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Category: Movies

  • ‘Court’ once again wins accolades on the international circuit

    ‘Court’ once again wins accolades on the international circuit

    NEW DELHI: Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court, which has been on a winning streak for the past few months, has now won the FIPRESCI (The International Federation of Film Critics) Prize at the Vienna International Film Festival (Viennale).
     

    In the citation, the jury said: “This film is a quietly sophisticated, emotionally restrained yet hugely affecting account of the politics, incompetence and casual corruption of the Indian justice system, which has a universal resonance. While focused on legal procedure, glimpses into the everyday lives of the protagonists add depth and surprising humour to the iniquities within the court.”

    This is director and writer Chaitanya Tamhane’s first film.

     
    Court recently won the Golden Gateway award for Best Film, Best Director and Jury Special Mention for Ensemble Cast at the 16th Mumbai Film Festival. Besides, it also won the Turkish Film Critics’ Association (SIYAD) award for the Best Film at 51st International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival.

     
    A folk singer who sings about social ills is charged with abetting the alleged suicide of a BMC worker and thrown into judicial custody. What follows is an acidic satire that shows the absurdity of the Indian legal system and society’s callousness with elegant savagery. Court manages to talk about everything from the need for judicial reform to freedom of expression without ever turning preachy or becoming self-indulgent. The cast is made up of theatre actors and non-actors who comfortably slip between Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and English.

     

  • Saban acquires North American distribution rights to the Nicolas Cage starrer ‘The Trust’

    Saban acquires North American distribution rights to the Nicolas Cage starrer ‘The Trust’

    NEW DELHI: The crime thriller starring Nicolas Cage, The Trust, is to be distributed in North America by Saban Capital Group, as per a deal finalised at the American Film Market.

    SCG chairman and CEO Haim Saban said the film is co-written by Ben Brewer and Adam Hirsch and will be directed by Ben and Alex Brewer. The Trust is currently in pre-production with lensing in Las Vegas, NV.

    The Trust centers on two crooked cops who discover a hidden safe, the contents of which will lead them down a deadly road of corruption.  With each shocking twist, and every deadly turn, the pair are left to fight for their lives, with no one left to trust.

    “The script for The Trust was incredibly captivating and tells such a riveting story,” said Saban president Bill Bromiley. “Audiences everywhere will love Nicolas Cage in this role and it’s a great addition to the Saban Films portfolio.”

    Bromiley and Ness Saban negotiated on behalf of Saban Films and Highland Film Group (HFG) on behalf of the producers. Molly Hassell and Braxton Pope are producing. The Trust is a Hassell Free Production in association with Electric Shadow Fund who is providing finance. Mike Nilon will be the executive producer along with HFG’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier. Highland Film Group is handling the worldwide sales for the film.

    Saban Films’ first acquisition, The Homesman, starring Academy Award winners Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank was screened at the upcoming Festival which is part of AFM. The film will be released stateside with Roadside Attractions on 14 November.

    Saban Films recently acquired the US rights to John Travolta’s The Forger, the action thriller Tracers starring Taylor Lautner and Marie Avgeropoulos from Temple Hill Entertainment and American Heist starring Hayden Christensen, Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody, Jordana Brewster, Tory Kittles and Aliaune “AKON” Thiam.

    Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group is a film acquisition and distribution company which acquires high-quality, feature films to distribute in North America. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG chairman and chief executive officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as president, Shanan Becker, chief financial officer and Ness Saban, director of business development.

     

  • Rajnikant, Wong Kar Wai to be honoured at International Film Festival of India, China is country in Focus

    Rajnikant, Wong Kar Wai to be honoured at International Film Festival of India, China is country in Focus

    NEW DELHI: A total of 179 films from 75 countries across different categories would be screened and China will be the focus country for the forthcoming International Film Festival of India in Panaji, later this month.

     
    Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will inaugurate the annual filmfest to be held from 20 to 30 November.

     
    Popular star Rajnikant would be bestowed with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year, and Chinese filmmaker Wong Kar Wai would receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.

     
    This information was given by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who said the first meeting of the “Indo-China Joint Working Group” would be held on the sidelines of the festival. The Minister added that this partnership provided a platform opening new avenues for film makers from both the countries by sharing best practices and technologies.

     

    Referring to the opening ceremony, the Minister stated Chinese film actress Zhang Ziyi, Swedish filmmaker Jan Troell, and Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi would be the Guests of Honour.

    The President directed by renowned filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf from Iran will be the opening film on 20 November and The Grandmaster by Wong Kar Wai would be the closing film of the festival on 30 November.

