44TH iffi 2013 -‘Beatriz’s War’ directed by Bety Reis and Luigi Acquisto won ‘Golden Peacock’ of the 44th IFFI 2013 - ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ the closing film

‘Beatriz’s War’ an East Timor film bagged the coveted  Golden Peacock award for Best Film . The award carries a Golden Peacock, a certificate and a Cash Prize of Rs. 40 lakh. The film, directed by Bety Reis and Luigi Acquisto, is a passionate story of one woman’s conviction to remain true to the man she loves.. Indian Director Kaushik Ganguli bags the award for Best Director for his Bengali film ‘Apur Panchali’. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh.Special Jury Award went to Turkish film ‘Thou Gild’st The Even’, directed by Onur Unlu. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh.Best Actor (Male) award went to Alon Moni Aboutboul for his performance in Israeli movie ‘A Place in Heaven’. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh. Best Actor (Female) award was presented to Boczarska Magdalena for her excellent performance in Polish film ‘In Hiding’. The Award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh. The Special Centenary Award was given to Bengali film ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’, directed by Kamaleshwar Mukherjee. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh. ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ directed by Justin Chadwick was the closing film of the festival. The film is based on anti-apartheid revolutionary and former South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiographic book, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’. The film chronicles his life from his childhood in a rural village to his emergence as the first democratically elected President of South Africa.  Malaysian actor and filmmaker Michelle Yeoh was the Chief Guest . Addressing the audience attending the closing ceremony Manish Tewari, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting said that 44th IFFI was a celebration of freedom of the human spirit, liberated from the mores of conventionalism, imbued with the ability to dare and above all the power of a ‘New Idea’. He said that the government has also taken the initiative to replace the Cinematograph Act with a completely new legislation, the draft of which is on the Ministry’s website for public consultation. Governor of Goa Bharat Veer Wanchoo, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari, Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar, many International and Bollywood personalities including Asha Parekh, Rohit Shetty, Jimmy Shergil and Deepshikha were also present at the closing ceremony.. The ceremony opened with  an Indian rock fusion by Remo Fernandes from Goa.Raghavendra Singh , Joint Secretary (Films) and, Vishnu Surya Wagh Chairman (ESG) were also present at the closing ceremony. 

A CHANCE IS WAITING FOR YOU IN THAILAND FOR FILM MAKING

VithayaPansringarm the lead  actor of the Thai film, ‘Only God Forgives’ said that Thailand has a great opportunity for production of Indian movies. He said that Thailand, being a film destination for Hollywood/International movies, production of Indian films is also possible there. In a media interaction at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panjim, Goa today, he said that Indian movies are liked in his country and DVDs and films with Thai subtitles are also available in the Thai market.Producer of Thai film ‘Tang Wong’, SorosSukhum said that his film is part of independent cinema and Thailand film industry should make film based on modern concepts in place of superstitions. Soros Sukhum has also supported the idea of producing more films in Thailand. 

Violence does not solve any problem - Kosovcevic:

Through violence you will never get anything good says Bojan Vuk Kosovcevic director of Serbian film ‘The Whirlpool’, During a media interaction, ‘Meet the Director’ at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panjim, Goa he said, Indian films are liked by Serbian people for their artistic appeal. He said that ‘The Whirlpool’, is set in the second half of the 1990s in Belgrade against the backdrop of disintegration of Yugoslavia and its socio-economic impact on Serbia. He said that social extremes were apparent everywhere in Serbia especially among the youth during the collapse of Serbia. He said that due to war, inflation, physical isolation and sanctions, Serbia was becoming a kind of closed society, which was most visible in Serbia’s capital, Belgrade. He said, his film ‘The Whirlpool’ is about this isolated environment, where the young begun to create their own worlds. It is seen from the perspectives of those youth who were becoming adults, and about their efforts to find themselves getting sucked into a chaotic whirlpool of violence. The debut feature film director said that though his country is rich in terms of infrastructure and marketing of films, still people are not going to theatres because of television and advent of internet. He said that collaboration between countries is the solution to this problem.

