IFFI Goa 2017, XIII: Open Forum-Film personalities rue abuse of technology

26 Nov 2017 06:59 IST

By Blessy Chettiar

The Indian Documentary Producers’ Association organised its first Open Forum this year at the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panaji, Goa.

The topic — Are actors losing control due to changing technologies? — was passionately debated by French filmmaker Pierre Assouline, former senior producer of Doordarshan Syam GK, Odia film Khyanikaa producer-actor Swastik Choudhury, Bengali filmmaker Amartya Bhattacharyya, and Film and Television Institute of India faculty Deb Kamal Ganguly. The session was moderated by senior journalist Siraj Syed. (Centre)

“Performing and fine arts require the human presence and touch," said Syed, setting the tone for the discussion. "Drama, cinema, writing, painting, dance, sculpting, all require the human touch and resonate only because of humans wielding the tools that impart them.”

Mentioning that his exposure to art began through theatre at a young age, Bhattacharyya said, “I have been a passionate actor. I don’t get to act in my own films anymore, and other filmmakers don’t want me because I am anti-conventional."

Bhattacharyya said actors have an important but limited role in cinema. "An actor must not take control of cinema," he said. "In a sense, one of the most popular industries of India, which I feel is an intellectually bankrupt industry, projects actors as faces of cinema, which is utter bullshit, because they don’t make cinema. They just add soul to a character defined by the writer and filmmaker.

"Now, if actors are getting replaced by technology it is another nonsense," he continued. "Technology is an extension of our faculties. The very core of technology is humans. The purpose of art is to humanize.”

Bhattacharyya, who also made Benaras: The Unexplored Attachments, shot the film on a budget of Rs. 5 lakh with a Canon 6D digital SLR camera. He advocated the use of technology as it would boost the industry but was wary of its abuse. “It can never substitute a human being. We are the makers of those machines,” he said.

On the same lines, Assouline said technology is a means to control commercial cinema. He said it should be used to tell a story, not to put actors on top.

Choudhury said, “About technology taking over actors’ jobs, there are two sides to the coin. When we make ourselves redundant in certain aspects, we leave it open to others to hijack our presence. There is always an opportunity to break conventions, to understand where we stand in the scheme of things. For example, as an actor I should evaluate my work. Is it adding any value to me as a person? If I just start contributing as an actor, it hardly matters. It is important to find associations, to look for opportunities that add to your relevance as an actor.”

Ganguly, a member of the FTII faculty in the department of direction and screenplay writing, had a different view. “Cinema as a stream has always been grappling with technology," he said. "Now we are talking about replacing the face of an actor. But we replaced the voice of an actor long ago. How have we coped with that? We need to make a distinction whether we are talking about cinema or every moving image under the same umbrella.”

Ganguly added that the idea of stardom is changing constantly.

Syam G.K. said that in his four decades of experience and observation, he had noticed two things. “Firstly, technology is very useful for an actor. Earlier, an actor never got a chance to watch his performance before the film was released or rushes were updated. Now, immediately after every shot he can look at his performance. This is a very good advantage for an artiste.

"Secondly, tele-serials are misusing this technology. For the sake of economics, while shooting, actors don’t memorise any lines. The AD would be prompting from behind, the actor gives the shot, and then dubs for it later. These people acting in serials will not get a chance to perform professionally because this is a misuse of technology."

When Cinestaan.com highlighted that advanced technology could add responsibility on artistes to perform better as their careers are under greater scrutiny, Syam said, “Actors are not misusing technology. It is the producers, filmmakers doing so to economise their production. They are not giving artistes the scope to perform. The other thing is, some of the artistes rush from one serial to the other and have no time. Technology can always be used by filmmakers positively. It’s up to the crew how they use it.”

Bhattacharyya ended the discussion saying, “There are numerous good uses of technology and no one can even dare to debate that. The only problem is the abuse of technology. We will use technology to its optimum level.”

