Donbass’ directed by Sergei Loznitsa won the prestigious Golden Peacock award -.Lijo Jose Pellissery conferred Best Director Award-Chemban Vinod is the Best Actor-Anastasiia Pustovit gets Best Actor (Female) Award-49th IFFI 2018

49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concluded in Goa today, November 28, 2018, with a splendid closing rite at Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium attended by ministers film personalities and dignitaries.

Donbass’ directed by Sergei Loznitsa has won the prestigious Golden Peacock award .The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 4 million (Rs 40 lakhs) to be shared equally between the Producer and the Director, plaque and the citation.

Donbass tells the story of a hybrid war taking place in a region of Eastern Ukraine, involving an open armed conflict alongside killings and robberies perpetrated on a mass scale by separatist gangs. In Donbass, war is called peace and propaganda is uttered as truth. A journey through Donbass unfolds as a series of curious adventures. This is not just a tale of one region or a political system; it is about a world lost in post-truth and fake identities.

Donbass was selected as the opening film in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Sergei Loznitsa won the ‘Un Certain Regard’ Award for Best Director.

Lijo Jose Pellissery conferred Best Director Award for Ee.Ma.Yau

Lijo Jose Pellissery won the Best Director Award for his 2018 Malayalam film ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’. The film is a stunning satire on death and how it affects human lives. Set in Chellanam, a coastal village in Kerala, the film shows the plight of a son who tries to arrange a worthy funeral for his father; he is however met with unpredictable obstacles and reactions from different quarters. The Best Director gets the Silver Peacock Award and a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million (Rs 15 lakhs).

He also won the Best Director Award at the 48th Kerala State Film Awards for Ee.Ma.Yau.

Chemban Vinod is the Best Actor

The Best Actor (Male) Award has gone to Chemban Vinod for his portrayal in Malayalam film Ee.Ma.Yau of ‘Eeshi’, a son who tries to arrange a worthy funeral for his father but is met with unpredictable obstacles and reactions from different quarters.

Anastasiia Pustovit gets Best Actor (Female) Award

The Best Actor (Female) Award has gone to Anastasiia Pustovit  for her portrayal of a ‘Larysa’, a teenage girl in the Ukrainian film ‘When the Trees Fall’.

Both Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) are honoured with the Silver Peacock Trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakhs) each.

Special Jury Award for Milko Lazarov’s Aga

Milko Lazarov walked away with the Special Jury Award for his film ‘Aga’; the film focuses on the story of Sedna and Nanook, an elderly couple from Yakutia, and the particular challenges they face in the midst of a frigid landscape. The Special Jury Award carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million (Rs 15 lakhs), a Silver Peacock Award and a citation.

Alberto Monteras II receives ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ for Respeto

Alberto Monteras II received the Centenary award for ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ for his Filipino Movie ‘Respeto’. 'Walking with the Wind', directed by Praveen Morchhale, won The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal instituted by the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication, Paris and UNESCO. The criteria for the Gandhi Medal reflect UNESCO’s fundamental mandate of building peace in the mind of men and women, particularly human rights, intercultural dialogue, promotion and safeguard of diversity of cultural expressions.

’Walking with the Wind’ tells the story of a 10 year old boy in Himalayan Terrain, who mistakenly breaks his friend’s school chair. His daily seven km long journey to school in mountainous terrain on a donkey, turns mammoth and challenging when he decides to bring the chair to his village.

‘Los Silencios’, the Portuguese, Spanish movie directed by Beatriz Seigner got the special mention under ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal category.

Salim Khan, the celebrated actor, story-screenplay-dialogue writer of Hindi films was honoured with the IFFI 2018 Special Award for his Lifetime Contribution to Cinema. The prestigious award consisting of a cash prize of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakhs), Certificate, Shawl and a Scroll has been conferred upon the master filmmaker for his outstanding contribution to cinema.

