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Tag: TITLI

  • National Film Development Corporation reveals 2024 Screenwriters’ Lab finalists

    National Film Development Corporation reveals 2024 Screenwriters’ Lab finalists

    Mumbai: National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) received more than 150 applications this year from 21 states out of which six projects of various genres have been selected for the 17th edition of NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab, an ongoing initiative to develop, nurture, and promote original voices from all over India. The six screenwriters, who also happen to be filmmakers of ad films, short films, novelist, documentaries, and feature films, have written the selected scripts in multiple languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Pahadi, Punjabi, Assamese, Malayalam, Konyak, English & Maithili.

    “We, at NFDC, strongly feel that a well-written script forms the foundation of a compelling story, engaging characters, and meaningful dialogue, all of which are essential elements of a successful film. We are at the forefront of not only training our writers to better develop their unique stories, but also pitch them successfully to domestic and international producers and investors at Film Bazaar, while keeping industry trends and practices in mind,” said NFDC Film Bazaar team

    The three-part intensive Screenwriters’ Lab is part of NFDC Labs’ ongoing initiative to develop original voices and stories from India. Selected participants work closely with noted mentors in an intensive 5-month program to fine-tune existing screenplays through personalized interactions and group sessions under the guidance of acclaimed script experts from India and around the  world. Aimed at domestic as well as international markets, the projects will be pitched to  producers and investors in a specially designed session during Film Bazaar 2024.

    The six selected projects for NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab 2024 are as follows:

    1.  Hawa Mithai by (CANDY FLOSS) Anuritta K Jha – Maithili & Hindi

    A six year-old village boy Tundu and his best friend Bullu set out on a heart-warming and fantastical journey to eat the Sun inspired by the legend of Lord Hanumanji, in order to win back his mother’s love.

    2.  I’ll Smile in September by Aakash Chhabra – Hindi, Urdu, Pahadi & Punjabi

    After getting separated from the love of his life and losing his front teeth in a brutal altercation which ensues after it, a young brass band player in Old Delhi attempts to move on in life by finding his smile back.

    3.  Kalaa Kaali (The Art Of The Dark) by Anam Danish – English & Hindi

    Two siblings along with their friends, investigate a death in the family only to discover a generational curse that looms over them and set out to end it by using their family’s tradition of black magic.

    4.  Konyak by Uddhav Ghosh – Konyak Naga & Hindi & English

    On the fringe of civilisation, amidst Nagaland’s unforgiving beauty, a deadly feud erupts between legendary headhunting tribes. Young warrior Thungpang Konyak, burdened by prophetic visions and haunted by betrayal, embarks on a relentless chase to protect his community and reclaim honor, confronting his former friend turned mortal enemy Sangba, as brother turns against brother in a brutal struggle for survival.

    5.  Mangal – The Holy Beast by Triparna Maiti – Assamese, Malayalam & Hindi

    Captured as an elephant calf, Mangal encounters both love and loss as he is made to join the world of humans. Transported from one place to another, changing hands, he ultimately becomes a revered deity worshiped as God, yet tied in chains, until he decides to break free.

    6.  Piyush Ki Toh…Nikal Padi (To Pee or Not To Pee) by Piyush Srivastava – Hindi

    Piyush, a charming 32-year old, faces a comedic nightmare on his first visit to his in-laws when a packing mistake leaves him without Adult Diapers, risking exposure of his embarrassing bedwetting problem. He must navigate a hilarious & heart-warming journey to procure new ones with his supportive wife’s help, all while keeping his secret hidden.

    About Mentors

    This year’s mentors include the founder of NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab (features) Marten Rabarts (New Zealand), Claire Dobbin (Australia), Ritesh Shah (India)

    1. Marten Rabarts – With more than 30 years of experience in the film industry, Marten Rabarts held his most recent position as the Festival Director of the New Zealand International Film Festival, following nearly 5 years heading EYE International at the EYE, the national film museum of the Netherlands. Prior to this, Marten served as the Head of Development and Training at NFDC India in Mumbai, where he established NFDC LABS, contributing to the success of films like The Lunchbox and Titli, among many others. Previously, Rabarts was Artistic Director of Binger Filmlab in Amsterdam for 12 years, which saw such successes as Michael Roskam’s Bullhead, cult hit The Babadook by Jennifer Kent, Cannes-winning Salvo by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza, and Adina Pintilie’s 2018 Golden Bear Award winner Touch Me Not. Furthermore, Marten was a founding member of the advisory board of Torino Film Lab, is a voting member of the European Film Academy, served on the board of European Film Promotion, and regularly serves on festival juries, including the Berlinale (Short Film Jury, Generation 14plus, Teddy Awards), Skip City Tokyo, Adelaide Film Festival, and Guanajuato Film Festival, among others.

