Category: Hindi

NEW DELHI: Delhi is today the venue for several international film festivals including those for Asian and Arab Cinema, Buddhist films, women’s cinema and South Asian Cinema, but Delhi’s chief minister Sheila Dikshit feels the capital is not getting the right kind of International films for regular day-to-day screenings.

‘‘Apart from the film festivals and the film-related events being held in Delhi from time to time, we are not getting the kind of International films that we deserve to get. I do not see the reason for it as we are getting clothes made in any part of the world, the shoes and even cars manufactured outside India. If we are not getting anything, it is good films being made outside India. Or, at least, they are not being shown to the public,‘‘ Dikshit said, after inaugurating the fourth edition of the Tri-continental film festival here last night.

Addressing a huge gathering of lovers of good cinema gathered at the India Habitat Centre for the inaugural ceremony of the festival featuring films from Latin America, Africa and Asia showcasing various facets of the cause of human rights in these Continents, Dikshit said, ‘‘Because of the paucity of good International film available for regular screenings in Delhi, we welcome the holding in the city of such festivals as the Tri-continental film festival, featuring the best of International cinema. However, many of the lovers of good cinema among us would like to see these films on a day-to-basis in our neighbourhood and not just at film festivals.‘‘

Dikshit also announced that the Delhi government would extend its full support to the Tri-continental film festival, being organized by international human rights organization Breakthrough that uses education and popular culture to promote values of dignity, equality and justice, in collaboration with the Habitat Film Club and the Alliance Francaise.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister also honoured Parvez Sharma, whose film A Jehad For Love being screened at the film festival has been selected by the festival jury as Best film.

Organised in Latin America in 2002, South Africa in 2003 and India in 2004, the tri-continental film festival has become an annual platform for narrative, documentary, feature and short length in the three continents.

A unique feature of the festival has been the ‘traveling screen‘ which means that screenings of the film festival are held in several areas across the country. The first Tri-continental film festival in India traveled to Bangalore, Chandigarh, Delhi, Guwahati, Kanpur, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune, reaching students and practitioners of human rights. The films were also screened for cultural institutions, focused groups as well as general audiences. After Delhi, the festival will go to Mumbai where it will be held from January 25 to 27, Bangalore (1 to 3 February) and Kolkata (8 to 10 February).

Each screening is usually followed by active and participatory debates and discussions on issues, which the film throws up. Films selected for the festival are judged by a jury including filmmakers, film critics and scholars as well as artistes.

MUMBAI: Ashoka Holla COO of PVR Pictures has put in his papers. He had joined the company only seven months ago.

Sources close to the developments have confirmed Holla‘s resignation from the company. However, when contacted, Holla refused comment.

Earlier he was working with UTV Software Communications, after which he had a short stint of eight months with Network 18‘s Studio 18.

MUMBAI: A total of 44 films from sixteen countries including India have been shortlisted for the International Competition while 54 films from fourteen states have been selected for the National Competition of the forthcoming Mumbai International Film Festival for short, documentary and animation films early next month.

Films Division Chief Producer Kuldeep Sinha today revealed that a total of 228 films from 37 countries had been received for the international section 543 films had been received from within the country.

Apart from the competition sections, a total of nine international films will be showcased in other sections and 13 Indian films will be shown in the Special screening section.

Referring to the fact that MIFF had become the third largest documentary festival in the world, Mr Sinha said the tenth edition this year – the festival commenced in 1990 and is held every alternate year – will have several new features.

Reiterating his demand for a separate television channel for documentary, short and animation films, he claimed that the documentary cinema movement had seen a revival over the past few years and documentary films were getting greater acceptance among people than ever before.

He said while Doordarshan was showing films made by the Division, there were some technical hitches in giving films to private television channels. However, he claimed that festivals of short films had been held in different parts of the country over the past year.

He announced that MIFF being held from 3 to 9 February will have separate sections of films from the SAARC countries, South Africa, and Brazil. The Festival at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Nariman Point, Mumbai is organized by the Films Division, with the support of the Government of Maharashtra.

There will be a section called ‘Best of Festivals’ for selected films from some renowned documentary, short and animation film festivals and Oscar winning and nominated films, a retrospective of films by jury members, a section of Classics featuring films of great masters of documentary films which will have films made by Great Masters like Bert Haanstra, Robert J. Flaherty, Francois Truffaut, Istvan Szabo, Kristof Zanussi and Ritwik Ghatak. This package will be organized with the support of National Film Archive of India.

A Film Memoir shows biographical films made on great filmmakers like Andrei Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, Satyajit Ray, and Bimal Roy, while Adult Cartoons is a collection of animation films made for adult viewers by the National Film Board of Canada.

There is a special and rarely seen section on films on the Second World War with rarest film records of the Indian troops in action at various part of the world during Second World War. This will also feature the battle of Britain , Russia and other major incidents of that period. This package is being organized with the help of the Armed Forces Film & Photo Division, Delhi.

There will also be sections for films from the North East and from Jammu and Kashmir, and Glimpses from the archives of the Division, apart from a homage to filmmakers who passed away in the recent past.

MUMBAI: The sixth Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) concluded last night in the presence of celebrities, politicians and cinematic personalities.

