ITV

Tag: Mike Pandey

  • World Water Day: NatGeo teams up with NMCG for a film on Ganga conservation

    World Water Day: NatGeo teams up with NMCG for a film on Ganga conservation

    Mumbai: To mark the occasion of World Water Day on 22 March, National Geographic is set to premiere a documentary film titled “Ganga: The River from the Skies” at 8 p.m. The channel has collaborated with the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to make this docu-film on Ganga conservation.

    Hosted by award-winning conservationist and filmmaker Mike Pandey, the film highlights the intricate network of people, organisations, and infrastructure that are working together towards the mission to rejuvenate and preserve the Ganga. 

    “My relationship with the Ganga as a conservationist has been lifelong. All the efforts to rejuvenate the Ganga, and the Ganga basin, and all it sustains are very close to my heart,” said Pandey. “For this very special film, I travelled from Sunderbans to Devprayag and the Himalayas to understand the ongoing conservation work. The message of this film is that each one of us needs to take ownership, and lend our shoulders to become part of the effort and feel responsible for the health and well-being of our rivers.”

    The relentless human and economic activity and the effects of climate change have impacted the clean and unbridled flow of Ganga and its tributaries. The channel has collaborated with NMCG to encourage viewers to bring about a behavioural change and ensure the long-term sustainability of various initiatives undertaken by the central government, said the statement. “The documentary will showcase the river’s beautiful voyage across the heart of India, while traversing a mosaic of cultures, traditions, and communities that share a unique relationship with it. The hour-long special will take viewers through one of the largest and most comprehensive river conservation programmes in the country,” it added.

    “At National Geographic, we strive to inspire people by bringing to them insightful stories that take them on an immersive journey,” said the channel’s spokesperson. “The Ganga has significant economic, environmental, cultural, and religious value in our country and by showcasing the incredible and extensive efforts of the NMCG to clean and rejuvenate our majestic river, we wanted to encourage everyone to do their part in making the Ganga thrive again.”

    “Our river Ganga is considered to be a lifeline of this country and plays many a role in each state that it traverses through. However, it is currently facing many threats and at National Mission for Clean Ganga, we have been consistently working towards changing the fate of the Ganga and other rivers and for this, contribution at an individual level by every citizen of India is extremely crucial,” commented NMCG director G Asok Kumar.  “We all can come together and create a difference by saving Ganga. Our association with National Geographic is an important step towards sharing the incredible story of river Ganga with viewers across the country and uniting them to collectively work towards a conservation mission.”

  • Centre considering dedicated documentary TV channel: Rathore

    Centre considering dedicated documentary TV channel: Rathore

    MUMBAI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said his Ministry was seriously contemplating a dedicated channel for documentary, short and animation films.

     

    However, he said it was difficult to say at this stage whether it would be a new channel or an existing channel like Doordarshan’s DD Bharati.

     

    Speaking at the inauguration of the 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films – MIFF 2016 – which was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rathore said that documentaries more than features ‘shake us’ and bring about changes in society.

     

    At the same time, he said that the Films Division, which runs the festival needs to innovate and re-invent itself if it had to remain in the public eye and ‘find a reason to exist.’ Rathore cited that the MIFF was part of that process as it gave new vitality to documentary, short and feature films, which get a strong platform here.

     

    He was particularly satisfied that the Division had taken the bold step of FD Zone, whereby documentary films are being shown in other cities at the same time as MIFF.

     

    Rathore said that the I&B Ministry would continue to make efforts to make things easier for makers of documentary, short and animation films. “The mushrooming of so many news and current affairs channels can be probed to help exhibit these films.

    Documentary filmmakers are strong storytellers who move audiences with their films. Digital technology has ushered in a new era in film making and is greatly contributing to the documentary film movement,” he said.

     

    “It is heartening to note that our film makers, despite having great financial hurdles have gone ahead and made excellent films, displaying a mature approach while dealing with social and economic issues. Such films should not remain unseen,” Rathore added.

     

    He also said that the Government was in favour of ensuring that the power and freedom of the filmmaker was not limited by archaic certification laws and referred to setting up of the Shyam Benegal Committee to examine the entire certification process.

     

    Benegal was a Guest of Honour at the inauguration, which also included MIFF brand ambassador Jackie Shroff, Indian Documentary Producers Association president Mike Pandey and Festival director Mukesh Sharma.