23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) -Jury list

 Majid Majidi the renowned filmmaker from Iran will head the jury and decide the winners of Chakoram awards- Suvarna as well as Rajatha Chakoram-  at the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) to be held here from December 7 to 13. The delegates may get a chance to view Majidi’s film Muhammed - The Messenger of God. There is a Censor threat against this film. He started his career in filmmaking with Explosion (Enfejar) (1981) - documentary short. Baduk (1992)was his debut feature film. Father(1996), Children of Heaven (1997), The Color of Paradise(1999), Baran (2001), the Song of Sparrows(2008) are his other known films. He made a Hindi film namely Beyond the Clouds completely shot in India.

Other members in the Jury are :

Tamil filmmaker Vetrimaran, best known for his movies like Aadukalam and Polladhavan. He won the National Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay. He started his career as an assistant to director Balu Mahendra in 1999.

 Marathi filmmaker Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni is a director and producer, known for Deool (2011), Three of Us(2008) and Vihir (2009) and

 Filipino filmmaker Adolfo Alix Junior is known for films Donsol, Kadin (The Goat, 2006),Tambolista (Drumbeat, 2007),Manila (2009),Aurora (2009),Isda (Fable of the Fish) (2011),Kalayaan (Wildlife) (2012),Death March (2013) and Porno(2013)

49th International Film Festival of India 2018-IFFI- Silver Prize will be added as a part of celebrating the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in the the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Award

Marking the 125^th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Award is being given to a film that best reflects Mahatma Gandhi's ideals of peace, tolerance and non-violence. This is in collaboration with the International Film Festival of India. In the 49^th edition of the fest, 12 films are vying for the award which will be announced at the closing ceremony of the Festival on 28^th November. Out of the 12 films, two are Indian and the rest are foreign. The Indian films competing for the prestigious ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal are ‘Walking With the Wind’ and ‘Baaram’.The foreign films in the fray are Border, Capernaum, Dovlatov, Laugh or Die, Los Silencious, Rain of Homs, The Interpreter, The Mercy of the Jungle, The Rib and The Silent Revolution.

ICFT is involved in major film festivals all over the world but Goa is the masterpiece of all Film Festivals, said Georges Dupont, DG, International Council for Film Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT) and jury member of the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at IFFI. ICFT is trying hard to get into festivals like Cannes in order to get space for young film-makers he added. Dupont was addressing the media along with Eric Falt, Director of UNESCO and Regional Representative for India and neighbouring countries. Elaborating on the process of selection, Dupont said that criteria for selecting films to the ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal Section are difficult because they have to meet UNESCO's themes of peace,  unity and international co-operation,  and movies come from different origins and cultures. “Film critics of international repute are involved in the selection process. Movies are shortlisted in India and taken to Paris for the jury to watch. Then they are distributed to all the members via the internet. The members do their homework as per their convenience and discuss their notes to arrive at a decision. The criteria for selection of movies for the Medal this year have been broadened. This year Silver Prize will be given as we are celebrating the 150^th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi”, he said.

49th International Film Festival of India 2018-Directors of Indian Panorama feature films share hardships in film making

