ITV

Category: Movies

  • Gujarati film Harun-Arun bags Light of Asia awards

    MUMBAI: After winning the Liv Ullman Peace prize at Chicago in 2009, Children‘s Film Society’s cross-border Gujarati film Harun-Arun, directed by Vinod Ganatra, recently bagged the Light of Asia award at the Buddhist Film Festival held at Colombo.


    The festival had as many as 268 entries classified in the documentary, short film and feature film categories. Harun-Arun was chosen best film from among 18 films in the feature film category.


    The film is now scheduled to travel to Munich Film Festival, Giffoni Film Festival, Italy, and Stuttgart Film Festival in the coming months.


    Harun – Arun explores the story of Harun, a young boy who is extremely fond of Indian films and songs. The rough life in a hostile environment has taught young Harun a lot of survival skills. He proves to be an exception as he can do many things that normal children of his age would not even dream of doing. Harun has been hearing stories about his family in India and wants to visit them too. The visit excites him doubly but when the two are separated while crossing the border, Harun is compelled to undertake the rest of his journey to Lakhpat on his own. 


    On the Indian side, Harun comes across three Indian children who take him under their wings hiding and protecting him without the knowledge of their mother Valbai until he can find his new home. An exuberant game of hide-and-seek ensues in this heartwarming story of youthful courage and powerful friendship in a divided nation.


    On the winning of the Light of Asia award, director Viinod Ganatra said, “This is not my first film that has won an award. Earlier, my film Heda-Hoda (Blind Camel) did the rounds of 58 film festivals the world over and has won as many as eight international awards. With this film I have tried to prove that the issues of the heart are the issues of the world, not limited to any community or clan or geographical boundaries.
     

  • Kamal Hassan film festival in Delhi organised

    MUMBAI: A three-day retrospective of Kamal Hassan’s films has been organised in New Delhi from 2 to 4 July.


    Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni will inaugurate the festival at the Siri Fort Auditorium.


    Hassan’s Hindi film Hey Ram will open the festival. It will be followed by six other films like Virumaandi, Anbe Sivam, Thevar Magan, Nayagan and Dasavathaaram (all Tamil) and one Telugu film Sagar Sangamam. 


    Hassan, a Padma Shri award recipient, made his debut in film as a child artiste in the Tamil film Kalathur Kannamma at the age of 4. The film later won him the Best Child Artist award.


    Hassan, who holds the record for winning Filmfare Awards in five languages 19 times, received his last award in the year 2000 after which he requested not to consider him for awards any more.

  • Yak Group launches film studio in Khopoli

    MUMBAI: SK Sha Latta and DS Yadav of the Yak Group recently launched Yak Cine Vision studio spread over a vast land of 40 acres in Khopoli.


    The studio is equipped with ready-to-shoot sets including swimming pool fitted with underwater cameras, a helipad location, training classrooms location, office set and also ideal locations for hospital, kitchens, dinning rooms, conference halls, hostels and football and basketball ground, beside a water tank 35 feet deep and 2 bungalows.


    It also has a 125 KV generator set enough to give power for a unit to continue shooting without any interruption. 


    The other companies of the group are Yak Educational Trust, Yak Maritime Academy, Yak Institute of Management, Yak Diving Academy and Yak Diving Services.

  • Sylvester Stallone to give up acting

    MUMBAI: Sylvester Stallone wants to end his acting career and seriously concentrate on direction.


    Divulging his intention, the 63-year-old actor said his new film The Expendables, in he plays a gang leader of veteran mercenaries on a deadly mission, could be his last as an actor. “I‘m on borrowed time. At this age I hear the ticking clock and it‘s as loud as the gong on Big Ben,” he said.


    “Rambo wants to remain a part of the acting world but only as a director. “The ultimate ambition is to follow in Clint Eastwood‘s footsteps and move on to directing films without me having to be in them”, he said.
     

  • 2010 Taipei film fest focuses on Brazil

    MUMBAI: The 2010 Taipei International Film Festival opened yesterday with its focus on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 152 films from about 30 countries will be shown during the festival.


    Twelve films have been nominated for the International Young Director Award which carries a prize of 600,000 Taiwan dollars (19,000 US dollars). The winners will be announced on 2 July.


    Launched in 1998, the festival picks one foreign city as its theme each year. This year‘s focus on the Brazilian capital.


    Sais Jane Yu, the festival‘s press officer, “Some 30 Brazilian films will be screened during the festival. Brazilian film Elite Squad, winner of the Golden Bear prize at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival will open the film.”


    About 24 foreign directors and actors have come to attend the festival. Among them are Aluizio Abranches, director of Brazilian film From Beginning to End and lead actor of Bye Bye Brazil, Jose Wilker.

  • Ishqiya to grace festival at Stuttgart

    MUMBAI: After screening at the Munich International Film Festival being held from 25 June to 10 July, Shemaroo Entertainment’s Ishqiya will travel to another German city Stuttgart where it will take part in 7th Indian Film Festival ‘Bollywood and Beyond’ from 21 to 25 July.


