‘Extinction II’ Won the Golden Lamp Tree Award in short film centre-IFFI 2010

‘Extinction II’ by Shri Fernando Uson Fornies won the highest Golden Lamp Tree Award in the short film centre awards on the side lines of iffi 2010. It consists of a memento, cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh and a certificate.‘The Flower Bud’ by Ms. Shumona Banerjee bagged, the second highest award i.e. Silver Lamp Tree. The editor of the film Shri Manas Mittal received a memento, cash prize of Rs. 3 lakh and a certificate on her behalf. Ms. Sangeeta Padmanabhan (Charulata.. A Sequel of the Life Untold) bagged the Special Jury Mention Award of Rs. 2 lakh while Shri Umesh Aggarwal got the certificate of appreciation from Jury. In Environmental Competition Shri Babu Kambrath (Kaippad) and Ms. Suma Josson (Niyamgiri You Are Still Alive) shared the Vasudha Award of Rs. 3 lakh, a memento and a certificate. Chief Guest, Shri Vijay Mallya who supported the Short Film Centre and present on the occasion said that supporting creativity, entrepreneurship and youngsters has always been a policy of our group. Short Film Centre has proved as catalyst for the growth of documentary, he said in the award presentation function. Shri Digambar Kamat, Chief Minister of Goa, who shown personal interest in the Short Film Centre said that it has got a very good response and the Short Film Centre will foster not only the creation but also the marketing of short films. Shri S. M. Khan, Festival Director, Jury Members and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

“Reluctant Fundamentalist”- Mira Nair’s next film

Renowned Indo-American Film maker Mira Nair spoke on the need to enhance content, message and value in screenplay writing besides production standards to usher India into an era of world class film making at a press conference at IFFI 2010. She said that India has got tremendous talent in all areas of film making which needs to be supplemented with more impetus on providing thought provoking stories, subjects and themes. Retrospective of her showcases 16 films at festival. She added that script forms the real foundation of the film. Underlining the importance of rigor and rhythm in making of films which makes viewers’ heart beat not only in the country but throughout the world she said that experiencing day to day life in India and abroad provides her an opportunity and creates a vision to work on films with universal appeal . She said that problems and issues concerning under privileged people at the grassroots would always be the priorities in her films one way or the other.Eminent writer Sooni Taraporevala, actor Nana Patekar, Shafiq Syed and Dinaz Stafford were also present on the occasion.In reply to a question Mira Nair informed that her upcoming film is “Reluctant Fundamentalist” based on Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid’s story would help her put forth her viewpoint in respect of issues like Islamophobia in the Western world especially in the South Asian perspective. She said that she looks forward to the participation of several Pakistani actors in this film project.

Michael Cacoyannis Retrospective at IFFI 2010

IFFI 2010 is also showcasing the works of veteran Cypriot Film maker Michael Cacoyonnis’s in its Retrospective Section. His classic, award winning feature films Elektra, Zorba the Greek etc are included in this package. The other films of the 88 years old film maker which are being featured are Windfall in Athens, Stella, Our Last Srping, The Day the Fish came out, The Trojan Women, Iphiginia, Sweet Country and The Cherry Orchard.

“The Princess of Montpensier “ to be the Closing Film at IFFI

-Saif Ali Khan to be the Guest Of Honor
‘The Princess of Montpensier’ (French) directed by Bertrand Tavernier and competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival has been choose as the closing film of the 42 nd IFFI 2010. This was announced in the Mid-Fest Press Conference by the Festival Director, Shri S.M. Khan at the Media Centre here today. Shri Choudhury Mohan Jatua, the Minister of State for Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will be the Chief Guest at the closing function. Famous actor & National Award Winner Saif Ali Khan will be the Guest of Honor. Actors Arjun Bajwa and Neetu Chandra will anchor the closing ceremony. A cultural programme curated by actor Gracy Singh will be presented at the function.
The story of The Princess of Montpensier set in France, 1562. The wars of religion between Catholics and Protestants rage against a backdrop of intrigue and shifting alliances.Marie de Mézières, a beautiful young aristocrat, and Henri de Guise, one of the kingdom's most intrepid heroes, are in love, but Marie's father promises her hand in marriage to the Prince of Montpensier. The prince takes Marie back to his chateau, where she is tutored by Chabannes, the Protestant deserter he protects, who soon falls in love with the young woman. Then, on their way back from battle, Henri de Guise and the Duke d'Anjou, the heir to the throne, stop at the chateau. Henri and Marie realize their feelings for each other are as strong as ever...

