MUMBAI: The inaugural eight-day New York City International Film Festival that got underway on 12 August will run up to 19 August.
The festival has been designed to help emerging filmmakers expand their audiences and to promote New York City as a major filmmaking center.
One hundred and twenty films have been selected from all over the world for the festival.
MUMBAI: The 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will be held between 9 to 19 September. During the eleven-day period, an array of 300 films from over 60 countries will be screened.
Premiering at the festival would be Kiran Rao‘s Dhobi Ghat that will rub shoulders with the world premieres of films made by Robert Redford, Emilio Esteves and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Film celebrities likely to make their appearance at the festival are the likes of Colin Farrell, James Cameron and Cameron Diaz among others.
As is the tradition, the film that will headline the fest on the opening night will be a Canadian one called Score: A Hockey Musical that captures key elements of the Canadian identity – their passion for ice hockey, the unique musical style and sense of humour.
Viewers can watch whatever genre of film they want to see. There‘s Midnight Madness; Vanguard is for those with edgy tastes and there‘s more world cinema than you can take in.
The TIFF fete has, over the years, remained true to its objective to lead the world in cultural and creative discovery through cinema and to highlight Canadian achievements in the cinematic field.
Apart from films, there will be seminars, lectures, discussions, festivals and workshops of industry support and the opportunity to meet reputed international and Canadian filmmakers.
MUMBAI: With The Expendables taking on Aamir Khan‘s Peepli [Live] this Friday, it will be a battle between a hardcore action flick and a satire.
While The Expendables has a huge line up of stars – Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews and Jet Li, Peepli [Live] has no famed stars but is said to be strong in content.
The Expendables, distributed by Rajat Enterprises, will release across 400 screens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu simultaneously on the same day as its international release, while Aamir Khan and UTV Motion Pictures‘ Peepli Live will release in approximately 600 theatres in India and 100 theatres across the world.
Avers Rajat Enterprises marketing consultant Ranjan Singh, “Usually, there is a gap between the international release and the Indian release of Hollywood films. We are very happy about the pre-release response the film has been getting and are confident that the film will work wonders.”
Aamir Khan had initially planned to open with 200 screens, but the reaction to the promos and trailers has encouraged the producer to scale up the number of prints.
Says Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapur, “Though Peepli Live doesn‘t have a known star cast, there is a lot of excitement among the moviegoers based on the film‘s promos. The Expendables will also do well going by the strong cast of the film.”
MUMBAI: Carl Icahn has extended the date when shareholders of Lionsgate possibly tender their shares to him. The extension till 22 October of the current $6.50 per-share offer from Icahn was declared on Wednesday.
Icahn said that time was needed for the Supreme Court of British Columbia to consider his application for a court injunction to rescind a recent debt-to-equity conversion between Lionsgate and major investor and board member Mark Rachesky.
The particular transaction reduced Icahn‘s stake in the Vancouver-based mini-studio and potentially his influence from 37.3 to 33.5 per cent.
MUMBAI: Stand-up comedian and singer Jamie Foxx has joined forces with writer-director-producer Deon Taylor to launch a Los Angeles-based production company and named it as No Brainer Films.
The banner will focus on developing, financing, writing, directing and producing mainstream films and TV series budgeted at under $10 million.
Robert Smith, founder and managing principal of private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners will finance the venture.
First up from No Brainer will be the TV series Tommy‘s Little Girl created by Foxx who has co-written and co-directed with Taylor. The mob drama stars Selma Blair, Paul Sorvino, Tony Sirico and James Russo.
Hoowever, Foxx and Taylor will continue to run their individual production companies, Foxx-King Entertainment and Deon Taylor Enterprises respectively.
While Taylor‘s latest horror thriller Chain Letter stars Nikki Reed which he wrote, directed and produced opens across America in October, Foxx next appears in Warner Bros. comedy Due Date set to open in November.
NEW DELHI: A large number of film personalities, critics, scholars, festival directors and programmers from Asia and other parts of the world are converging here for Imaging Asia, a cultural fest being held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC).