    2. Claire Dobbin – Claire is a globally active script editor, executive producer, and creative producer, collaborating with development agencies, screenwriters, producers, and directors. She has been serving as a script advisor since 2005 for the prestigious international script workshop éQuinoxe Europe, participating as a jury member in key international film festivals, and also organizing and leading international screenwriting workshops in diverse locations such as Italy, Ukraine, India, Norway, Doha, Dubai, Iran, Germany, and New Zealand. From 1986 to 2000, Claire held the position of Senior Executive (Creative) at Australia’s national screen agency. Between 2003 and 2019, Claire chaired the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), overseeing initiatives that made MIFF a cornerstone of the industry. She secured funds for MIFF’s international film finance market and established the MIFF Premiere Fund, investing in over 50 Australian films that premiered at MIFF. Claire’s achievements include receiving the Order of Australia (AM) for Services to the Australian Film Industry in 2017 and the Jill Robb Award for outstanding leadership in the Victorian Screen Industry in 2019. Currently, Claire serves as the executive producer for several films and is actively involved in script editing international feature films and TV series across New Zealand, Australia, Europe, India, and the United States.

    3. Ritesh Shah – Ritesh Shah did his Bachelors in English Literature from Hindu College (1993-1996) and has done his Masters in Mass Communications from MCRC, Jamia Milia Islamia. He began his career as a playwright with Act One Art Group, New Delhi. His works include the fringe award winner Othello – A play in black and white. Ritesh switched to television in 1999. His television writing credits include Josh, Kashmeer, Krishna Arjun and the award winning series Kagaar. Ritesh Shah began his film career by contributing dialogue to movies like Kahaani and Namastey London and then went on to co-write films like D-day and Airlift. His solo screenplay and dialogue credits include films like B.A. Pass, Citylights, Force, the critically acclaimed Pink and Raid. Ritesh Shah has been nominated for Filmfare award for best story for B.A.Pass and best screenplay for D-day for which he also won a Zee Cine Awards Nomination. He won the Filmfare, Zee Cine and Star Screen awards for best dialogue for Pink.

    Previous, award-winning projects that have originated from the NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab include LUNCHBOX (Ritesh Batra), LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA (Alankrita Shrivastava), DUM LAGA KE HAISHA (Sharat Katariya), TITLI (Kanu Behl), SHAB (Onir), A DEATH IN THE GUNJ (Konkona Sen Sharma), ISLAND CITY (Ruchika Oberoi), BOMBAY ROSE (Gitanjali Rao), and CHUSKIT (Priya Ramasubban), In the Belly of a Tiger (Siddartha Jatla), Fire in the Mountains (Ajitpal Singh) Ullozhukku (Christo Tomy) just to name a few.
     

  • YRF and DBP’s ‘Titli’ wins Best First Foreign Film Prize

    YRF and DBP’s ‘Titli’ wins Best First Foreign Film Prize

    MUMBAI: Directed by Kanu Behl and co-produced by YRF and DBP, Titli has won the Best First Foreign Film Prize by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics on 1 February 2016.

    The film stars newcomers like Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial and Lalit Behl. It is a story of dysfunctional family and young boy’s struggle to escape his oppressive family.

    The film ‘Titli- har family, family nahi hoti’ was released across India on 30 October 2015.

    On this achievement, Behl said “It’s a huge honour. The French Critics Syndicate has a long and ongoing relationship with recognising cinema that looks to push boundaries. To be in the company of other eminent films of the year, is heartening as a filmmaker. This belongs to the whole team of Titli, and we hope to continue the good work.”

    The FSCC awards 4 prestigious prizes each year including Best French Film, Best International Film, Best First Film and Best Short Film.

  • YRF and DBP’s ‘Titli’ wins Best First Foreign Film Prize

    YRF and DBP’s ‘Titli’ wins Best First Foreign Film Prize

    MUMBAI: Directed by Kanu Behl and co-produced by YRF and DBP, Titli has won the Best First Foreign Film Prize by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics on 1 February 2016.

