The complan kids…………..

The old ” Iam a complan boy … Iam a  complan girl…..” ad that featured todays bollywood stars Shahid Kapur and Ayesha Takia

 

KAHAN GAYE WOH DIN ….

Woh kagaz ki kashti woh barish ka pani……………………………………

Are you missing those days? an email message that is in circulation brings in those old sweet days back to memory..

Doordarshan’ s Screensaver

Malgudi Days

Dekh Bhai Dekh

Ramayan

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Salma Sultana DD News Reader

Surabhi:Renuka Sahane and Siddharth and many more like

He Man,Turning Point, Bharath Ek Khoj, Alif Laila, Byomkesh Bakshi, Tehkikaat,

and ads like

Vicco turmeric

Nahin cosmetic

Vicco turmeric ayurvedic cream

Twaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiinggggggg

Washin powder Nirma, Washing powder Nirma

Doodh si safedi, Nirma se aayi

Rangeen kapde bhi khil khil jaaye

Then were ‘Mungerilal ke hasin sapane’ and ‘karamchand’ …’Vikram Betal’, etc.

 

choti si asha………….

The documentary film Chhoti Si Asha shows how teaching school dropouts computer skills can help them find new livelihood opportunities-

chhoti si asha

If a graph of the lives of Delhi-based Sanjay Kumar, Jyothi Kumari, Shabnam Hassan, Sunita Rajput and Pooja Kushwaha, among others, were to be plotted, they would all run parallel to each other. Starting with a tiny dot right at the bottom, indicating their impoverished status just a year ago, the curve would rise to a point where they can all proudly claim to have become self-sufficient earning members of Indian society, thanks to their newfound ability to use a computer.

How did this come about?

As can be seen from Usha Albuquerque’s 30-minute documentary titled Chhoti Si Asha, produced by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PBST), the remarkable turnaround was due to the efforts of the Habitat Learning Centre (HLC) that has its offices in New Delhi.

Not a film on the HLC per se, the documentary peeps into the lives of several youngsters who had no hope of either finding a job to sustain themselves or to become successful entrepreneurs. “My father died when I was still a child, and my mother wasn’t able to earn enough to support our family of three people, including my sister. Therefore I dropped out of school in Class VIII and began to help my sister stitch clothes for the women in our area. I also started giving private tuitions to supplement this meagre income. And then, one day, I came across a lady from the HLC who said that I could learn how to use a computer for free,” says Shabnam. Today, Shabnam is studying mass communications at a reputed college in Delhi and wants to become a broadcast media journalist.

For Sanjay, his growing years as a teenager had no meaning other than trying his hand at odd jobs to help sustain his parents and six siblings. His maximum earnings every month did not exceed Rs 1,000. Then, the world of computers opened up a door to entrepreneurship. Sanjay now runs his own Avsar Computer School. “Learning how to operate a computer changed my life and I want to do the same for others. What I have realised is that those without computer skills will have no place in tomorrow’s world. There will come a day when even autorickshaw drivers will necessarily have to learn computers,” he says.

Pooja’s story is no different from the others. Earlier, she would not even dare to dream beyond her job as a petrol pump attendant. But she now has the skills and confidence to draw up her own CV, using Power Point, and go for interviews. “Apart from learning the basics of computers, I also picked up English speaking skills. I used to shy away from attending to customers who spoke in English. Now I can converse with foreigners and understand what they want,” she says. Pooja currently earns Rs 3,000 per month and is exploring various career options.

The interesting thing about HLC is that it does not run a computer institute that doles out certificates and diplomas. As R M S Liberhan, Director, HLC, puts it: “Our prime objective is to provide a meaning and an edge to young people who otherwise have no options to move ahead in life. Providing them with computer skills gives them the ability to take that leap forward and fill the deficit in their lives.”

Set up in February 2002, the HLC also trains facilitators working in slums so that they are able to impart IT education to children. It has recently begun to partner with other NGOs working in the field of child education to push its initiative of spreading IT. “We have been collaborating with 60 NGOs so far to identify smart children and youngsters and train them in the use of computers,” Liberhan explains.

In that sense, Chhoti Si Asha portrays the link that has been formed between the HLC and Delhi’s young and underprivileged. That’s because Albuquerque has taken her camera into the homes of the beneficiaries and interacted with them to understand how exactly their lives have changed for the better. A familiar face because of her earlier stint as an English newsreader on Doordarshan, Albuquerque has produced and directed several documentary films and serials including The Professionals, aired on Doordarshan, and Hum Honge Kamyaab on Zee TV. Her film Seeds Of Life won the national award for Best Agricultural Film in 2004, and her short film Silent Killing, on foeticide, was a finalist for the Child Rights Unicef Award.

What this documentary does is to provide a ray of hope. Even as technology pushes forward at an amazing pace, leaving many floundering and hopelessly out of sync, HLC’s ambitious project shows that even the most illiterate may yet stand a chance of entering the race. So far, HLC has trained over 1,300 children and 250 facilitators. And the count goes up with each passing day…

To place an order for the documentary, write to ridhima@psbt.org

By Huned Contractor, from info change filmforum

(Huned Contractor is a freelance journalist and filmmaker based in Pune)

 

Gubbachigalu in Mandya

 

Kerala cafe -a decalogue

Kerala film industry is known for its off beat experiments in mainstream as well as in alternate cinema. Now the Director-Producer Renjith is coming out with another experiment a movie  with ten directors.

His fresh initiative will be titled as ‘Kerala Café’- the name of the restaurant featured in the movie that will be the common thread in every stories in the movie.

The movie which will have ten different episodes of ten minutes each will be directed by ten prominent filmmakers including Laljose, Shaji Kailas, Uday Ananthan, Anjali Menon, Padmakumar, Shyamaprasad, B Unnikrishnan, Anwar Rasheed, Shakar Ramakrishnan and Revathy.

The movie will feature stories about travel, played on screen by prominent names like Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Prithviraj, Kalabhavan Mani and Nedumudi Venu. Planned to start by the first week of June, the first part will be shot by Shaji Kailas. Renjith who is the creative producer of the movie, is planning to get the Decalogue into theatres by September.

 

Subsidy to select films disadvantageous

50 select Kannada films to get Rs. 20 lakh each; other sops likely to follow in the next fiscal.   In 2006, the Government deferred announcing policy on Kannada cinema Move may undo schemes for development of Kannada industry .

The State Government’s decision to extend a subsidy of Rs. 20 lakh for 50 select Kannada films and other sops from the next fiscal is likely to undo all the programmes it has launched for the development of Kannada cinema industry since the late 1960s owing to steep decline in the quality of films compounded by the steady increase of “hybrid” and remake films. Sources in the Government and Kannada cinema industry told The Hindu that if the Government did not review its decision on extending the subsidy and the related issues on priority, its purpose of constituting the Kannada Chalanachitra Academy would be defeated.

The academy had been entrusted with the responsibility of finalising the long-pending State cinema policy and selecting the films for subsidy and awards. The Government was expected to announce its policy on Kannada cinema in 2006. But it reportedly deferred the announcement with the twin motive of promoting tourism and quality of Kannada cinema. It had decided to workout a policy to link its subsidy scheme for Kannada cinema with the extent of the exposure of State’s tourist locations in the movies. Its reported move to link subsidy scheme with tourism was apparently due to the encouraging response the State’s tourism got following the success of some Kannada and non-Kannada films that were shot at hitherto unexplored locations.

It had exhibited the video footages of some unexplored and popular tourist locations during the annual film awards presentation ceremony. The function was telecast live covering 52 countries for drawing the attention of tourists and filmmakers across the globe. But, later, slowdown in the economy and “collapse” in quality Kannada cinema have reportedly discouraged the Government.

The draft policy has reportedly covered a range of issues such as the need to bring down the escalating rentals of cinemas, cost of production, measures to avoid controversies over the selection of films for annual subsidy and revamping the tax structure. Contrary to claimed objectives, the Government has its confusion over the pending “distinct and definite” cinema policy. Its fancy announcements to please a section of Kannada industry on occasions are likely to jeopardise the future of Kannada cinema, according to sources.

By K.N.Venkatsubba Rao

Courtesy:The Hindu

 

Walk Backwards into the Horizon

Bangalore film society is presenting `Walk Backwards into the Horizon‘, a weekend of the first three films of one of the greatest directors of our time and our perennial favorite- Jim Jarmusch.

Friday 15th May, 2009 Time: 6.30pm
Down By Law (1986/107min) Dir: Jim Jarmusch

When fate lands three hapless men—an unemployed disc jockey (Tom Waits), a small-time pimp (John Lurie), and a strong-willed Italian tourist (Roberto Benigni)—in a Louisiana prison, their singular adventure begins. Described by director Jim Jarmusch as a “neo–Beat noir comedy,” Down by Law is part nightmare and part fairy tale, featuring fine performances and crisp black-and-white photography by esteemed cinematographer Robby Müller. Nominated for Palm D’Or 1986.

Saturday 16th May, 2009 Time: 6.30pm
Stranger Than Paradise (1984/89min) Dir: Jim Jarmusch

Rootless Hungarian émigré Willie (John Lurie), his pal Eddie (Richard Edson), and visiting sixteen-year- old cousin Eva (Eszter Balint) always manage to make the least of any situation, whether aimlessly traversing the drab interiors and environs of New York City, Cleveland, or an anonymous Florida suburb. With its delicate humor and dramatic nonchalance, Jim Jarmusch’s one-of-a-kind minimalist masterpiece, Stranger Than Paradise, forever transformed the landscape of American independent cinema. Winner of Camera D’Or at Cannes 1984.

 

Angels , Demons and reliegion

I do wonder what is wrong with all these organizations that demand banning a movie just for the reasons that they feel it may harm their propaganda.  Film is an art and art needs its creative space. Of course there has to be some boundaries for this creative space.

But who should determine the boundaries. Whether it is the body which is set for the purpose or certain groups which claim to be the guardians of the human souls.

There was a lot of hue and cry on Da Vinci code.  When it came out as a book, as well as it was adapted to the silver screen. The religious leaders demanded the ban as if it would bring an end to their religion in the world.  They said it would mislead the devotees to lose faith, put their institutions in bad light. Of course we know and have heard that film is a powerful medium. But is it so powerful that it can change the minds of millions of people just by one film view.  If so I really wonder why so many movies that are made against the social evils worldwide are not able to bring in the desired social change. Why we are not in a better world by now.

Both the Da Vinci code Book and Film are read and seen by millions of people around the world. Whether it brought an end to the religion or any religious institution? I hardly doubt  if there were any instances where the viewers or readers of Da Vinci code decided to denounce their religion.  I have heard many of my religious friends saying that the movie indeed make them bond with the god more. Whether they bond more or not surely the religion in question did not have any set back due to the Da Vinci code syndrome.

Now once again the book “Angels and Demons” of the same author is adapted to the silver screen. And as expected there is demand for banning the movie. Now our religious leaders have had their way.  In India they have agreed to release of the movie if censor board cut certain scenes and give it an “A” certificate.  

