what we are reading – EightandHalf
The much awaited line-up of this year’s MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is out. Do check out the pics below. We will soon put out a recco post.
The festival will run from Oct 20-27th this year. So do register.
Click here to read scroll’s coverage with more details on the films.
(click on any pic to start the slide show)
With its premiere at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival, more good news coming in for Konkona Sensharma’s directorial debut, A Death In The Gunj.
The film will open this year’s MAMI Film Festival which will run from October 20th -27th, 2016. The film’s cast includes Vikrant Massey, Ranvir Shorey, Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiah, Tillotama Shome, Jim Sarbh, Tanuja Mukherjee, Om Puri and Arya Sharma.
Here’s TIFF’s Cameron Bailey on the film –
Having made an indelible impact on Indian cinema with her work in front of the camera, renowned actor Konkona Sensharma (Talvar) makes her debut as a writer-director with this tense family drama.
It’s the late 1970s, and just outside the quiet Indian resort town of McCluskiegunj, a family gathers in their country home and prepares to ring in the new year with old friends. On the periphery of the family’s focus hovers the young man Shutu (Vikrant Massey), an innocent attempting to navigate a world that’s unkind to his sensitive nature.
Shutu would rather spend time with his friend’s young daughter than engage with the adults, but he is eventually drawn into the messy realm of mature emotions and desires. Relationships in these close quarters begin to simmer and strain, and Shutu struggles to define his masculinity and sense of self — even as the atmosphere becomes suffused with lust and mystery.
Sensharma was a star of Indian Parallel Cinema, the movement made famous by the likes of Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, and her directorial approach shares a realist sensibility with the work of those directors. Shot on location in Jharkhand State, the film is deeply steeped in a sense of place; Sensharma’s camera captures the natural beauty of the family home’s surroundings as she patiently lets her Chekhovian story build to its dramatic and tragic conclusion.
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For more stills and trailer of the film, click here.
The early buzz from TIFF is great so far. This review calls it an assured debut. Journalist and film programmer Aseem Chhabra is also quite impressed by the film. See his tweets.
We can’t wait to catch it at MAMI.
FIRST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL & AWARDS, MACAO (IFFAM) IS CALLING FOR ENTRIES FROM INDIA AND SOUTH ASIA.
The International Film Festival & Awards, Macao (IFFAM) is calling for entries.
– The first edition of this festival will be held from 8 to 13 December, 2016 in Macao.
– Last date of Submission is 30 September 2016.
– The Official Selection consists of the following sections- Competition, Out of Competition/Gala, Hidden Dragons, Best of Fest Panorama and Crossfire (Retrospective).
– The Festival invites entries for feature-length fiction films above 60 minutes.
– The film must be completed post 15 December 2015. Priority will be given to films being presented at the festival as its World Premiere.
– For further details on submission and for the Rules & Regulations, please visit IFFAM’s official website www.iffamacao.com.
– Deepti DCunha is the Consultant to the Festival Director, Marco Mueller, for India and South Asia.
– For any queries regarding the festival, please contact deepti.dcunha@iffamacao.com and info@iffamaco.com
Last date of Submission is 30 September 2016.
IFFAM is an event jointly organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Macao Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFPTA), and administered and managed by MFPTA (the “Festival”).
The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote the various aspects of Chinese-language, East Asian and international cinema in all its forms as entertainment and as an industry, as art and as a tool of dialogue, in a spirit of freedom and exchange. In addition to all the various sections, the Festival shall include retrospectives and tributes to major figures in the film industry as a contribution towards raising awareness of the history of cinema.
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In 2013, Shubhashish Bhutiani’s short film Kush had premiered at Venice Film Festival and it won the Orizzonti Award For the Best Short film. This year, he is returning to Venice with his debut feature, Mukti Bhawan (Hotel Salvation).
The film was one of the the 4 projects that was selected for 4th Biennale College – Cinema (2015 – 2016). This is the initiative launched in 2012 by the Biennale di Venezia to promote new talents, offering them the opportunity to work side by side with the masters in the making of micro-budget feature films.
The film stars stars Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Palomi Ghosh, Navnindra Behl and Anil K Rastogi.
Its first trailer is out. Do have a look.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlE1ji_xRRE
At first glance, it looks like the perfect exotic subject for the west. But its bittersweet charm disarms you quickly.
