Critics'(FIPRESCI )) Prizes at the Toronto Festival gone to "The Amazing Catfish" &"Ida"

FIPRESCI Prizes - Critics' Prizes -at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 5-15, 2013),bagged by "The Amazing Catfish" (Los insólitos peces gato)directed by Claudia Sainte-Luce (Mexico, 2013, 89min, DCP) in "Discovery" Program and "Ida" directed by Pawel Pawlikowski (Poland, 2013, 80min, DCP) in   "Special Presentation" section.FIPRESCI Jury presided by  John Anderson, USA, and Michael Ranze, Germany,Robenson Eksiel, Greece,Namrata Joshi, India,André Roy, Canada and Leslie James, Canada as members decided the prizes.

12th Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) -Submission deadline: 18 October, 2013

The 12^th Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) will take place from 24 to 26 March 2014 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. HAF welcomes fiction and non-fiction /documentary feature-length film projects and is now open for project submissions till 18 October. By submitting only one application, applicants can compete for HAF Awards, HAF/Fox Chinese Film Development Award, HAF Script Development Fund and many others including the new Fushan Documentary Award for documentary film projects.

Online submission form:
http://www.haf.org.hk/ProjectEntry14/haf_app_form.asp

Selection criteria and required materials:
http://www.haf.org.hk/haf/submission

38thHong Kong International Film Festival Call for Entries

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) is one of Asia’s most reputable platforms for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch new works and experience outstanding films. Screening over 280 titles from more than 50 countries in 11 major cultural venues across the territory, the Festival is Hong Kong’s largest cultural event that reaches an audience of over 600,000, including 5,000 business executives who attend the Hong Kong International Film & Television Market (FILMART), a concurrent event of the HKIFF. HKIFF is  one of Asia’s oldest international film festival and a major platform for world cinema. Its programme comprises features, documentaries, shorts and animations divided into 6 sections  .The 38^th edition  of HKIFF will be held from 24 March to 7 April 2014. The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) announced its call for entries for the 38thedition . Film makers can  now submit their films  . HKIFF will accept submissions for its 6 sections upto  31^st December ,2013.

13th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF)-deadline extended to 30th September ,2013

13^th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) would be held  in Mumbai from 3^rd to 9^th February 2014.Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF), is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) by the ‘Film Division’, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation films. This Festival offers highest cash awards and incentives of Rs 55 lakhs. The first ever International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films was held in the year 1990. The biennial festival, organized by Films Division, is conducted with the active collaboration of Government of Maharashtra and the Indian Documentary Producers’ Association. On an average, more than 45 – 50 countries participate in every The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) 2014 has extended the deadline for national and international sections to September 30, 2013.

The festival features the following sections: 1) International Competition, 2) National Competition, 3) MIFF Prism [Non Competition], 4) Retrospectives / Special Packages, 5) Marketing.

International Competition – Only films made in India and abroad between 1st September, 2011 to 31st August, 2013 are eligible.

National Competition: Only films made in India by an Indian citizen between 1st September, 2011 to 31st August, 2013 are eligible.

Films which do not find a place in the Competition Section may be screened in MIFF Prism section on the recommendations of the Selection Committee.

For Indian filmmakers, Regular Entry Fee – Rs.1000/- & Late Fee – Rs. 2000/-

For foreign filmmakers Regular Entry Fee – US$50 or equivalent and Rs.2000/- Late Fee – US $ 75 or equivalent.

BIFF-MIFF and  DR. V. Shantaram lifetime achievement awardees

The first mumbai international film festival for documentary, short and animation films was held in march, 1990. Then it was known as Bombay International Film Festival (BIFF). During BIFF 1990, 1992 & 1994, the following doyens of documentary films were honoured :

1. BIFF – 1990 Festival Awardee  -Ezra Mir

2. BIFF – 1992 Festival Awardees- J.S. Bhownagary

3. BIFF – 1994-Festival Awardees-Harisadan Dasgupta 

Since 1996 festival, Dr. V. Shantaram lifetime achievement award carrying Rs. 1.00 lakh was instituted. The following personalities were felicitated with Dr. V. Shantaram award carrying a purse of Rs. 1.00 lakh with trophy.

1. MIFF – 1996 -  Festival Awardee -B.D. Garga

2. MIFF – 1998 -  Festival Awardee - Fali Bilimoria

3. MIFF – 2000 -  Festival Awardee-Homi D. Sethana

4. MIFF – 2002-   Festival Awardee- Vijaya Mulay 

Since the 8th edition of MIFF-2004, the award money has been enhanced to Rs.2.50 lakhs, The following personalities were felicitated with Dr. V. Shantaram award carrying a purse of Rs. 2.50 lakh with trophy.

1. MIFF – 2004- Festival Awardee- K. L. Khandpur

2. MIFF – 2006 - Festival Awardee- Ram Mohan

3. MIFF – 2008  -Festival Awardee- Aribam Syam Sharma 

Since the 11th edition of MIFF-2010, the award money has been enhanced to Rs.5.00 lakhs, the following personalities were felicitated with Dr. V. Shantaram award carrying a purse of Rs. 5.00 lakh with trophy.

1. MIFF – 2010 -Festival Awardee-M.V. Krishnaswamy

2. MIFF – 2012- Festival Awardee-Mike Pandey

FIPRESCI Jury presented Critics prize to "Tom at the Farm" & "The Reunion" at Venice Film Festival 2013

The Jury of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Jury)presented two prizes at the Venice Film Festival Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica
(August 28 – September 7, 2013).The Prize in international competition gone to   "Tom at the Farm" (Tom a la ferme),    directed by Xavier Dolan (Canada\France 2013)   "for the energetic, tense and sensual filmmaking,
   and for the rare example of convincing narrative disorientation
   on the winding road between genders and genres." The Prize for a debut film in Horizons or Critics' Week:    "The Reunion" (Atertraffen),
   directed by Anna Odell (Sweden 2013)"for the intelligent and engaging way  in which "The Reunion" blurs the boundaries between fiction and documentary    and speaks about marginalization, bullying,
   and the complicated nature of group dynamics." Jury members were:
Yael Shuv, Israel ( President ),Alissa Simon, USA ,Jan Schulz-Ojala, Germany,Eva Novrup Redvall, Denmark, Silvana Silvestri, Italy and
Gianlorenzo Franzi, Italy.

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year goes to "La Vie d'Adèle – Chapitre 1&2", directed by Abdellatif Kechiche.

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) grants its Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year to "La Vie d'Adèle – Chapitre 1&2", directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, winner of the Palme d'Or at the last Festival of Cannes. The award is the result of the votes cast by 245 critics worldwide, members of FIPRESCI, for titles premiered during the previous twelve months. The prize will be awarded to the director of the film, Abdellatif Kechiche and its producer, Brahim Chioua, at the opening gala of the 61st edition of the San Sebastian Festival on September 20 at the Kursaal Auditorium.  

In previous editions of the Festival, the FIPRESCI Grand Prix has gone to films by Pedro Almodóvar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Jafar Panahi, Kim Ki-duk, Aki Kaurismäki, Nuri Bulge Ceylan, Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Haneke, Cristian Mungiu, Roman Polanski and Terrence Malick.