     

    The international films include World Cinema (61 films), Master-strokes (11 films), Festival Kaleidoscope (20 films), Soul of Asia (7 films), Documentaries (6 films), and Animated Films (6 films).

    In addition, the Indian Panorama section would include 41 feature and non-feature films. The North-East being the focus region of the festival, IFFI 2014 would be showcasing seven films from that region.

    Retrospectives will be held on Gulzar and Jahnu Baruah and a special tribute to Farooq Sheikh. One film each of eminent film personalities who passed away in the past year would be screened. These are Richard Attenborough, Robin Williams, Zohra Sehgal, and Suchitra Sen.

    A special section of films that focus on dance, personality based retrospectives, and Masterclasses and workshops would also form part of IFFI 2014.  

     

  • Prabhu Solomon’s ‘Kayal’ to release in Dolby Atmos, launches its music in Chennai

    Prabhu Solomon’s ‘Kayal’ to release in Dolby Atmos, launches its music in Chennai

    MUMBAI: Dolby Laboratories, has announced that the much anticipated Indian movie, Kayal will be mixed and released in Dolby Atmos. The announcement was made at the occasion of the music launch of the much anticipated movie, Kayal at the Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai. Filmmakers use Dolby Atmos to place and move sounds anywhere in the movie theatre, including overhead, to make film audiences feel as if they are inside the move and not merely watching it.

    Kayal is directed by Prabhu Solomon and produced by Madhan of Escape Artists Motion Pictures. The film features newcomers Chandran, Vincent and Anandhi in the lead roles, while D. Imman composes the film’s music.

    The Dolby Atmos version of Kayal is being mixed by re-recording sound mixer Tapas Nayak at G Studio in Chennai.

                        
    At the audio launch, Prabhu Solomon, Director of Kayal said, “As a film maker, I have always strived to deliver the best possible cinematic entertainment experience for my audiences. The storyline of Kayal is based on a natural calamity and we needed something to make the experience realistic, immersing the audiences in the storyline. Dolby Atmos helped us create that holistic entertainment experience and I think that it is the most amazing cinema sound technology. I truly believe in the power of Dolby Atmos which immerses the viewer into the setting, which in return helped us in telling our story as realistically as possible.”
     
     
    “With Dolby Atmos, the audiences are no longer watching a movie but experiencing it,” said Pankaj Kedia, Sr. Regional Director – India, South East Asia, ANZ, Dolby Laboratories. “We are confident that movie-goers will go back to cinemas for the extraordinary experience that Dolby Atmos delivers. Dolby Atmos creates a virtual reality of sound by precisely placing and moving sounds to make audiences feel as if they, too, are in the middle of the onscreen action. Kayal will be an extraordinary experience with Dolby Atmos.”
     
    Dolby Atmos has quickly become the preferred choice for next-generation sound in the cinema, with major studios, award-winning filmmakers, and exhibitors from around the world embracing its approach. Unlike traditional channel-based sound systems like 5.1, 7.1, and 11.1, which require filmmakers to think about the number and location of speakers, Dolby Atmos allows them to simply designate where in the cinema space each sound should be placed or moved to make audiences experience the film as if they were within its world.

    Also present at the event was the music director of the movie, D.Immanuel Vasanth Dinakaran. While sharing his experience of mixing the movie in Dolby Atmos he said, “Creating music is always very exciting, and Dolby Atmos has added to the whole creative liberty for music composers to create the best sound experience. Music of Kayal has been designed by keeping Dolby Atmos in mind as it powerfully translates the unsaid emotions in the most realistic and immersive experience for our audiences.”

     

  • Kitano Takeshi hits out at Japanese cinema at Tokyo filmfest

    Kitano Takeshi hits out at Japanese cinema at Tokyo filmfest

    NEW DELHI: Eminent Japanese filmmaker Kitano Takeshi used the occasion of receiving the ‘Lifetime Achievement Samurai Award’ at the Tokyo International Film Festival to speak about the current state of Japanese film industry.

     

    He was one of the two filmmakers who received the award, the other being American filmmaker Tim Burton known for his dark, gothic, macabre and quirky horror and fantasy films such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie, and for blockbusters such as Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,Batman, its first sequel Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Kitano said: “The bad thing about the Japanese film industry is that production companies have relationships with cinemas. Look at the Academy Awards. The Japanese representative needs to be recommended by the film industry, and that is the only one that can be nominated… it irritates me, but if you look at all the Japanese representatives at the Academy Awards, I do not think there is hardly any case in which the film selected is not from the same three or four companies. This year, it would be Shochiku, then it would be Toho, and then it would be Toei. It’s ridiculous!”