 (From the Cinestaan website; reproduced for academic interest only; the copyright remains with the author/publisher)

IFFI Goa 2017, XIV: Open Forum: 'Social media an enabler, not competitor for documentary filmmaking'

Panellists, however, added a caveat that the authenticity of videos needs to be verified as they have the potential to create social unrest.

27 Nov 2017 12:57 IST

The Open Forum organised by IDPA (Independent* Documentary Producers' Association) on Sunday, 26 November, was the topic, 'Crowding the social media: Is documentary only source of genuine information?'                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   *Indian

Shashwat Gupta Ray, resident editor, Gomantak Times (Goa edition) moderated the session and saw the participation of Manish Desai, director general, Films Division; senior film jounalist* Siraj Syed; Prachi Ingle, assistant editor, Outlook India and Dheep Joy Mampilly, deputy director (social media cell), Press Information Bureau (PIB).                                                            *journalist

“In my view, social media is just like any other medium — radio, print, TV and documentary is a film genre. The concern is whether the content generated is trustworthy,” Ray said, listing out the pros and cons of documentaries and social media.

He said documentary is conventional media, more structured, controlled by watchdogs, has a monitoring mechanism, and an authenticity to it, while the hunting audience to be heard was listed as a con. “These are few things that put off a potential filmmaker. On the other hand is social media, which is free to air, there’s no third party dependency, no need to hunt as there’s a massive audience, no censorship fears and no costs. But the problem is, it is unregulated, which makes it less trustworthy and hence has potential to create social unrest.”

Desai from Films Division spoke about how the definition of documentary itself had changed dramatically with the advent of the digital age. “The digital revolution has totally redefined documentary filmmaking. Anyone with a smart-phone can be a documentary filmmaker. Over a period of time and with the advent of social media, the trend of micro documentary filmmaking has come to the forefront. Structured documentaries have their own set of rules, they want to bring about a change in the society. They stick to parameters. These have to be there. At the same time, it’s not enough to only make documentaries, you need platforms to even show them. That is where social media, instead of being a competitor, becomes an enabler.”

He went on to highlight that with social media, amateur documentaries were becoming ubiquitous. “Today you can make a documentary and put it on social media and you get a worldwide audience. With social media, the micro and amateur documentary filmmaking is become an everyday affair. Also, we are self documentary makers.” He was referring to exhibition of personal life on Facebook, Instagram etc.

Veering the conversation on a different path, journalist Ingle said that it was important to just take a breath before accepting what’s given to you. “We are just not pausing. It’s always difficult to find credibility. It is the onus of the reader to verify the content. Verification does not mean your freedom to express is being taken away. If you make a documentary film, but it does not have an author or director or writer who is not so established, we still need some kind of credentials. When you write an academic article, you always have a bibliography in the end. Once if a documentary has all that, it’s fine. If it does not, there can repercussions in the public domain.”

She also stressed on the need for resources for documentary filmmaking. “More bodies like the NFDC, platforms like the Film Bazaar are needed."

Dheep from the social media section PIB, who handles social media for the government body, said, “We don’t focus on speed. We believe speed is important, as people these days are impatient. But we cannot compromise on accuracy because of it. This is manifested during elections when official figures will always lag behind because we wait. We don’t sensationalise. The abundance of information has created a deficit of attention. We don’t believe that presentation is more important than accuracy.”

While the panellists debated the need for regulation of social media, it was agreed that it was easier said than done. “The very nature of social media is such that it is difficult to regulate it,” said Desai.

The bottom-line, they all agreed, was self-regulation as no freedom is absolute.

 (From the Cinestaan website; reproduced for academic purposes only; copyright remains with the author/publisher)

By Blessy Chettiar

Ms. Chettiar has chosen not to include even one word of what I had to say, though, as an invitee member of the panel and a film journalist of 48 years standing, I did contribute to the discussion substantially. Mike Pandey, President of the IDPA, later told me that I was the “missile” among the six speakers. But Blessy, you have the full right to completely exclude the quotes of the panel member you describe as “senior film jounalist”. Bless you.

*In quoting me, the word creditability has been used. 'Credibility' is the correct word. 

*The clubbing of Films Division in the same quote is out of context as FD does not post news on social media.