Corporate-Bollywood nexus killing regional cinema - Ehsan Mazid

The Corporate multinationals  and Bolly wood nexus are  killing regional cinema in the country and the situation is worse in the north east says award winning film maker Ehsan Mazid from North East india. He is the director of the film Sonam in Monpa dialect. He was sharing the problems and prospects of films from North East  on the 5^th day of Open Forum in the 44^TH IFFI premises. He added that there is no support for the films made in the regional languages from Govt for distribution and or exhibition. Utpal Borpujari , Arup Manna, Dondor Lyngdoh and Rahul Jain participated in the discussion.

IDPA seeking wide platform for screening of documentaries

Sanskar Desai  ,General Secretary, Indian Documentary Producers’ Association (IDPA)said at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) that a wide platform should be evolved by the government to screen documentaries in theaters and different TV Channels. He also said that the documentary makers who are doing great work for a social cause should be given due recognition. Sanskar Desai said that IDPA is committed to take documentary films to the remotest corners of the country by arranging different open forums, workshops and seminars. He said that IDPA in partnership with Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) is providing a good platform for promotion of documentaries. He said that IDPA is working in close collaboration with organizations like Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City), P.L. Deshpande Kala Academy and Film and Cultural Society of North East for screening of documentaries. Priti Chandriani, Treasurer of IDPA ,Lygia Mathews, Executive Committee Member,Aftab Afridi, Executive Committee Member, were also attended the press meet.

Elderly people great resource for posterity- Sabyasachi Mohapatra

Sabyasachi Mohapatra ,the director of the Odia film, ‘Sala Budha’ (The Stupid Old Man) said that instead of looking at elderly people as liability by the younger ones, he feels that they are a great resource for leading the society. While addressing the media at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI he said that one in every five persons will be over 65 by 2035. It is not just the traditional values but the older generation who could be the light house for prosperity. Sala Budha has a subtle message for the present fast paced uncaring society. He said that the film is a tale of human values and generosity

‘Comics are a special kind of literacy as the language of comics makes it helpful for one to learn the world, if not alphabets.’ Max Andersson .Animation Film Maker Interact With Media in IFFI

Eminent animation film-makers of the ‘Sketches on Screen’ segment in the 44th IFFI discussed their content and craft with the media person.  Seth Scriver and Shayne Ehman from Canada along with the Swedish comic creator, Max Andersson were present. During the interaction, they explained comics as a medium which may be used artistically. Max Andersson agreed, ‘comics are a special kind of literacy as the language of comics makes it helpful for one to learn the world, if not alphabets.’ He found the trend of using animation even in documentaries an important development.  Shayne Ehman and Seth Scriver, discussing the mass marketing of animation films, said justice can be done to such films even without big budget. Andersson voiced the same feeling saying, ‘big budget may sometime limit creativity.’  Toronto-born Seth Scriver’s solo animation has been exhibited at the Images Festival in Toronto and the Impakt Festival in Utrecht. His co-director, Shayne Ehman has his work exhibited internationally for twenty years. ‘Asphalt Watches’, which features in the segment, is their debut directorial project. In the film characters range from sweetly creepy to downright gross and dangerous. It unfolds the story about Skeleton Hat, a scuffy grey dude in a burnt-out trapper’s cap and Bucktooth Cloud, a droopy-eyed transparent blob in a crumpled top hat. The film won Toronto International Film Festival Award for the Best Canadian First Feature Film.  After directing and producing a number of award-winning short films, Max Andersson turned to comics in the late 1980s. In his films, a mix of ink-black existentialism and pictopoetic slapstick explores the physical and metaphysical landscapes of life. He directed ‘Tito on Ice’, a part of the ‘Sketches on Screen’, with Helena Ahonen. In the film, two Swedish comic creators, to promote their book, tour the countries of former Yugoslavia with a mummified Marshal Tito in a refrigerator. They encounter a number of artists and intellectuals populating the post-Yugoslav indie cultural scene to find that truth may indeed be stranger than fiction.

