“People are yearning for animation films. Animation is still a growing phenomena and it is here to stay “ says Oscar winning producer Hugh Welchman

Addressing a press conference on his movie ‘The Flying Machine’ at the IFFI 2011 media centre Oscar winning producer Hugh Welchman added that the movie is a magical journey in 3D Stereoscopic. It is essentially a European movie with a Polish, Chinese and Indian co-production.'The Flying Machine' is a 3D live action/animation family feature film about a stressed out business-woman, Georgie (played by Heather Graham), who takes her two children to see the animation film 'Magic Piano', which is being performed live by world famous pianist Lang Lang. A magical event occurs and Georgie's kids get transported inside the animation world, and Georgie has to pursue them, with a little help from Maestro Lang Lang. The "Magic Piano" which is a stop-motion animation tells a story of Anna, a girl whose dad had to leave Poland to work in London. Anna and her cousin Chip Chip find a broken piano which magically transforms into a flying machine and takes them across the Europe. The girl hopes to meet her longing dad ‘The Flying Machine’ is directed by Martin Clapp, Dorota Kobiela and Geoff Lindsey. It commemorates the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birthday. The film takes the eternally fascinating and affecting Etudes and crafts a celebration of the role that music and dance play in human lives.

STUDY OF THE PAST HELPS TO UNDERSTAND OUR ROLE IN THE PRESENT AND FUTURE SAYS DIRECTOR OF ‘THE CONSUL OF BORDEAUX’

“A study of the past makes it easy to understand our role in the present and also gives us a perspective for future” Francisco Manso, Director of the Film ‘The Consul of Bordeaux’ said while addressing a press conference at the IFFI media centre . He likes to make films on historical subjects because of that fact. Franciso Manso , the director, , Vitor Norte, lead actor, , Jose Mazeda the producer and, Henri Seroka, the composer attended the press conference.. The crew shared their experiences during the shoot of the movie and talked about the various events and occurrences which shaped the character of the movie.

INDIAN MARKET HAS OPENED UP TO GLOBAL MOVIES, SAYS PHILLIP NOYCE

Acclaimed Australian film director Phillip Noyce has said in a press conference at IFFI media centre that the Indian market has opened up to global movies and the acceptability of international projects has flourished here. He stated that cinema has progressed by leaps and bounds across the world and it was really heartening to see its growing reach in a country as diverse as India. Noyce has been one of the most successful Australian film directors in Hollywood and has been much acclaimed for his ventures in the American Film Industry. Films like ‘Dead Calm’ which released in 1989 turned Nicole Kidman into a star, the 1994 Tom Clancy spy thriller ‘Clear and Present Danger’ starring Harrison Ford, ‘The Quiet American’- a 2002 film which gave Michael Caine an Academy Award Best Actor nomination and the 2010 action thriller ‘Salt’ starring Angelina Jolie, have all stamped Phillip Noyce’s position as one of the most bankable Australian directors in Hollywood.

Adaminte Makan Abu('Abu, Son of Adam' ) ,the only entry in international competition section of IFFI 2011

Malayalam film Adaminte Makan Abu('Abu, Son of Adam' ) directed by Salim Ahamad ,is India's only official entry into the competition section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2011. The international competition section also has films from countries including Belgium, Philippines, Russia, Japan, Iran, Ireland, Colombia, Israel, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Canada and Kazakhstan. The film 'Adaminte Makan Abu' (Abu, Son of Adam), which has also been chosen as India's official entry in the Best Foreign Film category for the 84th Academy Awards, will be competing with 14 other films for the coveted Golden Peacock award at the IFFI., the film is the story of a poor perfume-seller, Abu, whose only remaining wish in life is the sacred Haj Pilgrimage. The jury, headed by renowned filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, will be judging these films. Laurence Kardish, a senior curator of film at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Lee Yong Kwan, director of Busan International Film Festival in Korea, Tahmineh Milani, an Iranian filmmaker and Dan Wolman, an Israeli award-winning filmmaker are other panel members .. Apart from the Golden Peacock award for the Best Film, there will be other awards like the Silver Peacocks for Best Director, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female) and Special Jury Award.

SUPPORT FOR DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS

IDPA –Indian Documentary Producers Association-has entered into an agreement with Doordarshan to telecast award-winning and acclaimed documentaries, short fiction and animation films at prime time. These films will be telecast on Doordarshan channels – the National Channel, DD News, DD Bharati, and the international DD India over five years. The programmes will be acquired or commissioned by IDPA from independent producers and will deal with a range of social issues. The MoU was facilitated by Information and Broadcasting Minister Smt. Ambika Soni. “Documentaries are agents of change. The dedicated slot for screening given to the documentary film makers in Doordarshan is a great initiative and opens a world of opportunity for us. We have now asked for a dedicated documentary channel to reach the masses. We need banks to support passionate film-makers with loans and also lower import duties for equipment. And from our side, we need to make good, powerful films that have an impact,” said Mike Pandey, President of Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA), addressing a press conference at the 42nd International Film Festival of India today.