*Mike Pandey's Green Oscar winning film is titled Shores of Silence, not Whale Shark Hunting, as the report says. Incidentally, Mike Pandey is the President of the Indian Documentary Producers' Association and a former Chairman of the IFFI Steering Committee.

(This writer thanks Shashwat Gupta Ray, Resident Editor, Gomantak Times, Goa, and his team for the coverage of the event).

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present day. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Chasing Coral, Life, Animated, Cartel Land and City of Gold.
 
Bisbee '17 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Robert Greene, Producers: Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Bennett Elliott) — An old mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border finally reckons with its darkest day: the deportation of 1200 immigrant miners exactly 100 years ago. Locals collaborate to stage recreations of their controversial past. Cast: Fernando Serrano, Laurie McKenna, Ray Family, Mike Anderson, Graeme Family, Richard Hodges. World Premiere
 
Crime + Punishment / U.S.A. (Director: Stephen Maing) — Over four years of unprecedented access, the story of a brave group of black and Latino whistleblower cops and one unrelenting private investigator who, amidst a landmark lawsuit, risk everything to expose illegal quota practices and their impact on young minorities. World Premiere
 
Dark Money / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kimberly Reed, Producer: Katy Chevigny) — "Dark money" contributions, made possible by the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, flood modern American elections – but Montana is showing Washington D.C. how to solve the problem of unlimited anonymous money in politics. World Premiere
 
The Devil We Know / U.S.A. (Director: Stephanie Soechtig, Producers: Kristin Lazure, Stephanie Soechtig, Joshua Kunau, Carly Palmour) — Unraveling one of the biggest environmental scandals of our time, a group of citizens in West Virginia take on a powerful corporation after they discover it has knowingly been dumping a toxic chemical — now found in the blood of 99.7% of Americans — into the local drinking water supply. World Premiere. THE NEW CLIMATE
 
Hal / U.S.A. (Director: Amy Scott, Producers: Christine Beebe, Jonathan Lynch, Brian Morrow) — Hal Ashby's obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There. But as contemporaries Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg rose to blockbuster stardom in the 1980s, Ashby's uncompromising nature played out as a cautionary tale of art versus commerce. World Premiere
 
Hale County This Morning, This Evening / U.S.A. (Director: RaMell Ross, Screenwriter: Maya Krinsky, Producers: Joslyn Barnes, RaMell Ross, Su Kim) — An exploration of coming-of-age in the Black Belt of the American South, using stereotypical imagery to fill in the landscape between iconic representations of black men and encouraging a new way of looking, while resistance to narrative suspends conclusive imagining – allowing the viewer to complete the film. World Premiere
 
Inventing Tomorrow / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Nix, Producers: Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Laura Nix) — Take a journey with young minds from around the globe as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Watch these passionate innovators find the courage to face the planet’s environmental threats while navigating adolescence. World Premiere. THE NEW CLIMATE

Kailash / U.S.A. (Director: Derek Doneen, Producers: Davis Guggenheim, Sarah Anthony) — As a young man, Kailash Satyarthi promised himself that he would end child slavery in his lifetime. In the decades since, he has rescued more than eighty thousand children and built a global movement. This intimate and suspenseful film follows one man’s journey to do what many believed was impossible. World Premiere. DAY ONE

Kusama - Infinity / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Heather Lenz, Producers: Karen Johnson, Heather Lenz, Dan Braun, David Koh) — Now one of the world’s most celebrated artists, Yayoi Kusama broke free of the rigid society in which she was raised, and overcame sexism, racism, and mental illness to bring her artistic vision to the world stage. At 88 she lives in a mental hospital and continues to create art. World Premiere
 
The Last Race / U.S.A. (Director: Michael Dweck, Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw) — A cinematic portrait of a small town stock car track and the tribe of drivers that call it home as they struggle to hold onto an American racing tradition. The avant-garde narrative explores the community and its conflicts through an intimate story that reveals the beauty, mystery and emotion of grassroots auto racing. World Premiere
 
