Category: Hindi

MUMBAI: Chak De has been invited to be a part of the 21st Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). The festival will be held in Tokyo from 18-26 October.

The movie will be screened in the Winds of Asia-Middle East section which will also see 20 acclaimed titles from South East Asia and Middle East.

This year, the festival will feature 790 films from 72 countries. Chak De will be the only movie from India.

TIFF will present a Green Carpet welcome ceremony to film stars to convey the message of environmental protection.

MUMBAI: Imax and Austrian exhibitor Cineplexx Kinobetriebe have announced a joint venture agreement to install three Imax theatres in Austria. The deal marks Imax‘s first joint venture in Europe, and continues the company‘s global expansion with its new digital projection system.

To date, Imax has signed contracts for more than 180 Imax digital projection systems, with 18 currently in operation and a total of 45-50 scheduled to be in operation by year-end.

The first theatre is expected to be installed in the city of Graz during the first quarter of 2009, followed by a location in Vienna the second quarter of 2009 and a third location in the city of Hohenems during the fourth quarter of 2009. All three theatres will be equipped with Imax‘s new digital projection system.

Cineplexx Kinobetriebe MDs Christian Langhammer and Christof Papousek said, “Installing IMAX theatres in our multiplexes is an enormous benefit for our business and our customers as it enables us to offer a premium immersive movie experience that consumers will be delighted to have in Austria.

“Imax‘s new digital projection system, which can be retrofitted into our existing auditoriums, combined with Imax‘s joint venture business model, offers us an economical and highly efficient way to enter the IMAX business.”

Imax‘s co-chairmen and Co-CEOs, Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler said, “This joint venture agreement is an important first step for our digital growth strategy in Europe. We believe a partnership with Austria‘s leading exhibitor will help to strengthen our brand in the region and expand our audience base during a time when our film slate and interest from Hollywood studios is at an unprecedented level.”

Imax‘s digital projection system delivers The Imax Experience and helps drive profitability for studios, exhibitors and Imax theatres by eliminating the need for film prints, increasing program flexibility and ultimately increasing the number of movies shown on Imax screens. The system can run both Imax and Imax 3D presentations.

Upcoming Imax films include Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa and The Day the Earth Stood Still which release later this year.

ANTALYA: Hindi thriller Mission Istanbul will get a Gala Screening at the forthcoming Fourth International Eurasia Film Festival.

The festival, along with the 45th Golden Orange Film Festival and a film market, are to take place in this picturesque town from 10 to 19 October. The festival is organised by Tursak, the Turkish Foundation of Cinema and Audiovisual Culture.

Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Mission Istanbul, released in August, stars Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Shriya Saran, Shabir Ahluwalia, and Nikitin Dheer.

Mission Istanbul is the only Asian film to be part of the 11 films that will have Gala Screenings. The films to be screened in the Gala Screenings include Laurent Cantet’s The Class, Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York and Guy Ritchie’s Rock’n Rolla.

British actor Michael will recieve the Honorary Award of the Festival, said Tursak International media co-ordinator Burcu Özgen.

The Festival will open with Italy-based Turkish filmmaker Ferzan Özpetek’s Un Giorno Perfetto.

The films in competition include Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz’ Shiva (Seven Days), Hirokazu Kore-edda’s Still Walking, Christian Petzold’s Jerichow, Bohdan Slama’s The Country Teacher, Rashid Masharawi’s Laila’s Birthday, among others.

The films in the Critics Jury category include Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir, Ole Christian Madsen’s Flame and Citron, Russian Helmer Vladimir Kott’s Mukha and Daniel Burman’s Empty Nest.

The festival will have a special screening of Destiny to pay homage to the Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine who passed away on 27 July this year.

The festival will also include a selection of films of historical importance restored by the World Cinema Foundation presided by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, championing the cause of preserving the cinema heritage of developing countries and rejuvenating films of historical prominence left to the mercy of time. The films include Ahmed El Mannouni’s Transes and Djibril Diop Mambety’s Touki Bouki, Metin Erksan’s Dry Summer and Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin‘s Dry Summer.

The section devoted to documentary films will feature a selection of this year‘s sensational titles. Nathan Rissman‘s I am because We are, Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige’s I want to see are some of the films that will be screened in this section.

MUMBAI: The South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) 2008, presented by HBO, will open with Nandita Das’ Firaaq on 22 October in New York.

The film festival will close on 28 October with Pakistani film-maker Mehreen Jabbar’s Ramchand Pakistani. The film stars Bollywood actress Nandita Das, along with Pakistani actors Rashid Farooqui, Noman Ijaz, Maria Wasti, Navaid Jabbar and child actor Syed Fazal Hussain.

Director Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming flick Fashion will be premiered on 24 October at 10 pm.