Shankar Mohan awarded with the ‘order of merit for polish culture’

Shankar Mohan, Joint Director, Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India and Director, Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute, Kolkata, has been awarded with the ‘order of merit for polish culture’ (the honorary badge of merit for polish culture) – one of the highest recognitions given to persons from Poland and abroad for distinguished in creation, dissemination and protection of culture.

Dancing feet-films division films on dances and Gurus

Films division presents a ghungroo of films ,dancing feet, laced with 22 docus on Indian classical dances . Conceived as a sequel to the highly applauded film festival on music, Moments with the Maestros held as part of the 40th IFFI, Dancing Feet offers dance lovers from India and abroad glimpses of important classical dances like the Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Kathak, Mohiniattam ,Krishnanattam and Manipuri. This section also includes biopic on some of the exponents of the great art. Sitara Devi, Pt Birju Maharaj, Yamini Karishnamurthy, Sonal Mansingh, Dr. Padma Subramaniam, Raja & Radha Reddy, Uma Sharma Mallika Sarabhai etc are also being screened in the festival. All these highly decorated and celebrated artistes will also be felicitated during the festival where they shall interact with the media and the delegates.

Shyamaprasad’s Elektra,a visual treat

Shyamaprasad’s fifth film at IFFI ,Elektra, a psycho-sensual drama is a journey into the bruised familial bonds of an aristocratic household in Kerala. The film screened today at IFFI 2010, in the presence of its main cast Manisha Koirala and Director Shyamaprasad, explores the texture of desire and loss. The film has wonderful performances by Nayantara and Manisha Koirala. Talking to the media at a press Conference at Media Centre here today, Shyamaprasad said the story is based on Greek myth of Electra and set in contemporary times in an aristocratic family of Kerala. He said, it has shades of Freudian Electra complex. I want explore the themes that have endless validity and I make no attempt to whip through quasi-political narratives that lose appeal after few years. The story of Electra (a Greek mythological character) is several thousands of years old, but it is still relevant ,Shyam added.

GEORGIA CALLING

Zurab Katchkatchishvili ,Ambassador of Georgia in India has invited Indian Film Makers for engaging in co-productions with Georgian film industry. Present at IFFI at Panaji ,Goa to represent his country and its Cinema Katchkatchishvili said to media persons that Georgian government will provide incentives to the film makers, especially to Indian film makers, who opt for co-productions or shoot in Georgia.

The magic of Cannes to IFFI 2010

IFFI presents a comprehensive package of films that made it to Cannes this year. The Cannes Kaleidoscope 2010 brings These films to 41ST IFFI .. The Picks include those from Cannes Awards, Official Competition Uncertain Regard and Director’s Fortnight.
1. Des filles en noir (Young Girls In Black) by Jean Paul Civeyrac
2. Somos Lo Que Hay (We Are What We Are) by Sabina Guzzanti
3. Outrage by Takeshi Kitano
4. Route Irish by Ken Loach
5. Certified Copy by Abbas Kiarastami
6. A Screaming Man by Mahamat Saleh Haroun
7. The Tree by Julie Bertucelli
8. The City Below by christoph Hochhäusler
9. Adrienn Pal
10. Film Socialism by Jean Lun Godard

Mankada Ravi Varma passed away

Mankada Ravi Varma, one of the ace photographers in Indian Cinema, passed away in Chennai on Monday. He was 85 years old.Ravi Varma had shot into international acclaim working with directors such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G. Aravindan and P.N. Menon. The State government had honoured him with the J.C. Daniel award for life-time achievement. Ravi Varma was associated with most of the films of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, starting with the national award winning film Swayamvaram. RaviVarma himself had directed a few films, of which Nookukuthi won him the State award for the best photographer and a national special jury award. He also wrote a book Chitram Chala Chitram about cinematography which won him the State award for the best book on cinema. His last film with Adoor Gopalakrishnan was Nizhalkuth.