‘Burning Bush’ is not about communism - Agnieszka Holland ,the Polish Film Director

The `noted Polish film director, Agnieszka Holland met the press here today at the 44th IFFI. Speaking about her latest work ‘Burning Bush’ she said the film is not about communism but shows grey sides of people’s choices.The Goa festival is presenting the six – film retrospective to acquaint the film enthusiasts with the content and craft of noted Polish film director, Agnieszka Holland. Her films underline decaying ideals, crisis of identities, human despair and a universal struggle to overcome maladies of the mankind. Her work traverses through the social and political landscape of Poland profiled by its most turbulent times – World War II, Solidarity Movement and the Communist regime. Ms Agnieszka Holland began her career under the guidance of master like Andrzej Wajda and Krzystoff Zanussi. She studied film-making at Prague’s Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU). Her films ‘Angry Harvest’ (1985) and ‘In Darkness’ (2010) earned nominations for the Academy Award for best Foreign Language Film. Her 1991 feature, ‘Europa, Europa’ won a Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Language Film. Her other best known films include ‘To Kill A Priest’ (1988), ‘The Secret Garden’ (1993) and ‘Burning Bush’ (2013). 

Acting is using one’s imagination and activism is what one does as a person : Susan Sarandon

The chief guest of the 44th International Film Festival of India, Susan Sarandon said, ‘I am an actor because I have very strong imagination which raises in me empathy towards the pain and pleasure of the people. These two qualities are connected and make for an activist’. Susan Sarandon who is also an  activist was addressing the media persons in an IFFI press conference . Elaborating on acting and activism she said acting is using one’s imagination while activism is what one does as a person. 

Expressing her candid views on the social role of an actor, Susan Sarandon said, ‘it has always been hurting to my ego to live without asking questions about the issues concerning mankind’. As cinema reframes one’s vision of the man and his world, it is important to make good movies with substance, she added. She asserted that ultimately one has to create his or her own story. 

Responding to a question on gender discrimination she said education is the basis of any change and that a man is comfortable when he chooses a strong woman. The business of filmmaking is very hard on woman, she replied to another question. Oscar is the biggest award but the film winning the award need not necessarily be the best. The awards are decided by contribution of Jury and voting system which has evolved into a different system. 

“My films are Celebration of life” – Jiri Menzel

The   ace director and the recipient of the lifetime Achievement Award winner of  the 44th International Film Festival of India, Jiri Menzel said, ‘life is good for living and my films are a celebration of life’. He was addressing the media persons here today. Underscoring the basic component of his films, Jiri Menzel said, ‘I don’t make intelligent or stupid films, I make films for my neighbours.’ On the idea of censorship, Jiri Menzel admitted, ‘freedom is good for adult people but, unfortunately, the people are not adult enough.’ The advent of new technologies has never been impending to my work, he added. About the essential humour tone of most of his films, he acknowledged humour has been a measure for him to survive pain.

Manoj Kumar Inaugurates Indian Panorama of the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)

Veteran film actor and director, Manoj Kumar inaugurated the Indian Panorama Section  of the 44th IFFI .Veteran film actor and director, Manoj Kumar inaugurated the Indian Panorama Section here today at the ongoing 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in the presence of Manish Tewari, Bimal Julka , Prem Chopra, Subhash Ghai and Manoj Bajpai. Speaking on the occasion Manoj Kumar remembered nostalgic days of films and film making. He suggested that Ministry should institute an award of such stature that even Hollywood vie to deserve it. Addressing the august gathering, Manish Tewari said that the Ministry would look forward to add a special segment on political cinema next year. The segment contains 26 feature films and 16 non-feature films. The ‘Kanyaka Talkies’ , a malayalam film by K. R. Manoj  opened the Panorama. ‘Rangabhoomi’ by Kamal Swaroop is the opening film in the non feature section.