Two national film award winners who addressed the media in connection with 49^th International Film Festival of India had a lot to say on this topic. ‘Sinjar’ and ‘Nagarkirtan’ are two movies that came to IFFI with the glory of national film award. When Pampally, Director of ‘Sinjar’ and Riddhi Sen, lead actor of ‘Nagarkirtan’ poured their hearts out about their hard-made films, it became another proclamation about the power of true content. Pampally, who bagged the award for the Best Debut Director at the 65th National Film Awards, said that his story shows how international terrorism affects the life of an ordinary fisherman in Lakshadweep. “When terrorist attacks and conflicts happen around the world, we never thought how such incidents affect ordinary, uneducated people. This film tries to portray the hardships of such people”, he said. The distant location of Kavaratti Islands, the limited transportation facilities to mainland and the need for sanctions due to it being a union territory posed much difficulty in the production process, he added. He also explained the challenges he faced while doing a film in the local dialect of Jasari which lacks any script or grammar. “The script was first written in Malayalam and with the help of local youth, it was converted to the local spoken language. The actors were also given some training for pronouncing this dialect. These exercises turned it into a Himalayan task”, said Pampally. National Film award winner for Best Actor, Riddhi Sen said that playing the character of a transgender in ‘Nagarkirtan’ was a life changing experience for him. “The movie is about a transgender person who has a woman trapped inside a man’s body. The transformational part from a man to a transgender individual was very difficult. The hardest thing was to capture the physicality of a woman and to maintain the fine line”, he said. The film is a small effort to plunge into the darkness and help those people who are not accepted the way they are. He expressed hope that this film will change the attitude of at least one percent of society towards the third gender. Recalling the constraints faced by Director Kaushik Ganguly in making the movie, Riddhi Sen said that people in India continue to be afraid to produce a movie on third gender. The director approached many producers and finally Acropolis Films agreed to produce it. Riddhi Sen also dedicated the film to those transgender people in our country who are struggling every day, stuck in identity crisis. He further added that the success of the film is a tribute to the struggles of the transgender community.

23rd International Film Festival of Kerala 2018-IFFK - World Cinema -list of films

1 3 Faces / Se rokh Director : Jafar Panahi / 100 min / Iran /
2 A Family Tour / A Family Tour Director : Ying Liang / 107 min / Taiwan | Hong Kong | Singapore | Malaysia /
3 A Land Imagined / A Land Imagined Director : Siew Hua Yeo / 95 min / France | Netherlands | Singapore /
4 A Tramway in Jerusalem / A Tramway in Jerusalem Director : Amos Gitai / 94 min / Israel, France /
5 A Twelve Year Night / LA NOCHE DE 12 AÑOS Director : ÁLVARO BRECHNER / 122 min / Uruguay | Argentina | Spain / Spanish / 2018
6 AGA / Ága Director : Milko Lazarov / 96 min / Bulgaria | Germany | France /
7 All The Gods In The Sky / Tous les dieux du ciel Director : Quarxx / 110 min / France /
8 Alpha, The Right to Kill / Alpha, The Right to Kill Director : Brillante Ma Mendoza / 94 min / Philippines /
9 And Breathe Normally / Andið eðlilega Director : Isold Uggadottir / 100 min / Iceland | Sweden | Belgium / 2018
10 Ash is the Purest White / Jiang hu er nv Director : Zhangke Jia / 137 min / China | France | Japan /

