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Category: Movies

  • Danny Boyle’s curated film fest to be held in London Cemetery

    Danny Boyle’s curated film fest to be held in London Cemetery

    NEW DELHI: Perhaps for the first time ever, a cemetery in London’s most urban woodlands is to be the venue of a unique festival next month on film, music and arts.

     

    Academy Award-winning filmmaker Danny Boyle along with BAFTA award-nominated director Clio Barnard (The Selfish Giant), award-winning director Sally El Hosaini (My Brother the Devil) and actor and director Dexter Fletcher (Sunshine on Leith, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) will judge short films across three key categories: ‘Science and the Imagination’, ‘The City’ and ‘Young Filmmakers’ (under 25s).

     

    The Festival SHUFFLE will be held from 30 July to 4 August at Tower Hamlets’ Cemetery Park (THCP).

     

    The top award for the ‘Science and the Imagination’ contest is a  trip to California to be part of the world’s most cutting-edge filmmaking and digital media technology, which includes a virtual reality session and a visit to Google HQ in silicon valley.

     

    Winners of the ‘The City’ will bet to join a one-on-one mentoring session with Danny Boyle – a remarkable insight into how the Oscar-winning filmmaker works – plus a trip to New York.

     

    ‘Young Filmmakers’ (under 25s) will get Panalux advice and bespoke five-day lighting package for the winner’s next film.

     

    “SHUFFLE is the most fun anyone can have in a graveyard in Mile End. The point of the festival is to help build a stronger community in East London and campaign for permanently affordable housing in the area, so please do come on by,” said Danny Boyle.
     

    SHUFFLE’s artistic director, Kate MacTiernan, said “This year, Danny Boyle and SHUFFLE have created a new film prize, to recognise up-and-coming talent as well as celebrate the art of the short film – where concept, idea, character and visual execution must be realised quickly and concisely. We are thrilled that Danny Boyle will judge the competition and offer his expertise to the winner.”

     

    An award-winning festival, SHUFFLE is about living in the city – in the best way possible. It’s about the quality of spaces in the city and the interconnectedness of the people that exist in these places. It is about shaping an area for healthy, affordable living.

     
    Born out of the Community Land Trust (CLT) – providing sustainable housing in urban areas – SHUFFLE is about bringing a sense of community back to London. SHUFFLE began in summer 2013 to create awareness of the UK’s first urban CLT, the former asylum of St Clements Hospital. SHUFFLE secured the space as a cultural centre for Mile End. In 2014, this initiative moves into the surrounding streets and Tower Hamlets’ Cemetery Park.

     

    Last year’s guests at SHUFFLE included Jarvis Cocker, Nic Roeg, Martin McDonagh, Julien Temple, Brian Cox, Tim Key, Underworld and Mark Kermode.

     

    All prizes are sponsored by Canary Wharf Group and Panalux. All film competitions are free for young residents (under 25) from E3. Competition winners will be announced on 3 August.

  • Anurag Kashyap’s psychological thriller to release commercially in September

    Anurag Kashyap’s psychological thriller to release commercially in September

    NEW DELHI: Renowned filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly, which has already done well in the film festival circuit, is expected to be released in September in the country.

     

    The film received a world premiere at Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 and has since been screened at several film festivals including Puchon, Warsaw and Melbourne.

     

    The Indian premiere of the film is taking place at the Ladakh International Film Festival next month, and the commercial release will be on 19 September.

     

    A psychological thriller, Ugly deals with a situation where no one can trust anyone amidst the scenes of brutality and psychological games after 10 year old Kali goes missing from the car she was left in by her father. 

     

    The film features Tejaswini Kolhapure and Ronit Roy in lead roles.

     

    The Indian release of the film was delayed by Kashyap to voice his protest against the anti-smoking tickers on screen.

  • ‘Revolution’ wins top award at annual 40Fathoms Festival

    ‘Revolution’ wins top award at annual 40Fathoms Festival

    NEW DELHI: ‘Revolution’, a true-life adventure of filmmaker Rob Stewart has won the top award at the 40Fathoms Film Festival which is a cinematic celebration of Earth’s Oceans.