The seven-day film festival will showcase features, short-films, and documentaries like The Pool, Morning Ritual, To Be…Me, Will Think For Food, Milind Soman Made Me Gay, Lalbatti, A Drop Of Life, The President Is Coming, Rewind, Narmeen, Clean Linen, The Only Thing, The Private Life Of Albert Pinto, Sukrit‘s Sundays, Akasa Kusum (Flowers In The Sky), Arranging Love, Seventh Seam, A Drop Of Life, Healthy. Happy. Holy., Kerala Brides, Mohandas, Shades Of Ray, Antardwand, The Whisperers, Mahek, A Home In The Sky, Lost & Found, 21-12-2012 and Mara Move On.

The SAIFF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting established and emerging artists from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

MUMBAI: US film studios Fox, Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment have entered into separate non-exclusive digital cinema deployment agreements with Sony Electronics‘ Digital Cinema Solutions and Services (DCSS) group.

The agreements relate to supplying exhibitors with feature motion pictures in digital form in order to promote the use of digital cinema projection systems.

The new agreements will provide certain operational and financial resources to encourage exhibitors to implement digital cinema systems that will feature Sony‘s DCI-compliant 4K SXRD(TM) projection technology.

The separate agreements vary among the companies and extend to digital cinema efforts in certain countries in the US, Europe and Asia.

The Sony DCSS group was formed to provide turn-key solutions for exhibitors that will enable them to efficiently convert their operations to digital technology.

In addition to digital projection system deployment, Sony‘s DCSS group will be in a position to offer critical services for exhibitors such as installation and maintenance, along with customised solutions and high-level service support — which can all be provided by a turn-key Sony DCSS solution.

In a joint statement, Fox president of domestic distribution Bruce Snyder and Fox International , co-presidents Paul Hanneman and Tomas Jegeus said, “Fox is committed to supporting the highest-quality solutions for exhibitors as they make their transition to digital cinema on a global basis. It is important that exhibitors worldwide have the widest choice of solutions available to them. By working with Sony and its range of available technology, experience and stability, our goal is to continue to make the transition to DCI-compliant digital projection systems as smooth as possible. We‘re proud to be working with Sony DCSS to further advance digital cinema on a global level.”

Paramount Pictures president of domestic theatrical distribution Jim Tharp says, “Paramount is committed to maximising new, creative opportunities to encourage the conversion to digital projection and to broadening the availability of high quality 3D cinema. Our collaboration with Sony‘s DCSS team is a great step toward that end. We look forward to continued cooperation in the future.”

Sony‘s 4K projection technology will also contribute to the deployment of alternative content — including gaming, sporting events and music concerts — in order to develop more revenue-generating opportunities for exhibitors as the industry transitions to digital delivery.

Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman, worldwide marketing and distribution Jeff Blake says, “As digital cinema programming becomes more prevalent in the marketplace, consumers will experience entertainment in bold and exciting new ways with superior state-of-the-art sound and picture quality, as well as the deployment of alternative forms of content.”

Sony Pictures recently launched The Hot Ticket, dedicated to exploring and creating alternative programming for digital presentation in theatres.

“We couldn‘t be more supportive of our colleagues at Sony DCSS who are offering exhibitors a compelling digital cinema experience. These agreements continue to push the evolution of our industry to 4K, from acquisition through to exhibition” adds Blake.

MUMBAI: US film studio Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks principals have announced the formalisation of their transition agreements as Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider depart to form their previously announced new motion pictures company in partnership with Reliance Big Entertainment. Geffen, who oversaw the transition for DreamWorks, will not be joining the new company.

As part of the separation agreement, the DreamWorks principals‘ new company will take the lead on a number of development projects, which Paramount will have the option to co-finance and co-distribute. The majority of existing DreamWorks staff is expected to be offered positions at the new company.

All other projects currently in development will remain at Paramount with the opportunity for the Reliance-backed venture to co-finance several projects to which Mr. Spielberg is attached. In addition Spielberg will continue to produce the Transformers franchise for Paramount and will also collaborate on three other Paramount films including When Worlds Collide.

Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO Brad Grey said, “We have had a great run with the DreamWorks team both creatively and financially. In particular, it has been a true honor working closely with a storyteller of Steven‘s talent and stature. We are also grateful to David and Stacey for their exceptional leadership, creative talent and many contributions to our partnership over the past few years. We look forward to building on our joint successes as Paramount plans for the future.”

Spielberg says, “Brad is a friend and I am pleased to be able to continue to work with him and his team with whom we have shared many successes. We have enjoyed a productive creative and business collaboration with Brad, Paramount and Viacom over the past few years and are enthusiastic about extending the relationship for many years to come.

“And I have a very special thanks to David Geffen for his far reaching vision that has made it possible for me to steer this new course. His advice and wisdom have always been right on the money. He is a friend for life.”

Snider says, “We are grateful to Brad, Rob and the entire Paramount team for their generous support and constant creativity. We are very proud of the films we produced and marketed together. We‘re excited about this new venture which wouldn‘t have been possible without the business genius and loyalty of David Geffen.”