Official Synopsis
An ominous dream convinces 77-year-old Dayanand Kumar that his end could be near. He takes the news to his son Rajiv, knowing he wants to breathe his last in the holy city of Varanasi and end the cycle of rebirth, by attaining salvation. Being the dutiful son he is, Rajiv is left with no choice but to drop everything and make the journey with his stubborn father. Daya and Rajiv check into Mukti Bhawan (Hotel Salvation) in Varanasi, a guesthouse devoted to people who want to die there. But as the days go by, Rajiv struggles to juggle his responsibilities back home, while Daya starts to bloom in the hotel. Rajiv gives his father a shot at salvation but as family bonds are tested, he finds himself torn, and not knowing what he must do to keep his life together.
Credits
Writer & Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Sanjay Bhutiani & Sajida Sharma
Director of Photography: Michael McSweeney & David Huwiler
Production Design: Avyakta Kapur
Editor: Manas Mittal
Music Composer: Tajdar Junaid
Sound Design: Ajay Kumar PB & Akhilesh Acharya
Costume Design: Shruti Wadetiwar
Dialogues: Assad Hussain
First Assistant Director: Abbas Khan
Production Company: Red Carpet Moving Pictures Pvt. Ltd.
To know more about the film, its FB page is here.
NFDC Film Bazaar 2016 is calling for entries for the Viewing Room and the Work-in-Progress (WIP) Lab.
– Film Bazaar will be held from November 20-24, 2016 at the Goa Marriott Resort alongside the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2016.
– The Early Bird Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2016, which will offer a discount on the submission fees. The regular deadline is September 30th 2016.
WIP Lab
– Submissions are invited for the two WIP Labs – WIP Fiction and WIP Documentary.
– In each WIP Lab, up to five projects in their rough-cut stage will be selected to be presented to a panel of international film experts for their feedback.
– The WIP Documentary Lab will only consider creative feature length documentaries in the rough cut stage which are aimed at a theatrical release.
– Feature-length films of any genre in the rough-cut stage are invited to apply to the WIP lab.
Viewing Room
The Viewing Room will present films seeking finishing funds, world sales, distribution partners and film festivals to investors, world sales agents and film festival programmers attending the film bazaar. Here, films are viewed on individual computer terminals in private booths via a specially designed software which allows the users to contact the director or producer of the film via email.
– Films of all genres and lengths in rough or final cut are invited to apply to the Viewing Room.
– Feature length films in the rough cut are eligible to apply to both WIP lab and Viewing Room.
– Short films can also be submitted to the Viewing Room.
– For application form and other details, click here.
– The films that were a part of the previous Work-in-Progress Labs at Film Bazaar have had their world premieres at leading international film festivals and some have even gone on to enjoy a successful theatrical run. These include Raam Reddy’s Thithi, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s Nil Battey Sannata, Kanu Behl’s Titli, Avinash Arun’s Killa, Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely, Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus, Ajay Bahl’s BA Pass.
Toronto International Film Festival has announced their selection for this year’s edition of TIFF Docs. Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla’s documentary, An Insignificant Man, which captures the rise of Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party, will have its premiere at the fest.
The 100-minute film has been produced by filmmaker Anand Gandhi. The film was earlier titled Proposition for a Revolution.
Here’s the official synopsis –
At the heart of An Insignificant Man is the most polarising man in India today – Arvind Kejriwal. The film is an insider’s view into Arvind Kejriwal’s brand of politics which has been labelled selfish, dangerous, anarchic & yet revolutionary. Shaking the country’s most powerful political establishments with basic public issues like water, electricity, and graft, Kejriwal has emerged as the leader of the newest political force in India – the Common Man’s Party.
With never-before-seen footage, the film gives viewers a unique insight into a fledgling political party’s battle between survival and extinction in the largest democracy in the world. Capturing moments of triumph and despair, the film is a moving cinematic journey through the narrow lanes of Delhi’s shantytowns to corridors of political power.
To know more about the film, click here to go to its official website, or click here for its FB page.
Chaitanya Tamhane
Filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane seems to be going places and making all the right marks. Last month, he was in news as he was selected for Rolex’s Mentor & Protégé Arts Initiative where will be mentored by Alfonso Cuarón.
And now there’s some more good news. He will be on the jury of 73rd Venice International Film Festival. He will be part of the international jury for the Orizzonti section of the fest. In addition to its president, French director Robert Guédiguian, other jury members for Orozzonti are : American film critic and historian Jim Hoberman, Egyptian actress Nelly Karim, Italian actress Valentina Lodovini, Korean actress and director Moon So-ri, Spanish film critic and scholar José Maria (Chema).