    The film stars newcomers like Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial and Lalit Behl. It is a story of dysfunctional family and young boy’s struggle to escape his oppressive family.

    The film ‘Titli- har family, family nahi hoti’ was released across India on 30 October 2015.

    On this achievement, Behl said “It’s a huge honour. The French Critics Syndicate has a long and ongoing relationship with recognising cinema that looks to push boundaries. To be in the company of other eminent films of the year, is heartening as a filmmaker. This belongs to the whole team of Titli, and we hope to continue the good work.”

    The FSCC awards 4 prestigious prizes each year including Best French Film, Best International Film, Best First Film and Best Short Film.

  • YRF to release Kanu Behl’s directorial debut ‘Titli’ on 30 October

    YRF to release Kanu Behl’s directorial debut ‘Titli’ on 30 October

    MUMBAI: Yash Raj Films and Dibakar Banerjee Productions’ co-production titled Titli, which is the debut directorial vehicle of Kanu Behl, will release across India on 30 October, 2015.

     

    The film’s tagline ‘har family, family nahi hoti’ (every family is not a family) has been given by YRF head honcho Aditya Chopra.

     

    Banerjee said, “We were all struggling to find a befitting tagline for the poster but nothing good was coming out. I was feeling a bit stuck when Adi very casually came up with this line and I realised that he just gave me the tagline. It came out very naturally from him.”

     

    “This came from a man who has a deep, gut level understanding of the Indian audience. Moreover, I felt that this tag line translated in any language anywhere in the world would be as kickass. Any person who has a family and has understood the pain and the pleasure of the complex dynamics of a family will get this,” he added.

     

    Director Kanu Behl’s father – Lalit Behl plays Titli’s father, whereas Shivani Raghuvanshi plays Titli’s wife, Neelu in the movie.

     

    Titli is a tale of a dysfunctional family and a young boy’s struggle to escape his oppressive family. It also stars Shashank Arora, Ranvir Shorey and Amit Sial.

  • Little-known story of Moghul descendants on DD Bharati

    Little-known story of Moghul descendants on DD Bharati

    NEW DELHI: Doordarshan will telecast on DD Bharati a documentary titled `The Living Moghuls’ on descendants of the Moghuls later this week highlighting their lives in the India of today.

     

    Begum Laila Umhani and her sister Husn Jahanara Begum and their families are the many descendants of the Moghuls living in Hyderabad. Shorn of any royal or political patronage, the sons of Laila Umhani have adapted themselves to survive in today’s world. Their life is the subject of the documentary titled `The Living Moghuls’ on 19 December at 10:00 pm, repeated next day at 06:00 am and 02:00pm.

     

    DD Bharati in association with the External Affairs Ministry is telecasting ‘Cityscapes’, a six part series on six cities of India representing the diverse nature and histories of cities in India. It will be telecast the series every Monday on DD Bharati from 22 December at 10:00 pm, repeated next day at 06:00 am & 02:00pm

     

    Dasha Kumara Charita is a prose romance in Sanskrit attributed to Dandin in the 7th century BC. It describes the adventures of ten young men, the Kumaras, all of whom are either princes or sons of royal ministers, as narrated by the men themselves. These narratives are replete with accounts of demigods, ghosts, gamblers, intrigues with voluptuous women, astonishing coincidences, cockfights, sorcery, robberies, murders and wars. This series will be on DD Bharati from 23 December at 07:00 pm, repeated next day at 03:00 am and 11:00 am.

     

    DD Bharati presents from its rich archives ‘Titli’ based on the “Grasshopper” story by Anton Chekhov featuring Neelima Azeem, Alok Nath and M.K Raina supported by B. M Shah, Dolly Ahluwalia, Irrfan Khan and produced by Saba Zaidi. Alok is an earnest and rather boring young physician, who is preoccupied with his patients and his research, resulting in his wife Shalini having an illicit affair and regretting this too late. This telefilm will be seen on DD Bharati on 20 and 21 December at 11:00 pm repeated next day at 07:00 am and 03:00 pm.

