Hotel Salvation (Mukti Bhawan), directed by Shubhashish Bhutiani, which has already won ten Indian and international film awards, has been acquired for the UK by BFI Distribution.
The film won the Prix Enrico Fulchignoni at last year’s Venice Film Festival – an award given by the International Council of Film and Television at Unesco to the Venice film that best represents the values of peace and human rights. Last weekend it won Best Film at the New York Indian Film Festival. Hotel Salvation is now a strong contender to be India’s Academy Award entry in 2018.
This gentle and tender Indian comedy follows the ordeal of an over-worked modern son forced to accompany his 77-year-old father, who is in search of salvation, to the holy city of Varanasi. The film showcases bravura performances from renowned actors Adil Hussain (Life of Pi), Lalit Behl (Titli) and Geetanjali Kulkarni (Court).
The film...
The film won the Prix Enrico Fulchignoni at last year’s Venice Film Festival – an award given by the International Council of Film and Television at Unesco to the Venice film that best represents the values of peace and human rights. Last weekend it won Best Film at the New York Indian Film Festival. Hotel Salvation is now a strong contender to be India’s Academy Award entry in 2018.
This gentle and tender Indian comedy follows the ordeal of an over-worked modern son forced to accompany his 77-year-old father, who is in search of salvation, to the holy city of Varanasi. The film showcases bravura performances from renowned actors Adil Hussain (Life of Pi), Lalit Behl (Titli) and Geetanjali Kulkarni (Court).
The film...
- 13/05/2017
- di Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
It’s over but it opened L.A.’s newest spring season of unlimited international film screenings all over the city throughout the month of April and into Cannes.
The 15th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) opened with “Lipstick Under My Burkha” and its impressive ensemble cast of Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur in a dramatic, but irreverent and vibrant film about women and faith. The film premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival 2016 and has been lighting up the festival circuit, including just winning the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival. Director Alankrita Shrivastava is confirmed to attend and additional talent to be confirmed.
“Lipstick Under My Burkha”
Iffla concluded on April 9 with a red carpet and gala that featured the Los Angeles premiere of Shubhashish Bhutiani’s “Hotel Salvation” starring Adil Hussain who was in attendance, as well as the...
The 15th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) opened with “Lipstick Under My Burkha” and its impressive ensemble cast of Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur in a dramatic, but irreverent and vibrant film about women and faith. The film premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival 2016 and has been lighting up the festival circuit, including just winning the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival. Director Alankrita Shrivastava is confirmed to attend and additional talent to be confirmed.
“Lipstick Under My Burkha”
Iffla concluded on April 9 with a red carpet and gala that featured the Los Angeles premiere of Shubhashish Bhutiani’s “Hotel Salvation” starring Adil Hussain who was in attendance, as well as the...
- 21/04/2017
- di Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha will open the 15th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, which will be held April 5-9 at the Regal L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.
Lipstick, which stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur, is a drama about women and faith that premiered at last year’s Tokyo Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Hotel Salvation will screen as the closing night film. The director’s short film Kush won Iffla’s Audience Award in 2014.
The festival, which showcases Indian cinema, is being...
Lipstick, which stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur, is a drama about women and faith that premiered at last year’s Tokyo Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Hotel Salvation will screen as the closing night film. The director’s short film Kush won Iffla’s Audience Award in 2014.
The festival, which showcases Indian cinema, is being...
- 07/03/2017
- di Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While news of some big studios shutting shop for local productions may be creating frown lines for the film industry, there’s a completely different breed of young Indie filmmakers who seem to have cracked a different code to circumvent these cash crunches. In their own search and struggle to work against the budgeting odds involved in movie-making, these young guns are redefining the Indian film business like never before. And one of the most promising names from this growing tribe is the 25-year-old National Award winning director Shubhashish Bhutiani, whose debut feature film ‘Mukti Bhawan’ (‘Hotel Salvation’) is all set for a world premiere at the upcoming International Venice Film Festival. Interestingly though this Indie film is rooted in India and at its core a story which is extremely universal in appeal.
Having earned a National Award, besides a spot in the race for the Oscars with his very...
Having earned a National Award, besides a spot in the race for the Oscars with his very...
- 14/09/2016
- di Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Unesco jury has awarded the XXIIIrd prix “Enrico Fulchignoni” to Shubhashish Bhutiani for his movie Hotel Salvation (Mukti Bhawan).
Jury’s motivation : “For the values finely expressed on the importance of family, time passed together in respect and with love, and those values of human rights which we all share.
The maturity and depth of emotions and cinematic vocabulary used to display these belie the young age of the director, and we look forward to seeing many more of his films in the future.
Hotel Salvation is part of the Biennale College – Cinema program at the Venice Film Festival which gives support since 2012 to the young filmmakers to bring their vision to the big screen and in this case the effort has borne marvelous fruit. ”
Cict-Unesco Jury was composed by : Jasmina Boijc (founder and director Unaff, Stanford University), Pierpaolo Saporito (President of Occam, the Un Observatory on Cultural Communication and v.