     

    Kitano went on to criticise Japanese media for turning a blind eye to industry problems and exaggerating the reception of Japanese films at international film festivals in order to sell ads.

    In a mentoring session of sorts between Kitano and eight award-winning young filmmakers, he said: “I know you are up-and-coming, so make sure that you do not get entangled with the major studios.”

     

    The second half of the event mostly consisted of curator and critic Tony Rayns and Cannes Film Festival selector Christian Jeune discussing Kitano’s films and their cultural impact. But Kitano offered little but polite responses to the two foreign guests’ praise, and had to be reminded of the moderator’s questions multiple times after Rayns and Jeune made their respective comments.

     

    Although Kitano himself also insisted that his works are left to the audience to interpret it in their own way, he did explain the way he creates his films.

     

    “I do not have any themes in my mind. I start with a final scene. With that final image in mind, I decide how much story I can put in,” Kitano said, “I create a shot list, and I shoot a film in order to realise that. As for the theme, it is up to the critics to decide what that might be.” 

  • Bangla film ‘Teenkahon’ wins two awards at maiden Kosovo filmfest

    Bangla film ‘Teenkahon’ wins two awards at maiden Kosovo filmfest

    NEW DELHI: Bengali feature film Teenkahon (Three Obsessions), which was premiered in India at the Mumbai Film Festival, has won the Best Screenplay award and Special Mention of the Jury for Cinematography at the Bridge Film Fest at Mitrovica, Kosovo.

    The maiden edition of the festival, in the partially-recognised state of Kosovo in south-eastern Europe, screened 10 feature films from across the globe.

    Teenkahon marks the directorial debut of advertising filmmaker Bauddhayan Mukherji and is independently produced by his Mumbai-based production company, Little Lamb films. The film is set for release next year.

    A triptych, Teenkahon features Dhritiman Chaterji, Rituparna Sengupta, Ashish Vidyarthi and Sabyasachi Chakraborty, among others.

    Spread over a 100 years, the three stories are structured in the manner of the classical Three Act Play with each story exploring one facet of an obsessive relationship outside the purview of marriage. Each story is a vignette of the period it is set in and looks at the populist trends of the time which has been restored in terms of props, costumes, make-up and hair etc. and these films have been digitally manipulated to imitate colour processes that were available in India during the periods in which each film is set.

     

  • Eros International collaborates with Aanand L Rai on Tanu Weds Manu Returns.

    Eros International collaborates with Aanand L Rai on Tanu Weds Manu Returns.

    MUMBAI: After the stupendous success of Raanjhanaa ,starring Sonam Kapoor & Dhanush, that went on to enter the highly coveted 100 crore club, Eros International is now collaborating with director Aanand L Rai on Tanu Weds Manu Returns, the sequel of the blockbuster starring Kangana Ranaut and R.Madhavan.

     

    Kangana Ranaut who will soon reprise her role as Tanu in Aanand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns has a pivotal role in the film, that of a Haryanvi athlete.

     

    Says director Aanand L Rai, “It is wonderful to be collaborating with Eros yet again on Tanu Weds Manu Returns .They have always ensured that no stone is left unturned to give a film everything it needs right from the time it goes on floors to the release.”.

     

    Says producer Krishika Lulla, “after the delightful  Raanjhanaa, we at Eros are happy to partner with director Aanand L Rai on yet another entertainer Tanu Weds Manu 2 .We are confident that the sequel will be just as memorable and entertaining”.

     

    Complex, funnier and more twisted, Aanand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns starring Kangana Ranaut and R.Madhavan is scheduled to release next year.

  • American supernatural thriller Voices from the Stone acquired by 13 Films

    American supernatural thriller Voices from the Stone acquired by 13 Films

    NEW DELHI: The supernatural thriller Voice from the Stone starring Emilia Clarke which is being produced by Dean Zanuck (Road To Perdition, Get Low fame) and Stefano Gallini-Durante (White Shadow, En La Caliente) and will be directed by Eric D. Howell has been acquired by leading international sales and finance company 13 Films.
     
    13 Films president Tannaz Anisi announced this at the ongoing American Film Market. However, the film’s producers will retain rights for the United States.
     
    Veteran sales agent Anisi will also be the executive producer of the project which is set to start principal photography in November in Italy.
     
    Marton Csokas has also joined the cast alongside Clarke.
     
    “I was immediately drawn to the unique and haunting script of Voice from the Stone and
    am thrilled to be partnering with established producers Dean Zanuck and Stefani Gallini-Durante on the project. The beautiful and talented Emilia Clarke is the perfect actress to bring life and freshness to the role of Verena,” said Anisi.
     