I don’t know when our religious leaders will come out of the fear psychosis. Why they so strongly believe that people cannot decide what is right and wrong, what amount to fiction and nonfiction, why they fear so much of losing their base just because of a film. Why they don’t have confidence in themselves or their institution or on the disciples.

It is unfortunate that the groups like this can dictate terms to censor board.

*Sarangi

 

Quote of the day

 

“ a book  turned into a film

 is like a daughter

given away in marriage. And

 the film is like

a son-in-law.

 A wise man never says

a bad thing about his son-in-law!”

 Vikas swaroop,  Author of the Book “Q and A”  has quoted Sanker Mukherji, the famous Bengali writer whose books were adapted for the big screen by the legendary Satyajit Ray, to commend on the  film “slum dog millionaire”, the filmy adaptation of his book.

 

ಗಜನಿ ಎಂಬ ‘Memento’

ಗಜನಿ ಸಿನೆಮಾಕ್ಕೆ ಮೂಲ ಎನ್ನಲಾದ ಸಿನೆಮಾ ‘Memento’

 

ಮ್ಯಾಜಿಕ್ ಚಾಪೆ

 

Slumdog Millionaire- more blunders

Magic carpet had published the letter by Suguna pointing out a factual error regarding the author of ” Darshan de Ghan Shyam.

Now Pramod has send us info about the site ” IMDbPro” which has listed several goofups in slumdog millionaire film.

Factual errors: In the movie, the correct answer to the question of who wrote the song “Darshan Do Ghanshyam Naath” is shown as 16th century poet “Kavi Surdas”. However in reality, this song is written by Gopal Singh Nepali for the movie Narsi Bhagat (1957). This song is also credited as traditional and originally written by 15th century poet Narsinh Mehta, whose life that film is based on. (Many, including the film, mistakenly attribute it to the 16th-century poet Surdas due to the fact that Surdas was blind and the song is a prayer asking God to “appear” before him, for his “eyes thirst for Your sight”.)

* Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the scene where Javed is partying with his friends and Latika is held captive, the audio playing in the background is from the movie ‘Don’, whereas the visual shown on TV is from the movie ‘Yuva’.

* Anachronisms: Although the events of the movie are set in the summer of 2006, the cricket match being played at Javed’s house between India and South Africa was played in 2007.

* Continuity: When Salim and Jamal find Latika in the dance studio she is seen without and then with a nose ring.

* Anachronisms: The scene where Jamal tries to steal food, hanging upside down on the train shows a window which had removable bars (it’s like a fire escape). These kind of bars were not installed until after the 2002 Gujarat riots.

* Anachronisms: The trains on which Jamal and Salim escape and live for many days have compartments painted in blue color. The blue color compartments came into existence at a later date. The compartments were painted Red back then.

* Anachronisms: In the scene where Salim and Jamal are working the crowds at the Taj Mahal, Jamal has a new $10 bill in his hand. It would be impossible to have a new bill in 2002 when they were issued in 2006.

* Revealing mistakes: When older Jamal punches older Salim, you can hear Dev Patel’s British accent come out when he was yelling at him.

* Factual errors: The cricket match shown between India and South Africa was played in the Belfast, whereas the commentator says that its being played in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

* Continuity: While in the police station Jamal drinks down a glass of Chai and sets it on the table in front of him. In the following shot the glass is full again.

* Factual errors: When Jamal explains the answer for “truth alone triumphs” question, Jamal asks the inspector for the price of Pani Puri, but the video shown is that of Dahi Puri.

* Continuity: When Jamal is asked by Latika to leave the mansion and forget about her, he accidentally pulls up one side of his collar when taking off his apron. However, in the next shot, his collar is down again. When he actually leaves the mansion his collar is up once again.

* Factual errors: When the policeman handcuffs Jamal to the chair he uses handcuffs that click shut. In India, Darby handcuffs are used.

* Anachronisms: The movie shows news reports from Live India, a television channel. The plot says that is 2006, but Live India was launched in 2007. It was previously called Janmat.

* Anachronisms: At the end of the last song and dance sequence on the railway platform, hoardings for shows on NDTV Imagine (and entertainment TV channel) are prominent. NDTV Imagine launched in 2008 and the promotion could not have began in 2006 – the year where the story of the film happens in.

* Factual errors: At the end of the movie when Javed is with his bunch of girls and asks them to dance to the song ‘Aaj Ki Raat’ which is from the movie ‘Don – The Chase Begins’, the television actually shows the song ‘Fanaa’ from the movie ‘Yuva’.

* Factual errors: The movie is clearly made for a Western audience, because the Indian number system (which would be used in an Indian show) would write 10 million as 1,00,00,000 not as 10,000,000. It would be called “1 crore.” The term 10 million would not be used.

* Revealing mistakes: You also hear Dev Patel’s British accent when he tells the host (Anil Kapoor) in the bathroom that he will “not be a million-ahe.”

* Continuity: A large pimple on the right side of Jamal’s face appears then disappears then reappears, depending on whether he is being interrogated by the police or is answering questions as a television game-show contestant, even though those events supposedly occurred in the plot within a span of just a few hours.

* Continuity: The host used the words “cell phone”, which are mostly used in North America, while India and most of the world uses the words “mobile phone”.

* Plot holes: The original TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” is recorded in studio. The show that we see in the film is broadcast live, however this raises the incongruence that the person from home can easily see the question on the TV taking plenty of time to come up with an answer before receiving the actual call (which as we see is dialed to a mobile number). With this both the need to have the questions reread on the phone, and the time limit itself, lose credibility.

* Factual errors: In the final question the name of Alexandre Dumas in incorrectly spelled Alexander.

* Factual errors: SPOILER: In the beginning of the film it says it takes place in 2006. But when Jamal wins the show, the check says 2005.

* Incorrectly regarded as goofs: While driving the car after escaping from Javed and going towards meeting Jamal, the scar appears on right side of Latika’s face although it is on left side of her face before the scene when Salim slips her hair and in rest of the movie. However, Latika’s face is seen in the rear view mirror of the car; therefore, the scar on her left cheek appears to be on the right cheek.

* Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Jack Hobbs (the question about cricketers scoring first class centuries) is partly correct with the answer of 197. Jack Hobbs has stated that although 199 were done in a technical sense, as 2 of these were in exhibition matches they should not count and as such have never been officially recognized by Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack. A quote from Jack, ‘Don’t include those,’ he told the late John Arlott. ‘They were exhibition matches. Vizzy wanted to list our hundreds on the walls of his pavilion. We knew we’d got to score hundreds – so did the bowling side. They were not first-class in any sense.’

 

 

* Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The young Salim and Jamal are shown to attend a primary municipality school in Mumbai. These schools do not have The Three Musketeers in syllabus. However, this could have been a school that was built in the slums by an external organization such as a charity.

* Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Both Jamal and Salim speak fluent English when they’re teenagers. The movie was originally supposed to all be in English, yet the actors that played young Jamal and young Salim had some trouble with speaking English. Director Danny Boyle asked producers to have the beginning in Hindi, and colored the subtitles to make them more appealing. From the storyline, Jamal and Salim probably learned from tourists.

* Incorrectly regarded as goofs: After revealing the answer to the question of which cricketer has scored to most first class centuries, the host reveals that Jack Hobbs scored 197 centuries. In fact, he famously fell one short of the 200 milestone by scoring 199 centuries. However, both figures can be accepted as correct. The Association of Cricket Statisticians and History, in 2006, revised the status of many 19th Century and pre-War matches, which produced new statistics, giving Hobbs 199 first-class centuries. However, Wisden, often seen as the “cricketing bible”, declined to recognise the new figures and still records Hobbs as scoring 197.

* Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In one scene, when teenage Salim and Jamal are at the Taj Mahal, there is an external shot where a passing guard looks at the camera and says, “Stop filming. Stop filming.” This was included purposely by director Danny Boyle for the sake of realism.

 

Cuba offers itself as Bollywood destination

Panaji,  (IANS) Cuba is serenading Bollywood’s bigwigs to use the Latin American country for shooting Bollywood films, the Cuban ambassador to India Tuesday said.

In Goa to inaugurate four-day Cuban film festival, Miguel Angel Ramirez Ramos said that he was holding parleys with players in the Indian mainstream film industry and pitching Cuba as a film shooting destination.

‘We are talking to some Bollywood names, asking them to shoot a movie in Cuba, but it will not be prudent to mention any name right now,’ Ramos said, speaking to reporters at a press conference here.

He described these overtures as part of Cuba’s moves to improve cultural as well as bilateral ties between the two countries. Denouncing Hollywood’s repeated portrayal of Cuba as unfair and wrong, Ramos said that Cuban cinema reflected the ‘real’ Cuban society.

‘Nations can be judged by the cinema they make. Cuban people are very open. Cuban cinema is openly critical of the contradictions in society. This is not possible in a closed society, which Hollywood perceives us as,’ he said.

The Cuban film festival in Goa is being jointly hosted by the Entertainment Society of Goa and the Centre for Latin American Studies of the Goa University and will screen classic films and documentaries like ‘La Muerte De Un Burocrata’ (Death of a Bureaucrat), ‘Lucia’ and ‘Yo soy del Son a la Salsa’ (From Son to Salsa) from Feb 19 to 22.

‘We want to enhance cultural and bilateral ties between India and Cuba,’ the Cuban ambassador said.

Describing Goa as a home away from a Latin home, Ramos said that Goa resembled Cuba in many ways. ‘This place has a Latin feel, the homes, the people, even the drive by the sea in Panaji reminds distinctly of Havana,’ he said.

 

and the oscars goes to…..nominee list

 

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

- NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY – 81ST AWARDS -

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
• Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
• Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
• Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

 

Eight Oscars for ‘Slumdog Millionaire

Eight Oscars for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Los Angeles, IANS:

Directed by Briton Danny Boyle, based on Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup’s novel “Q & A”, the film had received 10 Oscar nominations, including three for Indian music maestro A.R. Rahman and one for Resul Pookutty for sound mixing.