Jury’s motivation : “For the values finely expressed on the importance of family, time passed together in respect and with love, and those values of human rights which we all share.
The maturity and depth of emotions and cinematic vocabulary used to display these belie the young age of the director, and we look forward to seeing many more of his films in the future.
Hotel Salvation is part of the Biennale College – Cinema program at the Venice Film Festival which gives support since 2012 to the young filmmakers to bring their vision to the big screen and in this case the effort has borne marvelous fruit. ”
Cict-Unesco Jury was composed by : Jasmina Boijc (founder and director Unaff, Stanford University), Pierpaolo Saporito (President of Occam, the Un Observatory on Cultural Communication and v.
- 11/09/2016
- di Maria S
- Bollyspice
Busan International Film Festival (Biff) has announced 22 projects to receive Asian Cinema Fund support this year, including Park Kyoung Tae’s Ne Me Quitte Pas and Venice Biennale College project Hotel Salvation.
“Although this year’s number of submissions went down, in comparison, we had a lot of good documentary projects from Korea. We also have our first project from Bhutan selected for post-production support,” said Acf director Hong Hyosook.
Park previously co-directed, with Kim Dong-ryeong, the documentary Tour Of Duty, also an earlier Acf recipient that went on to win the Jury’s Special Prize at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in 2013.
Continuing his exploration of filmmaking through collaboration with women working around Us military bases in Korea, Ne Me Quitte Pas delves into the past while looking into the disappearance of a prostitute who in 1972 wrote a bestseller about her life and loves around an army base.
Post-production Fund[p...
“Although this year’s number of submissions went down, in comparison, we had a lot of good documentary projects from Korea. We also have our first project from Bhutan selected for post-production support,” said Acf director Hong Hyosook.
Park previously co-directed, with Kim Dong-ryeong, the documentary Tour Of Duty, also an earlier Acf recipient that went on to win the Jury’s Special Prize at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in 2013.
Continuing his exploration of filmmaking through collaboration with women working around Us military bases in Korea, Ne Me Quitte Pas delves into the past while looking into the disappearance of a prostitute who in 1972 wrote a bestseller about her life and loves around an army base.
Post-production Fund[p...
- 17/08/2016
- di hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Oscar winning director Jeffrey D Brown’s hard-hitting child trafficking drama Sold, executive produced by Emma Thompson and starring Gillian Anderson, which opened the 5th edition of the London Indian Film Festival (July 10-17), has won the festival’s Pure Heaven audience award.
Jeffrey D Brown said, “It’s really amazing. I hadn’t really anticipated this at all. I’m really grateful, humbled and speechless. I really hope this galvanises more people to see the film so that we can help the kids who’ve been through this ordeal and we can end this travesty around the globe.” Brown and producer Jane Charles are in advanced discussions with distributors with a view to securing a global release for Sold in early 2015.
The runner up for the audience award was Samruddhi Porey’s Hemalkasa, the festival’s closing night film starring Indian cinema icon Nana Patekar. The film is a...
Jeffrey D Brown said, “It’s really amazing. I hadn’t really anticipated this at all. I’m really grateful, humbled and speechless. I really hope this galvanises more people to see the film so that we can help the kids who’ve been through this ordeal and we can end this travesty around the globe.” Brown and producer Jane Charles are in advanced discussions with distributors with a view to securing a global release for Sold in early 2015.
The runner up for the audience award was Samruddhi Porey’s Hemalkasa, the festival’s closing night film starring Indian cinema icon Nana Patekar. The film is a...
- 18/07/2014
- di Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
The festival’s Short Film Competition winner was Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush.
Jeffrey D Brown’s child trafficking drama Sold, starring Gillian Anderson, has won the London Indian Film Festival’s Pure Heaven audience award.
The film, which centres around a young Nepali girl’s struggle for survival after being sold into prostitution, opened the 5th edition of the London Indian Film Festival, which ran July 10-17. It is executive produced by Emma Thompson.
The runner up for the audience award was Samruddhi Porey’s Hemalkasa, the festival’s closing night film starring Indian cinema icon Nana Patekar.
The festival’s Satyajit Ray Foundation Short Film Competition was won by Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush. The award carries a cash prize of £1000.
Festival director Cary Sawhney said: “We’ve grown by at least 30% this year and we’re getting global films! We’ve got Hollywood films in the festivals, Indian films, British films, Bangladeshi...
Jeffrey D Brown’s child trafficking drama Sold, starring Gillian Anderson, has won the London Indian Film Festival’s Pure Heaven audience award.
The film, which centres around a young Nepali girl’s struggle for survival after being sold into prostitution, opened the 5th edition of the London Indian Film Festival, which ran July 10-17. It is executive produced by Emma Thompson.
The runner up for the audience award was Samruddhi Porey’s Hemalkasa, the festival’s closing night film starring Indian cinema icon Nana Patekar.