FILM BAZAAR AT IFFI-2011 INAUGURATED

Film Bazaar 2011, as part of the 42nd International Film Festival of India-2011, was inaugurated by Ambika Soni , Minister of Information & Broadcasting. Film Bazaar has started calling for entries for its new section ‘Market Recommendations’ that showcase films in need of gap finance, distribution partners and world sales. Films included in this program will be presented to a select audience of festival programmers, distributors, world sales agents and film funds.Filmmakers are invited to submit their rough-cut feature, documentary films prior to ‘picture lock’ at the Work-In-Progress Lab where distinguished international film experts review the rough-cut, contribute significantly in the editing process and advise on the international positioning of the project in the market.Film Bazaar is an annual film market organised by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) and is held alongside the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at the Goa Marriott Resort. Last year, Film Bazar saw 453 delegates from 37 countries. Its international partners included Cinemart, (Rotterdam), Binger Filmlab (Netherlands), The Hubert Bals Fund (Rotterdam), Primehouse (Germany), Europa Cinemas, Locarno International Film Festival (Switzerland), SPAA(Screen Producers’ Association, Australia), Festival Scope, Screen International and Film Business Asia.

FRANKFURTRHEINMAIN REGION BEING PROMOTED AS AN ATTRACTIVE BUSINESS LOCATION

A delegation of experts from German film industries are in India to promote the FrankfurtRheinMain region as an attractive business location. During the trip, the FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region is organising investment seminars led by experts in Mumbai and Goa. Addressing the press at the Media Centre of IFFI, Dr. Hartmut Schwesinger, President and CEO of FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region said that the seminars are an ideal platform for Indian companies to learn about business advantages of the FrankfurtRheinMain region, gain valuable information about setting up their businesses and acquire new contacts. The objective of the company is to inform foreign firms about the locational advantages, to promote the international competitiveness of the region and to strengthen awareness abroad. FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region provides potential investors with extensive information on locations and detailed sector-specific data, coordinates location selection processes in cooperation with local partners and helps firms to establish contact with the right people.

NFAI Exhibition on ‘Music & Songs in Indian Cinema’ inaugurated at IFFI -2011

Uday Kumar Varma , Secretary , I & B ,Govt. of India inaugurated an exhibition on ‘Music & Songs in Indian Cinema’ organized by National Film Archive of India(NFAI) ,Pune in which the Chief Secretary of Goa , Sanjay Srivastava, Information Secretary of Goa ,Rajiv Verma, Joint Secreatary Films ,Ministry of I & B , DP Reddy were present . The National Film Archive of India(NFAI) eshtablished in 1964 is India’s leading cultural heritage management institution and seeks to safeguard heritage of Indian Cinema for posterity. Promoition of film scholarship and research on various aspects of cinema also form of its objectives. It is an ongoing job at the Archives to trace and acquire national and international films to enrich its collection. The Research and Documentation centre has a large collection of ancillary material on Indian cinema like photographs, songs booklets, wall posters and pamphlets. It has 19000 posters in its collection.

Indian Panorama-IFFI 2011- Inaugurated with Malayalam film “Urumi”

Loving Every Moment at the Festival: Madhuri Dixit
Indian Panorama section of the 42nd International Film Festival of India-2011 was inaugurated by Secretary, Information & Broadcasting, Uday Kumar Varma in Goa today. Renowned film actress Madhuri Dixit was among those present on the occasion.
Sai Paranjpye ,the Chairperson and Members of Feature Film jury - Mahesh Aney, Manju Bohra. M.K.Bhaskar Rao, Sreelekha Mukherji, Rakesh Pandey, Loveleen Tandan, C.V.Reddy, Jayashree Kanal and M.Mohan, Chairperson Non-Feature Films Jury Shri Ashok Rane, and members – Vinoo Choliparambil, Manash Bhowmick, U.Radhakrishnan and Ziya Us Salam were felicitated on the occasion.The Indian Panorama section was opened with the screening of the movie ‘Urumi’- a Malayalam film directed by Santosh Sivan and will host 24 Indian feature films .