11 At War / En guerre Director : Stéphane Brizé / 113 min / France /
12 August at Akiko’s / August at Akiko’s Director : Christopher Makoto Yogi / 75 min / USA /
13 Balangiga: Howling Wilderness / Balangiga: Howling Wilderness Director : Khavn / 120 min / Philippines /
14 Birds of passage / Pájaros de verano Director : Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra / 125 min / Colombia | Denmark | Mexico /
15 BlacKkKlansman / BlacKkKlansman Director : Spike Lee / 135 min / USA /
16 Border / Gräns Director : Ali Abbasi / 110 min / Sweden | Denmark /
17 Capernaum / Capharnaüm Director : Nadine Labaki / 123 min / Lebanon / Arabic / 2018
18 Climax / Climax Director : Gaspar Noe / 95 min / France /
19 Cold War / Zimna wojna Director : Pawel Pawlikowski / 88 min / Poland | France | UK /
20 Core of the world / Serdtse mira Director : Natalya Meshchaninova / 124 min / Russia | Lithuania | Ireland | France /
21 Crystal Swan / Khrustal Director : Darya Zhuk / 95 min / Belarus | USA | Germany | Russia /
22 Diane / Diane Director : Kent Jones / 95 min / USA /
23 Die Tomorrow / Die Tomorrow Director : Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit / 75 min / Thailand /
24 Dogman / Dogman Director : Matteo Garrone / 103 min / Italy | France /
25 Donbass / Donbass Director : Sergey Loznitsa / 110 min / Germany | Ukraine | France | Netherlands | Romania /
26 Dovlatov / Dovlatov Director : Aleksey German / 126 min / Russia | Poland | Serbia /
27 Dressage / Dressage Director : Pooya Badkoobeh / 95 min / Iran /
28 Foxtrot / Foxtrot Director : Samuel Maoz / 108 min / Israel | Switzerland | Germany | France / / 2017
29 Genesis / Genèse Director : Philippe Lesange / 129 min / Canada /
30 Girls Always Happy / Rou qing shi Director : Yang Mingming / 117 min / China /
31 High Life / High Life Director : Claire Denis / 110 min / Germany | France | UK | Poland | USA /
32 Horizon / Horizonti Director : Tinatin Kajrishvili / 105 min / Georgia, Sweden /
33 Hotel by the River / Hotel by the River Director : Sang-soo Hong / 96 min / South Korea /
34 House of My Fathers / House of My Fathers Director : Suba Sivakumaran / 100 min / Sri Lanka /
35 Human, Space, Time And Human / Inkan, gongkan, sikan grigo inkan Director : Kim Ki-duk / 122 min / South Korea /
36 I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians / Îmi este indiferent daca în istorie vom intra ca barbari Director : Radu Jude / 140 min / Romania | Germany | Bulgaria | France | Czech Republic /
37 In the Aisles / In den Gängen Director : Thomas Stuber / 125 min / Germany /
38 Jumpman / Podbrosy Director : Ivan I. Tverdovskiy / 95 min / Russia | Lithuania | Ireland | France /
39 Knife + Heart / Un couteau dans le coeur Director : Yann Gonzalez / 110 min / France | Mexico | Switzerland /
40 Lemonade / Lemonade Director : Ioana Uricaru / 88 min / Romania | Canada | Germany | Sweden /
41 Manta Ray / Kraben rahu Director : Phuttiphong Aroonpheng / 105 min / Thailand | France | China /
42 Mary Magdaelene / Mary Magdaelene Director : Garth Davis / 120 min / UK | USA | Australia /
43 Maya / Maya Director : Mia Hansen-Løve / 107 min / France | Germany /
44 Memories Of My Body / Kucumbu tubuh indahku Director : Garin Nugroho / 105 min / Indonesian /
45 Midnight Runner / Der Läufer Director : Hannes Baumgartner / 92 min / Switzerland | France /
46 Namme / Namme Director : Zaza Khalvashi / 91 min / Georgia /
47 Non-Fiction / Doubles Vies Director : Olivier Assayas / 108 min / France /
48 One Step Behind the Seraphim / One Step Behind the Seraphim Director : Daniel Sandu / 150 min / Romania | Germany | Bulgaria | France | Czech Republic /
49 Our Time / Nuestro Tiempo Director : Carlos Reygadas Barguín / 173 min / Mexico | France | Germany | Denmark | Sweden / / 2018
50 Paris Square / Praça Paris Director : Lúcia Murat / 110 min / Portugal | Argentina | Brazil /
51 Pilgrimage / Peregrinação Director : João Botelho / 108 min / Portugal / / 2017
52 Pity / Pity Director : Babis Makridis / 97 min / Greece | Poland /