Paramount Pictures vice chairman Rob Moore says, “It has been rewarding to work with the DreamWorks team and I‘m gratified we‘ll have the opportunity to continue to work together. We wish them the best as they launch their new venture.”

MUMBAI: After the success of debut film Tingya, Ravi Rai‘s Small Town Boy Productions is ready to roll out its second project Chanda.

Rai, maker of popular television soaps like Sailaab, Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai and Sparsh, is planning to collaborate with Unicef for the upcoming film project.

Rai told Indiantelevision.com, “We, at Small Town Boy Productions, have completed the shooting of Chanda which is based on the story of a street girl. It is an issue-based film, beautifully woven by director Gajendra Ahire.”

The production house is planning to release the movie very soon. The story revolved around a 12-year-old Chanda, who has aspirations and dreams, and how her dreams get shattered.

The film will be bilingual — in Marathi and Hindi. Actors Makrand Anaspure, Siddharth Jadhav and Atul Purchure are essaying lead roles in Chanda.

Apart from Chanda, there are a slew of movies in the pipeline for Small Town Boy Productions. “There are some projects we are working on, like in Marathi – Aat Paat Nagar Hota, in Hindi – Mai Manjula Parmar, and one international movie Orange Mist,” informs Rai.

At present, Rai is concentrating on release of Tingya in New York and Los Angeles as he is taking the movie to the Oscars as an independent entry.

MUMBAI: UTV World Movies has tied up with the Taj Enlighten Film Society for a Krzysztof Kieslowski Retrospective.

Screenings will be held of the Three Colours Trilogy at Metro Adalabs and Cinemax on 5, 12 and 26 October 2008.

The Three Colours trilogy is inspired by France‘s national motto – Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity – and also represents the three colours of the French Flag. UTV Entertainment Television COO Dilshad Master said, “We are proud to associate with Taj Enlighten Film Society for bringing some the world‘s greatest movies to our viewers in Mumbai. This is just the beginning, and we promise to entertain our viewers with screenings of contemporary award-winning box-office hits from around the world in your city.”

MUMBAI: IMAX Corporation has appointed Julian Stanford as GM – theatre development, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
Based in London, he will report directly to EVP – theatre development Larry O’Reilly. Stanford will be responsible for accelerating IMAX‘s growth throughout EMEA and increasing IMAX‘s presence as the premiere venue to experience Hollywood films.

At present, there are 55 IMAX theatres in EMEA, and 15 additional IMAX theatres are scheduled to be open in the region by the end of 2011.

Prior to IMAX, was working with video gaming company Aristocrat Technologies. He has also served as the head of sales (EMEA) for United International Pictures (UIP), where he oversaw film distribution and sales for Paramount, Universal and DreamWorks films.

“Stanford‘s experience and understanding of the industry and market make him an ideal choice to take on this critical role at IMAX, especially when the IMAX film slate includes some of the most impressive titles in Hollywood,” said Reilly. “His personal relationships and knowledge of the industry and the nuances of conducting business throughout EMEA will be extremely helpful as well.”

“Given his background with film distribution strategy and on-the-ground experience, Stanford will be a valuable addition to the IMAX team,” added IMAX Co-CEOs and Co-Chairmen Richard L Gelfond and Bradley J Wechsler. “The European market holds much growth potential as IMAX rolls out IMAX digital and seeks more joint venture relationships with exhibitors, and Julian‘s expertise will be an important boost to our efforts in EMEA.”

MUMBAI: The pan-Asian Twentieth Century Fox and Star joint venture (JV) company Fox Star Studios has inked a multiple-film deal with producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who has made films like Namastey London and Singh is Kinng.

The deal includes the development and production of a visual effects (VFX) driven fantasy action movie and a romantic comedy as well as a first look deal on Shah’s future projects. The VFX event film will be supported by a team of visual effects directors from Hollywood and supervised by Fox’s in-house visual effects team.

Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos said, “We are happy to announce our creative partnership with Vipul Shah. His talent and demonstrated understanding of Indian audiences, together with our Studio’s marketing and financial expertise, will provide audiences of Indian cinema with films that will set new benchmarks in India and around the world.”

“I am excited to work with Fox Star Studios India. This deal gives me the opportunity to develop innovative concepts and work with the best talent to create films that will appeal to audiences around the globe,” added Shah. “We have to partner with the best technical and creative talent from around the world while yet keeping the Indian soul in our films intact.”

Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh said, “Our relationship with Shah is special – a shared vision to create global quality content, but with an Indian soul for Indian audiences across the world. We are committed to accessing and demonstrating Twentieth Century Fox and Star’s global strengths in the development, production, distribution and marketing of Bollywood films.”

Singh further added, “The Indian film industry is expected to nearly double in size over the next five years – from $2.4 billion in 2007 to $4.4 billion in 2012.”