    Termed as one of the biggest Indian film festivals, ‘Bollywood and Beyond’ is one of the biggest Indian film festivals outside India, it is a unique festival in Europe that promises an extraordinary experience for the whole family. 


    Avers Shemaroo Entertainment Director Hiren Gada, “We are overwhelmed with the kind of respond we have received for Ishqiya in India as well as world wide. The ravishing success that Ishqiya is enjoying not only makes us proud but also encourages to make more of such world class movies.”


    ‘Bollywood and Beyond‘ involves competition in the feature film, documentary, animation and short films categories.
     

  • Indian Film Festival in Ireland to open with Prakash Jha’s films

    MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival, kicking off in Ireland today, will open and close with two films of Prakash Jha – Raajneeti and Gangaajal.


    The other films that are to show with include both the versions of Devdas by Bimal Roy and Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the two versions of Umrao Jaan by Muzaffar Ali and JP Dutta respectively.


    In its wish to honour Indian filmmakers, the festival authorities have invited Hindi film directors like Jahnu Barua, Nagesh Kukunoor, Navdeep Singh, J P Dutta, Paresh Mokashi, Prakash Jha, Nikhil Advani, Balki and Vishal Bhardwaj to attend the event at Dublin.

  • Weienstein in deal with Goldman Sachs to wipe of debts

    MUMBAI: In its bid to wipe out its $450 million debt, film studio Weinstein Co. has signed an agreement with Goldman Sachs Group Inc.


    Weinstein will retain 150 titles including The Reader and Inglourious Basterds, Goldman and its partner Assured Guaranty Ltd. will have possession of titles including Halloween II and The Road.


    Goldman was paid $115 million to take ownership of 250 films with $225 million in receivables and future cash flow that would wipe out Weinstein‘s debt. The studio can buy them back before 2016. Weinstein will manage the films. 


    “Obviously this is an exciting time for the company,” commented Harvey Weinstein. “It‘s always nice when a deal can be a win-win for all partners involved,” he added.
    Shares of Goldman Sachs declined by 20 per cent and fell 9 cents to $134.98in New York Stock Exchange composite trading.


    Said Goldman in an e-mailed statement, “We believe that the restructuring will allow the Weinstein Company to continue to produce new films, and to create value for all of its stakeholders.”
     

  • Avatar picks up 10 trophies at Saturn Awards

    MUMBAI: James Cameron‘s Avatar picked up 10 awards at the recently held 36th annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles including the best science fiction film and best actor and actress awards for Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana.


    Two more awards came Cameron way in the form of best writer and director. during the ceremony, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films at the Castaway restaurant in Burbank.


    Other best film winners included Watchmen, Drag Me to Hell, Monsters vs. Aliens, District 9 and Inglourious Basterds.


    While Irvin Kershner, the director of Star Was: The Empire Strikes Back was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, the writing-producing team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman received the George Pal Memorial Award for their work in TV and film.


    Lauren Shuler Donner was given the Producers Showcase award for her work in X-Men.
     

  • UTV ups movie slate, eyes Rs 4.5 bn revenue in FY’11

    MUMBAI: UTV has expanded its movie slate for the fiscal and is eyeing a revenue of Rs 4.50 billion from this segment, up 42 per cent from the year-ago period.


    A list of 12 movies have been firmed up for 2010-11, a large part of it will be via the co-production route.


    Narrowing its risks, UTV will also indulge in a high element of pre-sales activities. In the pre-sale of music, home video and satellite TV rights of each film, UTV hopes to cover up 50 per cent of its production costs.


    UTV has already undertaken the pre-sale of some of the TV and music rights for select titles from the slate that amounts to over Rs 800 million.


    UTV‘s movie pipeline that opened with Raajneeti will quickly follow with Karan Johar‘s I Hate Luv Stories. The film is set for release on 2 July.


    16 July will see the release of Udaan produced by Sanjay Singh, Anurag Kashyap and UTV. Later on 23 July, UTV Spotboy will release Chillar Party.


    UTV‘s co-production with Aamir Khan titled Peepli Live will release on 13 August while its home production Paan Singh Tomar, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, will open on 27 August.


    Another UTV co-production with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Guzarish, starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, will release on 19 November. 10 December will see the release of UTV Spotboy‘s No One Killed Jessica. The releases of the year will end with the Farah Khan directed Tees Mar Khan.


    The company‘s account for 2011 will open with Vishal Bhardwaj‘s Saat Khoon Maaf. The release dates of We Are Family and Delhi Belly have not yet been declared with the latter still stuck in the production stage.


    UTV posted an operating profit of Rs 950.64 million from the segment, as against operating profit of Rs 537.83 million a year ago.


    UTV deployed a capital of Rs 4.82 billion towards movies and posted an operating profit of Rs 950.64 million from this segment on a turnover of Rs 3.15 billion for the fiscal ended 31 March 2010.