The festival’s Satyajit Ray Foundation Short Film Competition was won by Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush. The award carries a cash prize of £1000.
Festival director Cary Sawhney said: “We’ve grown by at least 30% this year and we’re getting global films! We’ve got Hollywood films in the festivals, Indian films, British films, Bangladeshi...
- 18/07/2014
- di sarah.cooper@screendaily.com (Sarah Cooper)
- ScreenDaily
Yatao Li’s Chinese entry Carry On won the Best Of Festival Award, while Aneta Kopacz’s Joanna from Poland prevailed in the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Grand Jury Award.
Timothy Yeung’s 90 Days took the Panavision Best North American Short honours.
The festival ran from June 17-23 and screened 330 films from more than 3,000 submissions. Organisers handed out more than $115,000 in prizes, including $21,000 in cash awards, in 21 categories.
“The 2014 Palm Springs ShortFest far surpassed all of our expectations,” said festival director Kathleen McInnis (pictured at the Australian reception). “Our audience, filmmaker and industry attendance all soared, as did the striking talent we were able to showcase during our 20th anniversary year.
“Well over 800 filmmaker and industry guests made our Filmmaker Forums one of the most dynamic we have ever had, and most of the screenings had all filmmakers in attendance — a great bonus for our audience who love their Q&A sessions. Filmmakers brought...
Timothy Yeung’s 90 Days took the Panavision Best North American Short honours.
The festival ran from June 17-23 and screened 330 films from more than 3,000 submissions. Organisers handed out more than $115,000 in prizes, including $21,000 in cash awards, in 21 categories.
“The 2014 Palm Springs ShortFest far surpassed all of our expectations,” said festival director Kathleen McInnis (pictured at the Australian reception). “Our audience, filmmaker and industry attendance all soared, as did the striking talent we were able to showcase during our 20th anniversary year.
“Well over 800 filmmaker and industry guests made our Filmmaker Forums one of the most dynamic we have ever had, and most of the screenings had all filmmakers in attendance — a great bonus for our audience who love their Q&A sessions. Filmmakers brought...
- 23/06/2014
- di jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Independent films swept the 61st National Film awards in all the major categories. Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus was named the Best Feature Film.
The award for Best Director went to Hansal Mehta for Shahid. Shahid also won Rajkummar Rao the award for Best Actor which he shares with Suraj Venjaramoodu for Malayalam-film Perariyathavar.
The National Award for Best Actress went to Geetanjali Thapa for Liar’s Dice. The film also won the Best Cinematography award for Rajeev Ravi.
Fandry won the award for Best Debut Film of a Director. The award for Best Child Actor went to Somnath Avghade for Fandry which he shares with Sadhana for Tamil film Thanga Meengal.
The National award for Best Production Design went to Ashim Ahluwalia, Tabsheer Zutshi and Parichit Paralkar for Miss Lovely. The film also won the Special Jury award.
Best Children’s Film went to Batul Mukhtiyar’s Kaphal.
The award for Best Director went to Hansal Mehta for Shahid. Shahid also won Rajkummar Rao the award for Best Actor which he shares with Suraj Venjaramoodu for Malayalam-film Perariyathavar.
The National Award for Best Actress went to Geetanjali Thapa for Liar’s Dice. The film also won the Best Cinematography award for Rajeev Ravi.
Fandry won the award for Best Debut Film of a Director. The award for Best Child Actor went to Somnath Avghade for Fandry which he shares with Sadhana for Tamil film Thanga Meengal.
The National award for Best Production Design went to Ashim Ahluwalia, Tabsheer Zutshi and Parichit Paralkar for Miss Lovely. The film also won the Special Jury award.
Best Children’s Film went to Batul Mukhtiyar’s Kaphal.
- 16/04/2014
- di NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
A still from Alchemy
Nagraj Manjule’s critically acclaimed film Fandry won the Jury Grand Prize for narrative feature film at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) 2014.
“It is an award for me that I am here in La, in the USA,” Manjule said in his acceptance speech.
Siddharth by Richie Mehta won the audience choice award in narrative feature category.
In the documentary category, Powerless (Katiyabaaz) by Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa won the Jury award and Pan Nalin’s Faith Connections won the Audience Choice award.
Alchemy, directed by Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat and Janmeet Singh, won the Jury Prize in the short film category while Kush by Shubhashish Bhutiani won the Audience Choice award.
The 12th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles was held from April 8-13, 2014.
Nagraj Manjule’s critically acclaimed film Fandry won the Jury Grand Prize for narrative feature film at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) 2014.
“It is an award for me that I am here in La, in the USA,” Manjule said in his acceptance speech.
Siddharth by Richie Mehta won the audience choice award in narrative feature category.
In the documentary category, Powerless (Katiyabaaz) by Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa won the Jury award and Pan Nalin’s Faith Connections won the Audience Choice award.