    Using the power of film and imagery, 40Fathoms Film Festival raises public awareness about issues facing the oceans today and provides people with the tools to make a difference. 

    The 40Fathoms Film Festival was conceived by the South African Shark Conservancy (SASC) to celebrate World Oceans Day. It showcases underwater filmmaking talent and emphasises marine conservation concerns and success stories on a regional and global scale. 40Fathoms was held at Hermanus in South Africa – a historic coastal village just 1.5 hours from Cape Town.  

     

    ‘Revolution’ is a follow-up to Stewart’s acclaimed Sharkwater (36 festival wins) and continues his remarkable journey; one that will take him through 15 countries over four years, and where he will discover that it is not only sharks that are in grave danger – it is humanity itself.

     

    In an effort to uncover the truth and find the secret to saving the ecosystems we depend on for survival, Stewart embarks on a life-threatening adventure. From the coral reefs in Papua New Guinea and deforestation in Madagascar to the largest and most destructive environmental project in history in Alberta, Canada, he reveals that all of our actions are interconnected and that environmental degradation, species loss, ocean acidification, pollution and food/water scarcity are reducing the Earth’s ability to house humans.

     

    Travelling the globe to meet with the dedicated individuals and organisations working on a solution, Stewart finds encouragement and hope, pointing to the revolutions of the past and how we’ve evolved and changed our course in times of necessity. If people were informed about what was really going on, they would fight for their future – and the future of other generations. From the evolution of our species to the revolution to save it, Stewart and his team take viewers on a groundbreaking mission into the greatest war ever waged. Startling, beautiful, and provocative, 

     

    ‘Revolution’ inspires audiences from across the globe to start a revolution and change the world forever. The film has been produced, directed and photographed by Rob Stewart himself.

     

     

  • ‘Ek Villain’…Box Office Hero

    ‘Ek Villain’…Box Office Hero

    MUMBAI: In the old days, they would say that there are only seven story themes in this world and we keep making films around them. Then came television, and the serials took away more than half of them to beam into people’s drawing rooms on a daily basis. Of these, romance and comedy as feel-good themes work on both mediums, films as well as television.

    The situation led to some trying out different storylines. So we have makers who work on finding new blends and we get a Vicky Donor or a Dirty Picture or a Kahaani once in a while. Ek Villain, for a change, combines many varied genres. It is a love story, it has that tried-and-tested Love Story (Erich Segal) angle of one of the leads having an expiry date, and it is a psycho killer thriller, with cops and criminal and also a dash of underworld. It takes all that to make the 209-minute saga that is Ek Villain. Film titles are at premium and, at times, (like this one) look forced.

    Sidharth Malhotra had a bad childhood watching his parents being killed by goons while he hid under the bed. Next thing you know, he is all brawn punching people into oblivion. He represents the local Goa don played by Remo Fernandes. He plays the kind of character Dharmendra played in all time classic Phool Aur Paththar (1966); a heartless inhuman kind who melts due to circumstances.

    Sidharth knows only one thing well, how to liquidate a person. And he does not use a gun to do that. Shraddha Kapoor, a journalist, spots him at a police station going through third degree. Sidharth catches her fancy and she chases him in her typical choolbooli ways, again done earlier by just about every heroine since the inception of cinema. But, Shraddha plays what Rajesh Khanna played in Anand or what Ranjeeta Kaur played in Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se. Sidharth is now in love with her. His softer side takes over and has a purpose to live. 

    Producers: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor.

    Director: Mohit Suri.

    Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Shradha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Aamna Sharif, Shaad Randhawa, Remo Fernandes, Kamaal Rashid Khan and cameo by Prachi Desai.

    He has changed, he has just managed to land a job when Shraddha is killed by a psycho even as he listens to her shrieks on his cell phone. There is no secret about who the psycho is as he is revealed to public soon enough though Sidharth has still to find out who he is and get after him. There is a cop who likes to play two sides against each other and he directs Sidharth to Remo as the killer of Shraddha which he has not but this opens an opportunity to add an action sequence to the film. Remo assures Sidharth that he looks upon him as a son and had no cause to kill his love.