Minding the Gap / U.S.A. (Director: Bing Liu, Producer: Diane Quon) — Three young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship. World Premiere
 
On Her Shoulders / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandria Bombach, Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams, Bryn Mooser, Adam Bardach) — A Yazidi genocide and ISIS sexual slavery survivor, 23-year-old Nadia Murad is determined to tell the world her story. As her journey leads down paths of advocacy and fame, she becomes the voice of her people and their best hope to spur the world to action. International Premiere
 
The Price of Everything / U.S.A. (Director: Nathaniel Kahn, Producers: Jennifer Blei Stockman, Debi Wisch, Carla Solomon) — With unprecedented access to pivotal artists and the white-hot market surrounding them, this film dives deep into the contemporary art world, holding a funhouse mirror up to our values and our times – where everything can be bought and sold. World Premiere
 
Seeing Allred / U.S.A. (Directors: Sophie Sartain, Roberta Grossman, Producers: Roberta Grossman, Sophie Sartain, Marta Kauffman, Robbie Rowe Tollin, Hannah KS Canter) — Gloria Allred overcame trauma and personal setbacks to become one of the nation’s most famous women’s rights attorneys. Now the feminist firebrand takes on two of the biggest adversaries of her career, Bill Cosby and Donald Trump, as sexual violence allegations grip the nation and keep her in the spotlight. World Premiere
 
The Sentence / U.S.A. (Director: Rudy Valdez, Producers: Sam Bisbee, Jackie Kelman Bisbee) — Cindy Shank, mother of three, is serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison for her tangential involvement with a Michigan drug ring years earlier. This intimate portrait of mandatory minimum drug sentencing's devastating consequences, captured by Cindy's brother, follows her and her family over the course of ten years. World Premiere
 
Three Identical Strangers / U.S.A. (Director: Tim Wardle, Producer: Becky Read) — New York,1980: three complete strangers accidentally discover that they're identical triplets, separated at birth. The 19-year-olds’ joyous reunion catapults them to international fame, but also unlocks an extraordinary and disturbing secret that goes beyond their own lives - and could transform our understanding of human nature forever. World Premiere
 

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Motherland, Last Men in Aleppo, Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower and Hooligan Sparrow.
 
A Polar Year / France (Director: Samuel Collardey, Screenwriters: Samuel Collardey, Catherine Paillé, Producer: Grégoire Debailly) — Anders leaves his native Denmark for a teaching position in rural Greenland. As soon as he arrives, he finds himself at odds with tightly-knit locals. Only through a clumsy and playful trial of errors can Anders shake his Euro-centric assumptions and embrace their snow-covered way of life. Cast: Anders Hvidegaard, Asser Boassen, Julius B. Nielsen, Tobias Ignatiussen, Thomasine Jonathansen, Gert Jonathansen. World Premiere
 
Anote's Ark / Canada (Director: Matthieu Rytz, Producers: Bob Moore, Mila Aung-Thwin, Daniel Cross, Shari Plummer, Shannon Joy) — How does a nation survive being swallowed by the sea? Kiribati, on a low-lying Pacific atoll, will disappear within decades due to rising sea levels, population growth, and climate change. This exploration of how to migrate an entire nation with dignity interweaves personal stories of survival and resilience. World Premiere. THE NEW CLIMATE
 
The Cleaners / Germany, Brazil (Directors: Moritz Riesewieck, Hans Block, Screenwriters: Moritz Riesewieck, Hans Block, Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Producers: Christian Beetz, Georg Tschurtschenthaler, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Fernando Dias, Mauricio Dias) — When you post something on the web, can you be sure it stays there? Enter a hidden shadow industry of digital cleaning, where the Internet rids itself of what it doesn't like: violence, pornography and political content. Who is controlling what we see...and what we think? World Premiere
 
Genesis 2.0 / Switzerland (Directors: Christian Frei, Maxim Arbugaev, Producer: Christian Frei) — On the remote New Siberian Islands in the Arctic Ocean, hunters search for tusks of extinct mammoths. When they discover a surprisingly well-preserved mammoth carcass, its resurrection will be the first manifestation of the next great technological revolution: genetics. It may well turn our world upside down. World Premiere
 
MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. / Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, U.S.A. (Director: Stephen Loveridge, Producers: Lori Cheatle, Andrew Goldman, Paul Mezey) — Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions. World Premiere
 
Of Fathers and Sons / Germany, Syria, Lebanon (Director: Talal Derki, Producers: Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, Tobias N. Siebert, Hans Robert Eisenhauer) — Talal Derki returns to his homeland where he gains the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years. His camera focuses on Osama and his younger brother Ayman, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up in an Islamic Caliphate. North American Premiere
 
The Oslo Diaries / Israel, Canada (Directors and screenwriters: Mor Loushy, Daniel Sivan, Producers: Hilla Medalia, Ina Fichman) — In 1992, Israeli-Palestinian relations reached an all time low. In an attempt to stop the bloodshed, a group of Israelis and Palestinians met illegally in Oslo. These meetings were never officially sanctioned and held in complete secrecy. They changed the Middle East forever. World Premiere

Our New President / Russia, U.S.A. (Director: Maxim Pozdorovkin, Producers: Maxim Pozdorovkin, Joe Bender) — The story of Donald Trump's election told entirely through Russian propaganda. By turns horrifying and hilarious, the film is a satirical portrait of Russian media that reveals an empire of fake news and the tactics of modern-day information warfare. World Premiere. DAY ONE

Shirkers / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sandi Tan, Producers: Sandi Tan, Jessica Levin, Maya Rudolph) — In 1992, teenager Sandi Tan shot Singapore's first indie road movie with her enigmatic American mentor Georges – who then vanished with all the footage. Twenty years later, the 16mm film is recovered, sending Tan, now a novelist in Los Angeles, on a personal odyssey in search of Georges' vanishing footprints. World Premiere
 
This is Home / U.S.A., Jordan (Director: Alexandra Shiva, Producer: Lindsey Megrue) This is an intimate portrait of four Syrian families arriving in Baltimore, Maryland and struggling to find their footing. With eight months to become self-sufficient, they must forge ahead to rebuild their lives. When the travel ban adds further complications, their strength and resilience are put to the test. World Premiere
 
Westwood / United Kingdom (Director: Lorna Tucker, Producers: Eleanor Emptage, Shirine Best, Nicole Stott, John Battsek) — Dame Vivienne Westwood: punk, icon, provocateur and one of the most influential originators in recent history. This is the first film to encompass the remarkable story of one of the true icons of our time, as she fights to maintain her brand’s integrity, her principles – and her legacy. World Premiere
 
A Woman Captured / Hungary (Director and screenwriter: Bernadett Tuza-Ritter, Producers: Julianna Ugrin, Viki Réka Kiss, Erik Winker, Martin Roelly) — A European woman has been kept by a family as a domestic slave for 10 years – one of over 45 million victims of modern-day slavery. Drawing courage from the filmmaker's presence, she decides to escape the unbearable oppression and become a free person. North American Premiere
 

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES

Renowned filmmakers and films about far-reaching subjects comprise this section highlighting our ongoing commitment to documentaries. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include An Inconvenient Sequel, The Hunting Ground, Going Clear and What Happened, Miss Simone?
 
Bad Reputation / U.S.A. (Director: Kevin Kerslake, Screenwriter: Joel Marcus, Producers: Peter Afterman, Carianne Brinkman) — A look at the life of Joan Jett, from her early years as the founder of The Runaways and first meeting collaborator Kenny Laguna in 1980 to her enduring presence in pop culture as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer . World Premiere
 
Believer / U.S.A. (Director: Don Argott, Producers: Heather Parry, Sheena M. Joyce, Robert Reynolds) — Imagine Dragons’ Mormon frontman Dan Reynolds is taking on a new mission to explore how the church treats its LGBTQ members. With the rising suicide rate amongst teens in the state of Utah, his concern with the church’s policies sends him on an unexpected path for acceptance and change. World Premiere
 
