A breathy "mistress of ceremonies"—Cécile de France greeted the special guests of the 58th Cannes Film Festival last nite. The young actress called her role as emcee "an honor, and great emotion when you’re frightened - so its an immense emotion to be with you here."De France then introduced the fabulous jury for the "Official Selection" of features this year. The mistress of ceremonies called the world of filmmaking a group of "unbelievable people meeting to tell the same story. When the s...
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) AWARDSGRAND JURY AWARDS- BEST FEATURE FILM: BLACK FRIDAY Directed by Anurag Kashyap- BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM: WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THESE? directed by Theresa Thanjan- BEST SHORT FILM: AMAL directed by Richie MehtaAUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS- BEST FEATURE FILM: HARI OM directed by Bharatbala- BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM: THE NEW HEROES: INDIA, WITH ROBERT REDFORD directed by Carl Byker and Mitch Wilson- BEST SHORT FILM: RAJU AND I directed by Gayatri Rao1ST ANNUAL CIN...
TOP AUDIENCE AWARD GOES TO HARI OM JURY GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS BLACK FRIDAYThe Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles concluded Sunday night with HARI OM, director Bharatbala was in attendance, at ArcLight Hollywood with a Gala reception at SIR that included performances by Taal Dance Company, international renowned world music artist Girish, and an eclectic DJ set by Tej Gill, one of LA's emerging South Asian artists.Although official attendance figures are still being tabulated, festival organizer...
Masters Of Indian Cinema will be featured in LA: April 8-14, 2005.On the opening night April 8, 7 pm. the film "Ghari Baire" by Satyajit Ray's will be shown and wil be introduced by celebrated author Salman Rushdie.There will be post-screening discussions following each film for at least one of its screenings. Full program: Friday April 8Opening Night 7 pm Satyajit Ray's Ghari Baire (1984) 140 mins. Bengali with English Subtitles adapted from a book of the same title by Rabindranath Tag...
Today, December 13th, closes in Florence the 4th edition of River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival, with the screening of the outside programme Eyes on India, documentaries on India shot by Western directors, and the screening of the black comedy Shit Happens by Shashanka Ghosh, winner of the FIFF Digimovies Audience Award.The festival closes the programme with a big success of the Calcutta Chromosome section, the crowded Q&A with the festival guests, the lively bunch of Indian Short Shot...
PROGRAMME RIVER TO RIVER. FLORENCE INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL 2004WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8Cinema Hall16.30 Chameli, Sudhir Mishra, hindi-english&italian subt., 105’, col., 35mm., India, 2003All in one night: a stock market agent crosses his road with the one of a prostitute.18.30 Bollywood Remixed, Herbert Krill, hindi&english-english subt., 77’, col., Betacam, Austria-Germany, 2003 Faces, stories, visions and sounds of Bollywood.After the film, Q&A with Herbert Krill20.30 Waisa bhi hota hai-Shit Hap...
The fourth edition of the festival organized by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) wrapped November 7. Dedicated to showcasing filmmakers of Indian origin it had a successful four day run at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theatre and the Anthology Film Archives. As Aaron Shivdansani, the executive director of IAAC stressed in her welcoming speech, the opening film BRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Gurinder Chandha was not meant for afficiendos interested in high culture, an observation applicable t...
The Censor Board of India recently banned Rakesh Sharma's internationally-acclaimed documentary - Final Solution. An online petition has been created by Anand Patwardhan to protest against the ban. The petition asks Central Government to intervene and revoke the ban immediately. As you may already know, under clause 6 and 9 of the Cinematograph Act, the Central Government is empowered to overturn any decision/ recommendation by the Censor Board.People who have already signed the petition include...
IFFLA's big Opening Night at ArcLight Hollywood was a stunning success. Tickets to the Los Angeles premiere of Rituparno Ghosh's CHOKHER BALI (A Passion Play) were sold out for this gala event. The Opening Night party afterwards at SIR in Hollywood featured an array of festival guests, including IFFLA Tribute honoree KIRRON KHER (KHAMOSH PANI, BARIWALI), along with festival filmmakers MANISH JHA (MATRUBHOOMI), CHRISTOPHER MIGLINO (A DAY IN THE LIGHT), ANUJ MAJUMDAR (EQUATION) and KESHNI KASHYAP ...
The 2004 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Wednesday April 14-April 18 SundayCHOKHER BALI (premieres in Toronto)will open the festiival on April 14. Next day IFFLA will feature a Gala Film Tribute to Celebrate Career of Indian Actress Kirron Kher on April 15 Rituparno Ghosh's CHOKHER BALI (A Passion Play) as the opening night film of the 2004 festival. The film, based on Rabidranath Tagore's novel CHOKHER BALI, is a period drama featuring superstar actress Aishwarya Rai as a young widow in Bri...
Bollywood Dream factory, a mass phenomenon that is staggering in its sheer scale and impact... Although popular Indian cinema has overspilled into many other countries, it is still largely unknown in France. And yet these lavish movies which throb to music and dance, and sparkle with hero-worshipped stars, have a thematic and artistic richness that is far removed from the simplistic vision we might have of them.Beaubourg Center is showing a retrospective on Bollywood playing about 50 films (2 sc...
River to River. Florence Indian Film FestivalFrom December 10-14, 2003 the third edition of the River to River Florence Indian Film Festival, the only European film festival entirely dedicated to cinema both from and about India, will arrive in Florence. The festival is organized by Luca Marziali and Selvaggia Velo of bdjMEDIA.Screenings will take place at the Spazio Uno Cinema in Via del Sole, 10, Florence - Italy. PRESS RELEASE N.3River to River. Florence Indian Film FestivalFrom December 10-1...
At the International Film Festival Mumbai(India, November 20-27, 2003)"Shadow Kill" (Nizhalkkuthu) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan (India, 2002)won the Prize of the International Critics"For its powerful cinematic exploration of the agony and helplessness of a hangman which dig as deep in the universal psyche as it does in Indian culture." A Special Mention went to: "Freaky Chakra" by V.K.Prakash (India, 2002), "For the extraordinarily light treatment of very serious emotions, inhibitions and aspiration...