     

    Veteran wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Naresh Bedi, who along with his brother Rajesh has been making films for over 45 years, received the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to documentary filmmaking. Filmmaker Kiran Shantaram, who is son of the late V Shantaram, presented the award comprising a trophy, shawl and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. 

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis said that he had offered land to the central government in the Film City in Mumbai for building the long-pending Centre of Excellence in Animation and Gaming. “The state will extend all help in this process,” he said.

     

    Earlier, Benegal said it was sad that while such a prestigious festival was being held, no serious thought was being given to exhibiting and distributing these films. “Ways need to be found to ensure that filmmakers who dabble in the documentary format get their money back to be able to make more films as many are not even able to pay back the loans they took for such films. This is imperative at a time when digital cameras and even cellphones can be used to make films,” he said.

     

    A total of 385 documentaries, short and animation films will be screened during the Festival, which is held every second year in Mumbai. The Festival concludes on 3 February.

     

    The event, organised by the Films Division of the Information & Broadcasting Ministry is supported by the Maharashtra Government.

  • Centre considering dedicated documentary TV channel: Rathore

    Centre considering dedicated documentary TV channel: Rathore

    MUMBAI: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore said his Ministry was seriously contemplating a dedicated channel for documentary, short and animation films.

     

    However, he said it was difficult to say at this stage whether it would be a new channel or an existing channel like Doordarshan’s DD Bharati.

     

    Speaking at the inauguration of the 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films – MIFF 2016 – which was inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Rathore said that documentaries more than features ‘shake us’ and bring about changes in society.

     

    At the same time, he said that the Films Division, which runs the festival needs to innovate and re-invent itself if it had to remain in the public eye and ‘find a reason to exist.’ Rathore cited that the MIFF was part of that process as it gave new vitality to documentary, short and feature films, which get a strong platform here.

     

    He was particularly satisfied that the Division had taken the bold step of FD Zone, whereby documentary films are being shown in other cities at the same time as MIFF.

     

    Rathore said that the I&B Ministry would continue to make efforts to make things easier for makers of documentary, short and animation films. “The mushrooming of so many news and current affairs channels can be probed to help exhibit these films.

    Documentary filmmakers are strong storytellers who move audiences with their films. Digital technology has ushered in a new era in film making and is greatly contributing to the documentary film movement,” he said.

     

    “It is heartening to note that our film makers, despite having great financial hurdles have gone ahead and made excellent films, displaying a mature approach while dealing with social and economic issues. Such films should not remain unseen,” Rathore added.

     

    He also said that the Government was in favour of ensuring that the power and freedom of the filmmaker was not limited by archaic certification laws and referred to setting up of the Shyam Benegal Committee to examine the entire certification process.

     

    Benegal was a Guest of Honour at the inauguration, which also included MIFF brand ambassador Jackie Shroff, Indian Documentary Producers Association president Mike Pandey and Festival director Mukesh Sharma.

     

    Veteran wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Naresh Bedi, who along with his brother Rajesh has been making films for over 45 years, received the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to documentary filmmaking. Filmmaker Kiran Shantaram, who is son of the late V Shantaram, presented the award comprising a trophy, shawl and a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. 

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Fadnavis said that he had offered land to the central government in the Film City in Mumbai for building the long-pending Centre of Excellence in Animation and Gaming. “The state will extend all help in this process,” he said.

     

    Earlier, Benegal said it was sad that while such a prestigious festival was being held, no serious thought was being given to exhibiting and distributing these films. “Ways need to be found to ensure that filmmakers who dabble in the documentary format get their money back to be able to make more films as many are not even able to pay back the loans they took for such films. This is imperative at a time when digital cameras and even cellphones can be used to make films,” he said.

     

    A total of 385 documentaries, short and animation films will be screened during the Festival, which is held every second year in Mumbai. The Festival concludes on 3 February.

     

    The event, organised by the Films Division of the Information & Broadcasting Ministry is supported by the Maharashtra Government.

  • Mike Pandey re-elected as president of IDPA

    Mike Pandey re-elected as president of IDPA

    NEW DELHI: Renowned filmmaker Mike Pandey has been elected for a second term as president of the Indian Documentary Producers Association, the oldest organisation of documentary filmmakers in the country.

     

    While he was initially elected for a term of two years during his first tenure, the executive committee later decided to extend the term to four years.

     Thus, Pandey will be president till 2018.

     

     Priti Chandriani has been elected to general secretary, succeeding Sanskar Desai who did not contest.

