Posts Tagged ‘TIFF’

Karan Johar to present “The Lunchbox”. Next stop – TIFF 2013 with “Shuddh Desi Romance”

Posted: July 23, 2013 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film, Film Festival, Indie, News
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Lunchbox

Here’s the good news about one of the best films of the year, The Lunchbox. Producer-director Karan Johar has come on board to present the film and it will be released by UTV on September 20th. This is exactly what we need – big faces should attach themselves with brilliant indies and make them reach the theatres. Otherwise distribution is a pain in the current scenario. After Kiran Rao came on board to help Ship Of Theseus’ release, this is another step in right direction.

Some of us have seen the film and let us assure that it’s a simple and solid film. Directed by Ritesh Batra, it’s not only one of the best debuts of the year, it also has two of the best performances of the year – Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur.

– You can read more about “The Lunchbox” here (on Sony Classics deal) and here (all the Cannes buzz)

And now another bit of news – The Toronto International Film Festival has announced its first list of films selected for the 2013 edition of the festival. And two desi films feature in the list – Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox and Maneesh Sharma’s Shuddh Desi Romance. Here’s more on both the films (from the official release) :

The Lunchbox Ritesh Batra, India/France/Germany North American Premiere

– Middle class housewife Ila is trying once again to add some spice to her marriage, this time through her cooking. She desperately hopes this new recipe will finally arouse some kind of reaction from her neglectful husband. Unbeknownst to her, the special lunchbox she prepared is mistakenly delivered to miserable office worker Saajan, a lonely man on the verge of retirement. Curious about the lack of reaction from her husband, Ila puts a little note in the following day’s lunchbox which sparks a series of exchanged notes between Saajan and Ila. Evolving into an unexpected friendship between anonymous strangers, they become lost in a virtual relationship that could jeopardize both of their realities.

Shuddh Desi Romance Maneesh Sharma, India Canadian Premiere

– Shuddh Desi Romance follows a fresh and very real love story about the hair-raising minefield between love, attraction and commitment. A romantic comedy that tells it like it is, providing a candid look at the affairs of the heart in today’s desi heartland. Starring Rishi Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra and Vaani Kapoor.

Call For Entries – NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab, 2013

Posted: February 5, 2013 by moifightclub in Call For Entries, cinema, Film Festival, Screenwriting, Workshop, writing
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screenwriting-215x300There have been some changes in NFDC’s Screenwriters Lab this year. And also there’s a new partner – Toronto International Film Festival. Scroll down for further details.

WHAT : In keeping with the mandate of promoting the development of the Cinemas of India, the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) conducts the Film Bazaar Screenwriters’ Lab. The 2013 Lab will be in partnership with Toronto International Film Festival.

LAB : The Screenwriters’ Lab 2013 gives an opportunity to six independent screenwriters to develop their skill under the guidance of a variety of industry experts from across the globe. Through one-on-one sessions with their Mentors, the Screenwriter Fellows are advised on tools and techniques required to improve their scripts and methods to pitch the same in the international domain.

—> Selected screenwriters attend the first part at the Toronto International Film Festival and the second part at NFDC’s Film Bazaar, Goa.

The Screenwriters’ Lab is specially re-designed to prepare screenwriters with original Indian stories for working with the international filmmaking market.  The Screenwriters’ Lab also creates a unique opportunity for these scripts to gain a direct entry to the Film Bazaar Co-Production Market.

(Revised) Application Process :

– Apply before March 1, 2013 with your synopsis.

– Short listed participants will then be asked to submit their scripts by June 2013.

– Six participants will be declared in the month of August 2013.

General Rules

– This Lab is open only to Indian passport holders

– The selection process is in two parts. This is the first part of the selection procedure where participants will be shortlisted based on the submitted synopsis.

– Participants shortlisted for the second stage will be given a scheduled duration to submit completed scripts.

– Submission via email only as a single pdf/doc file. Do not send requisite material as separate attachments. No hard copy submissions are to be sent.

– Applications are to be sent to screenwriters-lab@fimbazaarindia.com

– Application Fee for the lab is INR 1000/- only. It is payable by Demand Draft made in favour of National Film Development Corporation Ltd payable at Mumbai or by Wire Transfer.