“Cinema is a modern art of storytelling a collective focus addressed to all, open to all and including all” -Shahrukh Khan -IFFI 42 nd edition opened

The 42nd International Film Festival of India was inaugurated at Rabindra Bhavan ,Madgaon ,Goa.. Ambika Son ,Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Chief Minister of Goa Digambar Kamat were joined by Chief Guest Shah Rukh Khan, Actress Rituparna Sengupta, Mayor of Margao, Susheela Naik, Shri Uday Kumar Varma, Secretary I&B Ministry, Sanjay Shrivastava-Chief Secretary Goa, Festival Director Shankar Mohan, Manoj Shrivastav-CEO, Entertainment Society among others, to light the ceremonial lamp.
Addressing the gathering, Ambika Soni said “Let IFFI become truly an international event- an international people’s festival”. Digambar Kamat ,Chief Minister of Goa emphasized the growing film culture in the state . Chief Guest Shah Rukh Khan while expressing happiness on being a part of this cinematic extravaganza shared his views on cinema as a medium that binds people in a shared experience. He said, cinema is modern art of storytelling ‘a collective focus addressed to all, open to all and including all’. He said festivals like IFFI are a manifestation of human happiness and should be seen as a sharing of India as people gather to share their joys and creativity. He concluded that an honest effort is critical for producing anything of value and he complimented the organizers for making that honest effort.
Life Time Achievement award was conferred upon French film maker Bertrand Tavernier. The event showcased an extempore painting by Shri Vilas Nayak on Bertrand Tavernier followed by a screening of a two minute clip on the acclaimed filmmaker known for his works in world cinema.
Hosted by Rahul Khanna and Tisca Chopra, the event showcased the cultural diversity of the country which intermingled with a confluence of movie minds made for the perfect convergence of the world at Indian shores. Starting with the rendition of ‘Vandematram’ featuring seven dancers dancing on slow paced music, the opening ceremony moved on to an Odissi recital by Subhada Varadkar, Lavani performance by Karishma G, Kathak recital by Aditi Mangaldas which culminated to Saptarang Tarana which brought together all the lead performing artists together to showcase the ‘Unity in Diversity’ of the country. The Shillong Chamber Choir presented to the audience renditions which presented the culture of the country in contemporary tones. The international jury panel which comprising of luminary filmmakers like Adoor Gopalakrishnan-the Chairperson of the panel, Dan Wolman from Israel, Lawrence Kardish from USA, Lee Yong Kwan from the Busan Film Festival and Tahmineh Milani from Iran were felicitated by Rituparna Sengupta. The opening film of the festival ‘The Consul of Bordeaux’ directed by Francisco Manso and Joao Correa was screened .

The Consul of Bordeaux, Opening Film of 42nd IFFI

The Consul of Bordeaux a film from Portugal and directed by João Correa, and Francisco Manso will open the 42 International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa .This 90 minutes film tells the true story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes., June 17, 2011 marked the 71st anniversary of Consul General of Portugal in Bordeaux Aristides de Sousa Mendes' Act of Conscience when 30,000 World War II refugees, including 10,000 Jews, were saved with his visa in June 1940. Being the Portuguese General Consul stationed in Bordeaux, France, he issued 30,000 visas for safe passage to Portugal. He defied the direct orders of his government and exhibited courage, moral rectitude, unselfishness, and self-sacrifice by issuing visas to all refugees regardless of nationality, race, religion or political opinions. This narrative film expresses his heroic actions towards humanity, which will perpetuate his legacy of justice for a new generation. In 1966, Yad Vashem named him Righteous Among the Nations. He is considered to have achieved the largest single rescue operation of World War II.

The 42nd International Film Festival of India - Homage Section

The 42nd IFFI which will be held in Goa from 23rd November to 3rd December 2011 will pay homage to seven film celebrities. They include Sidney Lumet, Raul Ruiz, Claude Chabrol, Adolfas Meekas, Richard Leacock, Elizabeth Taylor and Tareque Masood.

42 nd IFFI 2011-Lifetime Achievement Award to Eminent French Film Maker Bertrand Tavernier

The Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to the eminent French Film Maker Bertrand Tavernier at the inauguration of the 42nd International Film Festival of India -2011 on 23rd November 2011 in Goa. The Lifetime Achievement Award carries an amount of Rs. 10 lakh, a scroll and a ertificate.Bertrand Tavernier is best known for his films ‘Prix Louis Delluc’ and the ‘Silver Bear’ as well as Special Jury Prize award winner of his film ‘The Clockmaker’ at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival. Bertrand Tavernier has to his credit acclaimed films like ‘Life and Nothing But’ which won the BEFTA for best film in a language other than English in 1990 and ‘The Princess of Montpensier’ which competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Shahrukh Khan will light the lamp in the Inaugural function of 42nd International Film Festival of India - 2011