53 Rafiki / Rafiki Director : Wanuri Kahiu / 83 min / Kenya | South Africa | Germany | Netherlands | France | Norway | Lebanon /
54 Ray & Liz / Ray & Liz Director : Richard Billingham / 108 min / UK /
55 Rojo / Rojo Director : Benjamin Naishtat / 109 min / Argentina | Brazil | France | Netherlands | Germany /
56 Rona, Azim’s Mother / Rona, Madar-e Azim Director : Jamshid Mahmoudi / 89 min / Afghanistan | Iran /
57 Screwdriver / Mafak Director : Bassam Jarbawi / 108 min / Palestine, USA, Qatar /
58 Sew the Winter to My Skin / Sew the Winter to My Skin Director : Jahmil X.T. Qubeka / 118 min / South Africa | Germany /
59 Shoplifters / Manbiki kazoku Director : Hirokazu Koreeda / 121 min / Japan /
60 Sophia Antipolis / Sophia Antipolis Director : Virgil Vernier / 98 min / France /
61 Sorry Angel / Plaire, aimer et courir vite Director : Christophe Honoré / 132 min / France /
62 Suleiman Mountain / Sulayman too Director : Elizaveta Stishova / 101 min / Russia | Kyrgyzstan /
63 Summer Survivors / Summer Survivors Director : Marija Kavtaradze / 91 min / Lithuania /
64 Sunset / Napszállta Director : László Nemes / 142 min / Hungary | France /
65 Tel Aviv on Fire / Tel Aviv on Fire Director : Sameh Zoabi / 96 min / France | Israel | Belgium /
66 The Announcement / Anons Director : Mahmut Fazil Coskun / 94 min / Turkey | Bulgaria /
67 The Apparition / L’apparition Director : Xavier Giannoli / 144 min / France | Belgium | Jordan /
68 The Day I Lost My Shadow / Yom Adaatou Zouli Director : Soudade Kaadan / 94 min / Syria | France | Lebanon | Qatar /
69 The Gentle Indifference of the World / Laskovoe bezrazlichie mira Director : Adilkhan Yerzhanov; might go to Goa in non-competition / 100 min / Kazakhstan | France /
70 The Heiresses / Las herederas Director : Marcelo Martinessi / 98 min / Paraguay | Germany | Uruguay | Brazil | Norway | France /
71 The House that Jack Built / The House that Jack Built Director : Lars von Trier / 155 min / Denmark | France | Germany | Sweden /
72 The Image Book / Le livre d’image Director : Jean-Luc Godard / 84 min / Switzerland | France /
73 The Interpreter / Tlmocnik Director : Martin Sulík / 113 min / Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria /
74 The Load / Teret Director : Ognien Glavonić, debut / 98 min / Serbia | France | Croatia | Iran | Qatar /
75 The Man who bought the moon / L’uomo Che Comprò La Luna Director : Paolo Zucca / 105 min / Italy, Albania, Argentina /
76 The Manslayer. The Virgin. The Shadow / Mehetapja/Süütu/Vari Director : Sulev Keedus / 141 min / Estonia | Lithuania /
77 The Reports on Sarah and Saleem / The Reports on Sarah and Saleem Director : Muayad Alayan / 127 min / Palestine /
78 The River / Ozen Director : Emir Baigazin / 108 min / Kazakhstan | Poland | Norway /
79 The Sisters Brothers / The Sisters Brothers Director : Jacques Audiard / 121 min / France, Belgium, Romania, Spain /
80 The Third Wife / The Third Wife Director : Ash Mayfair / 96 min / Vietnam /
81 The Wild Pear Tree / Ahlat Agaci Director : Nuri Bilge Ceylan / 188 min / Turkey | Republic of Macedonia | France | Germany | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bulgaria | Sweden /
82 The World is Yours / Le Monde Est A Toi Director : Romain Gavras / 94 min / France /
83 Too Late to Die Young / Tarde Para Morir Joven Director : Dominga Sotomayor Castillo / 110 min / Chile | Brazil | Argentina | Netherlands | Qatar /
84 Transit / Transit Director : Christian Petzold / 101 min / Germany | France / / 2018
85 Vision / Vision Director : Naomi Kawase / 109 min / France | Japan /
86 Volcano / Vulkan Director : Roman Bondarchuk / 104 min / Germany, Ukraine /
87 Woman at War / Kona fer í stríð Director : Benedikt Erlingsson / 101 min / Iceland | France | Ukraine /
88 Working Woman / Isha Ovedet Director : Michal Aviad / 93 min / Israel /
89 Yomeddine / Yomeddine Director : A.B. Shawky / 97 min / Egypt | USA | Austria /
90 Yuli / Yuli Director : Icíar Bollaín / 104 min / Spain | Cuba | UK | Germany / / 2018