    Sidharth is back to square one but soon gets lucky as he comes across a young boy who leads him to the killer, Riteish Deshmukh. Sidharth decides to punish Riteish on regular basis instead of killing him in one go. Beaten badly, Riteish is delivered to a hospital doorstep by Sidharth and there he tries to kill a nurse. What sets off the murderer in him? It seems Riteish has always been ridiculed and humiliated mostly by women including his wife. But he loves his wife too much to kill her and takes his revenge on other women who provoke him in any way; whatever jewelry he finds on his victim, he gifts it to his wife to try to win her back.

    The wrap of the story is on expected lines but convincing which works in the favour of the film. That it does not threaten the viewer with a sequel is a relief.

    The script is generally well-etched; a few glitches and liberties here and there are accepted. Direction is able with Mohit Suri maintaining a generous dose of emotions throughout. The film drops momentum at times but catches up again soon. Suri has been able to eke out good performances from his cast when not through histrionics then through expressions. Sidharth does a lot just by his expressions and also doing well in brute action. Shraddha as a cute do-gooder waiting for her inevitable death impresses. Riteish gets a killer look with the help of grey contact lenses which are exploited mainly during his killer moods which also helps juxtapose his docile, henpecked husband at home. Aamna Sharif does a decent job of being his nagging wife. Shaad Randhwa as a sly cop is okay. But, what is Kamaal Rashid Khan doing here? He is supposedly the comic relief. Maybe the makers thought his very presence provides that.

    One of the positives of the film is its music as it has already become popular. Item numbers are a norm nowadays but, here, Prachi Desai does an item on a sad number which is well thought of. Photography is good.

    Ek Villain has had a bumper opening with positive word of mouth and looks set to be a hit.

  • The journey of Kapil’s Devils to be immortalised on celluloid

    The journey of Kapil’s Devils to be immortalised on celluloid

    NEW DELHI: In June 1983, veteran cricketer Kapil Dev led his men to win the prudential World Cup Cricket by defeating the then two time defending champions West Indies in the finals, widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in the world of sport.

     

    That picture of Kapil Dev holding the World Cup title at the balcony at the Lords Cricket Ground has become part of cricket folklore and has become etched in collective memory of Indians as one of the greatest sporting achievements.

     

    Kapil while reminiscing about that victory has revealed that a film is being made on the team’s journey during the 1983 World Cup. “I wish all the success to Vishnu (Vishnu Vardhan Induri, founder of Celebrity Cricket League) who is producing the movie and his team,” he said.

     

    He added, “It is heartening to see the trend of movies being made on sports in our country which I am sure will inspire the youth to get motivated and do well for the country.”

     

    “In what seems like a rather bizarre turn of events even three decades after the historic World Cup victory, a cricket crazy country like India has not produced a single feature film that captures the achievement. In many ways that victory was instrumental in turning cricket into a religion it has become in India. I was a school kid then and still remember the euphoria surrounding the victory. The 1983 World Cup is seminal event in the history of sport in India and I believe it’s a story that needs to be told,” says Induri.

     

    Sanjay Puran Singh, who won the National Award for his debut film Lahore is directing the film. “We are in touch with the members of the 1983 World Cup winning team and they have lent their full support to us. The film is in the pre-production stage at the moment and we are hoping to finish the casting and hit the floors in the first quarter of 2015,” says Induri, promising that the film will turn out to be a proper Bollywood feature film on sports that will set a new benchmark.

  • ‘Songs of the Blue Hills’ invited to film fests in Italy, Ladakh, Kerala

    ‘Songs of the Blue Hills’ invited to film fests in Italy, Ladakh, Kerala

    NEW DELHI: Some mesmerising Naga music will reverberate in a castle on a rocky island off the coast of Italy and the heights of the Himalayas around the same time this month end, as filmmaker-critic Utpal Borpujari’s documentary ‘Songs of the Blue Hills’ has been invited to three more international film festivals.

     

    The film has been selected for the ‘Documentari fuori concorso’ section of the 12th Ischia Film Festival held under the patronage of the Italian President in the medieval Aragonese Castle located on the Mediterranean Sea, the seventh International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK), and the Ladakh International Film Festival after having already earned high appreciation in six international film festivals.