Official Poster of the Festival Launched by the Festival Director Shanker Mohan.Shahrukh Khan will attend the 42nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) which is scheduled to be held in Goa from 23rd November to 3rd December 2011. This was stated by Shankar Mohan, Director, IFFI, at the launching of official poster of IFFI-11. The poster of IFFI has been designed by Thota Tharani . Suriya actor from Tamil will be the Guest of honour of the closing ceremony ,said Shankar Mohan. “Urumi’ will open the Indian Panorama section and films like “Ranjana Ami Ar Asbo Na’, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ and many more are included. IFFI-2011 will showcase over 100 movies from 65 countries of world and some of the films included have won accolades at Cannes, Locarno a d Montreal. There would also be a special ‘Master Class’ session to explain nuances by cinema professionals to the session guests, Shankar Mohan added.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan will chair the International Competition Jury

The renowned film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan will chair the International Competition Jury of the 42nd Edition of IFFI scheduled to start from 23rd November in Panaji,Goa. Other members are:
Dan Wolman (Film Maker – Israel)
Lee Yong Kwan (Director, Busan International Film Festival – Korea)
Laurance Kardish (International Film Curator/Director of MOMA – USA)
Tahmineh Milani (Film Maker – Iran)

42 nd IFFI-URUMI will open Indian Panorama Section

URUMI ,a Malayalam film directed by Santhosh Sivan will open the Indian Panorama Section of the 42 nd International Film Festival of India to be held in Panaji ,Goa from 23 Nov-3 Dec 2011

THE CONSUL OF BORDEAUX will open 42 nd IFFI

THE CONSUL OF BORDEAUX directed by João Correa, and Francisco Manso will open the 42 International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa, on 23rd November, 2011.

16th IFFK 2011--Malayalam Cinema Today-films finalised

Malayalam Cinema Today

1. Akam/Palace in Bloom

Dir: Shalini Usha Nair/Malayalam/97min/2011

2. Karmayogi

Dir: V.K.Prakash/Malayalm/11min/2010

3. Khaaddama/Expatriate House Maid

Dir: Kamal/Malayalam/107min/2010

4. Pakarnattam

Dir: Jayaraj/Malayalam/98min/2010

5. Pranchiettan and the Saint

Dir: Ranjith/Malayalam/120min/2010

6. Sankaranm Mohananum

Dir: T.V. Chandran/Malaylam/110min/2011

7. Traffic

Dir: Rajesh Pillai/Malayalam/116min/2011

16th IFFK --International Film Festival of Kerala -Indian Cinema Section list finalized

Indian Cinema Now-list of films selected

1. Aadukalam/Arena

Dir: Vetri Maran/Tamil/120min/2011

2. Azhagarsamy's Horse

Dir: Susindran N./Tamil/122min/2011

3. Baboo Band Party

Dir: Rajesh Pinjani/Marathi/127min/2010

4. Chaplin

Dir: Anindo Bandopadhyay/Bengali/137min/2011

5. Handover

Dir: Saurabh Kumar/Hindi/73min/2011

6. I want to be a Mother/Mala Aai Vhhaychyl

Dir: Dir: Adv. Samruoddhi Sanjay Porey/Marathi/115min/2010

7. Naukadubi/Kashmakash

Dir: Rituparno Ghosh/Bengali/135min/2011

16th IFFK-Selection of films for International Competition finalized.

16th IFFK --International Film Festival of Kerala

9-16 December,2011 ,Thiruvananthapuram.Kerala,India

List of films for International Competition.

1. A Stone’s Throw Away/A Tiro de Piedra

Dir: Sebastian Hiriat/Mexico/118min/2010

2. Aadimadhyantham

Dir: Sherrey/Malayalam/104min/2011

3. Adaminte Makan Abu/Abu Son of Adam

Dir: Salim Ahmed/Malayalam/101min/2010

4. At the end of it all/Abosheshey

Dir: Aditi Roy/Bengali/118min/2011

5. Black Blood

Dir: Miaoyan Zhang/China|France/123min/2011

6. Body/Vucut (debut)

Dir: Mustafa Nuri/Turkey/104min/2011

7. Delhi in a Day

Dir: Prashanth Nair/Hindi|English/88min/2011

8. Flamingo No.13/Flamingo Shomareh 13

Dir: Hamid Ahmadi Tofighi/Iran/82min/2010

9. Ndoto za Elibidi

Dir: Kamau Wa Ndung'u|Nick Reding/Kenia/72min/2010

10. Palawan Fate/Busong

Dir: Auraeus Solito/Philippines/93min/2011

11. September Rain/ Matar Ayloul

Dir: Abdellatif Abdelhamid/Syria/85min/2010

12. The Cat Vanishes/ El gato desaparece

Dir: Carlos Sorin/Argentina/89min/2011

13. The Colours of the Mountains/Los colores de la montaña

Dir: Carlos César Arbeláez/ Colombia | Panama/90min/2011

14. The Painting Lesson/La Leccion de Pintura

Dir: Pablo Perelman/Chile|Mexico|Espana/85min/2011