It’s “Slumdog Millionaire” all the way. After shining at the Golden Globes and BAFTA, the Mumbai-based film swept the 81st Academy awards winning eight Oscars, making the same fairytale journey that its hero had done in the movie.Directed by Briton Danny Boyle, based on Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup’s novel “Q & A”, the film had received 10 Oscar nominations, including three for Indian music maestro A.R. Rahman and one for Resul Pookutty for sound mixing. The film managed to rake in over $100 million from collections across the globe, thougn in India it has grossed only Rs.215 million so far. Set and filmed in Mumbai, “Slumdog…” narrates the story of an 18-year-old tea boy Jamal Malik, who appears on a quiz show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”, the Indian version of British reality show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and ends up being a winner, arousing suspicion from the show host as well as the law enforcement officials. The film starred British-born Indian actor Dev Patel, Freida Pinto besides well-known Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Irrfan Khan apart from others. The screenplay has been written by British writer Simon Beaufoy and co-directed by India-based Loveleen Tandon, who was also the casting director for the film. List of Oscars won by “Slumdog Millionaire”: 1. Best Picture 2. Best director – Danny Boyle 3. Best original song- A.R. Rahman and Gulzar 4. Best original score – A.R. Rahman 5. Best adapted screenplay – Simon Beaufoy 6. Best cinematography – Anthony Dod Mantle 7. Best sound mixing – Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty 8. Best editing – Chris Dickens Earlier, “Slumdog Millionaire” had created ripples across the international film industry by winning seven BAFTA and four Golden Globe awards. The film won seven BAFTAs for best film, best director, best original music score, best cinematography, best editing, best sound and best adapted screenplay. At Golden Globes it bagged awards for best original music score, best motion picture-drama, best director and best writer. At the 14th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, the film bagged five trophies – best composer, best picture, best director, best writer and best young actor/actress for Dev Patel.

 

ರಿಂಗ ರಿಂಗಾ ರೇ….

ಎ ಆರ್ ರೆಹಮಾನ್ ಆಸ್ಕರ್ ಗೆ ದೇಶ ಸಂಭ್ರಮಿಸಿದ್ದು ಹೀಗೆ…

 

‘Mere paas ma hai’-A R Rehman in Oscar

 

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

A.R. Rahman

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Before coming, I was excited and terrified. The last time I felt like that was during my marriage. There’s a dialogue from a Hindi film called “Mere paas ma hai,” which means “I have nothing but I have a mother,” so mother’s here, her blessings are there with me. I am grateful for her to have come all the way. And I want to thank the Academy for being so kind, all the jury members. I want to thank Sam Schwartz, I/D PR, all the crew of Slumdog, Mr. Gulzar, Raqueeb Alam, Blaaze, my musicians in Chennai and Mumbai. And I want to tell something in Tamil, which says, which I normally say after every award which is ella puhazhum iraivanukke: “God is great.” Thank you.

 

3.6 crore for the children of ‘Slumdog’

 

Vijay Dutt, Hindustan Times

A day after sweeping the Academy awards, Slumdog Millionaire producer Christian Colson is ensuring that the children featured in the film are not left to fight life’s battles on their own.

The producers are planning a stage musical of the eight-Oscar-winning film to raise funds for Mumbai’s slum kids.

A fund set up by the filmmakers has already generated close to Rs 3.6 crore for the children. And if plans for cover versions of Rahman’s songs came to fruition, the money raised could multiply many times over, he told The Times, London. The funds would be ploughed back into the slums where the movie was filmed.

Also, plans to safeguard the future of two children from the slums — Azharuddin Mohammed, 10, and nine-year-old Rubina Qureshi — who attended the Oscars  with six others from better off families, are being re-examined. He told The Times that producers wanted “something more professional” to be put in place.

“The profile of the film will remain high — we can’t assume attention on these children will drift away,” he said.

Boyle said the children also enjoyed their trip to Disneyworld and the Universal Studios. As soon as they got to the hotel, they jumped into the pool fully clothed.

The warm reception for the crew at the Oscars caught even the producers by surprise. Hollywood star Will Smith, for instance, went up to meet Madhur Mittal, who played Dev Patel’s brother in the film.

 

Festival of Poland

A week long fest from 1st to 8th of March including music, poetry, photography, cinema and much more. First time such an even is being organised in Bangalore. A chance to meet some eminent personalities including the great film maker Krzysztof Zanussi. Please be at Alliance de Francaise (Vasanth Nagar) and Time and Space gallery (Lavelle Road) to enjoy the show.

+++

The Bangalore School of Music and Apple Blossom will present the first-ever Festival of Poland, in the City. Scheduled to be held from March 1 to 10, the ten-day festival will focus on the rich culture of Poland and include operatic performances, a panorama of films, Polish poster and photography exhibitions, panel discussions, classical music, Polish poetry and much more. 

The prestigious cultural event comes with the active support of The Embassy of Poland in India, The Polish Consulate General in Mumbai and The Ministry of Culture in Poland. This festival will focus on post-war, modern Poland, its achievements and developments — especially focused in the areas of culture, art, music, films and poetry.

The festival will be held across prestigious venues in Bangalore, and will attract diverse audiences including music and art aficionados from all sections of society; celebrities, diplomats, tourists, teachers, students and more. 
The festival inaugural and the grand operatic performance by opera singers Tomasz Rak  and Kamila Cholewinska will be held at the Alliance Francaise on March 2, from 11 am to 1 pm.

 

Cinema in Stamps

 

hello…sorry, Jai ho

 

Preeti Srivastav

Once, solar consultant Jaideep Malviya would start his official mails and letters with ‘Dear Sir’ and end them with ‘Yours Sincerely’. Now, he has replaced both standard expressions with one: Jai Ho.

It was destiny, it seems, that Slumdog Millionaire’s award-winning song would become an anthem. Corporate executives so smitten by the words that they are now using Jai Ho as salutation and valediction in their e-mails. What’s more, the term has captivated even international clients.

“After the movie’s success, most of my international clients started using Jai Ho in the valediction. Since the Oscars, almost every mail I got from my international clients had Jai Ho either as salutation or valediction,” says Malviya.

One of his clients, Nigel Cotton of Germany, wrote that the only thing he wanted to see after the Taj Mahal when in India was Slumdog Millionaire in an Indian theatre; all he would want to carry back was a DVD with the song Jai Ho on it.

“Namaste was very common, until Jai Ho took over. It’s very emotional to get such letters. No matter how different that person is, you automatically relate to him if he uses your language. Moreover, after eight Oscars, the words have a sense of pride associated with them,” says Malviya.

Dutchmen Edwin Koot and Johan Trip, now in Pune, are other Jai Ho fans who use the words in all their letters. Trip took his family to watch the movie back home and now prefers to write Jai Ho in every mail to his colleagues or friends, irrespective of their nationality.

Roger Little, CEO of Spire Corporation, US, who has a special liking for India and keeps visiting Pune for business, found it appropriate to replace ‘Hi’ with Jai Ho in his e-mails and says it’s been well accepted.

In India, of course, the youth have almost declared Jai Ho as their anthem. Diwesh Diwakar, manager of Quadrangle (naukri.com), did not lose a day in starting the trend in his office. He calls it the root effect.

“In villages of Bihar, people still wish each other by saying Jai Ho, and thanks to the song the expression is universal now. By using it I also feel nearer my roots as I hail from Bihar. Moreover, my colleagues also liked it and now we have a Jai Ho team in office,” Diwakar said.

“The song is full of life and it reflects youth. I got a mail from my sister from Canada congratulating us on the Oscars win and she concluded the mail with Jai Ho. Since then I have been using the expression in all my mail. Even over the phone or in person, we greet each other with Jai Ho,” says Harshit Verma, a student.

Ankit Shah, another student, sets his signature as Jai Ho in his e-mails. “Irrespective of whether the mail is personal or official, I put my signature, Jai Ho, in all my e-mails. I feel the expression is worth celebrating and sharing,” says Shah. Jai Ho indeed.

Courtesy: Yahoo india

 

Amul- slumdog millionaire

 

Premiere of “Poison on the Platter” ..

“The Right to Choose Safe Food’ is a fundamental right of consumers in a democracy. However, the onslaught of GM crops has been robbing the people of their right to choose.” This is the theme based on which Mahesh Bhatt (Filmmaker and Presenter of Poison on the Platter) and Ajay Kanchan (Director) have put together the film ‘Poison on the Platter’ - portraying the introduction of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in India as the end of choice . The film is aimed at raising awareness and to enlighten the people about the introduction of GM crops in the Indian market and the irreversible adverse impacts on human health.

Sahaja samudra has organised  the Premiere of the film

“Poison on the Platter”,

on Saturday 7th March 2009.

at 12:00 noon.

Venue:   Alliance Fransaise de Bangalore(Indo -French Cultural Center)

No 108, Thimmaiah Road,

Vasanthnagar, Bangalore-560 052

 

P Lankesh Film award to ‘Thanks maa’

 

THANKS MAA 
Drama, 35mm, Feature Film, Drama/Social 
Run time: 120 mins, Hindi (with subtitles) 

Directed by : Irfan Kamal 
Writers :Irfan Kamal and Vishal Vjay Kumar

Cast : Master Shams, Master Salman, Master Fayaaz, Baby Almas, Master Jaffer, Baby Sakshi, Alok Nath, Raghubir Yadav, Barry John, Sanjay Mishra,  Ranvir Shorey

This looks like a pretty epic and moving movie based on 12.66m true stories… Thanks Maa is about a ‘12 year old street kid named Municipality, while on the run from the reformatory, finds & saves a two day old abandoned baby from becoming the prey to a ferocious street dog. Failing to find any takers among the people whom he deemed responsible and respectable, Municipality takes up the onus of finding the mother of that abandoned baby himself. Here onwards ensues his struggle in the urban jungle of Mumbai with just four of his friends from the street, Soda (15), Sursuri (10), Cutting (8) & Dhed-Shaana (6) on his side and apparently the whole world against him. Municipality’s rock steady determination ultimately helps him emerge a winner against all odds as he reaches that baby’s mother but in bargain he loses his most precious possession… the flawless & god-like image of a mother he used to see in his dreams and probably the hope that he’ll ever find his own mother come searching for him at the Municipality Hospital where he was found abandoned 12 years ago’

 

 

Chaplin in Udupi

Beautiful Maravanthe beach will soon get a 62-foot-high statue of master comedian Charlie Chaplin, thanks to a film being shot there. The crew hopes their efforts will find a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. The statue would be erected near Maravanthe beach – about 400 km from India’s tech capital Bangalore – for director Hemanth Hegde’s Kannada film “House Full”. The filmmaker said he would like their creation to remain a tourist attraction even after their shoot. “We are shooting a song sequence in Maravanthe Beach where this 62-feet statue of Charlie Chaplin is being shown. It will remain a tourist attraction after we finish the film’s shoot,” said Hegde. “We have applied for recognition from the Guinness Book of World Records. David Brown from the Guinness Book is expected to arrive in India to scrutinise our claim,” he added. Produced by Anuj Saxena of Maverick Productions, “House Full” will see Hegde play an important role along with actor Diganth, Vishaka Singh and Girija Oak, who had featured in Aamir Khan’s “Taare Zameen Par”. “Our film’s art director Chethan Mundadi is constructing the statue with the assistance of many students from different art schools in the state.

It will cost us Rs.35 lakhs (Rs.3.5 million) and we are awaiting permission from the Karnataka government to install the statue. All the formalities have been completed in this regard and we will probably install it on March 28,” said Hegde, who has directed three Kannada films and Hindi film “Khanna and Iyer” earlier. The director claimed that the BBC would be doing a half-hour programme on the installation of the statue for the film. “House Full” is a comedy about two irresponsible youngsters who are always finding new ideas to please their girlfriends.

