the initiative, which is now four years old, are the Erich Pommer Institut in Potsdam, Germany (the creator of Tap), Strategic Partners in Halifax, Canada and Ifp in New York. The scheme also includes observer producers from India and Mexico.
Tap is supported by the Media Mundus Programme of the European Union, by Telefilm Canada, and Vff (Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten mbH) Germany.
The three training modules are taking place in Berlin, Halifax and New York City between June and September 2013. The selected producers also participate in the Atlantic Film Festival’s Strategic Partners and the Ifp’s Independent Film Week in New York.
Nadja Radojevic...
Trans Atlantic Partners (Tap), the intensive training and networking programme for European Canadian and American producers, has announced the 26 participants selected for this year’s programme.
Partners on the initiative, which is now four years old, are the Erich Pommer Institut in Potsdam, Germany (the creator of Tap), Strategic Partners in Halifax, Canada and Ifp in New York. The scheme also includes observer producers from India and Mexico.
Tap is supported by the Media Mundus Programme of the European Union, by Telefilm Canada, and Vff (Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten mbH) Germany.
The three training modules are taking place in Berlin, Halifax and New York City between June and September 2013. The selected producers also participate in the Atlantic Film Festival’s Strategic Partners and the Ifp’s Independent Film Week in New York.
Nadja Radojevic...
- 6/13/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
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