Alchemy, directed by Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat and Janmeet Singh, won the Jury Prize in the short film category while Kush by Shubhashish Bhutiani won the Audience Choice award.
The 12th Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles was held from April 8-13, 2014.
- 14/04/2014
- di NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
This year the 12th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) includes a lineup of narrative and documentary features and short films. The impressive program reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema, as well as the future of Indian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers and emerging voices bringing their acclaimed films to Los Angeles.
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
- 08/04/2014
- di Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
A still from Kush
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush received honourable mention in the Best International Short Film award category at the Cleveland International Film Festival in the USA. Kush, based on the Sikhs riots of 1984, had earlier won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at Venice Film Festival and was long-listed for the Oscars. Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview here.
Arpita Kumar’s My Dear Americans has received honourable mention in Best Women’s Short Film Award category at the festival. A 7 minute short, the film revolves around a Sikh couple, new immigrants to the USA, who encounter racism on the fourth of July holiday.
An Indo-usa co-production of Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jesse Roesler, The Starfish Throwers, is one of the nine runners up for the Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film. The documentary chronicles three charitable people and the often extraordinary costs to themselves and their families.
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush received honourable mention in the Best International Short Film award category at the Cleveland International Film Festival in the USA. Kush, based on the Sikhs riots of 1984, had earlier won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at Venice Film Festival and was long-listed for the Oscars. Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview here.
Arpita Kumar’s My Dear Americans has received honourable mention in Best Women’s Short Film Award category at the festival. A 7 minute short, the film revolves around a Sikh couple, new immigrants to the USA, who encounter racism on the fourth of July holiday.
An Indo-usa co-production of Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jesse Roesler, The Starfish Throwers, is one of the nine runners up for the Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film. The documentary chronicles three charitable people and the often extraordinary costs to themselves and their families.
- 02/04/2014
- di NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
From April 8th to the 11th, Indian films will once again be showcased in the Us at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). In its 12th year, Iffla boasts an incredible lineup of fabulous films that reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema. Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani says, “I’m thrilled and proud that Iffla’s line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora.”
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
- 21/03/2014
- di Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
A still from Maryan
The 38th Cleveland International Film Festival will screen Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout, Bharatbala’s Maryan and Shubhashish Bhutiyani’s Kush. In addition, Shahzeb Kohari and Mirat Trivedi’s short film Life Calling and Arpita Kumar’s My Dear Americans will also be screened at the festival.
Cleveland International Film Festival will take place from March 19-30, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Kush, Life Calling and My Dear Americans will be screened in the Shorts Programme of the festival. Kush, based on the Sikhs riots of 1984, won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at Venice Film Festival and was long-listed for the Oscars. Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview here. The Taste is not the Same (USA) by Kavita Pillay, about an Indian-American couple in the Us, will also be screened in the same section.
Bharatbala’s Tamil-language film Maryan, featuring Tamil stars Dhanush and Parvathy, is...
The 38th Cleveland International Film Festival will screen Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout, Bharatbala’s Maryan and Shubhashish Bhutiyani’s Kush. In addition, Shahzeb Kohari and Mirat Trivedi’s short film Life Calling and Arpita Kumar’s My Dear Americans will also be screened at the festival.
Cleveland International Film Festival will take place from March 19-30, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Kush, Life Calling and My Dear Americans will be screened in the Shorts Programme of the festival. Kush, based on the Sikhs riots of 1984, won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at Venice Film Festival and was long-listed for the Oscars. Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview here. The Taste is not the Same (USA) by Kavita Pillay, about an Indian-American couple in the Us, will also be screened in the same section.
Bharatbala’s Tamil-language film Maryan, featuring Tamil stars Dhanush and Parvathy, is...
- 18/03/2014
- di NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
F inally, rounding up the year that has gone by, here goes our list of Top 10 Short Films of 2013 based on festival selections and popularity:
A still from Kush
Kush by Shubhashish Bhutiani
One of the long-listed live action shorts at the 86th Academy Awards, Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush, set during the 1984 riots post the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is a tale of a class of ten year olds and a teacher who takes up the task of protecting the only Sikh boy on the school bus. Bhutiani’s diploma film at the School of Visual Arts, New York, won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at the prestigious Venice Film Festival as well as the Grand Jury prize at the South Asian International Film Festival (Saiff).
Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview
Love.Love.Love by Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Ftii student Sandhya Daisy Sundaram, under the Cinetrain project,...
A still from Kush
Kush by Shubhashish Bhutiani
One of the long-listed live action shorts at the 86th Academy Awards, Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush, set during the 1984 riots post the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is a tale of a class of ten year olds and a teacher who takes up the task of protecting the only Sikh boy on the school bus. Bhutiani’s diploma film at the School of Visual Arts, New York, won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at the prestigious Venice Film Festival as well as the Grand Jury prize at the South Asian International Film Festival (Saiff).
Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview
Love.Love.Love by Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Ftii student Sandhya Daisy Sundaram, under the Cinetrain project,...