NFDC Film Bazaar Opens on the Sidelines of IFFI, 2010

The 4th edition of Film Bazaar India 2010 of the National Film Development Corporation Ltd. (NFDC) was inaugurated here today on the sidelines of IFFI, 2010. The annual film market is designed to address the current needs of filmmakers and focuses on creating business opportunities for production studios and independent producers/film makers. The idea behind Film Bazaar is to provide a proficient stage for prospective buyers & sellers of film rights from India & abroad. The 4-day Film Bazaar India’ 10 will be held from 23rd to 26th November at Goa Marriott Resort.

Industry screenings for film makers to show case their films to potential producers, distributors, agents, buyers and representatives of international film festivals is being arranged in Film Bazaar The theatres have been set-up in collaboration with UFO Moviez. With an aim to continue the age old tradition of improving trade relations between the SAARC nations, NFDC has invited projects from these countries this year. The Co-production Market will offer selected filmmakers the opportunity to present their feature film projects to co-producers, bankers, sales agents, and other potential financiers from India and abroad. The Prime Exchange will initiate market exchange between India and Europe in the field of Film and TV Production. In the Knowledge Series, NFDC presents case studies and presentations by industry experts. Leading Indian & international producers, distributors, buyers attending this year’s Film Bazaar include prominent international buyers and sales agents such as Farabi Foundation (Iran), Cinetic Rights Management (USA), Fortissimo Films(UK), The Yellow Affair (Finland), Rapid Eye Movies (Germany), Wide Management (France), Railto, (Netherland), Hanway Films (UK) and Wild Bunch (France). Festival Directors & representatives from the leading international film festivals like Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Durban International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival & Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles will interact with the attendees of Film Bazaar.

Indian Panorama of IFFI inaugurated by renowned Malayalam-Tamil actor Jairam

Indian Panorama Section of 41st edition of IFFI was inaugurated this morning at Inox Screen- one by eminent South Indian Actor Jairam. Speaking on the occasion, he said the Indian Panorama Section provided a platform of excellent movies across the country and provided an opportunity for the cinematic talents to meet under the aegis of one platform.S. M. Khan, Festival Director , N. Chandra, Chairman of the Jury of the Feature Film Section Siddhartha Kak, Chairman of the Jury of Non-Feature Films participated in the opening ceremony .Jayaram also presented mementos to the directors and crew of the opening films ‘Mee Sindhutai Sapkal’(Marathi) and‘Leaving Home’ featuring the Indian Ocean Band. Indian Panorama section will screen 26 Feature & 21 Non-Feature Films

Mamta Banerjee inaugurates 41 st IFFI 2010

Films were an effective medium to depict reality through creative tools- Mamta Banerjee .
Mamta Banerjee , Railway Minister ,Govt. of India inaugurated today the 41st edition of IFFI-2010 at Kala Academy ,Panaji ,Goa. While inaugurating the fest Mamta said since its inception IFFI had provided a forum for converging cinema from all parts of the world on one platform. The IFFI platform showcased the new trends in world cinema while at the same time presented the master pieces of the Indian Panorama Section to the global audiences abroad. The Minister said that film is an effective medium to depict reality through creative tools. As an event, the Festival provided an opportunity to the Indian film industry to compete with the best in the world. The Minister said the 41st edition offered a treat to cine lovers in view of the excellent package of films being shown during the 10-day Festival. Shri C. M. Jatua ,Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting , Shri Digambar Kamat, the Chief Minister of Goa, , Shri Yash Chopra ,the eminent film director & producer, Shri S. M. Khan , Festival Director and , Ajay Devgan, Actor spoke. Actors Aftab Shivdasani and Gracy Singh compeered the inaugural function proceedings. Eminent Actor from Malayalam Jayaram was one of the film personalities honored by the organizers.