    Written by Andrew Shaw and based on the Italian novel La Voce Della Pietra by Silvio Raffo, Voice from the Stone marks Eric D. Howell’s feature film directorial debut.
     
    Voice from the Stone is the haunting story of Verena (Clarke), a solemn nurse drawn to aid a young boy named Jakob who has fallen silent since the untimely death of his mother nearly a year ago. Living with his father (Csokas) in a massive stone manor in Tuscany, Jakob not only refuses to speak, he seems to be under the spell of a malevolent force trapped within the stone walls. As Verena’s relationship with the father and son grow, she becomes ensnared and consumed by Malvina’s severe force. If she is to save the boy, and free herself, she must face the phantom hidden inside the stone.
     
    13 Films’ full slate at AFM also includes the romantic comedy Take Care starring Leslie Bibb and Thomas Sadoski, which made its market premiere yesterday and will be released theatrically in the US by Phase 4 Films on 5 December, crime thriller Manhattan Nocturne starring Oscar winner Adrien Brody, Yvonne Strahovski and Campbell Scott set to start shooting in December and Very Good Girls with Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Peter Sarsgaard and Demi Moore, which was released earlier this year by Tribeca Films.

     

  • MAX2 adds colour to TV screens this festive season

    MAX2 adds colour to TV screens this festive season

    Mumbai, 11th November, 2014: Relive the magic of legendary black and white movies through Sony Max 2’s movie festival – ‘Rang Barse’ which will air every Sunday in November at 7 pm. The iconic movie channel plans to brighten the moods of the viewers this festive season by showcasing 4 black and white movies in colorized versions. By presenting Bollywood fans with films dating back to the 1950s, the movie festival resonates with the channel’s positioning of showcasing timeless movies that have an eternal appeal.


    Comprising of romantic comedy films ranging from ‘Chori Chori’to ‘Dil Tera Deewana’ & ‘Half Ticket,’ the movie festival will take viewers on a nostalgic journey down the memory lane of the golden era. A noteworthy film being aired during this festival is ‘Naya Daur’ which sees Vyjayantimala and Dilip Kumar in memorable roles. The film revolves around how industrialization threatens the existence of tongawallahs (horse cart drivers).

    Commenting on the Rang Barse film festival Neeraj Vyas, Sr. EVP & Business Head, MAX & MAX2 said, “We believe in the art of great story telling and building an appreciation for legendary films.  What better way to do this than to showcase colorized versions of black and white films which are iconic films which one can never tire of seeing. We do hope our viewers enjoy watching our ‘Rang Barse’ movie festival and relive the magic of these legendary films.”  

    Tune-in to catch the ‘Rang Barse’ movie festival airing every Sunday in November at 7pm only on MAX 2

  • 20th Kolkata International Film Festival begins

    20th Kolkata International Film Festival begins

    KOLKATA: The 20th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), which opened on 10 November, saw the heavyweights of Bollywood and Hollywood attending it.

     

    The eight-day extravaganza saw Amitabh Bachchan and his celebrated family, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, the state’s brand ambassador and a host of film personalities at the Netaji Indoor Stadium at Central Kolkata.

     

    The inaugural ceremony will be presided by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with the Bachchan clan, SRK, Deepika Padukone, Tanuja and Irrfan Khan.

     

    Boasting of a rich oeuvre of around 137 films from 60 countries, the fest will see 40 international delegates and 15 segments. There will be 31 Indian films, including 13 Bengali films.

     

    For the first time, the fest will see 15 films by women directors from across the globe, competing for the top jury award, the Golden Royal Bengal Tiger trophy in the Women Directors segment.

     

    Headed by award-winning Australian filmmaker Paul Cox, the jury will comprise Iranian director Nikki Karimi and Indian filmmaker Amol Palekar and others.

     

    It should be noted that this year there is no private sponsorship.

     

    The focus will be on cinema from Arab nations too and a special section has been earmarked as a tribute to legendary Bengali actress Suchitra Sen, who died on January 17 this year in Kolkata. Seven of her films will be screened as part of this.

    Hollywood classics such as Guns of Navarone, The Sound of Music and Jighangsa by Ajoy Kar will be screened in the ‘Centenary Tribute’ section.

     

    The Satyajit Ray Memorial lecture will be delivered by director Govind Nihalani and the screening locations will be spread across 12 venues.

     

    Other highlights include ‘Children Screening’ section and ‘French Classics’ segments, apart from contemporary world films of 2013 and 2014.

     

    The inaugural film selected is the Italian movie Italo Barocco by Alessia Scarso.