     

    On the occasion of Christmas Day, DD Bharati presents a special compilation comprising sweet remembrances, moments and messages of “Merry Christmas” through music and dance on 23, 24 and 25 December. The compilation brings in series of programmes featuring a multi-lingual celebration of Christmas and the popular imaginary of Santa Claus as observed in various parts of country. The programme also celebrates the “Birth of Jesus” and Spirit of the Santa Claus through melodies of carols, histrionics of dance, and several lyrical renditions. The noted scholar Dr Arshiya Sethi who has curated the programme says: “Christmas is simultaneously a festival of values ideals, giving and rejoicing India offers a pan Indian scope for Christmas celebration a multi lingual carol tradition and woven in artistic expression to retell the life and glory of Jesus. This is spectacular and finds no equivalent anywhere in the world.” The Christmas programmes will be at 10:00 pm from 22 to 25 December.

     
    DD Bharati celebrates Good Governance Day on 25 December on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This includes a poetry organised earlier this month by All India Radio.

  • Indian films win top awards at South Asian film fest in New York

    Indian films win top awards at South Asian film fest in New York

    NEW DELHI: Kanu Behl’s Titli won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York.

     

    Avinash Arun’s Killa was adjudged the second best film.

     

    The Best Director award was presented to first-time writer-director Afia Nathaniel for her film Dukhtar. The tense drama which is Pakistan’s official entry to the 2014 Academy Awards was also presented with the festival’s Audience Award.

     

    The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India in Goa.

     

    The jury awarded their Short Grand Jury Prize to Gitanjali Rao’s True Love Story, a stunning animated short about a 17-year-old orphan who uses his love of Bollywood cinema to help him woo the girl of his dreams.

     

    The Audience Award for Short Film was awarded to Veil by director Sreemoyee Bhattacharya.

     

     

  • Four Indian films including ‘Mary Kom’ make it to Hawaii India Spotlight

    Four Indian films including ‘Mary Kom’ make it to Hawaii India Spotlight

    NEW DELHI: Four Indian films have made it to the 34th Hawaii International Film Festival this year in a Spotlight on India section.

     

    The festival which has been shifted to 30 October and will continue till 9 November is made up of four Hindi titles: modern Hamlet retelling Haider, boxing biopic Mary Kom, crime drama Titli and Bang Bang, the official Bollywood remake of Knight and Day (2010).

     

    The festival will open with Ishii Yuya’s The Vancouver Asahi about a baseball team of second-generation Japanese in the 1930’s.

     

    The festival’s Director of Programming Anderson stated, “It is rare to see the World War II internment camp experience through the lens of Japanese nationals in a major motion picture”. The film stars Tsumabuki Satoshi.

     

    The festival will have films from 45 countries, including more than 60 films from Asia. With the Vancouver festival downsizing its Asian lineup, Hawaii is now one of the largest showcases for Asian cinema in North America.

     

    The festival’s main Asian lineup is programmed in spotlight sections dedicated to recent films from seven regions: Japan, South Korea, China (including Hong Kong), Taiwan, India, Philippines and Southeast Asia (excluding Philippines). 

  • India in focus in the ‘New World View’ at Zurich Film Festival

    India in focus in the ‘New World View’ at Zurich Film Festival

    NEW DELHI: A total of 12 Indian features and six shortfilms are being showcased in the ongoing Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) in which India is the focus in the ‘New World View’ section.

     

    The Festival is being held from 25 September to 5 October. Chaitanya Tamhane’s ‘Lion of the future’ winner Court and recent festival favourites Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus and Kanu Behl’s Titli are among the selected films.

     

    A package of shorts curated by Swiss Short Film Festival Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur will be on display as well. There are six shorts made by Anurag Goswami , Varun Chawla , Hossein Mozdgir Roozane , Rodd Rathjen , Payal Kapadia  and Gitanjali Rao.

     

    The other features include Fandry by Nagraj Manjule; Gulabi Gang by Nishtha Jain; I.D by Kamal K.M.; Katiyabaaz by Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa; Liar’s Dice by Geethu Mohandas (which is India’s selection for the Oscars); Lucia by Pawan Kumar; Monsoon Shootout by Amit Kumar; Soodhu Kavvum by Nalan Kumarasamy, and Sulemani Keeda by Amit Masurkar.

     

    Festival’s artistic director Karl Spoerri, one of the festival founders in October 2005, said, “The event will also include a Game Changer award for Mediakraft Networks president Christoph Krachten, honouring a visionary who breaks new ground while choosing to ignore convention and popular opinion”.

