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Tag: Gulabi Gang

  • Indian stories compliment Al Jazeera’s campaign

    Indian stories compliment Al Jazeera’s campaign

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera has always taken pride in being one of the few channels that focuses on showcasing human centric stories rather than the commercial or business ones. Operating its Arabic and English channels from Qatar, a location unusual for a worldwide TV channel, it has now embarked on a campaign ‘Hear the Human Story’ (HTHS) to highlight its ideology.

     

    Spread across 12 countries globally, but focusing on key areas of Al Jazeera English (AJE) such as UK, South Africa and Australia, it is a six week long campaign which will run till mid December, after which a number of new smaller bursts are planned for the next year.

     

    Designed by Memac Ogilvy Dubai, the campaign has been tailored to suit different market dynamics with primary focus on print, digital and outdoor media. Launch events were held in Johannesburg, London and Sydney, in line with its core markets.

     

    While India is a priority market both in terms of editorial coverage and also viewership, it hasn’t been a focus for HTHS. Says AJE marketing head Kayoko Nidsaid, “India has not been a focus for this particular campaign; however we used stories from India to show the human stories of Al Jazeera. The reason why India was not included in this year’s campaign was because Al Jazeera had only launched its distribution programme and marketing and PR directives last year to coincide with the increased availability of the channel on TV platforms.” 2015 will see more promotional efforts in India.

     

    Speaking about the concept of HTHS, Nidsaid says, “The idea of ‘human stories’ was always built into the ethos and DNA of the channel, the campaign was a natural progression of the Al Jazeera English brand. HTHS is a testament of our commitment to covering people caught up in events in all corners of the globe and aims to reinforce one of our key strengths for our audiences worldwide. We take pride on the human story and fearless journalism.”

     

    India is a rich pool of stories for AJE. In November itself, stories of India marking world toilet day as well as a bank that teaches impoverished children in Ahmedabad on how to save for a crisis, made headlines.

     

    Nisaid says that the AJE workforce has many Indian staff both in editorial as well as non-editorial while the campaign itself saw two Indian stories (the school under the bridge and the Gulabi Gang) being told across its launch areas.

     

    Once the campaign concludes, the results will be analysed by agency TNS.

     

  • ‘Gulabi Gang’, ‘Unravel’ win awards at Aljazeera Filmfest

    ‘Gulabi Gang’, ‘Unravel’ win awards at Aljazeera Filmfest

    NEW DELHI: Two Indian films won awards at the recently-concluded 10th Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival in Doha.

     

    Unravel directed by Meghna Gupta won the Jury award in the short film category. The film is an interesting look at how discarded clothes from the western world find their way to a textile recycling factory in Panipat in Punjab where inquisitive factory worker Reshma and her co-workers use both their imagination and rumours that travel with the discarded garments. The film has earlier been screened at Sydney and Raindance film festivals among others.

     

    The Public Liberty and Human Rights Award went to the multiple award-winning documentary Gulabi Gang by Nishtha Jain in the long film category. The film is based on the true story of women wearing pink saris attempting to empower themselves in Bundelkhand in India and fight against gender violence, corruption and for the rights of poor and the lower classes.

     

    The film has won the Best Film award in Muhr Asia-Africa documentary section at Dubai International Film Festival and Amnesty Award at the Planete+ Doc Film Festival in Poland, among others.

  • Indian campaigners at centre of Al Jazeera global brand campaign

    Indian campaigners at centre of Al Jazeera global brand campaign

    MUMBAI: Al Jazeera English has made virtue of putting real people on its billboards and television commercials rather than its own star presenters and correspondents.

     

    The channel’s new brand campaign is its largest marketing push to-date, and the slogan “Hear the Human Story” was unveiled at its global launch in South Africa today. The brand film featured at the special event was about the Gulabi Gang, also known as “vigilantes in pink”, who tackle issues such as violence against women and corruption in northern India.