- 06/01/2014
- di Editorial Team
- DearCinema.com
Still from Siddharth
Richie Mehta’s Siddharth won the Grand Jury Prize at the South Asian International Film Festival (Saiff) which concluded in New York recently. Richie Mehta also won the Best Director Award.
“This intense, boundary-pushing art is representative of why we started this festival in the first place,” said South Asian International Film Festival founder Shilen Amin.
Kamal Km’s festival favourite I.D. took home the festival’s Jury Prize. [Read I.D. actor Geetanjali Thapa’s interview]
The Grand Jury Prize for Shorts was awarded to Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush. The film also won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at Venice Film Festival 2013 and is long-listed for the Academy awards.
Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview here.
Richie Mehta’s Siddharth won the Grand Jury Prize at the South Asian International Film Festival (Saiff) which concluded in New York recently. Richie Mehta also won the Best Director Award.
“This intense, boundary-pushing art is representative of why we started this festival in the first place,” said South Asian International Film Festival founder Shilen Amin.
Kamal Km’s festival favourite I.D. took home the festival’s Jury Prize. [Read I.D. actor Geetanjali Thapa’s interview]
The Grand Jury Prize for Shorts was awarded to Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush. The film also won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film at Venice Film Festival 2013 and is long-listed for the Academy awards.
Read Shubhashish Bhutiani’s interview here.
- 10/12/2013
- di NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout will open the 10th Annual South Asian International Film Festival which will be held from December 3-8, 2013.
Gyan Correa’s The Good Road, India’s official submission to the Oscars in the foreign-language category, will screen as the closing film.
Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar’s Good Morning Karachi will be screened as the Centerpiece film. The film addresses the tension between religious extremism and modernity through the eyes of a young woman, Rafina, coming of age in Karachi city.
Hammad Khan’s Anima State, Rajat Kapoor’s Ankhon Dekhi, Richie Mehta’s Siddharth, Kamal K.M.’s I.D and Anup Singh’s Qissa will compete in Feature Film Competition.
Rahul Desai’s Khoon Ltd, Shiva Shankka’s Outpost, Rodd Rathjen’s Tau Seru, Anand Tiwari’s Neighbours and Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush are the short films in competition.
The Spectrum section of the festival will...
Gyan Correa’s The Good Road, India’s official submission to the Oscars in the foreign-language category, will screen as the closing film.
Pakistani filmmaker Sabiha Sumar’s Good Morning Karachi will be screened as the Centerpiece film. The film addresses the tension between religious extremism and modernity through the eyes of a young woman, Rafina, coming of age in Karachi city.
Hammad Khan’s Anima State, Rajat Kapoor’s Ankhon Dekhi, Richie Mehta’s Siddharth, Kamal K.M.’s I.D and Anup Singh’s Qissa will compete in Feature Film Competition.
Rahul Desai’s Khoon Ltd, Shiva Shankka’s Outpost, Rodd Rathjen’s Tau Seru, Anand Tiwari’s Neighbours and Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush are the short films in competition.
The Spectrum section of the festival will...
- 03/12/2013
- di NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Best Live Action Short Film semi-finalists: Oscar 2014 (Tom Hollander and Martin Freeman in ‘The Voorman Problem’) Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 10 live action short films remained in the running for the 2014 Academy Awards. Among the semi-finalists, topics and characters include African child soldiers (That Wasn’t Me), a troubled Italian boy who refuses to take off a wrestler’s mask (Tiger Boy), romance and time travel (Sundance entry Record/Play, slated to become a feature), an abused Inuit wife (Throat Song), and a (possible) lunatic who believes he’s god (The Voorman Problem). One hundred and twenty shorts had originally qualified for the Best Live Action Short Film category. The 10 short films still in contention for the 2014 Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), Esteban Crespo,...
- 25/11/2013
- di Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
One of the most confounding things about following the non-marquee categories at the Oscars is that not every category operates by the same rules. For example they released the super long eligibility list for Best Documentary Feature but not the super long eligibility lists for the live action shorts. To further complicate matters, this doesn't seem to be the same strategy each year.
Tim recently shared the finalist list for Best Animated Short nominations and now we have the ten Live Action hopefuls from which Academy members will nominate three to five. I personally hate it when categories have a fluctuating amount of nominees. Commit AMPAS! There's no excuse for it really in short films since there are thousands made each year and certainly at least 5 of them would have to be great.
10 Finalists For Best Live Action Short
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me) Esteban Crespo (Producciones...
Tim recently shared the finalist list for Best Animated Short nominations and now we have the ten Live Action hopefuls from which Academy members will nominate three to five. I personally hate it when categories have a fluctuating amount of nominees. Commit AMPAS! There's no excuse for it really in short films since there are thousands made each year and certainly at least 5 of them would have to be great.
10 Finalists For Best Live Action Short
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me) Esteban Crespo (Producciones...