Subash Ghai, Suresh Kalmadi, Jackie Shroff, Rati Agnihotri, Jabbar Patel, Dia Mirza, state minister for Cultural Affairs Ashok Chavan, Maharashtra state cultural department secretary Bhushan Gagrani, Pune mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale, NEEC president Anuradha Desai, Pune Municipal Commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi and Sakal Papers Ltd. joint managing director Abhijit Pawar were present in the function along with the international juries and film directors.

Chavan on the occasion said, “Pune has now become the Mecca for screening the latest movies from around the world. I do hope that next year too the government will be more actively involved with this prestigious festival.”

In Marathi cinema category, Tingya directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni wins the best international Marathi film. Bipin Nadkarni for Aevedhe Se Aabhaal got the best screenplay award while Prateksha Lonkar got the best actor for the same movie. Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni for the movie Valu bags the best director award.

In the International category, special jury award goes to Olga Victoria Olga (Time Without Time) – Argentina. XXY of Argentina won the best International film award and Teresa Prata for the film Terra Sonambula (Sleep Walking Land) – Mozambique bags the best director award.

Best international female actor was Ozgu Namal for Mutluluk and male actor was Cezmi Baskin for Beynelmilel (International) – Turkey.

MUMBAI: Shringar Cinemas has allotted 1,687,850 equity shares
out of the 0.5 per cent per annum Series B Unsecured Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds (FCCBs). The 0.5 per cent worth $ 8 million is due on 2011.

The conversion price has been fixed at Rs 107 per equity share. The exchange rate is of Rs 45.15 per US dollor upon conversion of the said FCCBs Series B due on 2011 (FCCBs) aggregating to $ 4 million.

MUMBAI: Close on the heels of the Indian Films-Studio 18 released Welcome being declared as the No.2 box-office grosser in 2007 in the UK & Ireland, comes the news that Welcome is also the No.2 film of last year in the UAE, making it the biggest of the four Akshay Kumar releases last year.

While the film has grossed almost $1.1 million in the US and $1.8 million in the UK, the box-office in the UAE has grossed nearly $1.02 million with a 29-print start.

Apart from UAE, Welcome is in the charts of ‘top grossers‘ in Mauritius, East/West Africa, Fiji and Singapore as well.

Says Gayathiri Batra, Region Head – UAE/Asia-Pacific, Studio 18, “Close on the heels of the smashing performance of the UK and other international markets, the stupendous box-office result of Welcome in the UAE is an indication that with the right marketing and product, there is incredible potential in this territory.”

AT A GLANCE:

TOP 5 FILMS OF 2007 (UAE):

1. Om Shanti Om
2. Welcome
3. Taare Zameen Par
4. Partner
5. Bhool Bhulaiyaa

TOP 5 FILMS OF 2007 (UK):

1. Om Shanti Om
2. Welcome
3. Namastey London
4. Partner
5. Salaam-e-Ishq

MUMBAI: After a voice over for Lagaan, the Big B has been roped in to do the same for Jodha Akbar.

Bachchan is by now a veteran at voice overs as he has lent his baritone for a number of films like Bawarchi, Balika Badhu, Shatranj Ke Khilari, Tere Mere Sapne, Parineeta and Swami.

Jodha Akbar, which is scheduled for a Feb 15 release, is a historical saga of Emperor Akbar and his Rajput Queen Jodhabai. Bachchan, who will be the narrator for the film, was director Ashutosh Gowariker’s only choice as he wanted someone who could convey both the gravity and historicity of the era.

For Bachchan, who has also done a voice over for the sound and light show at the Golconda fort, Hyderabad, where he takes the audience back to the days of the Nizam, doing a period film should be an easy task.

MUMBAI: UTV Home Video launches a special collector‘s edition of Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal 2-DVD pack priced at Rs 699.

The DVD pack includes features like “The Making of Goal,” deleted scenes, exclusive footage on football tricks, bloopers, a music video Ishq Ka Kalma and “A Day with John Abraham.” Buyers will also get a John Abraham autographed T-shirt, along with the DVD.

The Goal DVD and VCD are available across retail stores in the country. The regular DVD of the film will be available at Rs 299 and VCD at Rs 99.

Goal includes a star cast comprising John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Bipasha Basu and Boman Irani. The film is about a contemporary story of the Asian community in the UK, told through the dynamic prism of professional football.

MUMBAI: Excel Home Videos has released The Simpsons Movie on DVD in India.

Excel Home Videos MD M N Kapasi said, “The Simpsons Movie DVD is loaded with bonus features including commentaries with The Simpsons writers/producers, actors and directors, numerous deleted scenes and promotional spots including ‘The Simpsons Judge American Idol‘ and ‘Homer‘s Monologue on the Tonight Show.‘”

MUMBAI: Chennai-based GV Films, in partnership with Ayngaran International Media, has acquired the Tamil Nadu theatrical exploitation rights of Bheema for Rs 230 million. The film is produced by Sri Surya Movies.

As per the partnership, GV Films and Ayngaran will share the profit on equal share of 50:50 per cent, says an official press release.

Ayngaran International, a London-based overseas distributor had earlier entered with Eros International for a joint venture. Sivaji was the first project of this new JV as well as the first investment and foray into Tamil cinema for Eros.

Bheema is directed by N Lingusamy, and music is rendered by Harish Jeyaraj. It stars Vikram, Trisha, Prakashraj in the lead.