Courtesy :The  Hindu

 

Little Zizou..

Sooni Taraporevala has penned some brilliant scripts likeMississippi Masala, The Namesake and the Oscar-nominated film, Salaam Bombay — all directed by her close friend Mira Nair.Now, Sooni is making her directorial debut, with Little Zizou. The film stars her own children Jahan and Iyanah Baltivala in pivotal roles, along with Boman Irani, Imaad Shah and John Abraham, in a cameo. The film is all set to release on March 13th.

The plot

 

El Camino-the road

This first feature film made by a woman in central American, tells the story of a girl faced with sexual abuse and abandonment, In Nicaragua, saslaya, a 12 year old girl, runs away with her brother, Dario to look for their mother, who immigrated to neighboring costa Rica 8 years before. The children travel from Managua to Granada, cross the lake, walk by the volcano, through the jungle. In their journey, they encounter different characters and face many challenging situations. At the border, the girl and his brother get lost and so she has to face the hardships by herself. Along their journey, saslaya and Dario rewrite their destiny…

The work on the film started in 2000 and in 2006 it was filmed. Post-production took two years. According to the director Ishtar yasin, El camino’ is the story of two kids who migrated from Nicaragua to Costa Rica in search of their mother. The Majority of Nicaraguan mothers sacrifice for their children.

Direction,screenplay: Ishtar Yasin

Producer: scott Disharoon, Rick Bieber

Cinematography: Jacques Loiseloix

Editing: valerie Loiseloix

Sound: Bill Meadows

Cast: sherlin paola velasquez, Marcos Ulises Jimenez, Jean Francois stevenin, juan Borda

Awards/Festivals

Guadalajara Film Festival, FIPRESIC prize and the special Jury Award, 2008

 

Film South Asia-Call for entries

Film South Asia ’09 -the festival of Southasian documentaries  calls for entries for the seventh edition of its biennial festival.

The festival is being held in Kathmandu from 17-20 September 2009.

Documentaries made in and after January 2007 are eligible for the competitive section.

Early Submission deadline for the entries: 31 May 2009 (for films made between January 2007 to April 2008)

Final submission deadline for entries: 30 June 2009 (for films made after April 2008)

Details and entry forms are available at www.filmsouthasia. org

For further information contact: Upasana Shrestha Co-Director Film South Asia Secretariat

G.P.O. Box 24393

Patan Dhoka Lalitpur

Nepal Tel: +977 1 5552141

email: fsa@filmsouthasia. org

www.filmsouthasia. org

 

oh! Chaplin

Udupi : After moral policing, Hindu organizations have now turned into religious blackmailing of sorts. They are opposing the installation of a 67-foot statue of Charlie Chaplin at Othinane near Baindur. 

Why? Chaplin was a Christian and if his statue is installed near a temple, it will hurt Hindu sentiments, they said. 

Kannada film director Hemanth Hegde, the brain behind the statue, said he will consult the film fraternity and the CM on finding a suitable place for the statue in Karnataka, probably in Bangalore. 

Hegde said his team of artists had begun construction of the Chaplin statue on March 5 at Othinane, near Someshwar temple, as he found the scenic backdrop ideal to attract tourists. He had taken the gram panchayat chief into confidence before commencing work. 

On Friday, some activists, led by Suresh Batwadi, stopped the work saying the statue should not be located anywhere near the temple as it would hurt the feelings of Hindus. 

Hegde said they tried in vain to convince him that Chaplin was an international celebrity. “I am upset by the fascist attitude of these so-called Hindu activists who have no respect for even great artistes like Chaplin. The activists have threatened to destroy the statue if it’s erected in the district.” Hegde said. 

Though the Udupi DC and police have given permission, he is reluctant to go ahead since he feels art work should not be taken up in such a violent atmosphere.

Courtesy: Times of India

 

sita sings the blues

 Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues is a beautiful little animated film, a film inspired by the agony of sita in Ramayana but recrafted with a autobiographical touch by the director. The story cuts through the directors own life (she was divorced by her husband to whom she is devoted.  He moved to india from Newyork and then emailed  her asking to end their marriage) and the ancient epic Ramayana where in the sita under goes the ordeal of being abandoned by her husband Rama.

The film gives critical analysis of the life of both the women who represent two milieu and two cultures but are driven by a same passion- an ultimate devotion and longing for the husbands who abandoned them. The parallels’ are drawn between the two women and their sufferings that transcends the cultural barriers and the oblivion of time.

The film has good songs that are used as a tool by the director to reflect her angst and revolt against the predicaments they faced. The three characters in the movie critically analyses the tale of Ramayana from seeta’s perspective and  the epic is retold here by the director.

 

Firaaq

Firaaq the directorial debut of  Nandita das stands out for its powerful presentation. The film tells the story of several people who are effected by the Gujarat  communal carnage in a way that haunts the audience conscious.    The fear and pain in the lives of the victims, its effects on the human emotions, are portrayed in a gripping narration and tight script. The strength of the  movie is that though it progresses through multi stories lines which are unconnected , director has woven  the stories to give continuity and justice to the core issue. No where the director takes any stand on the reliegious elements in the movie and stands impartial just by registering the events as happened.

The film takes place over a 24 hour period and a month after the infamous Godhra incident which were followed by a horrific communal carnage in the state of Gujarat. It peeks into multiple characters amongst such as Aarti (Deepti Naval), a housewife who is silently haunted by the image of a Muslim woman begging for sanctuary. Another is Khan Saheb (Naseer), a renowned musician who lives in a Hindu area, and teaches classical music. He cannot understand the destruction of his familiar world, and naively assumes that it is possible for the two communities to live together.

There is also Muneera (Shahana), who hides with friends during the violence, and returns to her home to find it burned to the ground. And there is Sameer (Suri), a young, dashing, wealthy Muslim married to a Hindu Anuradha (Tisca), who is torn between the dilemma of staying in Ahmedabad or leaving for another city where he and his wife might be safer. Lastly, there are the stories of other hapless Muslims, who make incompetent plots to take revenge. Despite choosing such a heavy subject in her directorial debut film, actress Nandita Das has succeeded in handling it with utmost sensitivity and technical finesse. With an able technical support from India’s finest technicians such as cameraman Ravi K. Chandran (Ghajini, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) and editor Sreekar Prasad (Guru, Yuva) Nandita has managed to assemble and ensemble cast of talented actors which take the film to a completely different level.

 

Life on Venus

Bangalore Film Society in collaboration with Breakthrough TV- Human Rights in Frames is   presenting `Life on Venus’, a selection of the most acclaimed and award-winning documentary films on women from across the globe.

Friday 27th March 2009 Time: 4.00pm

Morality TV and Loving Jehad - A Thrilling Tale(31mins/ India) Dir: Paromita Vohra In winter 2005 in the town of Meerut, India, police officers, mostly women, swooped down on lovers in a park and began to beat them up. Along with them they took photographers and news cameramen with a promise of an exclusive sting operation. As images of the operation played again and again on every news channel as ‘breaking news’, Meerut saw some of the couples run away out of fear and shame and serial protests for and against the event, which also made the news for some days. The film looks at a town’s complex dynamics – the fear of love, the constant scrutiny and control of women’s mobility and sexuality, a history of communal violence, caste and feudal equations. Assuming the tone of pulp fiction it examines the relishing accounts of true crime magazines like ‘Manohar Kahaniyan’ (The Thrilling Tales) to the double morality of pulp detective fiction to the tabloid news on Indian TV.

4.30pm- 5.00pm Tea Break

Time: 5.00pm Leila Khaled Hijacker (59mins/Sweden) Dir: Lina Makboul In 1969 Palestinian Leila Khaled made history by becoming the first woman to hijack an airplane. As a Palestinian child growing up in Sweden, filmmaker Lina Makboul admired Khaled for her bold actions; as an adult, she began asking complex questions about the legacy created by her childhood hero. This fascinating documentary is at once a portrait of Khaled, an exploration of the filmmaker’s own understanding of her Palestinian identity, and a complicated examination of the nebulous dichotomy between “terrorist” and “freedom fighter.”

 

NECAB MATINEE

NSS ENGG COLLEGE ALUMNI, BANGALORE is organising a  film screening session-

on March 29, 2009, Sunday

Girish Kasaravalli’ s
GULABI TALKIES
Winner of 3 Karnataka State Film Awards in 2008 including Best feature film
Winner of 2 awards at Osian’s Cinefan Festival 2008 including Best Indian Film

and

MG Sasi’s
ADAYALANGAL

Winner of 5 Kerala State Film Awards in 2007 including best film and best director

will be screened at

Subex,

Adarsh Tech Park,

Devarabisana Halli, Next to Intel Gate,

Outer ring road, 560037.

Program:
2.00pm: Gulabi Talkies
4.15pm: Discussion with director Girish Kasaravalli and other invited guests

4.45pm: Adayalangal
6.45pm: Discussion with director MG Sasi and other invited guests

 

13 ಝಮೇಟಿ

ಅಲೆಮಾರಿಯವರ ಒಳಗೂ… ಹೊರಗೂ…. ಬ್ಲಾಗಿನಿಂದ  

ಚಿತ್ರ: 13 ಝಮೇಟಿ(13 Tzameti)