West is West –the opening film in 41st IFFI-2010

‘’It has been more than a decade since the Ayub Khan-Din-scripted East Is East liberated British-Asian cinema from the furrowed-brow earnestness that had largely been its lot. It managed to combine an effervescent cheerfulness with simple but effective points about how ethnic identity changes across successive generations of immigrants.’’ No doubt with one eye on current political debate, this belated sequel West is West looks to develop the theme and provide context to the arguments about immigration. The story develops in Manchester, North of England, in 1975. The now much diminished, but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan Family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, the runt of the litter, is deep in pubescent crisis under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. So, in a last, desperate attempt to 'sort him out', his father decides to pack him off to Mrs. Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 35 years earlier. It is not long before Ella Khan (Mrs. Khan No2) with a small entourage from Salford, England, swiftly follows to sort out the mess, past and present. Critics say that television veteran Andy De Emmony’s feature film debut is colourful, generally well paced and intent on being a crowd-pleaser filled with laughter, tears and an uplifting resolution. It may not have the freshness or impact of East is East but West Is West is still a big-hearted slice of populist entertainment. It is based on the screen play of Ayub Khan-Din.Cinematographyis by Peter Robertson. Shankhar Ehsaan. Main cast did the Music. Om Puri, Aqib Khan, Linda Bassett, Ila Arun, Jimi Mistry etc are main cast of this film.

Curtain will rise for 41 st IFFI-2010 tomorrow,the 22nd November ,2010 at Panaji

All set for the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2010. The Chief Minister of Goa, Digambar Kamat informed the crowded media persons that Awards Worth 90 lakhs to be presented in different categories and there will be300 films from 61 countries will be screened in 11 theatres. The Festival will be inaugurated by Ms. Mamta Banerjee ,Union Railway Minister and the Chief Guest of the function will be the renowned film Producer and Director Shri Yash Chopra. Famous actor, Shri Ajay Devgan will be the Guest of Honor. The opening ceremony will see Bollywood stars Aftab Shivdasani and Gracy Singh as the masters of ceremonies. An Young Jury Award for excellence in journalism has been instituted this year. The prize carries an amount of Rs. 3 lakhs. Kamat added that a host of cultural programmes, fireworks and food courts will greet and entertain the delegates attending the Festival.
During the Press Conference, the Festival Director, S. M. Khan informed the press that 18 films (15 foreign and 3 Indian) feature films have been short listed for the International Competition Section. The section has films from China, Iran, Israel, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Mexico, New Zealand US and UK. Awards worth 90 lakh rupees (200,000 USD) will be presented which is the highest amount to be awarded in any Festival in the world. He also informed that five awards in total will be given in the International Competition Section. For the first time, two new awards- Best Actor and Best Actress-will be awarded this year. The Best Film would be awarded Golden Peacock and given Prize money of Rs.40 lakh; the Best Director would be awarded Silver Peacock and given Prize money of Rs.15 lakh. The Best Actor and Actress would take home a Silver Peacock and given a Prize money of Rs.10 lakh each. The Special Jury Award winner would be bestowed with a Silver Peacock and given Prize money of Rs.15 lakh. Talking about the Indian Section at the Festival, Shri Khan said Centenaries of five unforgettable cinema talents – Ashok Kumar, B.R. Panthulu, Motilal, Nadia and Raja Paranjpe– are being observed by showing their films. Apart from this, the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Odiya cinema will be conducted. Another key aspect of the festival will be the commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the Film & Television Institute of India. Five non feature films curated by the FTII will be screened. Masterstrokes will salute cinematographer V.K.Murthy and versatile producer D. Ramanaidu – the two recent recipients of Indian Cinema’s highest honors, Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Two films, each associated with them are lined up for screening. And in the Tributes, IFFI pays tribute to those who lived a full cinema life by offering screenings in memory of those film personalities who are no more. This includes Bina Rai, Pamela Rooks, Sujit Kumar, Keshu Ramsay, Debu Deodhar, Pankaj Advani, Nirmal Pandey, Tahir Hussain, Vishnuvardhan and Ravi Baswani. He also informed the media that a new section Academy Interest is being introduced from 2010. From this year, 3 Indian films from Panorama would be making it to the International competition category. Another new feature will be the Master Classes being taken by Oscar winner Rasul Pookutty on sound technology, evolution of comedy in cinema by Boman Irani etc. A key highlight of the festival pertains to the foreign section participation during the festival. There will be a Cannes Kaleidoscope 2010, a comprehensive package of films that made into Cannes this year. The films include ‘Film Socialism’ by Jean Lun Godard. There will also be a package of ten Iranian films and four Taiwanese films with high aesthetic content to be represented by respective film makers, cast and crew members. Amongst the retrospectives scheduled for prominent film makers, the list includes Jan Jakub Kolski Retrospective, Jim Jarmusch Restrospective, Michael Cacoyannis Retrospective and Mira Nair Retrospective. The country focus during the festival shall be Mexico, Georgia and Sri Lanka. There will be Sections on Taiwanese New Wave Cinema and Australian Indigenous Fiction Films. IFFI would also pay homage to the Iconic French film maker, Eric Rohmer, who passed away this year. Six of his films would be screened. As a reply to the question by this reporter the Festival Director said that the FIPRESCI jury has not been constituted and there will not be any Critics’ Award this year ,as announced.