—> To know more about the rules, regulations, application form and the rest, click here.

VOTD : Desi directors at TIFF’s ‘City To City’ presser

Posted: September 12, 2012 by moifightclub in cinema, Film Festival, video, VOTD
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Toronto International Film Festival’s focus in this year’s ‘City To City’ program is Mumbai and its showing Manjeet Singh’s Mumbai Cha Raja (The King of Mumbai), Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus, Mohit Takalkar’s The Bright Day, Hansal Mehta’s Shahid along with Anurag Kashyap’s two-parter Gangs of Wasseypur, Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely, Habib Faisal’s Ishaqzaade, Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai and Vasan Bala’s Peddlers.

TIFF has made the presser video online where are all the directors were present and they talk about various subjects – festival, female directors, reviews, bollywood vs indies, changing film making scenario,

16:50 onward – On reviews. Waah, Vasan!

19:80 onward – Ha! Good try, Mr Habib Faisal to defend the regressive Ishaqzaade.

39:15 – Balaji took bits and pieces from Miss Lovely and made The Dirty Picture – Ashim Ahluwalia.

40:15 – If you send a script like this, i will file a criminal complaint with the police.

Manjeet Singh turns to crowd funding for completion of “Mumbai Cha Raja”

Posted: August 14, 2012 by moifightclub in cinema, film, Film Festival, Indie, News
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Manjeet Singh’s debut feature Maumbai Cha Raja has been selected to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in its “City To City”program where “Mumbai” is the focus this year. But the film is yet to be completed. And Manjeet is looking for funds to complete the film.

– TIFF website describes the film as “A young boy comes of age in a Mumbai slum while dealing with his long-suffering mother and violent father, in this gently observational portrait crafted in the tradition of the great neorealist classics.”

– And here’s the detailed official synopsis of the film…

Rahul is a misunderstood and troubled adolescent who lives in the slums bordering the nouveau riche areas of Northern Mumbai with his alcoholic father, ahrd working mother and a kid brother. He hangs out with his balloon seller streetwise younger friend, Arbaaz.

Set during the grand festival devoted to Lord Ganesha over the last two days when huge idols of the elephant headed God are taken in procession to the beach for immersion. Rahul has to handle the chaos in his life amidst the chaos of the colorful and vibrant festival.

It’s a peep into the lives of kids living in the slums of Mumbai. A tribute to their spirit of finding joy in trivial things and living life to the fullest.

– Click on the play button to watch the trailer

– The film also bagged the Prasad Award in Work in Progress Lab at Film Bazaar 2011. And was also selected for Producer’s Lab in Cinemart at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam 2012.

– You can contribute between Rs 2000 to Rs 300,000 for its completion. To know more about the film and to make contribution, click here.

First Look : Hansal Mehta’s Shahid (Stills+Official synopsis)

Posted: August 1, 2012 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, film, Film Festival, first look, Indie, News, pics, Story / Plot / Synopsis
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Thanks to TIFF, few stills of Hansal Mehta‘s new film Shahid is finally online. Also, the official synopsis and the cast and crew list. The film is going to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in its “City To City” programme where “Mumbai” is in focus this year.

The stills look stark and powerful and creates a deadly mood. And now the official synopsis of the film…

Shahid is the remarkable true story of slain human rights activist and lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was killed in 2010 by unidentified assailants in his office. From attempting to become a terrorist, to being wrongly imprisoned under a draconian anti-terrorism law, to becoming a champion of human rights (particularly of the Muslim minorities in India), Shahid traces the inspiring personal journey of a boy who became an unlikely messiah for human rights, while following the rise of communal violence in India. This story of an impoverished Muslim struggling to come to terms with injustice and inequality, whilerising above his circumstances is an inspiring testament to the human spirit. Starring Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur.

And here’s the cast and crew list…

Director: Hansal Mehta

Language: Hindi

Runtime: 123 minutes

Exec. Producer: Jai Mehta, Kunal Rohra

Producer: Sunil Bohra, Shailesh Singh, Guneet Monga and Anurag Kashyap

Production Co: Bohra Bros Pvt. Ltd. and Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt. Ltd.