     

     Renowned filmmaker Jahnu Barua, whom Pandey had succeeded in his first time, continues as permanent member.

     

     While Abdul Fazili is joint secretary, Tilak Vij and Usha Deshpande are vice presidents and Gautam Grover is treasurer.

     

     Other members of the executive committee are are Lygia Mathews, Veena Bakshi, Satinder Mohan, Ashish Choudhary, and Dev Avinash Taneja.

  • DD National tops in ‘time spent in viewing’ numbers

    DD National tops in ‘time spent in viewing’ numbers

    NEW DELHI: DD National is the number one channel among all GEC’s in terms of time spent by viewers and the TAM data for week 26 from 22-28 July 2014 indicates that it topped with 92 minutes TSV as compared to 90 minutes as recorded for Sony.

     

    The higher numbers indicate that after switching to the channel, viewers have preferred to continuously watch the channel rather than frequently switching to other channels.

     

    DD National is also reported to be ranked three in terms of overall average viewership in early morning time band of 6 am to 8 am. The viewership of DD National channel is rising rapidly during mid prime time band from 12 pm to 3 pm as it has slotted six new family based fresh serials during this band and renamed this band as DD Dopahar.

     

    However, an analysis done by Doordarshan itself indicates that the viewership of the channel can be higher if multi-system operators fully comply with the Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 as many are still not complying with the ‘Must Carry’ clause and the carriage of the national channel is still badly affected in analogue cable networks.

     

    Thus, DD National channel is regaining its lost ground as it has also seen rapid growth in overall viewership numbers in prime time and morning prime time of Sunday.

     

    Its environment based programme Earth Matters directed by the renowned Mike Pandey is becoming popular among all sections of society, indicating that the channel is liked by viewers for wholesome entertainment and information based programmes and for lot of fresh programming dished out to viewers unlike other channels who are most dependent on repeat programmes and are run on six to eight hours cycle.

  • DD revamps prime time viewing with five new shows

    DD revamps prime time viewing with five new shows

    NEW DELHI: After having revamped its afternoon programming leading to a spurt in viewership, Doordarshan National is now all set to give a new look to its prime time programming.

     

    The new programmes, Nadiyaan Gaati Hain, Bharat Ki Shaan: Let’s Dance, Earth Matters, Gaon Connection and Yatra will start from 6 June. Through this the channel aims to connect with its audience yet again, with fresh content which is full of entertainment and information.

     

     Nadiyaan Gaati Hain is to commence telecast every Friday starting today at 7.00 pm. It is a one-of-a-kind travelogue documentary series on rivers that explores the historical, cultural and social journey of these rivers. Produced by Anupama Productions, this 13-part series delves deep into the realms of history, mythology and culture to bring out gems of unique information about the six significant rivers of Madhya Pradesh- Narmada, Betwa, Shipra, Tapti, Chambal and Sone.

     

    After five fantastic seasons of unparalleled success of music and dance reality shows, Bharat Ki Shaan: Let’s Dance air every Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 pm. This season has a new look and the new format creates an edge over the monotonous dancing reality shows. Judged by ace choreographers Pony Verma and Sandip Soparrkar, the show is aimed at the young aspirants and the young-at-heart viewers.

     

     World renowned environment filmmaker Mike Pandey’s Earth Matters returns with season four from 8 June, every Sunday at 10:30 am. While the series has been running without a break, the last few weeks saw DD repeating older programmes. Directed and produced by Pandey, Earth Matters take a hard look at the state of the environment; the diminishing natural resources, the fast disappearing forest cover, the endangered wildlife, urban pollution and the pressures on rural India.

     

     Like the previous seasons, the 26-episode series commencing on Sunday is not just a doom and gloom series it provides solutions and remedial action that each individual can take at his own level.

     

     Shot this time in HD format, the series have already won accolades internationally. It has also led to the creation of Earth Matters Clubs all over the country with young people, particularly in rural or semi-urban areas working to put into action the xuggestions given in the programme to improve the ecology and fight climate change.

     

    Gaon Connection will go on air from 9 June, every Monday and Tuesday at 8:00 pm to meet the unmet hunger for information in rural India and to inform urban India about the transformation underway in the hinterland. The idea is to build a bridge with quality content through a connection with rural India where DD already has a strong hold on viewership.

     

     Yatra commencing from 11 June every Wednesday at 8:00 pm is a travel show. It is a religious travel guide which focuses on a spiritual journey around Indian temples. The show enlightens the viewer and takes him for a mesmerizing journey of these havens of peace.

