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FIPRESCI
Alfonso Cuarón’s sun-drenched odyssey of youth, desire, and disillusionment still feels urgent more than two decades later © by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
Freedom, flesh, and the road: The enduring power of the Mexican film ‘‘Y Tu Mamá También’’ (2001) directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
“Freedom, if pursued without awareness, can become just another illusion.”
A film ...
Spike Lee film ‘‘BlacKkKlansman’’ (2018) is a daring, cathartic, and critically acclaimed look at race and power in modern America © by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is a film that lives in the intersection of comedy, crime, and profound social commentary. Based on the memoir of Ron Stallworth, a retired African American detective from Colorado Springs, this 2018 film brings a story of an audacious infiltrati...
American film “Boyz N The Hood’’ (1991) depicts the violent education of a forgotten generation of black youth’’ by © film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
When Boyz N the Hood was released in 1991, it announced the arrival of a new and authentic voice in American cinema. John Singleton, then only 23 years old, became the youngest person and the first African-American ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. His...
The cry of the city: poverty, power, and the monkeys of Lutyens' New Delhi in ‘‘Eeb Allay Ooo’’ directed by Prateek Vats © by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
Director Prateek Vats’ ‘‘Eeb Allay Ooo’’ (2019) is one of the most strikingly original Indian films of recent years — a daring blend of absurdist satire, social realism, and political commentary. It takes an idea so improbable that ...
Filipino cineaste Mike De Leon’s Kisapmata (1981) is a family tragedy as well as a national allegory about patriarchy, possession, and death © by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
There are a very few films in Southeast Asian cinema that have left as haunting and unforgettable an impression as Kisapmata (1981), the seminal Filipino masterpiece directed by Mike De Leon. The film is often labeled as horror, but such a label fails to grasp its true textur...
Cinema as the seventh art, at its most inspired, often turns the camera back upon itself, or upon its cousins in the performing arts, to explore how illusion and reality collide. From Mrinal Sen’s classic ‘‘Akaler Sandhane’’ (1980) to Shyam Benegal’s ‘‘Bhumika’’ (1977), films have long probed the fragile borderlines between life onstage and life offstage. In Malayalam cinema, there are a very few works that embody thi...
‘‘A cash cow amidst cultural crossroads in Rajasthan’s Thar desert’’ : Migration and selfhood in French documentary filmmaker Fabienne Le Houérou’s film : ‘‘Self Fiction, Self Migration’’ © by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
French anthropologist, historian and documentary filmmaker Fabienne Le Houérou’s latest work, ‘‘Self Fiction, Self Migration’’, stands at a cu...
NFDC (1975-2025) : Celebration of 50 years of innumerable stories that shaped the destiny of meaningful cinema in India © by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), founded in 1975 by the Government of India, has played a defining role in shaping Indian cinema beyond mainstream conventions. Its mandate was to support quality films that struggled to find space in a marketplace dominated by commercial Hindi productions a...
Ajit Rai (1967-2025) The critic who bridged worlds between theater, cinema, literature and society by © film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 10.08.2025
On 23 July 2025, the world of Indian arts criticism lost one of its most well-connected and distinctive voices. Ajit Rai, a seasoned theater critic who, by a twist of fate, ventured into the realm of cinema, passed away in London. His death leaves behind not only a personal void for those who knew him but ...
Review of the Finnish Film ‘‘SISU’’ (2022) directed by Jalmari Helander © film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 16.02.2025
Finnish cinema has long been synonymous with the arthouse sensibilities of auteurs such as Aki Kaurismäki and Mika Kaurismäki, whose works explore existentialism, social commentary, and the quirks of Finnish life. However, Sisu (2022), directed by Jalmari Helander, marks a significant departure f...
An overview of 15 important cinema related programs (In conversation, Masterclasses and Panel discussions) to be organized during 55th International Film Festival of India IFFI Goa 2024 by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 14.11.2024
At film festivals, cinéphiles gain invaluable insights from conversations, masterclasses, and panel discussions that deepen their understanding of cinema. These events provide them unfettered access to filmmakers, critics, and...
18th MIFF 2024 showcased an impressive global diversity with 314 films from 59 countries, representing 61 languages. This broad cultural representation not only emphasized MIFF’s role as a hub for international exchange but also highlighted the power of documentary and short films in connecting people across cultures. By including films from countries such as Russia, Japan, and Mali, MIFF positioned itself as a bridge for cross-cultural storytelling, encouraging mutual u...
Photo Division Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Government of India
On 2nd March 2024, after having watched Indian maestro Mrinal Sen’s critically acclaimed film ‘‘Kharij’’ [1982] on Screen 9 of PVR Cinema during 15th Bangalore International Film Festival 2024, Haobam Paban Kumar sat together with film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) to talk about the theme of disappearance in his latest film ‘Joseph’s Son’ [2023]&n...