49th International Film Festival of India 2018-World Panorama -Cinema should be about visual storytelling: Veit Helmer

The directors of the films in the World Panorama section of 49^th IFFI-2018 - The Bra, A Sacred Gaucho, Phoenix,Autsajder and Nervous Translation addressed the media in the media center of the Press Information Bureau .

Veit Helmer  , Director of the German film ‘The Bra’ said that communication with the audience is very important and it would be great to institutionalise a Q&A session with the audience after every movie screening.

Quoting Alfred Hitchcock, Veit Helmer said that cinema should be about visual storytelling and that dialogue spoils the visual elements in that narration. “There is no need to think how one can talk to a universal audience. If you talk about something very personal, then everybody in the world will understand”, he further added. He also enquired about the possibilities of films from diverse places like Latin America and Europe getting commercially released in India.

 Joaquin Pedretti, Director of ‘A Sacred Gaucho’ said that the film has been given its particular structure based on its narrative. “It is so important for us to have the world premiere in IFFI because it is based on the symbolic tradition of India and Argentina, as we have the same type of archetypes”, he said.

Narrating the characteristics of her film, Camilla Strom Henriksen, Director of Phoenix, said that it is a dark quiet film for grownups, children being the film’s main characters. It is about children who are forced to assume the responsibility as adults because the parents fail to do so. She pointed out that the theme of the film would resonate with many people even though the circumstances can be very different. Replying to a question on how to make a film that can connect to each and every person, she said that if the filmmaker is specific about what she does, she will reach the audience she is meant to reach.

Adam Sikora, Director of Autsajder said that his movie is about a very difficult time in Poland. It's the story of a young man in 1980s and how he faces these problems. Dennese Victoria, Cinematographer of ‘Nervous translation’ said that it takes a while for the audience to adjust to a film’s language to understand what the film offers to you.

The Bra

The film is a romantic comedy where a lonely train driver- Nuraln, on the edge of his retirement, finds a bra on his train and walks along the track to look for the owner. Veit Helmer is known for his films TUVALU, ABSURDISTAN and BAIKONUR, and has been invited to major festivals, among them Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Sundance and received all together 180 awards.

A Sacred Gaucho

A Sacred Gaucho, bilingual film in Spanish & Guarani is directed, written & produced by Joaquin Pedretti. The film story is about a farm labourer’s search for a child that he lost in an accident. He has to transform into a popular hero called “Gauchito Gil”, a local Robin Hood, and therefore die like the myth hanged from the ankles. Sacred Gaucho had its World Premiere at IFFI.

Phoenix

Phoenix is a Norwegian film directed by Camilla Strom Henriksen that tells a story of Jill, a caring & responsible teenager in family, who handles her mentally ill mother. When her estranged father visits her place on her birthday amidst a tragic situation, Jill keeps it a secret. As Jill leaves childhood behind, the arrival of her father offers a glimpse of a different life.

The film is the directorial feature debut of actress and London Film School graduate Camilla Strom Henriksen.

Autsajder

A Polish film directed & written by Adam Sikora. In the film, Protagonist of the film is Franek, a student of painting. Coincidentally he gets involved in the cogs of a horrific totalitarian machine. His sensitivity and humanity will be heavily tested. Its story is inspired by true events from the martial law period and the early 1980s.

Nervous Translation

Nervous Translation, a Filipino language film written, directed & edited by Ms. Shireen Seno. Set in the Philippines in the late 1980s, Nervous Translation captures the uncertainty and curiosity of childhood in a strikingly unique way. Eight year-old Yael, shy to a fault, lives in her own private world. One day she finds out about a pen that can "translate" the thoughts and feelings of nervous people. Thereafter, she decides to spend all her savings on this miraculous pen.