ಭಾಷೆ: ಫ್ರೆಂಚ್

ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ: ಗೆಲಾ ಬಬ್ಲೂನಿ

ಅವಧಿ: 86 ನಿಮಿಷ

ಥ್ರಿಲ್ಲರ್ಗಳು ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಹಿಚ್ಕಾಕ್ ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆದರೆ ಇವತ್ತಿನ ಥ್ರಿಲ್ಲರಗಳೇ ಬೇರೆ. ಸಿನಿಮಾದಲ್ಲಿ ದೃಶ್ಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಸಂಗೀತ, ಗ್ರಾಫಿಕ್ಗಳು ಬೆಚ್ಚಿ ಬೀಳಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಥಿಯೇಟರ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಆದ ರೋಮಾಂಚನ ಹೊರಗೆ ಬರುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಕರಿಗ ಹೋಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ರಾಮ್ಗೋಪಾಲ ವರ್ಮ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನದ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿನ ಚಿತ್ರ `ಫೂಂಕ್’ ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಉತ್ತಮ ಉದಾಹರಣೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಏನಿತ್ತು? ಕಿರುಚಾಟ, ಅಪ್ಪಳಿಸುವ ಸಂಗೀತವೇ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಎದೆ ಬಡಿತ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಮಾಡಿತ್ತು. ನಿಮಗೆ ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಆತಂಕ ಉಂಟು ಮಾಡುವ, ಏನಾಗಬಹುದೆಂಬ ಭಯಮಿಶ್ರಿತ ಕುತೂಹಲ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸುವ ಚಿತ್ರವಾಗಿರಲೇ ಇಲ್ಲ.ಹೀಗೆ ಪ್ರತಿ ಸಾರಿ ಥ್ರಿಲ್ಲರ್ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದಾಗ ನೆನಪಾಗುವ ಒಂದು ಚಿತ್ರವಿದೆ; `13 ಝಮೇಟಿ’. ಅಂದರೆ `13 ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಗಳು’ ಅಂತಾ. ಜಾರ್ಜಿಯಾದಿಂದ ಫ್ರಾನ್ಸಿಗೆ ಭವಿಷ್ಯ ಅರಸಿ ಬಂದ ಯುವಕನೊಬ್ಬ ಲಕ್ಷಗಟ್ಟಲೆ ದುಡ್ಡು ಗೆದ್ದು, ಬದುಕು ಕಳೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಕಥೆ ಇದು. ಮೂರು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಬಂದ ಚಿತ್ರವಾದರೂ ಇದು ಕಪ್ಪು ಬಿಳುಪಿನ ಚಿತ್ರ. ನಿರ್ದೇಶಕ ಗೆಲಾ ಬಬ್ಲೂವಾನಿ ಕಥಾ ವಸ್ತುವಿಗೆ ಸೂಕ್ತವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂಬ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೋ ಏನೋ ಇದನ್ನು ಕಪ್ಪು ಬಿಳುಪಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ ನಾಯಕ. ಫ್ರಾನ್ಸ್ಗೆ ಬಂದ ಈತ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಮನೆ ಕಟ್ಟುವ, ರಿಪೇರಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತೊಡಗಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಮಾದಕ ವ್ಯಸನಿ ಗೊಡನ್ ಮನೆಯ ರಿಪೇರಿ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ ಅತಿಯಾದ ಮಾದಕ ಸೇವನೆಯಿಂದ ಗೊಡನ್ ಸತ್ತು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿಂದ ನಾಯಕ ಓಡುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾನೆ, ಹಿಂದೆ ನಾವೂ ಕುತೂಹಲದ ಜತೆ ಓಡಲಾರಂಭಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ.ಸತ್ತ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಪತ್ನಿ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯೊಬ್ಬನ ಜತೆಗೆ `ರಹಸ್ಯ ಕೆಲಸ’ದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇದನ್ನು ಕದ್ದಾಲಿಸಿದ ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವಿವರವಿರುವ ಪತ್ರವನ್ನು ಕದಿಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.ಈ ಪತ್ರ ಸಾವಿನ ಬಾಯಿಗೆ ಕರೆದೊಯ್ಯುತ್ತದೆ!ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಪತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಸೂಚನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಅನುಸರಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಹಿಂದೆ ಪೊಲೀಸರು ಬೀಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಪತ್ರದ ಸೂಚನೆಗಳು ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ಅನ್ನು ಗುರಿ ತಲುಪಿಸುತ್ತವೆ ಪೊಲೀಸರನ್ನು ದಾರಿ ತಪ್ಪಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಹಾಗಾದರೆ ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಬಂದಿದ್ದು ಎಲ್ಲಿಗೆ?ಭೂಗತ ದೊರೆಗಳ ಅಡ್ಡಾಕ್ಕೆ! ಗೌಪ್ಯ ಜಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೇರಿದ್ದ ಭೂಗತ ದೊರೆಗಳು, ಗ್ಯಾಂಗ್ ಸ್ಟಾರ್ಗಳು ಒಬ್ಬೊಬ್ಬ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಕರೆತರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಹಾಗೇ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಯಾಗಿ ಬರಬೇಕಿದ್ದ ಗೊಡನ್ ಜಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಬಂದು ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತಾನೆ.ಏನಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಗೊತ್ತಾಗುವ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ 13 ಮಂದಿ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬನಾಗಿ ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಮುಂದೆ?

ಸುಮಾರು 86 ನಿಮಿಷದ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅರ್ಧ ತಾಸಿಗೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಈ ಕಾಲ ನಡೆಯುವ ಮುಂದಿನ ದೃಶ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಕುತೂಹಲವನ್ನು ಗೂಳಿಕಾಳಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಗೂಳಿಯನ್ನು ಕೆಣಕಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಕೆಣಕುತ್ತವೆ ಎಂದರೆ ತಪ್ಪಿಲ್ಲ.ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಸ್ಪರ್ಧಿಸಲು ಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗುವುದು ಸಾವನ್ನು ಗೆಲ್ಲುವುದಕ್ಕೆ! ಪಿಸ್ತೂಲು ಹಿಡಿದು ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಗುಂಡನ್ನು ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ತೂರಿಸಿ, ಸೂಚನೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟ ತಕ್ಷಣ ತನ್ನ ಎದುರಿನವನನ್ನು ಶೂಟ್ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು.ಅದೃಷ್ಟವಿದ್ದವರು ಬದುಕುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಒಂದರ ಜತೆಗೆ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಗುಂಡು ಬೋನಸ್ ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ; ಎದುರುಗಿರುವವನ್ನು ಕೊಲ್ಲುವುದಕ್ಕೆ!!ನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿಸಿದಂತೆ ನಾಯಕ ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಸಾಯುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾಯಕನಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಈತನ ಮೇಲೆ ಪಣ್ಣಕ್ಕಿಟ್ಟ 8.50 ಲಕ್ಷ ಯುರೊಗಳನ್ನು ಗೆಲ್ಲುತ್ತಾನೆ!!ಆದರೆ ಸಾವನ್ನು ಗೆಲ್ಲುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಆಗುವುದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವುದೇ ವಿಪರ್ಯಾಸದ ಸಂಗತಿ!!

ಸೆಬಾಸ್ಟಿಯನ್ ಸಾವಿನ ವರ್ತಲದಿಂದ ಹೊರಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.ಗೆದ್ದ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಮನೆಗೆ ಕಳುಹಿಸಿ, ಅನಿರೀಕ್ಷಿತವಾಗಿ ಬಂದೆರಗಿದ ಸಾವಿಗೆ ತಲೆಬಾಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಹೇಗೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದನ್ನು ನೀವೇ ನೋಡರ್ಬೇಕು.ಗೆಲಾ ಬಬ್ಲೂನಿ ತಾವೇ ಬರೆದ ಚಿತ್ರಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಎಲ್ಲೂ ನಿರಾಸೆ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸದೆ, ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಕಡಮೆಯಾಗದಂತೆ ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕರನ್ನು ಸೆಳೆಯುತ್ತಾ ಕಥೆ ಬಿಚ್ಚಿಡುತ್ತಾ, ಬೆಚ್ಚಿ ಬೀಳಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಚ್ಚರಿ ಎಂದರೆ ಗೆಲಾ ನಿದರ್ೇಶನದ ಮೊದಲ ಚಿತ್ರವಿದು. ನಾಯಕ ಪಾತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಜಾಜರ್ಿಯಾ ಬಬ್ಲೂನಿ ಇವರ ಸೋದರ.ಕೊಲ್ಲುವ ದೃಶ್ಯಗಳಿವೆಯಾದರೂ ರಕ್ತ ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಕಾಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಚಿತ್ರದ ಹೆಚ್ಚುಗಾರಿಕೆ. ಜತೆಗೆ ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷಕನನ್ನು ಹೃದಯ ತಟ್ಟುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುವ ದೃಶ್ಯವೂ ಇದೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಈ ಚಿತ್ರದ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ವೈಶಿಷ್ಟ್ಯ.ತಾಂತ್ರಿಕವಾಗಿ, ಕಥೆಯ ನಿರೂಪಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಚಿತ್ರ ಥ್ರಿಲ್ಲರ್ಗಳಲ್ಲೇ ವಿಶೇಷವಾದದ್ದು ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಶಂಸೆಗೆ ಪಾತ್ರವಾಗಿದೆ.

 

1take media- film competition

 

documentary screening on tejaswi

Mayflower media house

is organising the event

Tejaswi smarane-“ moodigereya Maayavi”.

on 4th April at 6pm to 7.30 pm.

a documentary on Tejaswi named

‘Mayaloka’

by Kripaker-Senani

will be screened on the occasion.

Venue: Badami House, Bangalore

 

Rice Film Awards

Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP), TVE Asia Pacific (TVEAP) and Public Media Agency (PMA) has  announced the launch of the ASIA PACIFIC RICE FILM AWARD 2008/09.

 The first ever Award in the region to acknowledge excellence in film on rice-related issues! Rice is Life to the people of Asia and our most revered treasure. It is central to the Asian way of life; its cultural heritage and diversity, spirituality, and traditions.  The PAN AP and  invites innovative film-makers from the Asia Pacific region to submit short creative television, video or cinematic films on Rice!

AWARD CATEGORY & ELIGIBILITY:

One general category: open to everyone in the eligible countries in the Asia Pacific region with no age limit.

The films must be produced by a person who is a permanent resident or citizen of an eligible (Asia Pacific) country. (Please see eligibility criteria at www.panap.net.)

DURATION OF COMPETITION: Entries will be accepted from 1 August 2008 to 30 June 2009 (12 midnight Malaysian time).

 THEMATIC SCOPE: Asia’s rice heritage (based on the Five Pillars of Rice Wisdom described at www.panap.net) and the threats it faces in this era of globalization.

FILMS: Films may be fictional or factual, as long as they have rice in Asia as the key theme. The films may have been produced using professional video, home video, mobile phones or cinematic equipment. 2D or 3D animation; songs; short drama; satire; adaptations of folk culture; documentaries will be accepted. Entries must contain moving images for at least 90% of the total film duration – animated still photos or slides shows are not eligible. Entries should have been produced after January 2008 and should be no longer than 10 minutes long.

GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE: The entry’s content must be filmed in the Asia Pacific region.

 

ಹಾರು ಹಕ್ಕಿಯನೇರಿ

 

International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala

The Kerala State Chalachitra Academy announces

the 2nd International Documentary and Short Festival of Kerala

to be conducted from the 19th-25th June 2009

at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

The festival, a unique venture in India is being organized by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy for the Dept of Cultural Affairs, Govt. of Kerala as part of its endeavor to catalyze a vibrant documentary and short film movement. Increasing accessibility and affordability of film and other media technology has led to a boom in the production and scope of films.

The media is now used by image-makers from all walks of life to express, experiment, learn and as an effective tool to conscientise and bring about social change. The festival aims to map and reflect the exploding nature of the medium in its many facets of creativity and resistance.