Agnieszka Holland retrospective at 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFK 2013)

  The 44th International Film Festival in is presenting  a retrospective of noted Polish   film director,   Agnieszka Holland. Her films underline decaying ideals, crisis of identities, human despair and a universal struggle to overcome maladies of the mankind. Her work traverses through the social and political landscape of Poland profiled by its most turbulent times – World War II, Solidarity Movement and the Communist regime .Agnieszka Holland began her career under the guidance of master like Andrzej Wajda and Krzystoff Zanussi. She studied film-making at Prague’s Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU). Her films ‘Angry Harvest’ (1985) and ‘In Darkness’ (2010) earned nominations for the Academy Award for best Foreign Language Film. Her 1991 feature, ‘Europa, Europa’ won a Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Language Film. Her other best known films include ‘To Kill A Priest’ (1988), ‘The Secret Garden’ (1993) and ‘Burning Bush’ (2013). 

44th IFFI got underway with Grace ,Glitz; Mesmerizing Performances and presence of Galaxy of Stars

The 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2013) got underway today in a colourful and star studded function at Panaji, Goa. The festival began unfolding with the lighting of the traditional lamp by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari; Governor of Goa, Bharat VirWanchoo ;Chief Minister of Goa, ManoharParrikar; Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, BimalJulka, the legendary singer, AshaBhonsle, noted Iranian film director, MajidMajidi, chief guest Susan Sarandon and the icon of Bollywood, WaheedaRehman. The classical performances included with both elusive magic and devotional currents. A jugalbandi featuringKathak doyen PanditBirjuMaharaj and sitar maestro UstadNishat Khan enchanted the audience. The galaxy of stars present on the occasion included PremChopra,NanaPatekar, Rekha, Jackie Shroff, Rani Mukherjee,ManojBajpai,HumaQureshi and Alia Bhatt.  Expressing her gratitude, Susan Sarandon said, ‘India has a rich history of film-making and is always eager to make films which broaden our horizon.’ The multi-dimensional film personality, Kamal Hassan said he owed his success as an artist to the fraternity of the world cinema. Describing her association with the world of cinema, AshaBhonsle acknowledged that seventy years in Indian film industry gave her immense love and affection. The actor who mesmerized many a generation with her sterling performance, WaheedaRehman received the first Centenary Award from the Manish Tewari ,and ManoharParrikar, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award Jiri Menzel was accompanied to the dais by renowned film-maker Ramesh Sippy. He received the award from Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Chief Minister and Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Addressing the august gathering, Jiri Menzel said, ‘I feel proud to know that my films are well-accepted here in India’.  Earlier welcoming the participants, BimalJulka, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that cinema has been a part and parcel of Indian reality. To promote India as a film destination the Ministry has been taking efforts to put a single-window mechanism in place, he added. He said India is the only country that makes films in 39 languages and dialects.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is setting up National Museum for Indian Cinema in Mumbai and National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) in Pune.

Bimal Julka, Secretary ,Ministry of Information and Broadcasting informed  the media at  the IFFI Press conferance that the National Museum for Indian Cinema is being set up in Mumbai and National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM) will come up in Pune shortly

44TH IFFI is the celebration of the spirit and essence of cinema - Manish Tewari

Manish Tewari, Minister for Information and Broadcasting has said that the 2013 edition of IFFI heralds beginning of the new century in its journey. Addressing the media persons before the inauguration of the 44th International Film Festival in Goa, Tewari said the festival is a celebration of the spirit and essence of cinema. He described the extravaganza as a unique project in federal-state partnership. It has been successful in creating a model of working in close conjunction with each other, he added. While presenting an overview of the annual feat, the Minister said, ‘what we showcase here is a platform for diverse thoughts’. He said that this cultural event celebrates different ethos and milieus exposed on screen. Underscoring the highlights of the festival, Minister said that the film Industry is magnificent in its diversity. As the event puts focus on North-East Cinema this year, the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Mukul Sangma has been requested to open the segment, he informed. 