Principal Cast: Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu, Baljinder Kaur, Tigmanshu Dhulia, K K Menon, Yusuf Husain, Prabal Panjabi, Vinod Rawat, Vipin Sharma, Shalini Vatsa, Paritosh Sand, Pavan Kumar, Vivek Ghamande, Akash Sinha, Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, Mukesh Chhabra

Screenplay: Sameer Gautam Singh, Apurva Asrani, Hansal Mehta

Cinematographer: Anuj Dhawan

Editor: Apurva Asrani

Sound: Mandar Kulkarni

Prod. Designer: Rabiul Sarkar

– To know more updates about the film, you can follow its FB page here.

TIFF announces 10 Indian films in its “City to City” segment

Posted: August 1, 2012 by moifightclub in bollywood, cinema, film, Film Festival, News
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Toronto International Film festival (TIFF) has announced 10 Indian films in its “City to City” segment where the focus this year is Mumbai.

Out of the selected ten films, four film will have its world premiere at TIFF. These four are Manjeet Singh’s Mumbai Cha Raja (The King of Mumbai), Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus, Mohit Takalkar’s The Bright Day and Hansal Mehta’s Shahid. The other six includes Anurag Kashyap’s two-parter Gangs of Wasseypur, Ashim Ahluwalia’s Miss Lovely, Habib Faisal’s Ishaqzaade, Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai and Vasan Bala’s Peddlers.

Since we have been covering Gangs Of Wasseypur, Miss Lovely, Peddlers, Ishaqzaade and Sanghai extensively, we are going to put out the info about the rest of the films now.

—> Shahid. Director : Hansal Mehta

Shahid is the remarkable true story of slain human rights activist and lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was killed in 2010 by unidentified assailants in his office. From attempting to become a terrorist, to being wrongly imprisoned under a draconian anti-terrorism law, to becoming a champion of human rights (particularly of the Muslim minorities in India), Shahid traces the inspiring personal journey of a boy who became an unlikely messiah for human rights, while following the rise of communal violence in India. This story of an impoverished Muslim struggling to come to terms with injustice and inequality, whilerising above his circumstances is an inspiring testament to the human spirit. Starring Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur.

—> Mumbai’s King (Mumbai Cha Raja). Director : Manjeet Singh


Rahul roams the streets with his balloon-seller friend Arbaaz. These two kids escape the grim realities of their lives by gambling, roasting stolen potatoes, stealing an auto rickshaw for a joyride, and chasing girls. But soon Rahul has to “take care” of his violent father, who has forced him to live on streets. Starring Rahul Bairagi, Arbaaz Khan and Tejas Parvatkar.

—> Ship of Theseus. Director : Anand Gandhi

For Poster, Stills and Official synopsis of the film, click here.

—> The Bright Day. Director : Mohit Takalkar

Yearning for meaning in his life, a coddled young man abandons his girlfriend and family to set out on a spiritual quest across India. Shot with sophisticated DSLR cameras and reflecting a new passion for personal filmmaking, The Bright Day finds images to chart a soul’s progress.

TIFF Video : Salman Rushdie on Midnight’s Children’s film adaptation

Posted: September 20, 2011 by moifightclub in cast & crew, cinema, film, Film Festival, first look, News, pics
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We are bit late on this news. But if you still haven’t read enough, here it is – Deepa Mehta has completed the shooting of Midnight’s Children, the film based on Salman Rushdie’s novel by the same name. Some clips from the film were shown at the recently concluded Toronto International Film Festival.

The adaptation has also been written by Rushdie.  The film stars Satya Bhabha, Siddharth, Shriya Saran, Shahana Goswami,  Rajat Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Ronit Roy, Darsheel Safary, Rahul Bose, and Samrat Chakrabarti.

Click on the play button to check out Salman Rushdie talking about the adaptation. TIFF’s Cameron Bailey moderated the session.

First Look : Ribhu Dasgupta’s Michael (Theatrical Trailer)

Posted: September 2, 2011 by moifightclub in bollywood, cast & crew, cinema, film, Film Festival, first look, News, songs & videos, Trailer, video
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UPDATE (3rd September, 2011) : The trailer has been removed because it’s not the final one.

The trailer of Ribhu Dasgupta’s debut film Michael is out. Its produced by Anurag Kashyap and Studio18. The principal cast includes Naseeruddin Shah, Mahie Gill, Purav Bhandare, Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Irawati Harshe.