To participate in this unique event please read the rules and regulations and

download the entry form and submit before 1st May 2009 to

Secretary
Kerala State Chalachitra Academy
Mani Bhavan
Sasthamangalam
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695010

Ph: 0091 471 2310323
Fax: 0091 471 2310322

iffkoffice@yahoo.co.in, ivfkoffice@gmail.com

 

Music Box

Iran/2008/35mm/colour/113’/Persian

12-year-old Ali who lost his mother when he was two, is being raised by his surgeon father and grandfather. Though they try their best to look after him and try to offer comfort, Ali always want to see his deceased mother. While helping out in his father’s hospital pharmacy, Ali becomes aware of a strange interloper named Maleki who frequently visits the terminally ill patients. Ali comes to realize that Maleki is actually the spirit of death, who is there to guide the hopelessly ill to their place in the next world. Ali turns to maleki and asks him if he could do something special and allow him to be reunited with his mother.

Genre-juggling script blends metaphysical fantasy about the afterlife, Sturm und Drang medical drama and pedagogical kid’s pic to overstate the moral that death comes to all, so live bravely and don’t fear it.

Direction:

Producers; Mohammad khazayi, FCF&sima Film

Screenplay: Masoud Ahmadian.

Cinematography: Ali Loghmani

Editing: Nazanin Mofakham

Music: saeed shahram.

Cast: Rambod Javan, shahrokh Forutanian, Morteza Ahmadi, Jamshid Gorgin, Dariush Asadzadeh, Negar Javaherian, Niki Karimi, Arsalan Ghasemi

Awards/Festival

Fajr Film Festival, Interfaith Jury Award, 2008

Farzad Motamen :

Born in Tehran in 1957, Farzad Motamen began filmmaking with short documentaries. He was the director of the audio-visual section of the Handicrafts Organization for 5years since 1985. Three accidents his first short feature film in 35mm came in 1999. The seven acts is his first full-length Feature film.

Select Filmography

Hands and Designs (1989), Persian Ornaments (1990), Absavaran (1990) , Tehran’s weather (1993), Bushes on Fire (1994)

 

 

Hola to world cinema

 

IN a first-of-its-kind venture, the Crossword and Oxford bookstores are inviting movie buffs to watch critically acclaimed films over the next couple of weeks. 
Every Friday, UTV World Movies will screen a foreign film at Crosswords. Featuring films across different genres, it is bound to be a feast for anyone who wants a slice of the International movie scene, while sipping on a hot cup of coffee. “People appreciate and enjoy watching foreign films,” points out Sameer Ganapathy, UTV World Movies. “Since the Spanish fraternity has given us some of the greatest stories, we decided to start with a Spanish film,” he says. 

Machuca and Nobody is Perfect are some of the Spanish films that will be screened at the Crossword Bookstore. Machuca is a story that is set in a convent in Chile, wherein the principal character tries to create conflicts between the upper and lower classes. 
Nobody is Perfect is a story about three friends challenged by their impairments. They attend a bachelor’s party and realise that nobody is perfect.
Another film that you can watch today is The Motorcycle Diaries that is being screened at the Oxford Bookstore. Organised by Zee English, this film captures Guevara’s memorable motorcycle journey through South America. They start off with the same goals and aspirations, but when the journey is over, it is clear where each man’s destiny is going to lead him. The audience at this screening can also avail of a 10% discount on Che Guevara’s classic book – Motorcycle Diaries.

courtesy : DNA Bangalore

 

Achilles and the Tortoise

Akiresu To Kame

Japan/2008/35mm/colour/119’/Japanese

The final installment in an iconoclastic trilogy on creative destruction, Achilles and the Tortoise is Takeshi Kitano’s newest reflection on art and life. Unlike the author’s previous works Takeshis’ and Glory to the Filmmaker! – both of which were highly conceptual ruminations on the vocation and philosophy of filmmaking – this latest effort carries a more open, audience-friendly message.

The film takes its title from a famous paradox by the pre-Socratic philosopher Zeno, which claimed that motion, time and change are nothing but illusions. Achilles and the Tortoise tackles the idea that art is a chimera, and follows the absurd, star-crossed life of a man with no talent. As a result of his father’s love of modern Western art, Machisu (Reo Yoshioka), a quiet, introverted child, is inspired to become a painter himself. Obsessive and obstinate – yet talentless – the child devotes all of his time to painting, not even losing heart when his father, once a wealthy factory owner, goes bankrupt and commits suicide.

As a young adult, Machisu (Yurei Yanag) continues to find comfort in his mediocre art and in the company of a group of fellow students with whom he shares the unrealistic dream of becoming famous. With banal results, he mimics all of the fashionable trends, from pop art to abstract expressionism, and struggles through life in a crescendo of crazy irrationality. Machisu (now played by Beat Takeshi himself), his stubborn lack of talent persisting into adulthood, eventually spirals into disturbed, upsetting behaviour.

 

Journeying with Mahasweta Devi

Joshy Joseph’s latest film captures the great poet candidly, minus the halo of genius and her achievements. It also marks a defining moment in the director’s journey as a documentarist.

“I met Mahasweta-di by default. Or, should I call it destiny?” asks Joshy Joseph, director of Journeying with Mahasweta Devi, a 51-minute documentary produced by Drik India. Joseph’s earlier film, One Day from a Hangman’s Life was prevented from screening at Kolkata’s Nandan II a few years ago, though it drew large crowds.

The film captured a day in the life of Nata Mullick, the hangman who pulled the noose around the neck of rape-and-murder convict Dhananjoy Chatterjee, shortly before he carried out this duty. When most of Kolkata’s intellectuals remained silent, Mahasweta Devi’s was the sole dissenting voice. In a letter to DRIK-India, she wrote, “I saw (the film) and was impressed. The treatment is entirely objective. No judgmental attitude towards other questions like whether death by hanging should or shouldn’t be there. No moral attitude from the filmmaker. No questions about the morality of a death sentence. It is a bare and savage documentation of a day in a hangman’s life. It is just another day. Of course, the hangman is deeply concerned as one Dhananjoy every five years means bread and butter for him, but somewhere he also understands.

This film actually points towards the reality, which is today in every viewers’ life.” This defense of Joseph’s film brought about the first meeting between the director and Mahasweta Devi. Born in 1926 in united Bengal, Mahasweta Devi is one of India’s foremost literary personalities. She is a prolific author of short fiction and novels; a deeply politico-social activist who has been working with and for tribals and marginal communities of eastern India for years.

Her empirical research into oral history of the cultures and memories of tribal communities is the first of its kind in India. Her powerful, haunting tales of exploitation and struggle are seen as rich sites of feminist discourse by leading scholars. Her innovative use of language has expanded the parameters of Bengali as a language of literary expression, achieved by imbibing and interweaving of tribal dialects into her writing. Her Verrier Elwin Memorial lecture in Baroda in 1998 led to the setting up of the Denotified Tribes and Communities Right Action Group. The group brings out a bulletin named Budhan. When Budhan Sabar, a member of the Sabar Khedia tribe of Akarbaid in Purulia district West Bengal, was killed by the police on 17 February 1998, Mahasweta Devi, as president of the Paschim Banga Khedia Sabar Kalyan Samity (of which Budhan was also a member) filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Calcutta High Court. The responsible police officers were suspended, a CBI inquiry was initiated, and Budhan’s widow was awarded a compensation of Rs.100,000. “In my writing, there is a mukti, a liberty.

They (the characters) are acting on their own. With the liberation, comes the freedom to act independently which they don’t get in their real lives. I feel this should have been the norm. I just want things to be the way they should have been. So the question of justice comes in. This process of writing … it comes from so many things: childhood rhymes, proverbs, containing so many stories” she says, wistfully. Journeying with Mahasweta Devi is not a bio-pic, although Joseph imaginatively weaves in tiny nuggets of this writer-activist-crusader’s earlier life through black-and-white pictures picked out of the family album that are turning sepia with time.

 

NFAI-SUMMER COURSE IN FILM APPRECIATION

 For nearly three decades the NFAI has been conducting an annual Film Appreciation Course of four weeks’ duration (25th May to 20th June, 2009) in collaboration with FTII. Participants from different professions from all over India are exposed to the best of Indian and world cinema. Among the major topics taught are the basics of the film medium, cinema as an art, film history, film theory and the relationship of cinema to other arts.

The NFAI conducts shorter courses on similar lines at various other centres in the country in collaboration with film societies, educational institutions and various cultural organizations. The Annual Summer Course in Film Appreciation held at Pune is primarily designed to meet the needs of teachers interested in introducing film study activities in educational institutions but would also be useful for film society organisers, film critics, journalists, film researchers, Govt. officials handling films and others interested in film studies. The curriculum includes theoretical and practical study of the art and history of film and the development of cinema as a medium of art and communication. Film classics both Indian and International will be used for critical analysis and study.

1. The medium of instruction would be English.

2. The applicant should have completed 18 years of age

 3. The course fee of Rs.6,000/- should be remitted by Demand Draft in favour of Administrative Officer, NFAI, Pune only after the confirmation of selection. Fees once paid will not be refunded.

4. Hostel accommodation (optional) will be provided by FTII to those who desire to avail of the facility. Hostel Fees .. Rs.2,500/- + Rs.500/- as service charges Total Rs.3,000/- by D.D. only in favour of Accounts Officer, Film & Television Institute of India, Pune – 4. Deposit..Rs. 500/-by D.D. only Accounts Officer, Film & Television Institute of India, Pune-4. Deposit .. Rs.300/- by D.D. only in favour of Accounts Officer, Film & Television Institute of India, Pune – 4.

Application duly filled in in the prescribed format alongwith fee of Rs.200/- (Rupees two hundred only) to be remitted by Crossed Demand Draft payable to Administrative Officer, NFAI, Pune. The Director, National Film Archive of India, Law College Road, Pune – 411 004 N.B.

- Applications received after the last date and not in the prescribed format are liable to be rejected. Applicants are advised to send the forms by speed post OR by courier service in their own interest. 1. The prescribed format of the application is also available on http://www.nfaipune .gov.in 2.Applications received after the last date and not in the prescribed format are liable to be rejected. Applicants are advised to send the forms by speed post OR by courier service in their own interest.

 

Angels and Demons

 

The Catholic Church in India has demanded a ban on the release of a film based on Dan Brown’s bestseller “Angels and Demons”, alleging that it was an attempt to malign the Christian faith.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), the apex body of Catholic Church in the country, also warned that the film’s “unqualified” release in the country can cause “disquiet” within the community and it is “disturbed” at this.

“We ask for banning of the controversial film in India where Christianity is still in the process of being understood by large section of society,” Stanislaus Fernandes, Secretary General of CBCI, said in a letter to Censor Board Chairperson Sharmila Tagore.

“To present the Holy Bible and its sacred messages in a distorted manner is an insult to Christianity and its followers, not only in India but also all over the world,” he said. The film will be released in the country on May 15.

Mr. Fernandes said the CBCI was “disturbed” as the film “attempts to malign Christians and their faith through deliberate distortion of facts”.

“Angels and Demons” is a mystery-thriller which revolves around the quest of fictional Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon to unravel the mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati and to prevent a plot from annihilating Vatican City.