- 23/11/2013
- di NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Los Angeles, Nov 23: Indian film "Kush" by director Shubhashish Bhutiani has made its way to a list of 10 live action short films which will advance in the voting process for the 86th Academy Awards.
Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist.
"Kush" is one in 120 films which were originally qualified for the category from around the world, read a statement on the official website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Red Carpet Moving Pictures's project, set during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, is about a teacher.
Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist.
"Kush" is one in 120 films which were originally qualified for the category from around the world, read a statement on the official website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Red Carpet Moving Pictures's project, set during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, is about a teacher.
- 23/11/2013
- di Machan Kumar
- RealBollywood.com
Still from Kush
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush is one among the ten short live action films to be shortlisted for the 86thAcademy Awards. The list will be further reviewed and up to 5 films will be finally nominated for the Oscars. The final list of nominees will be announced on January 16, 2014.
Kush is based on the Sikhs riots of 1984 post the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. A class of ten year old students are returning from a field trip with their teacher. They take up the task to protect the only Sikh student in the class from the rioters. The film is produced by Red Carpet Moving Pictures, a company based in Mumbai, India.
Read interview with Shubhashish Bhutiani
Full list:
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)
Dir.: Esteban Crespo
Production Company: Producciones Africanauan
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)
Dir.
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush is one among the ten short live action films to be shortlisted for the 86thAcademy Awards. The list will be further reviewed and up to 5 films will be finally nominated for the Oscars. The final list of nominees will be announced on January 16, 2014.
Kush is based on the Sikhs riots of 1984 post the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. A class of ten year old students are returning from a field trip with their teacher. They take up the task to protect the only Sikh student in the class from the rioters. The film is produced by Red Carpet Moving Pictures, a company based in Mumbai, India.
Read interview with Shubhashish Bhutiani
Full list:
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)
Dir.: Esteban Crespo
Production Company: Producciones Africanauan
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)
Dir.
- 23/11/2013
- di Editorial Team
- DearCinema.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 86th Academy Awards. One hundred twenty pictures had originally qualified in the category.
The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me),” Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan)
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything),” Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions)
“Dva (Two),” Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch)
“Helium,” Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions)
“Kush,” Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) Trailer
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?),” Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films) Trailer
“Record/Play,” Jesse Atlas, director, and Thom Fennessey, executive producer (Collaboration Factory) Trailer
“Throat Song,...
The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me),” Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan)
“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything),” Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions)
“Dva (Two),” Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch)
“Helium,” Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions)
“Kush,” Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) Trailer
“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?),” Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films) Trailer
“Record/Play,” Jesse Atlas, director, and Thom Fennessey, executive producer (Collaboration Factory) Trailer
“Throat Song,...
- 23/11/2013
- di Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has whittled the contenders for the Best Live-Action Short Film Oscar category from 120 to 10. Noticeably absent from the list is Jonas Cuaron’s Aningaaq, which is a 7-minute companion piece to Gravity. Warner Bros. decided to submit Aningaaq for Oscar consideration after it received positive reviews at festival screenings, but apparently the Academy wasn’t as keen on the picture. Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch will now view the 10 finalists, with the final list of five nominees set to be announced along with the other Oscar nominees on January 16, 2014. Read the full list of the shortlisted films after the jump. Here’s the full press release: Beverly Hills, CA —The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 86th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty...
- 22/11/2013
- di Adam Chitwood
- Collider.com
Ten live-action short films have advanced to the will voting process for the 86th Academy Awards from a poll of 120 qualifiers.
The 10 films listed in alphabetical order are:
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), dir Esteban Crespo;
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything), dir Xavier Legrand;
Dva (Two), dir Mickey Nedimovic;
Helium, dir Anders Walter;
Kush, dir Shubhashish Bhutiani;
Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?), dir Selma Vilhunen;
Record/Play, dir Jesse Atlas;
Throat Song, dir Miranda de Pencier;
Tiger Boy, dir Gabriele Mainetti; and
The Voorman Problem, dir Mark Gill.
The short films and feature animation branch reviewing committee viewed all eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in Los Angeles.
Branch members will now select three to five nominees at screenings to be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December.
The 86th Academy...
The 10 films listed in alphabetical order are:
Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), dir Esteban Crespo;
Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything), dir Xavier Legrand;
Dva (Two), dir Mickey Nedimovic;
Helium, dir Anders Walter;
Kush, dir Shubhashish Bhutiani;
Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?), dir Selma Vilhunen;
Record/Play, dir Jesse Atlas;
Throat Song, dir Miranda de Pencier;
Tiger Boy, dir Gabriele Mainetti; and
The Voorman Problem, dir Mark Gill.
The short films and feature animation branch reviewing committee viewed all eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in Los Angeles.
Branch members will now select three to five nominees at screenings to be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December.
The 86th Academy...