Susan Sarandon to be Chief Guest of the 44th edition of the International Film Festival of India -326 Films from 76 Countries to be screened.

Briefing the media on the 44th International Film Festival of India Shankar Mohan, Director, Film Festival said the Lifetime Achievement Award and Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year will be conferred by Manish Tiwari , Minister for Information and Broadcasting at the inaugural function. Mohan informed Susan Sarandon will be the be Chief Guest...( Susan Abigail Tomalin , known professionally as Susan Sarandon, is an American actress. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking ) .Mohan added that at this fest 326 films from 76 countries will be screened including fifteen Oscar – nominees. The opening will be marked by a 30 minute cultural show graced by the performance of renowned Kathak exponent Pandit Birju Maharaj. Rajat Kapoor and Suhasini Maniratnam will compere the opening ceremony.. An eminent painter from Assam, Pulak Gogoi is the designer to give colour, design and theme to the festival this year..Speaking on the occasion Arvind Bugde, CEO, Entertainment Society of Goa informed about the effort being made by the Goa Government to make the experience of participants memorable.

44th IFFI opens on 20th December with Jiri Menzel’s ’Don Juans” and closes on 30th with ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ directed by Justin Chadwick.

All set for the prestigious film  festival being organized by the festival secretariat of the Ministry  of Information and Broadcasting ,Govt. of India .The 44th edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is being held from 20th to 30th November, 2013. The 11-day cinematic extravaganza promises to be the melting pot of diverse film cultures and artistic values aiming to promote good cinema. With the presence of special guests like Rekha, Asha Bhonsle, Kamal Hassan, the star studded opening ceremony will be a window to visual treat for film lovers and critics. True to the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’(the whole world is one family), the inaugural function of the festival brings together Academy Award winning Hollywood actor and Chief Guest of the Festival, Susan Sarandon, critically acclaimed Iranian director, producer and screen writer Majid Majidi and Polish film maker Agnieszka Holland.
Waheeda Rehman ,the actor in the golden era of Indian cinema ,will be conferred with the first Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year 2013. One of the best known representatives of the ‘New Wave Czech Cinema’, Jiri Menzel will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award on the occasion. His latest work, ’Don Juans” will be the opening film of the festival. The festival will close with a film portraying Nelson Mandela`s life journey ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’ directed by Justin Chadwick and written by William Nicholsan. Fifteen Films from around the world will vie for the coveted Golden Peacock Award.
The festival will spotlight cinema from North-East States of India. The Country Focus this year is on Japan and the segment will showcase a special package of the best of Japan .

44th INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA – DETAILS OF AWARDS

The following awards will be given to the films selected by the international jury headed by       in the  44^th International Film Festival of India .The Life time achievement award and the Centenary awards are given on the basis of the recommendations of committees constituted for the purpose.

i) Best Film :

• A Cash prize of Rs. 40,00,000/- to be shared equally between the Director and Producer.
• Director to be given the Golden Peacock and a certificate in addition to the cash component.
• Producer to be given a certificate in addition to the cash component.

(ii) Best Director : Silver Peacock, Certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 15,00,000/-
(iii) Best Actor (Male) : Silver Peacock, Certificate and a cash prize of Rs.10,00,000/-
(iv) Best Actor (Female) : Silver Peacock, Certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10,00,000/-
(v) Special Jury Award : Silver Peacock, Certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 15,00,000/- given to a film (for any aspect
of the film which the jury wishes to award/acknowledge) or an individual (for his/her artistic contribution to a film). The award, if given to a film, will be given to the Director of the film.

Life Time Achievement Award
This prestigious award consisting of a cash prize of Rs. 10,00,000/-, certificate, shawl and a scroll, is conferred upon a master film maker for his/her outstanding contribution to cinema. The festival every year invites a film maker of repute for this award.


Centenary Award
Centenary Award Silver Peacock, certificate and cash prize of Rs.10,00,000/- ( To be given to a feature film that reflects a new paradigm in motion pictures in terms of aesthetic, technique or technological innovation).