  • Filmmaker Mike Pandey calls for more support to documentaries

    Filmmaker Mike Pandey calls for more support to documentaries

    NEW DELHI: Eminent filmmaker Mike Pandey, who was awarded the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award at the inauguration of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, short and animation films, feels a filmmaker‘s role in society is to share information that brings about a change and “that is what I constantly aspire to do through my films”.

    Pandey said during a press meet at the MIFF Media Centre in Mumbai today that “Documentary films are the backbone of a country and the Indian documentary film scene is now finally emerging after overcoming a stagnant period”.

    He said the government had also realised the importance of documentary films and informed media that a half-hour documentary chunk had been made available on Doordarshan. He said these films need to be supported by the state and central governments, people, as well as media.

    Digital technologies had opened a whole new vista of opportunities and had been responsible in broadbasing filmmaking, he said, adding that powerful and informative short films are being made using even the mobile phone camera.

    Pandey highlighted the need to make the documentary films entertaining as well, if the viewer‘s interests have to be sustained. He said the docu-drama format has opened many possibilities in this regard, as can be seen from the popularity of the History Channel.

    MIFF 2012 Festival Director Shankar Mohan underlined the commitment of the Ministry of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to promote documentary and short films.

    He said the Indian section of the competition has been reintroduced at MIFF 2012 to encourage documentary films by Indian film makers. Mohan also informed that the Prize money had been almost doubled.

    International Film Festival of India director Mohan has been asked to step in as Director of MIFF as Films Division Chief Producer Bankim Kapadia retired on 31 January.

  • MIFF 2012 opens in Mumbai, environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey gets V Shantaram Award

    MIFF 2012 opens in Mumbai, environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey gets V Shantaram Award

    NEW DELHI: Veteran environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey from Delhi was today honoured with the prestigious V Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award of the Mumbai International Film Festival for shorts, documentaries and animation films – MIFF 2012 – which commenced this evening in the western metropolis.

    The award carries a citation, a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 500,000. Instituted in 1996 in memory of India’s foremost film maker V Shantaram, the Life Time Achievement Award aims to recognise the multi-faceted contributions of an Indian for the documentary film movement.

    The Award was presented to Pandey by Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan in the presence of Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhury Mohan Jatua, veteran film historian Vijaya Mulay and popular Marathi actor Amrutha Khanvilkar.
     
    MIFF, which is organised by the Films Division every alternate year, will showcase more than 101 documentary, short and animation films from 37 countries.

    World renowned filmmaker John Bradbury of Australia, Japanese animation director/producer Sayoko Kinoshita, Austriancinematographer and Director Michael Glawogger, Bulgarian filmmaker Adela Peeva, Irish filmmaker Stefanie Dinkelbach, acclaimed film maker Kumar Shahni are attending the event taking place at NCPA which will conclude on 9 February with the presentation of 22 Awards including the Golden Conch Award for best films in International Competition, Indian Competition, best fiction, and best animation films.

    Mike Pandey is one of India‘s foremost wildlife and environmental filmmakers with over 300 national and international awards. Several of his films, such as Shores of Silence, The Last Migration, Broken Wings and The Timeless Traveller have been directly instrumental in bringing about legislative changes to protect species such as whale sharks, elephants, vultures and horse-shoe crabs.

    The Delhi based film maker Mike Pandey was born in Kenya and trained and educated in the UK and the USA. In 1994, he became the first Asian producer / director to win a Wildscreen Panda Award, also known as the Green Oscar, for his film The Last Migration – Wild Elephant Capture in Sarguja.

    In 2000, his film Shores of Silence – Whale Sharks in India, won a ‘Green Oscar‘ for the second time. The film also led to the ban on the killing of whale sharks on Indian shores. This film has also won a National Award for Best Film in the "Exploration & Adventure" Category, 2005.

    On October 2004, he did India proud once again by winning a Panda Award for the Third time for his film Vanishing Giants – a story of his passion and involvement with elephants. This film also led to the ban of cruel and outdated techniques of elephant capture in India.

    The prestigious United Nations International Award For Outstanding Achievement In Global Conservation, the Prthvi Ratna was awarded to Mike at the Vatavaran Film Festival in November 2003, for his outstanding contribution towards generating awareness, which led to the conservation of a global heritage – the Whale Shark.