 

Write it Right-Learn from Kamal

Chennai International Screenwriting Workshop

Tamil Superstar Kamal Hassan is organizing a Screen-Play writing Work Shop with IIT, Madras. Details below.

Do you want to be one of the chosen 250 to attend a week-long master class by some of the best screenwriting teachers in the country? Kamal Haasan, in association with Indian Institute of Technology, Madras presents a first-of-its-kind international workshop and seminar on screenwriting in South India. “It’s a strictly instructional event. Basic education is compulsory and candidates need to demonstrate their seriousness to get selected,” says the writer-filmmaker-actor.

The Chennai International Screenwriting Workshop to be held at the IIT-M campus in between May 29 to June 3, 2009 will feature a few of the best screenwriters and filmmakers from around the world.

Veteran writer Jean Claude Carrier has confirmed his participation via video conference. Mr. Kamal Haasan himself will join the discussions and don the role of faculty during the workshop and seminar. The screenwriting workshop will be conducted by K.Hariharan, Director of the L.V. Prasad Film and TV Academy, Anjum Raja Bali, Professional screenwriter and head of departments of screenwriting at Film and TV Institute, Pune and Whistling Woods, Mumbai and Atul Tiwari, Professional screenwriter and well known playwright.

“We will be approaching screenwriting from two angles,” says Mr.Hariharan. “How to turn words into images that you see on screen and also how to do the opposite – putting in words what you see as images in your mind. Every day, we will have two sessions of guest lectures by reputed writer-filmmakers from the industry.”

 

Why not to ban Angels and Demons

The Angels and demons -silver screen adaptation of  Dan Brown novel by the same name, is all set to release on mid may. But it has already stirred the controversy with  Christian leaders in India demanding a ban on the films release in India.

Magic carpet had carried a post on the controversy and Tina  has commented why she feels Angels and demons should not be banned.

TINA:

Hello carpet, Just saw the article title and was curious, since I have read the novel atleast 5 times!! This is another case of a book misunderstood, just because it revolves around a pope and few characters from Vatican.No one who saw the last Dan Brown novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’ brought on silverscreen by Ron Howard, will say that it was blasphemous.

Infact, it brought Jesus Christ closer to our hearts. In the discussed novel too several lesser known papal rituals have been described with simplicity and care that can be attributed to good faith and understanding.

 

RELEASING IN THEATRES ON 24th APRIL

1. OUT OF BOUNDS

Bangalore : PVR Forum Mall – 12, 4.15 & 8.30 pm

Out Of Bounds (2007)
Genre : Drama | Original Language : Italian | Country : Italy,
Switzerland

Directed by : Fulvio Bernasconi

Synopsis
Out Of Bounds follows a young man into the bloody, lawless world of
illegal fight clubs, where the rules are simple – fight or die.
Mike, a young boxer from Trieste, dreams of making a career as a professional boxer. He moves to Hamburg to make it to the big time, but returns home a failed champion to his sister Anna, who has long shared his dreams of success. Orphaned in their teens, Anna has sacrificed her own happiness to chase Mike’s dream.

In Trieste, Mike returns to his old trainer, but the fighting engagements are slow to come. Increasingly frustrated and desperate for money, Mike is tempted by the world of underground fights. The bets and the risks are huge, but the returns could mean a better life for Mike and his sister.
Initially, Mike enjoys the fast money and violent brawls, but he slowly
becomes disillusioned with the barbaric world of grubby illegal
fighting. Trying to escape proves be harder than he expected, and the
temptation of one last fight might just be too great.
Fulvio Bernasconi’s gritty debut feature won the Best Actor Award and
was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the 2007 Locarno International Film Festival.

2. 2 DAYS IN PARIS

Kolkata – Nandan – 2 pm, 4 pm, 6 pm

2 Days in Paris (2007)
Genre : Comedy, Romance | Original Language : English, French | Country
: France, Germany

Directed by : Julie Delpy
Screenplay : Julie Delpy
Cinematographer : Lubomir Bakchev
Editor : Julie Delpy
Producers/ Co- Producers : Christophe Mazodier, Thierry Potok, Julie
Delpy, Ulf Israel, Werner Wirsing, Nikolaus Lohmann, Tilo Seiffert

 

Cinefan – call for entries

 

May I touch your moustache please?

That’s what movie legend Rajkumar asked brigand Veerappan at the end of 108 days in captivity, reveals a documentary by Maya Chandra
When India’s most famous dacoit Veerappan decided to release Karnataka’s biggest movie icon Rajkumar from captivity, he asked him if he had any last wish.

Rajkumar gave him a reply that left him gaping in disbelief: “Could I touch your moustache please?”

That is among the many delightful bits of trivia you will find in Maya Chandra’s documentary Dr Rajkumar, Our Annavaru, screened at Badami House on Saturday.

Among those who spoke about the film were Rajkumar’s son Raghavendra, who recalled more endearing things about his legendary father.

When he asked Rajkumar if wild beasts had troubled him in the dense forests, he got this disarming answer, “We humans are the biggest beasts, child! I wasn’t in the least troubled by any animal.”

Raghavendra said Rajkumar was always ready to share his joy, but would keep his pain to himself. He resisted surgery, saying, “This body is like a car. You meddle with it here and something goes wrong there!”

In the last 30 days of his life, he got up early, walked around energetically despite chronic pain in his knee, and went about his day as if he were at the peak of his acting career. He was then 72. “I want you to remember me that way,” he told his family, and went and slept in the drawing room. He would often shun comforts, such as an air-conditioned room, Raghavendra told the audience of writers,

 

AIFF – Call For Entries

Ahmedabad is bringing home its own red carpet. To know that it will be rolled out to the works of the likes of Federico Fellini, Louis Malle and Fatih Akin along with the current top notches of the celluloid is a remarkable feat achieved in pinning the city to the world cinema map. With the city being home to several globally acknowledged artists, filmmakers, photographers and creative minds being prepared by the renowned institutes of learning, the Ahmedabad International Film Festival 2009 will give a panoramic view of the world’s best in cinema.

Vision

“Facilitate dialogue between cultures and nations through cinema, making the Ahmedabad International Film Festival a melting pot of global ideas and ideologies, at the same time providing a platform to showcase Indian and international talent in storytelling.”
We are ambitious about our foray into cinema and have worked dedicatedly for the past two years to tab the market for short films and in return find an audience for new filmmakers. We aim at making this festival an annual feature in Ahmedabad on the lines of the festivals held in various cities world over.

PRIZES AT AHMEDABAD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Best Film of the Festival:5000 USD

Best Fictional / Live Action Short Film :3000 USD

Best Documentary Short Film :2000 USD

Technical Awards

Best Screenwriting,Best Motion Picture Photography,Best Editing,Best Sound Design

Submission Deadline: May 20, 200

For Details visit:http://aifilmfest.com/

 

RED WORKSHOPS

Date and Time: Thursday, May 14, 7pm to 10pm

and

Saturday, May 16th from 10am to 5pm (with lunch break)

The Red is capable of shooting in so-called 4K mode, which is approximately five times the resolution of high definition video. The Red is a tapeless system that writes the image media to a portable hard drive. CSV rents its Red package with batteries, matte box and 18 -50 zoom lens included.

he RED Camera workshop will cover the set-up and operation of the RED camera and post-production workflow strategies. Members (including LIFT members): $50 plus GST Non-Members: $100 plus GST RED POST PRODUCTION WORKSHOP Saturday, May 23 from 10am to 5pm This RED workshop will cover the file types and system used by the RED camera and possible workflows with Final Cut Pro and Color.

There are many workflow possibilities depending on the final delivery format required. This course will cover ingesting and transcoding footage and the differences between Color and FCP as it relates to RED workflow. Participants will be introduced to the Log and Transfer plugin for Final cut Pro, RED plugins, software and editing settings and managing RAW and metadata information. Apple Color has added native RED file support, making the transition and color correction process much more efficient. This means that it is now possible to go from Final Cut Pro to Color, and access the full color space and resolution of the 4K files for final color grading.

Members: $110 plus GST

Non-Members: $165 plus GST

Call the office to book Workshops:

Charles Street Video 65

Bellwoods Avenue Toronto,

Ontario M6J 3N4

WEB: www.charlesstreetvi deo.com

Phone: 416-603-6564

Please note that we will only make a booking once you have paid the workshop fee. The workshop is mandatory if you want to rent this camera.

 

Jnanapravaha-Film Screenings

Screening of films by
Soudhamini, Filmmaker and Installation Artist
Monday, May 11th and 12th.

At May 11th 2009

at 6:30 pm :Pitru Chayya (1991)
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

at 6:30 pm:Saga of a Poet (2001)
Meditations on the Tiger (2006)
(Screenings will be followed by discussions with the Filmmaker)
in
Jnanapravaha,

3rd Floor, Queens Mansion, G. Talwatkar Marg, Fort

(Next to Cathedral and John Connon Middle School)
RSVP: programs@asiasociety.org.in / +91-22-6615-4103

Film Details
Pitru Chayya – Shadows of our Forefathers
100 minutes; Tamil with English subtitles; 1991
This film was made after carnatic singer M.D. Ramanathan’s death, and features interviews with his family, friends, colleagues and students. It also showcases those who never knew him, claim to know nothing at all about music, and represent the ‘dominant sensibility’ within which he lived and sang. The music washes over them too, drawing them into its ever expanding sweep.

Saga of a Poet
62 minutes; Tamil with English subtitles; 2001
Many years after the death of poet Subramania Bharathi (1882-1921), the words and images he conjured up continue to inspire generations of artists. Cinema, dance, painting, music, theatre, literature all resonate with his vision. This film explores how the public and private lives of men, women and children are shaped indelibly by his ideals.

Meditations on the Tiger
18 minutes; English and German; 2006
Stepping out from the security of her home, a young woman begins a ride on the S-Bahn. A tiger paces inside and outside his cage. Outside the S-Bahn window there is endless green and plentiful water. Soudhamini engages with the works of poet and writer Rose Auslander, and painter Franz Marc in this 3-screen installation.

About Soudamini
Soudhamini lives and works in Chennai. She graduated from FTII, Pune, with a specialization in Film Direction, and read English Literature in Stella Maris, Madras University, for her Masters. Her films include Thalarndhadhu – It Rested (1988), Pitru Chayya (1990), Saga of a Poet (2000), Meditations on the Tiger (2006) and Vettaikkoru Magan – A Son for Hunting (2008). Soudhamini has officiated in film festival selection committees and international juries, and is visiting faculty at FTII. She is currently working on a feature length installation video titled Solo.
To learn about upcoming Asia Society India Centre events, please visit www.asiasociety.org/visit/mumbai

 

Workshop on Modern art form and Tribal world

Ranchi Film Club organises a Workshop

on Modern art form and Tribal world

by Mahadev Toppo

on 3rd May 2009 at 2.30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Venue-International Library and Cultural Center, near Sujata Cinema, Club Road, Ranchi

The main theme of workshop is, how tribal world has been portrayed in various art forms, and how the meaning would be changed when the subject itself becomes the author of the art and the art form, as for instance the great documentary master piece ‘Nanook of the North’- what if Nanook would have done this film by himself…. ? Now Dalit and tribal literature are emerging very forcefully challenging the casteist and racist paradigm. Thanks to contradiction in capitalism in the age of globalization at least— digital technology is some how available to common people.