     

    Produced by the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), an organisation under the Culture Ministry, the film features an eclectic range of Naga musicians who are practising the folk music of various Naga tribes in their pure and contemporary forms.

     

    The 96-minute film earlier got invited to the Doc Outlook International Market of the Visions du Reel Film Festival (Nyon, Switzerland), Gothenburg Independent Film Festival (Sweden), New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), Eyes & Lenses Ethnographic Film Festival (Warsaw, Poland), the World Music & Independent Film Festival (Washington) and Signs 2014 Documentary Film Festival, Kochi.

     

    “Every year, the festival presents a selection of films from all over the world, emphasising the cultural identity or the landscape’s features of a certain territory through the audiovisual narration,” says a spokesperson of the Ischia Film Festival which was designed in 2002 by Michelangelo Messina for ‘The Association Art Movie e Music.’

     

    The Festival is an important part of a wider project called ‘Cinema and territory’ that aims at protecting cultural and landscape peculiarities of territories in order to promote them through the audiovisual medium. 

    ‘Songs of the Blue Hills’ features some fascinating music as well as dialogue with musicians like veteran Ao folk singers Sademmeren Longkumer and A. Bendangyanger Tsuwar Jamir, Chakhesang folk veteran Zachunu Keyho, classical pianist Nise Meruno, and groups like the Tetseo Sisters, the Nagaland Singing Ambassadors, the Chancel Choir, Ru’a, Üsou’s Instrumental, Abiogenesis, Nagagenous, Baptist Youth Choir Poilwa Village and Purple Fusion.

     

    In addition, experts such as Dr A Lanunugsang, Lipokmar Tzudir, Gugs Chishi, Theja Meru, Vivee Peseye, Som Kamei, Zubeno Mozhui and Dr Abraham Lotha have shared their views on the changing face of Naga music in recent times.

     

    Shot extensively across Nagaland, the film’s crew comprised Biswajeet Changmai (cinematography), Debajit Gayan (sound), Umesh Kumar (Editor), Atanu Phukan (research & coordination), and Aiyushman Dutta (research & art direction).

  • Jason Schwartzman’s ‘Listen Up Philip’ to screen at 67th Locarno Film Festival

    Jason Schwartzman’s ‘Listen Up Philip’ to screen at 67th Locarno Film Festival

    MUMBAI: The 67th Festival del film Locarno, which will be held from 6 to 16 August, will see the return of two directors launched at Locarno with their latest work.

     

    The Concorso Internazionale will host the international premi?re of Alex Ross Perry’s Listen Up Philip, an unusual kind of diary of a young writer dealing with a creative crisis and an unsettled love life. In addition to confirming the talent of the filmmaker, who featured in the Concorso Cineasti del presente in 2011 with The Color Wheel, the film is enhanced by an exceptional cast, with a stand-out performances by Jason Schwartzman in the lead role and Jonathan Pryce, who plays a disillusioned elderly writer. Both actors will be attending the festival.

     

    The Concorso Cineasti del Presente, the section dedicated to first and second films, will feature Buzzard, a second feature by Joel Potrykus, who won the Best New Director in 2012 for Ape. The film mines a similar vein to the earlier work, charting the inner torments of a young man working as a temp in a bank, once again played by Joshua Burge.

     

    The Festival’s Artistic Director, Carlo Chatrian, said in a statement: “The films of Alex Ross Perry and Joel Potrykus are among the most interesting of the recent crop of production. Two films that in their own way, create a world in which the auteur’s voice attains a universal resonance. I am sure Potrykus’s surreal comedy and Perry’s maturity of expression will fascinate the Locarno audience, continuing the Festival’s long-standing relationship with the USA.”

     

    The complete line-up for the 67th Festival del film Locarno will be announced on 16 July.

  • T-Series signs Yami Gautam and Pulkit Samrat for a love story

    T-Series signs Yami Gautam and Pulkit Samrat for a love story

    MUMBAI: For its musical love story tentatively titled ‘Junooniyat’, T-Series has bought on board Yami Gautam and Pulkit Samrat.

    The film will be directed by Vivek Agnihotri.