    Mike Pandey’s Riverbank Studios has produced some of India‘s most popular programmes like Earth Matters, aired on Doordarshan national network for 13 years, so far reaching over 800 million viewers.

    With over three decades of filmmaking experience, Mike Pandey has produced over 600 films. His powerful films are living proof of the difference a film can make in bringing about changes locally, nationally and globally.

    The Festival opened with a Bamboo Symphony – ‘Mula Paadum Ravu’ – which is a unique Indian Folklore Fusion, founded by Unnikrishna Pakkanar of Thrissur, Kerala. It is based on the principle that music has its origin in nature and hence there is a need to develop an art form that is eco-friendly.

  • Mike Pandey decries spat between I&B ministry and Goa govt

    Mike Pandey decries spat between I&B ministry and Goa govt

    MUMBAI: Chairman of the steering committee of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Mike Pandey has opined that squabbling between the Information & Broadcasting (I& B) ministry and the Goa government over sharing the costs could weaken the event.


    In a letter to the Goa government dated 14 July, Pandey has also written to the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) that the current goings-on between the two agencies were disturbing.


    “We need to get away from the syndrome of this is something ‘incurred by Goa state‘ or ‘that belongs to the Centre‘. Let us pool our strength, experience and hearts and work as one team,” averred Pandey.


    It was under the I&B Ministry‘s insistence that Pandey has been trying to sort out differences between the two entities.


    The DFF functions under the I&B ministry and the Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), a government society created to promote films in the state.


    The ESG, chaired by chief minister Digambar Kamat and the DFF, headed by a senior I&B official, have for years been at loggerheads over logistical and expense related issues of the IFFI, which is being held in Goa for several years now.


    The Goa government claims that it foots the bill of several crores of rupees every year but is not compensated enough.

  • Noted filmmaker Mani Kaul passes away

    Noted filmmaker Mani Kaul passes away

    NEW DELHI: Noted filmmaker Mani Kaul, who was considered one of the pioneers of new Indian cinema that emerged in the late sixties and early seventies, died here early this morning after prolonged illness. He was 67.


    Kaul is survived by two sons and two daughters.


    A cancer patient, he breathed his last at 1 am at his home here after he was discharged from a hospital last night, his family said.


    Kaul, born in Jodhpur in Rajasthan to a Kashmiri family, was nephew of the well-known actor-director Mahesh Kaul.


    Mani Kaul began his career with “Uski Roti” in 1969 which won him the Filmfare Critics Award for best film.


    Ashad Ka Ek Din (1971), Duvidha (1973), Satab Se Uthata Admi (1976), Ghashiram Kotwal (1979), Dhrupad (1982), Mati Manas (1984), Siddheshwari (1989), Nazar (1989), Idiot (based on the masterpiece by Dostoeivsky) (1991) and Naukar Ki Kameez (1999) are among other films and many of them won awards. He also acted in the film ‘Saara Akash’ by Basu Chatterjee.


    A graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, Kaul got the National Film Award for Best documentary film “Siddheshwari” in 1989.


    Maker of a large number of documentaries, he is remembered for a film on Kashmir where he flew in a large balloon over some of the most beautiful spots of the valley and filmed them. The film only had music and no commentary. It was screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival for short films in a special section on Kashmir.


    Kaul also headed the Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema in 2009.


    A versatile painter, Kaul was also a dhrupad singer. He was also a great teacher of the best in Indian cinema.


     
    Renowned filmmaker Mike Pandey, President of the Indian Documentary Producers Association which earlier this year presented a Lifetime Achievement award to Kaul, described Kaul as a filmmaker with rare sensitivity.


    After graduating from FTII in 1966, he along with K Hariharan and Saeed Mirza as well as some others set up the Yukt Film Cooperative in 1976.


    Kaul, like Kumar Shahani, succeeded in radically overhauling the relationship of image to form, of speech to narrative, with the objective of creating a “Purely cinematic object” that is above all visual and formal.


    In 1976, he was co-director, along with Saeed Mirza, K Hariharan and others–of a remarkable “avant-grade” film “Ghasiram Kotwal” in Marathi on the eternal theme of politicians conspiring to create corrupt and evil forces in order to use them against their enemies.The film has contemporary ramifications, as it explores metaphorically the “Emergency” period of the ‘70s.


    The next film was “Mati Manas” (Man of Clay) made in 1985 which was above the documentary form with its powerful and refined images of the legends which explain the development of ceramic art in the sub-continent through the ages.