     

    Al Anstey, managing director of Al Jazeera English, said that the channel covered all the big themes and issues facing the world today, but did so from the perspective of real people: “We believe everyone has a story worth hearing. There are seven billion people to listen to on the planet right now. Al Jazeera exists to cover the people often ignored. People whose voices must be heard – but who are so often neglected by mainstream media.”

    “Our editorial mission is to cover the world without a perspective. What that means is not seeing the globe through a geographical or cultural prism,by not weighting our coverage towards West, the rich nations, or anywhere else. We cover the developing world as much as the developed. So person in Bangui is given as much humanity as a person in Boston or Birmingham.”

     

    Commenting on the choice of Johannesburg as the location for the launch, rather than the traditional financial centres favoured by other channels, AlJazeera executive director for marketing and distribution Abdulla Alnajjar said: “In a world where the truth is everywhere under attack, Al Jazeera puts the human being at the centre of its news agenda, giving a voice to the voiceless.  This campaign is about human stories and we’re proud that theglobal launch for the campaign is here from South Africa, a region rich with history and human stories.”

     

     “There is a common perception that the media are mainly interested in covering those in power, or the rich and famous. Our campaign gives a voice to the many people around the world who feel that they have been leftbehind.

     

    “Our coverage is not about only about portraying difficult situations – its about the triumph of the human spirit and the ability for people in the most difficult of situations to make change. It’s on that foundation that we built this campaign honouring their lives and struggles. This campaign showcases incredible human stories and the humanity that unites us all.”

     

    Some of the others featured in the campaign include: Kiki Katese who started a group of female drummers in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide; and Illac Diaz who brought lighting to slums in the Philippines using plastic bottles.

     

    Al Jazeera English also point out that they aired a film about MalalaYousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize winning teenager who campaigns for the right of girls to go to school, two years before she hit the headlines when she was shot by the Taliban. “We have extraordinary people like Malalaon our screens every single day. Their stories are inspiring and must also receive attention,” said Anstey.

  • Several National Award winners slated for screening in New York

    Several National Award winners slated for screening in New York

    NEW DELHI: Anurag Kashyap’s highly lauded film ‘Ugly’ will open the fourteeth New York Indian Film Festival taking place next month.

     

    Slated from 5 to 10 May, the festival will screen a mix of 23 narrative features and 11 documentaries. The festival is curated by Aseem Chabbra, a senior Indian journalist based in the US.

     

    Geethu Mohandas’ Liar’s Dice which recently won two National Film Awards will be the centerpiece film. The closing film is the renowned Aparna Sen’s Goynar Baksho.

     

    The festival will also present a retrospective of British-based Gurinder Chaddha’s documentaries.

     

    Kamal Swaroop’s documentary about Dada Saheb Phalke’s life in Varanasi, Rangbhoomi made for the Films Division which won the best non-feature National Award for 2013 is also being screened.

     

    Delhi-based scribe turned filmmaker Utpal Borpujari will present his documentary on Naga folk music, Songs of the Blue Hills.

     

    Karan Bali’s 80 minute documentary, An American in Madras, based on American-born filmmaker Ellis R Dungan’s travails in the Tamil film industry will get a screening alongside the recently released Gulabi Gang by Nishtha Jain.

     

    Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry and Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar’s Astu which also won two National Awards each and Gajendra Ahire’s Postcard are three Marathi features to be screened at the festival. Assamese feature As The River Flows (Ekhon Nodir Xipare) by Bidyut Kotoky, will also be screened.

     

    Sumanta Ghosal’s The Unseen Sequence, a documentary exploring the dance form of Bharatnatyam through the art of Malvika Sarukkai, and Jaideep Varma’s documentary on Indian stand-up comedy, I Am Offended will also be screened along with Neela Venkataraman’s Sound Check documentary on music.

     

    Nagesh Kukunoor’s Lakshmi, the winner of Toronto Reel Film Festival and Amit Masurkar’s Sulemani Keeda, Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Nawaazuddin starrer Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa and, are also slated for screening. 

