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Tag: IFFI

  • IFFI competition should strive for premiere films: Dan Wolman

    IFFI competition should strive for premiere films: Dan Wolman

    PANAJI: International Jury member Dan Wolman feels the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) should strive at getting only new films that have not been to other festivals for its competition section.


    Films which have won awards at other festivals can be screened in the World Cinema section, he said, taking part in the last Open Forum at the current Festival on ‘Success of Film Festivals: Quality of films‘.


    He wanted IFFI to take pride for what it had achieved, instead of always trying to compare itself with Cannes or Berlin. He said IFFI is already one of the top festivals of the world, but a lot has to be done to take it to the very top. He said the ambience is good, the selection is very good, and there is no reason why India should not be able to attract the best films from the world over particularly as it has such high prize money.


    He felt that delegates from overseas should work as some kind of ambassadors for IFFI when they go back, and the Indian missions could also play a major role in this respect.


    He said film culture can grow if cinema studies are introduced at the school or college levels, and wanted the IFFI Secretariat to invite the best in the world for master classes or workshops.


    Renowned filmmaker AK Bir who is also a member of the Steering Committee said Festivals are voyages of discovery and one get to see films made in the cultural milieu of their country of origin.


    Eminent filmmaker Laxmikant Shetgaonkar regretted that there is little representation of India in foreign film festivals. But he wanted to know if India should replicate Cannes or have its own identity. The aim should be to use the festival to improve the quality of Indian films.


    Referring to media reports, he said not getting enough sponsors is no reason for shifting the Festival from Goa.


    Referring to some complaints, he said the IFFI this year is in a changing phase having been separated from the Directorate of Film Festivals. Furthermore, the local arrangements are the responsibility of the Entertainment Society of Goa. He agreed that the ESG should take films to other parts of the state.


    Both he and U Radhakrishnan who moderated the Open Forum said there should be a separate section for Konkani cinema.

  • Danis Tanovic to approach Aamir Khan for Tigers

    Danis Tanovic to approach Aamir Khan for Tigers

    MUMBAI: Danis Tanovic, whose No Man‘s Land was pitted against Aamir Khan‘s Lagaan and Audrey Tautou‘s Amélie in the nomination for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category in 2002, is to approach Aamir Khan for a role in his forthcoming film Tigers.

    “If everything goes well, we plan to propose a small role to Aamir in Tigers. Let‘s see if it works out,” said producer Cédomir in a statement. He is currently in Goa attending the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

    The story of Tigers revolves around a successful baby food company‘s product that is mixed with spurious ingredients, the large-scale consumption of which ultimately results in problems like diarrhea and dehydration and eventually, a few deaths. “It‘s a very real problem today,” added Cédomir.

    Tanovic and Cédomir are looking to film Tigers in India. “It is set in the Pakistani part of Punjab, but since it‘s not easy to shoot there, we will finish it in the Indian side of the state,” revealed Cédomir.

  • NFDC to co-produce films not backed by private studios

    NFDC to co-produce films not backed by private studios

    MUMBAI: In its bid to promote new talent, encourage good quality cinema which is not supported by private production houses, and promote Indian cinema as an art and culture form, the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has decided to rope in commercial Indian filmmakers.

    The Corporation has already agreed to co-produce Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra‘s new project Bhaag Milkha Bhaag that stars Farhan Akhtar as well as Dibakar Banerjee‘s Shanghai.

    Speaking on the sidelines of the Film Bazaar at the IFFI, NFDC MD Nina Lath Gupta said, "We have seen enhanced and encouraging participation by the mainstream commercial film producers and directors in film Bazaar 2011.

    "From a single hall some years back, NDFC‘s film Bazaar is now occupying all the banquet halls in Goa Marriott. We have attracted 500 delegates from over 40 countries, which have attracted mainstream and niche filmmakers. Goa as a venue has worked well for promoting Indian cinema."

    She also confirmed that NFDC is now backing 6-7 other films due for release in 2011-12 others that include films by Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap among others.