Other credits include Screenplay : Debaloy Bhattacharya and Nilendu Guha, Cinematographer : Somak Mukherjee, Editor : Lionel Fernandez, Sound : Kunal Sharma, and Music : Vinayak Netke, Aatur Soni, B. Gauri (lyrics).

The film will have its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival. And scroll down to read TIFF Programmer Cameron Bailey’s note…

Producer/director Anurag Kashyap (who also exhibits his acting skills at this year’s Festival in Trishna) is leading a whole new wave of vibrant independent cinema in India. With Michael, Kashyap’s latest collab­orator, first-time director Ribhu Dasgupta, takes on a slow-burning, character-driven psychological drama.

In the film’s opening shots, Michael (Naseeruddin Shah) stands paralyzed as Kolkata traffic swirls around him. The film then flashes back to a younger Michael, in the days when he was a police officer. We find him nervously surveying a swell­ing crowd of protesters. When the order comes down to open fire on the peaceful demonstration, Michael shoots low to avoid causing death. Nonetheless, a ricochet strikes and kills a twelve-year-old boy. At this point Michael’s life begins to unravel. His eyesight worsens, he loses his job and he struggles to care for his son. When Michael finds work illegally pirating Bollywood films, he starts receiving phone calls from the father of the boy he accidentally killed, threatening to kill his own son when the boy turns twelve. Michael is sent into a paranoid race against the clock.

Dasgupta uses intricate camera move­ments, angular framing and hazy point-of­-view shots to explore Michael’s psychological and physical deterioration. Kolkata’s rainy, hectic streets, captured in mesmerizing detail by the late cinematographer Somak Mukherjee, provide the bleak and progres­sively nightmarish backdrop. Performing with strength and subtlety, Shah (Monsoon Wedding, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) carries the film. Opposite him, Mahie Gill (Dev D) delivers a gentle and sympathetic performance as the nurse who becomes Michael’s companion. As Michael’s sight weakens, so too does his grip on real­ity, resulting in a heart-wrenching tale of a father on the cusp of losing everything.

(PS : Note is from TIFF’s official website)

Are you writing Tim Burton’s Stainboy story ?

Posted: November 27, 2010 by moifightclub in cinema, Film Festival, News, writing
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Because we surely are trying our luck.

And you just have to write 140 characters. Ok, its even less than that. Its Tim Burton’s Cadavre Exquis ( or Exquisite Corpse) – a technique used to collectively tell a story. Each contributor adds to the story in sequence, building on the last line revealed. This is part of Tim Burton’s movie celebration at Toronto International Film Festival.

All you need is a twitter account. And you have to contribute just 127 characters. Because #BurtonStory = 13 characters, is a must with every tweet.

And here are the basic details –

  • This story telling experiment runs November 22 – December 6, 2010
  • Tweet as often as you like
  • The best Tweets of the day will be selected to build the story
  • All selected Tweets can be viewed under “All Submissions”
  • Follow the story as it unfolds on the “Read the Story” tab
  • Inappropriate submissions will be blocked

And the opening line of the story is – Part 1 “Stainboy, using his obvious expertise, was called in to investigate mysterious glowing goo on the gallery floor #BurtonStory”.

So, what are you waiting for ? Click here and start writing.

First Look : West Is West (Trailer, Synopsis and Early Reviews)

Posted: September 16, 2010 by moifightclub in cast & crew, cinema, Film Festival, film review, first look, movie reviews, News, songs & videos, Story / Plot / Synopsis, Trailer, video
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The sequel to East Is East is here. The film is being screened at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival. Starring Om Puri, Aqib Khan, Linda Bassett, Ila Arun and Jimi Mistry, its directed by debutant Andy De Emmony. Click on the play button to check out the trailer.

And here is the official synopsis…

Manchester, Northern England, 1976. The now much-diminished, but still claustrophobic and dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan, is under heavy assault both from his father’s tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. His father decides to pack him off to Mrs. Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 30 years earlier. The sequel to East is East, West is West is the coming of age story of both 15-year-old Sajid and of his father, 60-year-old George Khan.

And click here and here to read two early reviews, published in Screen Daily and The Hollywood Reporter.

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