  • MIFF 2014 concludes amid much fanfare

    MIFF 2014 concludes amid much fanfare

    NEW DELHI: Are you listening by Kamar Ahmed Simon won the Golden Conch Award for best documentary film while Nishtha Jain with her Gulabi Gang was named best director at the recently concluded 13th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) for Documentary, short and animation films.

     

    Eminent filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Shyam Benegal presented the awards as the curtains came down to the seven-day festival.

     

    Jury 1 comprised filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, film curator Angela Haardt from Germany, Director of the Yamagata Documentary Film Festival – Fujioka Asako of Japan, Slovenian film scholar Jurij Meden, and noted animator from Mumbai Shilpa Ranade.  Jury II comprised Canadian filmmaker Mark Achbar, film director and editor Amitabh Chakrabarty, film maker from Kerala M R Rajan, noted cinematographer Piyush Shah, and Netherlands based film scholar Rada Sesic.

     

    The 90-minute documentary by Simon won the award in the above 60-minutes category. It gets the Golden Conch trophy and Rs 500,000 cash prize (Rs 300,000 for the Director and Rs 200,000 for the producer – Sara Afreen). Set in the coastal belt of Bangladesh, the film is a powerful and beautifully photographed film that reveals the alarming effects of climate change and deftly captures the fighting spirit of a community and their will to survive. The global issue of climate change is experienced in microcosm in Simon’s film, as he observes the families of Sutarkhali.

     

    The Golden Conch for Best Documentary Film up to 60 minutes went to Maria Stodtmeier’s (Germany) In Between : Isang Yun in North and South Korea. This documentary explores whether music can overcome the boundaries of a divided country. It examines the worlds of North and South Korean music, taking the viewer along on an exciting journey through two political systems. It got the Golden Conch trophy and Rs 500,000 cash prize (Rs 300,000 for the Director and Rs 200,000 for the producer – Paul Smaczny).

     

    Black Rock directed by Vikrant Janardhan Pawar and produced by the Film and Television Institute of India was adjudged the Best Short Fiction film in International Competition. It got the Golden Conch trophy and Rs 500,000 cash prize (Rs 300,000 for the Director and Rs 200,000 for the producer – FTII).

     

    The Golden Conch Best Animation Film award went to True Love Story by Gitanjali Rao. This 18-minute animation set in the streets of Mumbai explores what happens when the ultimate Bollywood fantasy is applied in reality. It gives a glimpse into the influence of Bollywood on real life in Mumbai, told through puppet animation. The award carried a Golden Conch and Rs 500,000 cash prize.

     

    The film on Right to Information, Chakravyuh, by National Film award-winner Dhvani Desai was voted the most popular film, a new award chosen through voting by festival delegates. Chakravyuh through the struggles of four characters from different regions of India throws light on how the RTI can be used to fight corruption. The film produced by Films Division was first shown on 12 October 2013 on the occasion of the eighth anniversary of RTI in Mumbai.

     

    Nishtha Jain received Rs 100,000 cash award and a certificate got the Best Director Award in the International Competition section. Gulabi Gang tells the story of Sampat Pal and her group of women vigilantes and activists from Bundelkhand, who fight for women’s rights and their empowerment. Armed with a lathi (stick) the Gulabis visit abusive husbands and beat them up unless they stop abusing their wives. The film has won several other awards, and there are plans to release it in theatres on 21 February as part of PVR Director’s Rare initiative. Jain, an alumnus of FTII, is based in Mumbai.

     

    The Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari Award went to Mumbai based filmmaker Dylan Mohan Gray’s film Fire in the Blood for Best Debut Film of a Director. The 84-minute film tells the story of how Western pharmaceutical companies and governments blocked access to low-cost AIDS drugs for the countries of the global south in the years after 1996 – causing ten million or more unnecessary deaths – and the improbable group of people who decided to fight back. This award carrying a cash prize of Rs 100,000 and a Trophy has been instituted by the Maharashtra Film Development Corporation, Mumbai

     

    The Indian Documentary Producers Association Award for the best student film went to Sonyacha Amba (Golden Mango) directed by Govind Raju and produced by FTII, Pune. This film had participated in the Berlin and Beijing festivals as well. The Rs 100,000 cash and Trophy is given by the IDPA.