    The 5th Film Bazaar held parallel to IFFI by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). Film Bazaar was held from November 24 to 27 and one of its major objectives was to promote Indian films and filmmakers to a global audience.

    NFDC‘s Film Bazaar serves as a platform for filmmakers to connect with international partners who are keen to participate in any aspect of their projects and if an experienced filmmaker is looking towards reaching world cinema markets/audiences.

  • Brazilian filmmaker Maron Filho breathes his last at IFFI

    Brazilian filmmaker Maron Filho breathes his last at IFFI

    MUMBAI: There was a sad news that engulfed the participants of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa yesterday when Brazilian filmmaker and journalist Oscar Maron Filho collapsed while speaking to the audiences in the open forum at the festival.

    After suffering a cardiac arrest, the 56-year old filmmaker was rushed to the Goa Medical College and Hospital where he expired. Filho was attending the festival with his documentary feature Mario Filho, The Creator of Crowds, about the legendary sports chronicler, who wrote about Brazilian football. The film was screening in a special section about soccer in cinema.

    Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1955, Filho was a director at Brazilian production companies Atlantida Cinematografica and Canal 100 Newsreel, under the banner of which he made short films such as Bye Bye Romario, Pelé, O Papa Da Bola and Pelé EO Gol Mil.

    Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamath said, "It is most unfortunate that we lost one of the most important delegates during the film festival. We condole his death."

  • IFFI to become top festival of the world in five years, says Shankar Mohan

    IFFI to become top festival of the world in five years, says Shankar Mohan

    PANAJI: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has sectioned Rs 150 million for three theatres to be built at Margao to extend the reach of the International Film Festival of India throughout Goa.

    The state government is also contemplating building a convention centre housing at least 4000 people and a discussion centre at Panaji.

    Inaugurating the Open Forum organised for the Festival Directorate and the Entertainment Society of Goa by the Federation of Film Societies of India, Goa chief secretary Sanjay Srivastava said the Government is also considering setting up studios for post-production facilities for filmmakers and had already introduced single-window clearance for them. He noted that IFFI has helped in creating a film culture in Goa.

    Festival chairman of the steering committee Mike Pandey said Goa could become the cinema hub of the country. He felt that there is no point in making comparisons with Cannes or other Festivals since IFFI has its own identity and should work to become the largest in Asia. The aim is towards inclusive growth involving the government, filmmakers and film-goers. He expressed the hope that the Festival will be able to attract world premieres.

    Answering a question about attracting the cine glitterati, he said there is no point in calling people who walked out after formal functions and did not stay to see the films. He wants the film personalities to come and take part in the various activities relating to the Festival.

    Noting that IFFI had seen a ‘re-birth‘ this year, Festival Director Shankar Mohan said he expected IFFI to be at the top in five years. He said new sections had been introduced because the aim was to reach out to the younger crowds. This was the reason for the ‘large buffet of sumptuous cinema‘, he said, adding that the vision was to go global.

    The IFFI is industry-oriented unlike most other international festivals which are market-oriented, he added.

    Answering a question about making films available to people after the festival through DVDs, he said issues relating to the Copyright Act or permissions from the rights holders had to be overcome before this could be done. However, he said DVDs of already-released Indian films were already available in the market.

    Entertainment Society of Goa chief executive officer Manoj Srivastava expressed pride that the Festival has a digital films section, noting that he has introduced acceptance of films made in digital format for the National Film Awards almost a decade earlier.

    He agreed that there is need to hold road shows or presentations to attract more people in the film industry from all over the country.

    FFSI President Narahari Rao said the Directorate should become an umbrella for all other film festivals in the country and help them. There was need to bring in more people from the younger generation.

  • Government committed to preserve cinematic heritage: I&B Secy

    Government committed to preserve cinematic heritage: I&B Secy

    PANAJI: Information and Broadcasting Secretary Uday Kumar Varma has said film posters and ancillaries are a treasure of the country‘s film heritage and the government is committed to preserve this heritage for the future generations to appreciate.