NFAI’S Exhibition respects Dada Saheb Phalke awardees at IFFI 2010

Honoring all the Dada Saheb Phalke awardees who have contributed to the growth of Indian Cinema, the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune will organize an Exhibition of Wall posters and Photographs at the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2010. The exhibition will be displayed at the Art Gallery, Kala Academy, Panjim, Goa. The Exhibition gives an insight into the devotion and dedication of these awardees, and also highlights their special attributes. Intersperse with relevant write-ups and informative captions, this Exhibition will present the diverse and rich heritage of our film culture.

International Jury at 41st IFFI 2010

The 5 member International Jury at 41st IFFI 2010 with Jerzy Antczak, Writer, Director & Producer as its President , Mick Molloy, Revathy Menon, Olivier Père and Sturla Gunnarsson as members has the task to select peacock awards from 18 feature films(15 foreign and 3 Indian) short listed for the International Competition. Mick Molloy is one of Australia’s most recognized and successful comedians , Olivier Père the Artistic Director of the Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland), Revathy Menon, well known Actor/Director with more than 100 films in five Indian languages in her credit . Sturla Gunnarsson is one of Canada’s most prolific filmmakers and the national president of the Directors Guild of Canada. At this year's 10-day 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) the competition section has been thrown open to all feature films from across the world. Earlier, this section was restricted to feature films from Asia, Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America. Another key change in this year's festival is the introduction of the Best Actor and Best Actress awards. The best actor and actress will each get a Silver Peacock and prize money of Rs 10 lakh.

Yash Chopra to inaugurate 41st IFFI 2010

Yash Chopra, known Director of many a Hindi films will inaugurate the 41st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2010, according to S.M.Khan,Festival Director ."Orissa will be the focus state because it is celebrating 75 years of cinema," he added.

NFDC Film Bazar - at 41st IFFI-German /Turkish director Fatih Akin to handle Masterclass