- 22/11/2013
- di jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Ten Live Action Short films eligible for the Oscar will move forward to the next round. It's a global array of shorts that Academy shorts branch voters will narrow down once again to three to five films when Academy Award nominations are unveiled on January 16, 2014. Jonas Cuaron's "Gravity"-related short "Aningaak" did not make the cut. The final 10 are: "Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)," Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan) "Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)," Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions) "Dva (Two)," Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch) "Helium," Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions) "Kush," Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) "Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)," Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari,...
- 22/11/2013
- di Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Oscars have whittled down the 120 contenders for Best Live Action Short Film to a short list of 10. "Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)," Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan) "Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)," Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions) "Dva (Two)," Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch) "Helium," Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions) -Break- "Kush," Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) "Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)," Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films) "Record/Play," Jesse Atlas, director, and Thom Fennessey, executive producer (Collaboration Factory) "Throat Song,"...
- 22/11/2013
- Gold Derby
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has set the 10 live action short films that will advance in the voting process for the 86th Academy Awards. One hundred and twenty films had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me),” Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan) “Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything),” Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions) “Dva (Two),” Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch) “Helium,” Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions) “Kush,” Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) “Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?),” Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films) “Record/Play,” Jesse Atlas,...
- 22/11/2013
- di Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced the short-list of ten live-action shorts that will advance in the Oscar race. They are: Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan) Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything), Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions) Dva (Two), Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch) Helium, Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions) Kush, Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care
read more...
read more...
- 22/11/2013
- di THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Shubhashish Bhutiani at Venice Film Festival
S hubhashish Bhutiani has every reason to celebrate. His diploma film at the School of Visual Arts in New York won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at the prestigious Venice Film Festival this year. It was the only film to represent India besides Venice veterans Amit Dutta and Shekhar Kapoor who were invited to make a 1-minute short film on the festival’s 70th anniversary.
Bhutiani talks to DearCinema about his film Kush.
What is Kush about?
Kush is inspired by a true story. In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, causing anti-Sikh riots to erupt throughout the country. A teacher travelling back from a field trip with her class of 10-year-old students struggles to protect Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, from the growing violence around him.
What inspired you to make a...
S hubhashish Bhutiani has every reason to celebrate. His diploma film at the School of Visual Arts in New York won the Orizzonti award for Best Short Film at the prestigious Venice Film Festival this year. It was the only film to represent India besides Venice veterans Amit Dutta and Shekhar Kapoor who were invited to make a 1-minute short film on the festival’s 70th anniversary.
Bhutiani talks to DearCinema about his film Kush.
What is Kush about?
Kush is inspired by a true story. In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, causing anti-Sikh riots to erupt throughout the country. A teacher travelling back from a field trip with her class of 10-year-old students struggles to protect Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, from the growing violence around him.
What inspired you to make a...
- 30/09/2013
- di Nandita Dutta
- DearCinema.com
A still from Kush
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s short film Kush, the lone Indian entry at the Venice Film Festival, has won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film.
Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival showcases new trends in world cinema. The Orizzonti Jury was chaired by Paul Schrader and composed of Catherine Corsini, Leonardo Di Costanzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Frédéric Fonteyne, Kseniya Rappoport and Amr Waked.
Kush featuring Sonika Chopra, Shayaan Sameer and Anil Sharma is inspired by a true story : In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, causing anti-Sikh riots to erupt throughout the country. A teacher travelling back from a field trip with her class of 10-year-old students struggles to protect Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, from the growing violence around him.
Bhutiani recently graduated from School of Visual Arts (Sva) in New York.
List Of Awards:
Golden...
Shubhashish Bhutiani’s short film Kush, the lone Indian entry at the Venice Film Festival, has won the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film.
Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival showcases new trends in world cinema. The Orizzonti Jury was chaired by Paul Schrader and composed of Catherine Corsini, Leonardo Di Costanzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Frédéric Fonteyne, Kseniya Rappoport and Amr Waked.
Kush featuring Sonika Chopra, Shayaan Sameer and Anil Sharma is inspired by a true story : In 1984, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards, causing anti-Sikh riots to erupt throughout the country. A teacher travelling back from a field trip with her class of 10-year-old students struggles to protect Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, from the growing violence around him.
Bhutiani recently graduated from School of Visual Arts (Sva) in New York.
List Of Awards:
Golden...
- 08/09/2013
- di NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The Venice Golden Lion returned to the host country after fifteen years this evening with Gianfranco Rosi's biography of a Rome ring road, Sacro Gra, picking up the festival's top prize. Renowned director Bernardo Bertolucci and his jury plumped for high arthouse cinema over the more crowd-pleasing fare of Stephen Frears' British offering Philomena, which had to make do with the award for Best Screenplay. Best Actor and Best Director went respectively to Themis Panou and Alexandros Avranas for Greek family abuse drama Miss Violence. Although the film (for this reviewer at least) is an exploitative, nasty piece of work, it's undeniably well-directed, and Panou is utterly brilliant as the chilling pater familias.
The Grand Jury Prize was reserved for Tsai Ming-liang's dark horse Stray Dogs which, with its ten-minute long takes of people staring at walls and eating cabbages, could well be a test case for cinephile seriousness.