    Speaking to mediapersons after inaugurating an exhibition on ‘Music & Songs in Indian Cinema‘ by the National Film Archives of India, he said today‘s generation which is used to e-posters finds it difficult to believe that people were crazy about posters of films released in yesteryears.


    Goa Chief Secretary of Goa Sanjay Srivastava, Goa Information Secretary Rajiv Verma, and I&B Joint Secretary DP Reddy were present on the occasion.


    Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat also visited after the inauguration of the exhibition being held to coincide with the International Film Festival of India.


    Music and Songs are integral to Indian cinema since sound came in 1931. Technological developments in sound across the years have been highlighted in this exhibition. The contribution of music directors, singers and lyricists has been discussed. All the exhibits are accompanied with bilingual captions.


    Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff inaugurated the ‘Actors Lounge‘ and the ‘Director‘s Lounge‘ at the IFFI Campus.


    A special addition to this year‘s cinematic journey of IFFI, the lounges will act as the comfort point for the cinematic luminaries and will provide a venue to relax, meet and network with industry colleagues.


    Entertainment Society of Goa CEO Manoj Srivastava said “The Director‘s and Actor‘s Lounge act as a relax zone for our distinguished guests and provide comfort to the stalwarts while they are at IFFI. A platform where creative minds connect and network, the lounges act as the artistic zone of the festival and thus are counted amongst the main attractions in this 42nd IFFI.”

  • Tavernier to get lifetime achievement award at 42nd IFFI

    Tavernier to get lifetime achievement award at 42nd IFFI

    PANAJI: A total of 167 films from about sixty countries will be screened at the 42nd International Film Festival of India commencing 23 November, when renowned French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier will receive the Lifetime Achievement award from Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.

    This award, which had been started around a decade earlier and later abandoned, has been revived and will include a cash award of Rs 1 million.

    The festival will be inaugurated by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan at the Rabindra Bhavan in Madgaon. The festival will open with ‘The Consul of Bordeaux‘ by Francisco Manso and Joao Correa and will close on 3 December with ‘The Lady‘ by Luc Besson on the life of Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar.

    Bertrand Tavernier is best known for his films ‘Prix Louis Delluc‘ and the ‘Silver Bear‘ as well as for the Special Jury Prize award winner for his film ‘The Clockmaker‘ at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival. Tavernier has to his credit acclaimed films like ‘Life and Nothing But‘ which won the BEFTA for best film in a language other than English in 1990 and ‘The Princess of Montpensier‘ which competed for the Palme d‘Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

    The Festival will pay homage to seven stalwarts of the film industry who were well known for their creative geniuses. The international luminaries who will be remembered at this year‘s festival include Sidney Lumet, Raul Ruiz, Claude Chabrol, Adolfas Meekas, Richard Leacock, Elizabeth Taylor and Tareque Masood. The Indian to whom homage is being paid include Mani Kaul, Shammi Kapoor, Jagjit Singh, Bhupen Hazarika, and Rabindra Nath Tagore who will be remembered with the screening of five films based on his written works.

    The Indian Panorama will open with the Malayalam film ‘Urunami‘ and will showcase eclectic Indian movies like ‘Ranjana Ami Ar Asho Na‘, ‘Zindagi Milegi Na Doobara‘, ‘Noong Amadi Yeroom‘, and much more.

    The total budget of the Festival is around Rs 100 million including the award money of Rs 10 million, Festival Director Shankar Mohan said at a press meet here. Others who spoke were Entertainment Society of Goa CEO Manoj Srivastava, and eminent filmmaker AK Bir.

    Bringing together the gems of the cinematic world, which have found acclaim in noted film festivals abroad, this year‘s film festival will be showcasing ‘Festivals Kaleidoscope‘, a package which includes top award winners in film festivals like Cannes, Locarno, Montreal and Busan. There will be sections on European Discoveries, Spotlight in India, Documentaries, Sketches on screen, and Soccer in Cinema, and Russian Classics. The country focus is on the United States. There will also be some Masterclasses.