The acclaimed young German/Turkish writer- director Fatih Akin (37) will participate in the Master Class programme of the 4^th edition of the Film Bazaar that is being organized by the National Film Development Corporation Ltd (NFDC) . Over the past decade, Fatih Akin has established himself as one of world cinema’s most distinctive voices, mixing sophisticated cultural critiques with a healthy appreciation for life on the edge. His first film came to international attention Head-On ("Gegen Die Wand"- 2004), which won the Berlinale Golden Bear and the German and European Film Awards. In 1995, Fatih wrote and directed his first short feature, "Sensin - You're The One!" ("Sensin - Du Bist Es!"), which received the Audience Award at the Hamburg International Short Film Festival. His second short film, "Weed" ("Getuerkt", 1996), received several national and international festival prizes. His first full length feature film, "Short Sharp Shock" ("Kurz Und Schmerzlos", 1998) won the Bronze Leopard at Locarno and the Bavarian Film Award (Best Young Director) in 1998. His other films include: "In July" ("Im Juli", 2000), "Wir Haben Vergessen Zurueckzukehren" (2001), "Solino" (2002) etc.

The other highlights of the current edition of film bazar are: 1. Participation of the film fraternity from the SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) nations. 2. Meet the Festivals: This forum will have festival directors and representatives of various film festivals present to interact with the patrons. 3. Screenwriters Lab: Organized by the NFDC, Binger Filmlab of the Netherlands and the Locarno Film Festival, it is a 2-part screenwriters’ workshop for writing and selling original Indian screenplays, the first part of which was held at Locarno.4. Co-production Market: This initiative undertaken by NFDC aims to offer selected filmmakers the opportunity to present their feature film projects (in all languages and at any stage of production) to co producers. 5. PrimeExchange: The main aim of PRIMEXCHANGE is to initiate market exchange and the exchange of ideas between India and Europe in the field of Film and TV Production. 6. Work in Progress Lab: The Work in Progress lab is held at Film Bazaar for feature films at a rough cut stage, whose makers are seeking feedback from experienced film professionals from the international community. 7. Knowledge Series: NFDC Knowledge Series presents case studies and presentations by industry experts. In 2009, about 350 delegates from 22 countries attended the Film Bazaar. This year prominent buyers and sales agents like Farabi Foundation (Iran), Cinetic Rights Management (USA), Fortissimo Films (UK), The Yellow Affair (Finland), Rapid Eye Movies (Germany), Wide Management (France), Railto, (Netherland), Hanway Films (UK) and Wild Bunch (France) have reportedly confirmed their attendance at the film bazar.--meerasahib@columnist.com

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Indian Premiere in IFFI 2010

O Maria directed by Rajendra N. Talak (Konkani), Dhoosar (Blur) directed by Amol Palekar (Marathi), Nauka Doobi (Boat wreck) directed by Rituparno Ghosh (Bengali) are the films selected to be screened under the Indian Premiere section of the 41st International Film Festival of India, Goa 2010

Critics’ Prize-Fipresci award- in IFFI 2010

Government of India in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has decided to introduce the FIPRESCI award (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique -International Federation of Film Critics) for Indian Panorama Feature Films from the 41st edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI ).This is a long awaited initiative. The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in Brussels, Belgium. At present it has members in more than 50 countries worldwide. The FIPRESCI often gives out awards during film festivals (such as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival ,the Warsaw International Film Festival and in India in the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK)) to the critically acclaimed films . Festival Awards are presented at a series of international festivals. Special Awards are also being presented to the best choices of the year. Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer is the winner of the Grand Prix 2010 for the Best Film of the Year, as a result of the poll in which 296 critics, worldwide members of FIPRESCi, participated. Every year at the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival, FIPRESCI honors a Latin American film personality. This year, the award has been presented to Argentinean filmmaker and producer Pablo Trapero and his actress Martina Gusman. "Pablo Trapero and Martina Gusman are one of the biggest creative forces of the last decade in Argentinean cinema and will doubtless be a great inspiration for future generations of Latin American directors and producers", writes Diego Lerer .At Rio de Janeiro , Diary, Letters, Revolutions, the documentary by Brazilian Flavia Castro, won the Critics' Prize . The Critics' Prize has unanimously been awarded to the film Hitler in Hollywood by Belgium director Frédéric Sojcher in Karlovy Vary. Winter Vacation (Han Jia), directed by Li Honqqi (China, 2010), has been selected by the critics' jury (FIPRESCI Prize) in Locarno.