The Grand Jury Prize was reserved for Tsai Ming-liang's dark horse Stray Dogs which, with its ten-minute long takes of people staring at walls and eating cabbages, could well be a test case for cinephile seriousness.
- 07/09/2013
- di CineVue UK
- CineVue
Surprise choice for Golden Lion is Italian documentary. Silver Lion for best director goes to Alexandros Avranas for Miss Violence.
The surprise winner of the Venice Golden Lion is Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian documentary Sacro Gra, about life on the highway that surrounds Rome.
It marks the first time a documentary has ever won the Golden Lion.
Greek film Miss Violence had a strong showing winning both best director for Alexandros Avranas and best actor for Themis Panou.
Review: Sacro Grareview: Miss Violence
The Venezia 70 Jury, chaired by Bernardo Bertolucci and comprised of Andrea Arnold, Renato Berta, Carrie Fisher, Martina Gedeck, Jiang Wen, Pablo Larraín, Virginie Ledoyen, Ryuichi Sakamoto has awarded the following prizes:
Main Competition Awards
Golden Lion for Best Film
Sacro Gra, Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, France)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Alexandros Avranas, Miss Violence (Greece)
Grand Jury Prize
Jiaoyou, Tsai Ming-liang (Chinese Taipei, France)Best Actor: Themis Panou, Miss ViolenceBest...
The surprise winner of the Venice Golden Lion is Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian documentary Sacro Gra, about life on the highway that surrounds Rome.
It marks the first time a documentary has ever won the Golden Lion.
Greek film Miss Violence had a strong showing winning both best director for Alexandros Avranas and best actor for Themis Panou.
Review: Sacro Grareview: Miss Violence
The Venezia 70 Jury, chaired by Bernardo Bertolucci and comprised of Andrea Arnold, Renato Berta, Carrie Fisher, Martina Gedeck, Jiang Wen, Pablo Larraín, Virginie Ledoyen, Ryuichi Sakamoto has awarded the following prizes:
Main Competition Awards
Golden Lion for Best Film
Sacro Gra, Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, France)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Alexandros Avranas, Miss Violence (Greece)
Grand Jury Prize
Jiaoyou, Tsai Ming-liang (Chinese Taipei, France)Best Actor: Themis Panou, Miss ViolenceBest...
- 07/09/2013
- ScreenDaily
Surprise choice for Golden Lion is Italian documentary. Silver Lion for best director goes to Alexandros Avranas for Miss Violence.
The surprise winner of the Venice Golden Lion is Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian documentary Sacro Gra, about life on the highway that surrounds Rome.
Greek film Miss Violence had a strong showing winning both best director for Alexandros Avranas and best actor for Themis Panou.
The Venezia 70 Jury, chaired by Bernardo Bertolucci and comprised of Andrea Arnold, Renato Berta, Carrie Fisher, Martina Gedeck, Jiang Wen, Pablo Larraín, Virginie Ledoyen, Ryuichi Sakamoto has awarded the following prizes
Main Competition Awards
Golden Lion for Best Film
Sacro Gra by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, France)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Alexandros Avranas for Miss Violence (Greece)
Grand Jury Prize
Jiaoyou by Tsai Ming-liang (Chinese Taipei, France)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Themis Panou in Miss Violence
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress
Elena Cotta inVIA Castellana Bandiera by Emma Dante (Italy, Switzerland...
The surprise winner of the Venice Golden Lion is Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian documentary Sacro Gra, about life on the highway that surrounds Rome.
Greek film Miss Violence had a strong showing winning both best director for Alexandros Avranas and best actor for Themis Panou.
The Venezia 70 Jury, chaired by Bernardo Bertolucci and comprised of Andrea Arnold, Renato Berta, Carrie Fisher, Martina Gedeck, Jiang Wen, Pablo Larraín, Virginie Ledoyen, Ryuichi Sakamoto has awarded the following prizes
Main Competition Awards
Golden Lion for Best Film
Sacro Gra by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, France)
Silver Lion for Best Director
Alexandros Avranas for Miss Violence (Greece)
Grand Jury Prize
Jiaoyou by Tsai Ming-liang (Chinese Taipei, France)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor
Themis Panou in Miss Violence
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress
Elena Cotta inVIA Castellana Bandiera by Emma Dante (Italy, Switzerland...
- 07/09/2013
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. non si assume alcuna responsabilità per il contenuto o l’accuratezza degli articoli di notizie, dei tweet o dei post del blog sopra riportati. Questo contenuto è pubblicato solo per l’intrattenimento dei nostri utenti. Gli articoli di notizie, i tweet e i post del blog non rappresentano le opinioni di IMDb e non possiamo garantire che le informazioni ivi riportate siano completamente aderenti ai fatti. Visita la fonte responsabile dell’articolo in questione per segnalare eventuali dubbi relativi al contenuto o all'accuratezza.