Eminent film critic and NETPAC President Aruna Vasudev said the four-day conference on The Culture and Politics of Asian Cinema from 19 August will through seven panel discussions focus on the specificity of film cultures and on the need to recognize and respect diversity while defining cinema; on the politics governing the cinema‘s evolving identity in the context of globalization and the shifts in technology against the dynamic landscapes of Asia; and about translating the cultural diversity from concept into practice.
The four-day seminar is being held in association with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
There will be screening of 31Asian films that have won NETPAC awards at various festivals at four venues: the Instituto Cervantes, India Habitat Centre, the India International Centre, and the Alliance Française de Delhi.
The films being screened include those from India, Turkey, Iran, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, North and South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and a Palestine-France-Morocco-Germany co-production.
The NETPAC award instituted in 1994 is now presented at around 30 international film festivals. These festivals include Berlin, Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary, Jeonju, Pusan, Cinemalaya, Cinemanila, Bangkok, Barcelona, Estonia, Locarno, Antalya, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, Chongqing, Bursa, and Rome. The wide-ranging films reflecting cinematic trends in different countries are also award-winners at other prestigious festivals.
Oscar Pujol, Director of Instituto Cervantes said there is an annual Imaging India film festival in Spain which is very popular. He said there would be discussion on Asian Movies, Spanish Screens during the meet here.
Eminent art historian Rajive Sethi said there will be performances of traditional picture story-telling from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Iran, underlining the forms of pre-cinema that existed in Asia before the technical invention of cinema. In addition, there are exhibitions of paintings, installations and video installations related to the cinema and to Asia, and performances organized by Asian Heritage Foundation and Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
Around 35 internationally-renowned film personalities specializing in Asian cinema have been invited to speak at the conference. Led by Aruna Vasudev, they include Pusan Festival Director Kim Dong-ho, renowned filmmakers Xie Fei (China), Garin Nugroho (Indonesia) and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
MUMBAI: Vinay Apte, remembered for his roles in Raajneeti, Veer, Dashavatar and Ek Chalis Li Last Local, has turned producer and has signed Amitabh Bachchan and Gulshan Groverfor his ambitious film based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
While Grover will play antagonist Adil Shah, Bachchan will play Shahaji Bhonsle, father of King Shivaji.
The hunt is now on for an actor who would play Shivaji. The film will have a 6-pack, bare-chested, all muscular man playing the great Maratha.
The film will go on the floors in October for which a set will be erected at Nitin Desai’s studio in Karjat.
It may be recollected that a couple of months ago Nilesh Rane, son of Maharashtra revenue Minister Narayan Rane, signed Soham Shah to direct a 3D film on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Sanjay Dutt essaying the pivotal role.
MUMBAI: Director Siddharth Anand will co-produce a mature love story along with Saif Ali Khan with the latter playing his age.
“Yes I‘m turning producer with my next film with Saif. We will be co-producing the film,” Anand said in a statement.
The director has signed Priyanka Chopra to play the female lead in the film that will go on the floors in 2011. This is the first time Khan and Chopra will share screen space.
Anand has worked with Khan in two Yash Raj Films – Salaam Namastey and Ta Ra Rum Pum.
MUMBAI: Aisha, co-produced by PVR Pictures and Anil Kapoor Films Company, has grossed Rs 260 million at the box office in its first week of release.
The movie was released in 475 screens across India (244 analogue prints and remaining digital), while oversees it hit 180 screens with 129 analogue prints.
PVR Pictures Head – Worldwide Distribution Deepak Sharma said, “We are delighted with Aisha‘s initial response at the box office and expect the film to set a new benchmark for female protagonist centric films in India.”
MUMBAI: India‘s first film on serious gay relationship Sanjay Sharma‘s Dunno Y…Na Jaane Kyun will soon get a theatrical release in Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland.
While blockbusters are targeted at Indians settled abroad, Dunno Y…Na Jaane Kyun will target the audience at large.
While the first phase of the release would begin in September, the second phase will be in November.