     

    ZFF will also introduce an out-of-competition strand to present television productions that have garnered international attention.

     

    The third International Film Music Competition will also be held during the festival and brings with it Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, who will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award and a concert of his most famous works.        

     

    ZFF’s partnership with San Sebastian Film Festival will continue, with each hosting a window dedicated to films from their respective countries rather than competing for titles.

     

  • Date extended for co-production proposals at Film Bazaar in Goa

    Date extended for co-production proposals at Film Bazaar in Goa

    NEW DELHI: The Film Bazaar that will be held to coincide with the International Film Festival of India has extended the date for receiving projects for co-productions by another fortnight to 15 September.

     

    This year’s Bazaar will feature a Romance Screenwriters’ Lab with six scripts in the romance genre mentored by leading Indian filmmakers and writers.

     

    A new feature at the Bazaar this year is Film Offices for various states of the country for their film promotion and tourism boards, and film commissions for them to introduce their delegates to the visiting delegates, said National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) managing director Neena Lath Gupta.

     

    In addition, the Bazaar will have networking events where discussions are held informally, Work-in-Progress Labs for films that are in rough-cut stage, NFDC Knowledge Series Lectures by renowned film personalities, and a branding opportunity for those getting themselves associated with the Bazaar which gets delegates from all over the globe.    

     

    Other sections include exhibition stalls for showcasing products and meetings with other delegates, Screenwriters’ Lab which will also have six scripts; and a Producers’ Lab for producers to learn the facets of production from leading Indian and international producers.

      

    Aspiring film delegates include buyers and exhibitors, those looking for co-production opportunities, heads or representatives of International Film Festivals, film producers, and members of film distribution bodies. 

     

    The Film Bazaar has listed a large number of co-productions that have helped young filmmakers make a name for themselves in the international market, including Lunch Box by Ritesh Batra, Titli by Kanu Behl, Ship of Theseus by Anand Gandhi, Television by Mostofa Farooki, The Girl in Yellow Boots by Anurag Kashyap, Miss Lovely by Ashim Ahluwalia, Shanghai by Dibakar Banerjee; Monsoon Shootout by Amit Kumar, Karma by Prasanna Jayakody, Mumbai cha Raja by Manjeet Singh, and Paltadacho Munis by Laxmikant Shetgaonkar which have all won awards overseas and in India.

      

    The Bazaar will be held from 20 to 24 November at the Marriott Resort in Panaji. The Festival itself is being held from 20 to 30 November.

  • ‘True Love Story’ from India is only Asian film in the Critics Week in Cannes

    ‘True Love Story’ from India is only Asian film in the Critics Week in Cannes

    NEW DELHI: While ‘Titli’ by Kanu Bahl is the Indian entry for Cannes official selection in Un Certain Regard, the Asian presence at the Critics’ Week of the Cannes Film Festival is confined to one short, Gitanjali Rao’s 19-minute animated romance True Love Story.

     

    Behl will also be a contender for the Camera d’Or, the award for feature directing debut.

     

    Rao describes her film, which won the Golden Conch for Best Animation at February’s Mumbai International Film Festival, as a boy-meets-girl romance between two migrant teenagers in Mumbai who re-enact Bollywood fantasies.

     

    According to Rao, “The animation industry in India is still very nascent and undefined. This is in sharp contrast with our regional film industries and Bollywood, which have strong identities and a rich history that film-makers can draw upon while they create their own works.”

     

    “That sort of identity is just not there with animation,” she said. “We just end up imitating Disney. The thing is, Bollywood copies from Hollywood, but it doesn’t imitate it. True Love Story is an attempt to create a unique visual effect that is Indian in its aesthetic.”

     

    Rao previously participated in the Critics’ Week section in 2006 with Printed Rainbow (2006) about “the loneliness of an old woman and her cat, who escape into the fantastical world of match box covers”. She was a member of its short film jury in 2011.

     

    Last year, Critics’ Week screened one Asian film, India’s The Lunchbox.

     

    “Titli” is co-produced by Yash Raj Films and DBP, the production house of cult Indian producer-director Dibakar Banerjee. The movie stars Ranveer Shorey, Amit Sial, Lalit Behl and Shivani Raghuvanshi, and introduces Shashank Arora.

     

    Set in Delhi’s underbelly, the film centers on Titli, the youngest member of a violent carjacking brotherhood, who plots to escape the “family” business.