    Yami will play Samrat’s love interest in the film. Yami who shot to fame after ‘Vicky Donor’ plays a bubbly, adventurous girl while Pulkit will come as a surprise in a never-seen-before avatar.

    Agnihotri who previously directed ‘Chocolate’, ‘Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal’ and ‘Hate Story’ will direct a romantic film for the first time.

    Producer Bhushan Kumar said, “We are bringing together a fresh pairing of Yami Gautam and Pulkit Samrat. It is a musical love story which will be shot in India.”

  • Global short film festival for protection of Hindu temples

    Global short film festival for protection of Hindu temples

    NEW DELHI: Texas based Global Hindu Heritage Foundation (GHHF) has called for short films on preservation of old temples in India as part of its ‘Save Temples Organisation.’

     

    The Board of Directors of GHHF and its brand ambassador and well-known Ghazal singer Ghazal Srinivas told a press meet in Texas earlier this week that the aim of the ‘Save Temples International Short Film Festival’ is to protect, preserve and promote the great temples located all over the world.
     

    The first ‘Save Temple International Short and Documentary Film Festival’ will be conducted at Prasad Labs in Hyderabad from 22 to 24 August. The 40 short films and documentaries short-listed in this festival would be screened in film festivals to be conducted all over the world.

     

    The best film will win a prize money of Rs 100,000, while the second and third best film will receive Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. 10 other films will also be selected to receive Jury Awards.

    The festival is part of the movement initiated to protect the ancient Hindu dharma in all over the world, for revival of all the dilapidated temples, to protect the holy cow, vedas and vedangas, and also to encourage those who are learning the vedas.
     

    The short films should reveal the facets of some ancient truths, the traditional heritage to the knowledge of future generations. They should not criticise other religions and life styles. They can tell the richness of ancient dharma, present the moral and dharmic values of Hindu religion and should be intended to explain the great practices of Hindu dharma to all the mankind through this short films and documentaries. The viewers of these movies should be motivated to work for the protection of temples.

     

    The short films and documentaries can be made for duration of 10 to 12 minutes. They can be made in any Indian language, but should have English sub-titles. Only films prepared after 2010 are eligible for this event. Films which already got awards in any earlier film festival should not be sent as entries for this film festival. Only films made in HD format (1920X1080) and properly edited can be a part of this film festival.
     

    The entries sent for the competition would be examined by the Jury members and film festival committees and 40 best entries would be short-listed out of them. They would be screened before the renowned personalities at film festivals to be conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, etc.

     
    The films can be on protection of Hindu temples; the ancient Hindu religion; Vedas and its glory; Protection of cows; Mass feeding (Annadanam); Propagation of Hindu Bhakti; The epics, Puranas and other holy scriptures of Hindu religion; The protection of temple lands, ornaments and other assets; The duties of Priests (Archakas); The Aarti of holy rivers; and The Sevadal of temples, etc.

     

    The Save Temples organisation holds all the rights over the short film or documentary selected in this competition. The short films and documentaries not selected in this event would be uploaded into Save Temples – YouTube channel.

  • Ramesh Sippy and Hema Malini to work together after 39 years

    Ramesh Sippy and Hema Malini to work together after 39 years

    MUMBAI: Legendary director Ramesh Sippy will be directing once again, a film called Shimla Mirchi starring Hema Malini and Rajkummar Rao. 

     

    Actress opposite Rajkummar Rao is yet to be finalised. The film goes on the floor in August and is a sweet, romantic story with its quirky twists.

     

    Ramesh Sippy’s cult classic Sholay was released 39 years back in 1975, when he created the character of Basanti with his favourite actress Hema Malini. Sippy is going to work with Hema Malini after Sholay in Shimla Mirchi and like his other films, the first letter of his next film is also with the letter ‘S.’

     

    Sippy always chose to make diverse films right through his career in spite of him being a blockbuster director. While he began with mature love story Andaz, he went on to making comedy Seeta aur Geeta, action adventure Sholay, slick action Shaan, family drama with Shakti,  to romantic love story Saagar.

     

    Rajkummar Rao opted out of the film to be made on Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Revolution 2020’ for Ramesh Sippy’s upcoming Shimla Mirchi.