     

    The Pramod Pati Award for most Innovative film, carrying a cash prize of Rs 100,000 and a trophy went to Pushpa Rawat’s 57-minute documentary Nirnay (Decision). The film explores the lives of women in a lower middle class colony in Ghaziabad, who are young and educated, but feel bound and helpless when it comes to major decisions about their lives, be it career or marriage.

     

    The Kashmiri film Tamaash (The Puppets) got the Golden Conch for the best Short Fiction Film up to 45 minutes in the National Competition. Tamaash is the first film by directors Satyanshu and Devanshu Singh, who also wrote, edited, and produced it, along with Tulsea Pictures. The film insists on the power of goodness and the importance of preserving the innocence of children.  It had won the Golden Elephant Award at the International Children’s Film Festival held in Hyderabad during November 2013. Along with the Golden Conch, the filmmakers also get Rs 250,000 cash award.

     

    In the National Competition section, Seven Hundred Zero Zero Seven by Altaf Mazid got the Golden Conch for Best Documentary (upto 40 minutes), while Have You Seen the Arana by Sunanda Bhat and Invoking Justice by well-known Deepa Dhanraj shared the  Best Documentary Awards in above 40 minutes category.

  • Gangs of Wasseypur to be screened at Hong Kong Film Fest

    Gangs of Wasseypur to be screened at Hong Kong Film Fest

    MUMBAI: Anurag Kashyap‘s magnum opus ‘Gangs of Wasseypur‘ I and II has been selected to be screened at the 37th Hong Kong International Film festival.

    The films starring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Reemma Sen were premiered at the 65th Cannes Film Festival last year.

    Gulabi Gang directed by Nishtha Jain will also compete in the documentary section. The documentary traces a group of women in pink saris fighting against gender violence, corruption and for the rights of poor and Dalits.

    Gulabi Gang is pitted against films like Joshua Oppenheimer‘s The Act of Killing, Ikeya Kaoru‘s Roots, Delphine Lanson‘s Father‘s Birth, Alex Gibney‘s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Christian Rosta and Claus Strigel‘s Redemption Impossible.

    Apart from the above mentioned films, other films selected from India are ‘The Cloud-Capped Star, Celluloid Man, Ship of Theseus, Meghe Dhaka Tara, Guru of Silence, With You Without You and 21 Chitrakoot.

    The Hong Kong International Film Festival s one of Asia‘s most reputable platforms for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers to launch new works and view fresh features.

    This year the festival will screen over 330 titles from more than 50 countries in 12 major cultural venues across town.

  • Sundance Doc Film Program grants $25,000 to Indo-Norway film Gulabi Gang

    Sundance Doc Film Program grants $25,000 to Indo-Norway film Gulabi Gang

    MUMBAI: The Sundance Documentary Film Program has given a grant of $25,000 to the Indo-Norway joint production Gulabi Gang that is to be directed by Nishtha Jain. The film is one among the 29 feature-length documentary films that have been earmarked to receive the grant.


    The documentary traces Sampat Pal and the fiery women of her Gulabi Gang who take up the fight against gender violence, caste oppression and widespread corruption in Bundelkhand.


    The Documentary Film Program, that celebrates its tenth anniversary next year, has awarded grants to more than 300 documentary filmmakers in 61 countries.


    The Sundance Documentary Film Program assists non-fiction filmmakers from around the world with a series of workshops in editing, storytelling and scoring for documentary films as well as providing grants to non-fiction film projects through the Sundance Documentary Fund.


    The program encourages the exploration of innovative non-fiction storytelling and promotes the exhibition of documentary films to a broader audience. It also supports independent artists — both domestically and internationally — through the Sundance Documentary Fund.