 

Summer Film Festival-2009

Date: 6-8 May 2009; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Venue: The American College, Madurai

Inauguration
6 May 2009; 10 a.m.

Chief Guest: P.Varthini
Little’s Children Centre, Madurai

Inaugural film: “Nee Yaar”
A documentary film on Tamil writer Sundara Ramasamy
Tamil/English
Directed by R.V.Ramani
Director will take part in the discussion following the screening

 

Artivist Film Festival – Merging Art & Activism

Time:Oct. 8-11, 2009

Location:Los Angeles, United States

DEADLINES & PRICES

200 9-04-01: Earlybird Deadline:

$30:Standard fee

2009-05-01: Regular Deadline

$35:Standard fee

2009-06-01: Late Deadline

$45:Standard fee

$40:Premium WAB Members

2009-07-01: Withoutabox Extended Deadline

$60:Standard fee

$45:Premium WAB MembersCATEGORIES

International Human Rights

 

IDPA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 2008

Enter Your Films For IDPA-ONGC AWARD FOR BEST FILM ON ENVIRONMENT (a part of Annual IDPA Awards) ELIGIBILITY & RULES
1. Any film or video produced in India between 1st July 2007 and 30th April 2009, of any format or length unless otherwise specified is eligible for entry. Entries to the Director’s Showcase must have been produced in India anytime after the 1st of July 2007. There is no cut-off date for this category.

 2. The last date for receipt of entries is 15th April 2009. Late entries will be accepted up to 08-05-2009

on payment of a late fee .

3. Entries are to be submitted on DVD, in PAL or NTSC format. Multiple films may be submitted on a single DVD, as long as a clear cue sheet is submitted with each disc. All films must be subtitled in English or have an English narration or dialogue.

4. Entries in the Cell Stories category must be wholly comprised of material acquired on a mobile phone camera. The finished film may be submitted on CD in wmv, mov or wav formats.

5. Each entry will require a separate entry form. A single entry may be submitted under several categories of competition within a single entry form. Consolidated entry fees for all entries may be submitted in a single cheque or demand draft.

6. The responsibility for completion of the entry form rests with the entrant. IDPA will accept
all details as attested by the entrant as final. Falsification of details could lead to the
disqualification of the entry.

7. Each entry will be accompanied by the following, which will not be returned:
• DVD of entry
• 200-word synopsis of the film
• Two stills from the film
• Photograph of Director of the film
• 100-word bio-filmography of the Director
• Cheque or demand draft

8. Juries appointed by the Indian Documentary Producers Association will judge each category of the IDPA Awards. The decision of each jury shall be final and binding on all entrants. The results of the IDPA Awards 2008 will be announced and awards conferred at a public function in the first week of June 2009.

9. Entry forms to the IDPA Awards as well as membership forms may be downloaded from
www.idpaindia.org

Schedule of Entry Fees for the IDPA Awards 2008: To be submitted by Cash / Cheque / Demand Draft in favour of Indian Documentary Producers Association. Entry fees once accepted will not be refunded under any circumstances.

Final Extension
Last Date 08-05-2009

 

Breaking The Silence – Truth and Lies in the War on Terror

 John Pilger dissects the truth and lies in the ‘war on terror’. Award-winning journalist John Pilger investigates the discrepancies between American and British claims for the ‘war on terror’ and the facts on the ground as he finds them in Afghanistan and Washington, DC. In 2001, as the bombs began to drop, George W. Bush promised Afghanistan “the generosity of America and its allies”. Now, the familiar old warlords are regaining power, religious fundamentalism is renewing its grip and military skirmishes continue routinely. In “liberated” Afghanistan, America has its military base and pipeline access, while the people have the warlords who are, says one woman, “in many ways worse than the Taliban”. In Washington, Pilger conducts a series of remarkable interviews with William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, and leading Administration officials such as Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and John Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. These people, and the other architects of the Project for the New American Century, were dismissed as ‘the crazies’ by the first Bush Administration in the early 90s when they first presented their ideas for pre-emptive strikes and world domination.

 

The other song

Film: The Other Song
Length: 120 minutes
Director: Saba Dewan
Supported by: India Foundation for the Arts, and HIVOSThe politics of popular culture


By reconstructing the life of Rasoolan Bai, well-known tawaif and thumri singer from Varanasi, The Other Song illustrates how romance and physicality were obliterated from culture.   The Other Song documents the decline of tawaifs and their cultural practices, in north India. Tawaifs were singers and dancers known for their artistry, talent, grace and finesse. The tawaif was also a courtesan, typically associated with a wealthy patron who invariably
had his own ‘respectable’ wife and family.

The film focuses on Rasoolan Bai, well-known tawaif and thumri singer from Varanasi. It explores a range of issues relevant to the politics of popular culture, female sexuality, and the growth of communalism.

Rasoolan Bai was born in 1902 and grew up at a time when the tawaif tradition was flourishing in north India. The film journeys through Varanasi, Lucknow and Muzaffarpur searching for memories of this dying tradition. Dewan pursues clues on Rasoolan Bai and other well-known singers of yesteryear, meets a few surviving singers, and puts together the pieces to build up a fairly complex historical account.

The filmmaker zeroes in on two versions of a thumri sung by Rasoolan Bai. The first version, hardly known today (although in 1935, Rasoolan Bai recorded it on gramophone) goes: Laagat jobanwa mein chot, phool gendwa na maar (my breasts are wounded, don’t throw flowers at me); the second version, extremely well-known, replaces jobanwa with the word karejwa (heart). This is no innocent replacement. As the film indicates, it is part of an effort to ‘sanitise’ culture, to obliterate sexually explicit messages, and thus, symbolically, purify the arts. In the process, the enigmatic figure of the tawaif is also virtually obliterated.

This figure was hardly palatable to nationalist leaders fighting for the motherland — represented as pure, self-sacrificing and contained within patriarchy. We visit a hall where tawaifs regularly performed, converted since many decades into a temple. Still a site for music, it is religious music now, devoid of any hint of romance or physicality. When tawaifs offered to contribute to the nationalist movement, their contributions were rejected, even by Gandhi. Communal leaders went further, condemning tawaifs along with a rejection of the Urdu language.

Repression of the tawaif and her full-blooded thumris is part of the wave of Hinduisation that sought to control popular culture, wipe out plural cultural traditions and institutionalise the moral policing of female sexuality.

In the early-20th century, Bhatkande, Paluskar and others documented the canons of ‘classical’ music — acting as powerful gatekeepers who admitted Hindi and Sanskrit and kept out Urdu. They helped set the musical standards, subtly linking these to sexual ‘morality’ and ‘respectability’. Tawaifs and their music were considered immoral.
After 1947, puritans got the tawaifs’ quarters closed down. Many, including Rasoolan Bai, were rendered homeless.

Rasoolan Bai ‘married’ a dealer in Benarasi silk saris named Suleiman, and they had a son called Wazir. Both Suleiman and Wazir left for Pakistan, while Rasoolan Bai fled to Ahmedabad. Later she returned to Uttar Pradesh, settling in Allahabad where she lived in penury, managing a small stall near the All India Radio (AIR) building. A photograph of her was up in the AIR hall, along with several well-known singers. Sometimes she would be invited to sing. Once,
looking at the pictures of female singers, she remarked: “They are all devis; I am the last bai left!” (bai symbolises the status of a courtesan, the non-respectability of a single woman who sings and dances for a living — a status the Indian cultural mandarins had, by now, successfully repressed). 

The film introduces viewers to a number of living thumri singers. Saira Begum and her elder sister Rani Begum have an extensive repertoire and beautiful voices, yet are barely able to survive as professional singers. While Rani stopped performing 30 years ago, Saira still performs but is not considered respectable enough by AIR or Doordarshan — though experts acknowledge the depth and finesse of her singing. She sings at a concert or two, and teaches a few select
students. Saira ‘married’ a wealthy businessman, but after he died she was left penniless. She brought up her son and three daughters, educating them and teaching them simple trades such as stitching. Two daughters are married, the youngest engaged: she says she loves her mother’s singing but never learnt it; nor did the others. Whatever remains of the tawaif’s musical lineage will die out within a generation or two.

The filmmaker’s own voice is present throughout the film — candid, anguished, angry, and analytical. Yet, at several points, the viewer is left dissatisfied — perhaps because so many issues are taken up that they cannot be dealt with in sufficient detail or depth. Tighter editing would have helped make the links clearer and more explicit. All the same, this is an important film with enormous archival value.

By Deepti Priya Mehrotra

 

Mysteries of Asia: Lost Temples of India | Top Documentary Films

Mysteries of Asia: Lost Temples of India | Top Documentary Films

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A must watch film

Sara Dar Dah Daghighe-h (Sara in 10 minutes): a must watch film from Iran

In search of happiness, Sara immerses herself in her imagination. She is a fourteen-year- old girl who has lived in an orphanage since birth. She doesn’t know anything about her past or her real identity. An extract of the colorful images from her dreams.

“a heart touching film by one of the most promising young Iranian female filmmaker Sadaf Foroughi”

click to watch free online in “Green Unplugged” online film festival:

 

The speed of Light

La velocita Della Luce,Italy/2008/HD/colour/90’/Italian

A hypochondriac car thief, a hypnotic and ambiguous surgeon and a young , mean and incompetent telephone operator make up this noir story set between Italy and Switzerland, which enters the gary areas of the human soul. The operator falls in love with the voice of the car thief who “works” on a highway inhabited by a modern ghost, personified by the ambiguous and melancholy surgeon traveling in a luxurious  black Bentley. Architects of their destinies and troubles, the hunters and the prey seek each other out, swap roles and find one another.

A crime film veined with icy humour, where the lead characters, trailed by what haunts them, are the architects and not the victims of their fate. All three enter the dead-end tunnel of an ambiguous triangle, suspended between the innocent and the erotic, and are ultimately drawn into a mortal trap.

Direction: Andrea papini

Producers: Ferdinanando vicentini orgnani, sandro Frezza, Sergio Bernardi

Screenplay: Andrea papini, Gualtiero Rosella

Cinematography: Benjmin Nathaniel Minot

Editing: Maurizio Baglivo

Music: susanna stivali, Fabrizio Bondi

Cast: Patrick Bauchau, Pepino Mazzotta, Beatrice orlandini

Awards/Festival

Shanghai International Film Festival, 2008

Noir in Festival, 2007

Director of institutional movies, documentaries, short films and commercials, Andrea papini has written for the theater Caveau. The speed of Light was written in collaboration with the screenwriter Gualtiero Rosella.