Interview with Indian director Leslie Carvalho by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 01.03.2024
Leslie Carvalho is a multifaceted personality of Indian independent cinema. Apart from being a filmmaker, Leslie also happens to be a professional Tennis coach, German language teacher, painter and a book writer. He has been on India’s national jury for choosing films for ‘Indian Panorama’ section of India’s most prestigious film festival ‘IFFI’. He ha...
Review of American film ‘‘Killers of the Flower Moon’’ (2023) directed by Martin Scorcese by film critic © Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) 01/11/2023
‘‘Killers of the Flower Moon’’ (2023) is certainly not the best film of Martin Scorcese's career nor his best film in last 10 years.
What happens when a new film by an acclaimed director is released in cinemas? Let us analyze some common possi...
FIPRESCI’s Top Ten Indian films of all time includes two Satyajit Ray movies
FIPRESCI-India (India chapter of the International Federation of Film Critics:
FIPRESCI) conducted a secret poll for making a list of the All Time Ten Best Indian
Films. 30 Members of FIPRESCI-India voted in confidence and on the basis of
maximum number of votes polled in favour of the films the following list was
declared officially:
ALL TIME TEN BEST INDIAN FILMS:
1. Pather Panchali (Song of the Littl...
Incomparable Shachin Dev Burman: HQ Chowdhury’s labour of love, about the man and his music
It is not often that one gets to hear about a book and its author first, and gets to spend some enriching time with the author afterwards, before getting an autographed copy of his book, as a gift. And to think this happened 2,500 km away from my city of Mumbai, in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, at Chowdhury’s posh guest house, seems almost unreal. Reading Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman ...
IFFI 52, 051: Towards better IFFIs
What makes a good international film festival?
Some criteria.
Good international films
Good Indian films
Good scheduling
Good international participation
Good fringe events
Good ‘festival’/festivities
Good venues, with good projection
Good budget
Good (long-term) independent directors and heads of departments
Good and early planning
Quality of films selected is a reflection of the ...
Life in Metaphors-Portraits of Girish Kasaravalli, by O.P. Srivastava: Well framed!
A banker with a passion of cinema, Om Prakash Srivastava hung up his ATM to pursue his dream. In 2012, he attended a course in Film Appreciation at Goa, organised by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), where an ex alumnus and India’s most decorated film-maker, Girish Kasaravalli was taking a master class on film-making. OP was so impressed with the demeanour and erudition of his teacher an...
Mumbai Film Festival: Pot luck and glam game
MFF, run by Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), is among four Indian film festivals recognised by FIAPF ((Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films/International Federation of Film Producers Associations), which is based in Paris and has its Secretariat in Brussels. International Film Festival of India (IFFI, Goa) is the only one recognised as certified for International Competition. Kolkata and Thiruvanant...
Interest in wine and wine making has always fascinated humanity since olden times. However, this fascination has taken a completely new turn in contemporary times especially in an international market governed by numerous socio-economic concerns. This is one reason why there is always room for news as well as ‘works of art’ about anything related to wine. One can quote China's acquisition of 100 Bordeaux chateaux as a recent example. It can be stated that Asia’s dominance...
“Yesterday’s films for tomorrow” by P.K.Nair = An indispensable book for anybody who considers cinema as an art form which needs to be preserved at all costs.
© Mr.Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)
“Yesterday’s films for tomorrow” has been penned by one of world’s foremost authority on film archiv...
The world of cinema is full of surprises. One needs to learn the intricacies involved with this art in order to transform words into images. Hence, it is not so often that an ordinary layman can think of embarking on a creative journey in order to become a filmmaker merely by watching some good Iranian and Turkish films shown at film festivals. However, Bijukumar Damodaran is a very strong exception to this rule. In his native Kerala, South India, he is more commonly known as Dr.Biju. &n...
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) grants its Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year to La Vie d’Adèle – Chapitre 1&2, directed by Abdellatif Kechiche.. The award is the result of the votes cast by 245 critics worldwide, members of FIPRESCI, for titles premiered during the previous twelve months.
The prize will be awarded to the director of the film, Abdellatif Kechiche and its producer, Brahim Chioua, at the opening gala of the 61st edition of the Sa...
Toronto – The Toronto International Film Festival® announced its international juries for 2013. For the 22nd consecutive year, the Festival welcomes a FIPRESCI jury, comprised of six members from the International Federation of Film Critics. The Festival also announced that for the second consecutive year it will host a NETPAC jury, made up of three members of the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema.
The FIPRESCI jury will award the Prize of the International Critics for...
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