    The ‘Retrospective‘ section which screens acclaimed movies of eminent film personalities, will screen unforgettable movies of two legendary directors. Luc Besson, one of the most revered and acclaimed names in the French film industry, will be present. Another luminary whose works will be showcased at the festival is the much acclaimed Australian film director Phillip Noyce.

    The five-member International Jury is headed by famed filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan judging fourteen films. Seven outstanding films which could not make it to the competition are being shown in a section known as ‘A Cut Above‘.

    With a view to bring along a technological revolution in this year‘s festival, the Festival will showcase 3D stereoscopic movies which are chosen not for their stereoscopic content, but also for excellence in handling the medium. This section will bring together 3D classics from across the world.

    Srivastava also gave details about the Short Film Center and the Chhota Cinema section for new filmmakers.

  • Bhaagerathi and Bharat Mazza Desh Ahe to premiere at IFFI

    Bhaagerathi and Bharat Mazza Desh Ahe to premiere at IFFI

    MUMBAI: Dr. Baraguru Ramchandrappa‘s Bhageerathi and Bharat Mazza Desh Aahe, directed by Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar, will screen under the Indian Premiere section at the 42nd International Film Festival of India, Goa 2011.


    Bhageerathi, featuring Srinath Bhavana, Kishor and Hema Chowudri, is based on a Kannada folk ballad Kerege Haara (A Sacrifice for a tank).


    Bharat Mazza Desh Aahe (India is my Country), featuring Vikram Gokhale, Uttara Baokar, Renuka Daftardar, Jitendra Joshi, Devika Daftardar, Omkar Govardhan, Alok Rajwade, Kishor Kadam and Deepa Shriram, depicts the story of a family dealing with value problems amongst themselves and simultaneously experiencing the everyday corruption in their social life.

  • Soccer films to be screened at IFFI

    Soccer films to be screened at IFFI

    MUMBAI: The forthcoming 42nd International Film Festival of India, Goa (IFFI) will showcase a special package called “Soccer in Cinema”.


    Knowing that Goa is known for its soccer crazy audience, IFFI brings to the fore films that not only invoke the euphoria of the game but also hold high cinematic values in terms of form and treatment.


    Films to be showcased in the ‘Soccer in Cinema’ package are: A Barefoot Dream (South Korea), Creators of Crowd (Brazil), Foot of God (Italy), Argentina Futbol Club (Argentina – USA), The Best Women In The World (Germany), More Than Just a Game (South Africa) and Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (France).


    The screenings from this package will be held every day from 8 to 10 pm from 23 November to 3 December.
     

  • Indo-Polish bilateral cooperation in film sector

    Indo-Polish bilateral cooperation in film sector

    NEW DELHI: India and Poland have agreed to consider an exchange of film festivals to familiarise people in both countries with their movies.

    Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told Polish Culture and National Heritage Minister Bogdan Zdarajewski earlier this week that Indian viewers gave a lot of importance to Polish cinema and an indication of this was the special section on contemporary Polish cinema at the forthcoming International Film Festival of India in Goa commencing on 23 November.

    The aim of increasing exchanges would be to diversify the levels of cooperation and exchange in the areas of Film Festivals, and exchange programmes between National Film Schools of both the countries.

    Films from Poland will also be screened in “Spotlight on Poland” section and in the “A Cut Above” section.

    Regarding the proposed ‘Audio Visual Co-production Agreement’ between the two countries, Soni told the Polish Minister that the due process of Inter Ministerial consultations would be completed shortly.

    Both Ministers discussed the possibility of exchange programme between the National Film Schools at Lodz, Poland and the Film and Television Institute of India at Pune and the Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute in Kolkata. The latter has indicated that it would be interested in entering into an agreement with National Film Schools, Lodz, Poland. The agreement would focus on ‘Student Exchange Programmes’ and ‘Faculty Exchange Programmes’.

    Nine films from Poland will be screened at IFFI and Lech Majewski’s film “The Mill and the Cross” was being featured in the international section. Some of the prominent films in the Spotlight Section on Poland include “The Winner” directed by Wieslaw Saniewski, “Heritage” directed by Andrzej Baranski and “The Entanglement” directed by Jacek Bromski.