49th International Film Festival of India 2018-India does not have a dedicated channel or channel slot for environmental projects says Non-feature film makers

 Remya Raj, director of ‘Midnight Run’ said her debut film is an attempt to portray the transformation of fear in a person. The film shows the ability of this universal emotion to trigger a complete transformation in people when they are afraid and when they are trying to make someone afraid. In a country where hardly any one  invests in environmental films, self-funding is the best option to produce quality films, said S. Nalla Muthu, noted cinematographer and director of ‘The World's Most Famous Tiger’ - showcased in the Non Feature Film section at the 49th International Film Festival of India in  Goa.  He was addressing a joint press conference, along with directors of other non-feature films ‘Monitor’, ‘Midnight Run’ and ‘Na Bole Wo Haram. Speaking about his film ‘The World's Most Famous Tiger’ Nalla Muthu said that it is not meant for conservationists, biologists or people who know about wildlife. It is made for the common audience, and the story has been told from an Indian perspective by characterising and humanising animals. He also pointed out that since India does not have a dedicated channel or channel slot for environmental projects, we have to depend on channels like National Geographic and Discovery, which demands a quality product. ‘The World's Most Famous Tiger’ showcases the determination, bravery and confidence of Machli, the legendary Tiger Queen of Ranthambhore National Park.  Replying to a question on human-animal conflict, he said that co-existing is the only option forward.

 Hari Viswanath, Director of the Non-Feature film ‘Monitor’ said that his film is intended to motivate women to stand up against sexual harassment at workplace. The entire film is shown from the point of view of a computer monitor. Based on true events, ‘Monitor’ narrates the life of an IT professional Rupa who struggles to balance her career and personal life in abusive work environment. "This is a fictional film based on a true story of a friend of mine having been raped. I made this to inspire other women to face such incidents with courage." He said instead of showing only the problems connected with sexual harassment at workplace, we should come up with some inspirational or motivational solutions.

49th International Film Festival of India-IFFI- non-feature film makers reveal their varied experience.

While addressing a press conference the 49th International Film Festival of India, Goa, directors of the non-feature films, Gyamo-Queen of the Mountains, Malai and Pamphlet, under the Indian Panorama Section expressed varied views based on their experience.

 Rajdeep Paul, the director of the Odia non-feature film Malai, started off by stating that children were the best actors. They are able to channelize their raw energy on to the screen. Once they get involved in the story, they create their own dialogues. During the shoot itself, one doesn’t really have to direct them, as they keep learning and improvising on their own, which is incredible. The film Malai revolves around an impoverished little boy from a hinterland village in Odisha, who discovers the dark side of the Great Indian Wedding in his quest to get his favourite ice-cream.

Sarmistha Maiti, co-director of the film, commented on the persistence of insensitive practices in the Indian society. She cited the example of people from the poor strata of the society having to carry heavy lamps-lights on their heads during wedding processions. She said that their aim was to bring to the audience this harsh reality via a more engaging medium of cinema.

 Shekhar Rankhambe shared his views on the making of his short film ‘Pamphlet’ with the local child actors of a village in Maharashtra. He remarked that he loved working with children as they work with utmost honesty and affection. He said that in today’s era, forwarded text messages of a religious character can pose a threat to social harmony. In the film, the protagonist, a young boy develops a tremendous fear of misfortune after reading a religious pamphlet which he is unable to print and distribute as required due to lack of money. This fear transforms the otherwise energetic young boy who wished to reach great heights, into a mentally traumatised child.

Ms. Doel Trivedy, co-director of the wildlife documentary, Gyamo-Queen of the Mountains, talked about the state of snow leopards in the Ladakh region. A healthy population of snow leopards indicates stability in the local habitat. Therefore, by depicting the adverse effects on snow leopards and their dwindling numbers, the film delivers an honest commentary on the effects of human-induced climate change. Produced by Riverbank Studios in association with Discovery Communications India, the movie has been screened at various film festivals including IFFI. It will also be aired on Wildlife channel Animal Planet on November 27.