Interestingly, Chaitanya’s debut feature Court premiered at the 71st Venice Film Festival, where it won the Lion of the Future award and the Orizzonti award for Best film.
The Jury will award the following prizes, with no ex-aequo awards permitted: Orizzonti Award for Best Film; Orizzonti Award for Best Director; Special Orizzonti Jury Prize; Orizzonti Award for Best Actor or Actress; Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay; Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film; Venice Short Film Nomination for the European Film Awards 2016.
The festival will run from 31st August to 10th September, 2016.
Going by this wicked short film directed by Konkona Sensharma, we felt it was just a matter of time till she graduates to features. So here’s the good news – her feature directorial debut, A Death In The Gunj is ready, and the film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
With this film, Abhishek Chaubey and Honey Trehan have turned producers with their new production banner, MacGuffin Pictures.
The film’s festival trailer is also out. Do have a look.
We don’t have exact synopsis of the film yet, but here’s what TIFF says about the film – Award-winning actor Konkona Sensharma makes her feature debut as a writer-director with this coming-of-age story about a shy young Indian student who quietly and fatefully unravels during a family road trip.
The film’s cast includes Vikrant Massey, Ranvir Shorey, Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiah, Tillotama Shome, Jim Sarbh, Tanuja Mukherjee, Om Puri and Arya Sharma.
Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) 2016 invites submissions for the 3rd DIFF Film Fellows Programme – a Himalayan Filmmakers’ Lab that aims to develop filmmaking talent across India’s Himalayan regions.
– The residential programme features mentorship sessions, screenings of the best of contemporary independent cinema, masterclasses by visiting filmmakers and industry professionals, and panel discussions on contemporary filmmaking.
– This year, the mentorship sessions will focus on ‘The journey from idea to script in documentary filmmaking’, ‘Alternative forms of expression in documentaries’, ‘Producing a fiction short’, ‘Choices in constructing a narrative’, ‘Producing a short in anticipation of making a feature’.
Eligibility
The DIFF Film Fellows Programme is open to aspiring directors from any of the following regions: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarkhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and the hill regions of West Bengal and Assam.
– DIFF is searching for film directors who are interested in polishing their skills and increasing the impact and reach of their work.
– Applicants must have made a least one film — a short or feature — and be aged between 18 and 30.
(Please refer to the DIFF Film Fellows Rules and Regulations for more detailed information)
How to Apply
– Applicants should submit the duly completed Application Form (no application fee) with a film they have directed. A jury of three film professionals will review the applicants’ films, essays and notes on future projects, and select five DIFF fellows.
– Selected candidates must be able to attend all workshop sessions and participate in festival screenings and events.
– The application aorm is available on the website.
Application Deadline
– Applications must be submitted by 16 August 2016. They may be sent by email to info@diff.co.in (please mention <DIFF Film Fellows 2016 – Application>, in the subject line).
– Successful candidates will be notified by 19 September 2016.
Where and When Mentorship sessions: 1–3 November 2016. Festival screenings and events: 3–6 November 2016. Venue House of Peace and Dialogue, Upper TCV, Dharamshala.
Fellowship Inclusions – The programme will cover train fares (two-tier AC) and food and lodging for the duration of the workshops and festival (1–6 November 2016).
– To know more about the DIFF Film Fellowship Program, please click here.
Some exciting news for film buffs. Mumbai Academy Of Moving Image (MAMI) which runs the Mumbai Film Festival, has now opened a Film Club. And here’s the best part – the registration is absolutely free. Not only that, the film club membership will also give you 10% discount on the MAMI registration fees. So do it now! Click here to go to registration page.
The club launched with the Ian McKellen Masterclass. Now, it’s going to have another exciting event on Monday, 27th June – the premiere of Q’s latest film Brahman Naman. Written by Naman Ramachandran and co-produced by Celine Loop and Steve Barron, the film will be available globally starting 7 th July 2016 as a Netflix original film.
Brahman Naman stars Shashank Arora as the lead character with Tanmay Dhanania and Chaitanya Varad as his sidekicks. The cast also includes Vaiswath Shankar, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy and Sid Mallya. Well-regarded internationally as one of India’s most vital and provocative indie filmmakers, Q’s latest cinematic cocktail is a nerdy sex comedy.
The screening will be followed by a Q and A with Q. Don’t miss it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKCCe3XmTRw
The pic attached tells you what you need to do to attend the screening.
F.i.g.h.t C.l.u.b 