Director Gautam Pandey shared his views about wildlife filmmaking & short-films. He said that more than the duration of the film, it’s the content and the kind of message that they want to promote, which is Wildlife and Environmental conservation. It is a niche area for the Indian audience. If we could bring such films to big platforms, the audience may start liking these stories as well.​ Replying to a question about the possibility of short films being screened in multiplexes apart from only film festivals, all the directors replied that it would be helpful if one could get active government support to get them screened at big screens. Closing the session, Rajdeep Paul talked about his experience at IFFI 2018 and appreciated the efficient way in which the film festival was being organized while reserving special praise for the projection quality in theatres.

49th IFFI 2018 –inaugurated with festivity and in the presence of film luminaries

 

49^th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) inaugurated in the presence of film luminaries in Panjim, Goa.

The opening ceremony of IFFI 2018 was anchored by Mandira Bedi and Amit Sadh and saw the presence of eminent Indian and international film personalities such as Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Randhir Kapoor, Prasoon Joshi, Julien Landais, Barbara Meier, Nicolas Hau, Lois Robbins, Siddharth Roy Kapoor, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Robert Glinski, Tom Fitzpatrick, Poonam Dhillon, Hrishita Bhatt, Madhur Bhandarkar, Subhash Ghai, Arijit Singh, Ramesh Sippy, Chin Han  Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting,(IC) Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Governor of Goa Mridula Sinha, Secretary Information & Broadcasting Amit Khare, IFFI Festival Director Chaitanya Prasad, Chairman Jury Robert Glinski, PWD Minister of Transport & River Navigation of Goa Ramakrishna alias Sudin Dhavalikar, Chief Secretary of Goa Dharmendra  Sharma and Chairman ESG Rajendra Talak

Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that “India is a land of storytellers where every person has a story to tell. These stories inspire and entertain us. IFFI is a platform for our young generation to showcase their talent. It is a platform for the international filmmakers to see India and explore the talent that we have. It is a great collaboration for both the sides. It is incredible of the Information and Broadcasting team and Entertainment Society of Goa to have an event on such a massive scale. PWD Minister of Transport & River Navigation of Goa Ramakrishna alias Mr Sudin Dhavalikar said, “Goa is a state of colours and its effervescent culture and welcoming nature makes it a perfect destination to host IFFI. The festival aims at providing platform for cinema lovers and those from the field of art. At the 49^th IFFI, I take this opportunity to thank Hon. CM of Goa, Manohar Parrikar who made sure that Goa got the privilege to host IFFI. He did not leave any stone unturned for its preparation since the first time it was hosted at Goa fifteen years ago.”

The inaugural ceremony also witnessed some audio visual performances which started with a medley dance performance of songs from some of the best Indian films depicting the country’s vibrant history. The versatile singer Shilpa Rao sang popular songs from across the country in multiple languages such as Bengali, Punjabi, Hindi and a beautiful rendition of the timeless, “Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Na Karo.” Actor Sonu Sood then took over and set the stage on fire with his dance skills.The opening ceremony of IFFI 2018 also saw the launch of the Web Portal of Film Facilitation Office (FFO) that was launched by Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Union Minister of State (I & B). The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting set up the Film Facilitation Office (FFO) in NFDC in 2015 with a view to promote and facilitate film shootings by foreign filmmakers in India, the services of which have now been extended to Indian film makers as well. Film Offices set up by states highlight their film policy, their efforts to ensure a smooth filming process, showcase their locations and acquaint the filmmakers and the fraternity about the incentives/rebates/subsidies offered for filming in their respective states. In order to disseminate information regarding filming in India, the FFO has now developed a Web Portal. 

Israeli master craftsman Dan Wolman was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony . This year IFFI has chosen to focus on Israeli cinema.

The opening ceremony was followed by the screening of the Opening film of IFFI 2018 – the World Premiere of The Aspern Papers, at Kala Academy.