Chef Flynn / U.S.A. (Director: Cameron Yates, Producer: Laura Coxson) — Ten-year-old Flynn transforms his living room into a supper club, using his classmates as line cooks and serving a tasting menu foraged from his neighbors’ backyards. With sudden fame, Flynn outgrows his bedroom kitchen and mother's camera, and sets out to challenge the hierarchy of the culinary world. World Premiere
 
The Game Changers / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos, Screenwriters: Mark Monroe, Joseph Pace, Producers: Joseph Pace, James Wilks) — James Wilks, an elite special forces trainer and winner of The Ultimate Fighter, embarks on a quest for the truth in nutrition and uncovers the world's most dangerous myth. World Premiere

Generation Wealth / U.S.A. (Director: Lauren Greenfield, Producers: Lauren Greenfield, Frank Evers) — Lauren Greenfield’s postcard from the edge of the American Empire captures a portrait of a materialistic, image-obsessed culture. Simultaneously personal journey and historical essay, the film bears witness to the global boom–bust economy, the corrupted American Dream and the human costs of late stage capitalism, narcissism and greed. World Premiere. DAY ONE

Half The Picture / U.S.A. (Director: Amy Adrion, Producers: Amy Adrion, David Harris) — At a pivotal moment for gender equality in Hollywood, successful women directors tell the stories of their art, lives and careers. Having endured a long history of systemic discrimination, women filmmakers may be getting the first glimpse of a future that values their voices equally. World Premiere
 
Jane Fonda in Five Acts / U.S.A. (Director: Susan Lacy, Producers: Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin, Emma Pildes) — Girl next door, activist, so-called traitor, fitness tycoon, Oscar winner: Jane Fonda has lived a life of controversy, tragedy and transformation – and she's done it all in the public eye. An intimate look at one woman's singular journey. World Premiere
 
King In The Wilderness / U.S.A. (Director: Peter Kunhardt, Producers: George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt) From the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. remained a man with an unshakeable commitment to nonviolence in the face of an increasingly unstable country. A portrait of the last years of his life. World Premiere
 
Quiet Heroes / U.S.A. (Director: Jenny Mackenzie, Co-Directors: Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard, Producers: Jenny Mackenzie, Jared Ruga, Amanda Stoddard) — In Salt Lake City, Utah, the socially conservative religious monoculture complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients in the entire state and intermountain region relied on only one doctor. This is the story of her fight to save a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die. World Premiere

RBG / U.S.A. (Directors and producers: Betsy West, Julie Cohen) — An intimate portrait of an unlikely rock star: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With unprecedented access, the filmmakers show how her early legal battles changed the world for women. Now this 84-year-old does push-ups as easily as she writes blistering dissents that have earned her the title “Notorious RBG.” World Premiere
 
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind / U.S.A. (Director: Marina Zenovich, Producers: Alex Gibney, Shirel Kozak) — This intimate portrait examines one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians. Told largely through Robin’s own voice and using a wealth of never-before-seen archive, the film takes us through his extraordinary life and career and reveals the spark of madness that drove him. World Premiere
 
STUDIO 54 / U.S.A. (Director: Matt Tyrnauer, Producers: Matt Tyrnauer, John Battsek, Corey Reeser) — Studio 54 was the pulsating epicenter of 1970s hedonism: a disco hothouse of beautiful people, drugs, and sex. The journeys of Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell -- two best friends from Brooklyn who conquered New York City -- frame this history of the "greatest club of all time." World Premiere
 
Won't You Be My Neighbor? / U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville, Producers: Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma) — Fred Rogers used puppets and play to explore complex social issues: race, disability, equality and tragedy, helping form the American concept of childhood. He spoke directly to children and they responded enthusiastically. Yet today, his impact is unclear. Have we lived up to Fred's ideal of good neighbors? World Premiere. SALT LAKE CITY OPENING NIGHT FILM

Drone Giveaway Dec 7th it's easy to enter - Happy Holidays

A Hollywood super team rivaling any in the sports world has officially been assembled as star NFL quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, NBA all-star guard Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, retired NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks, and retired NBA all-star Michael Finley have become partners in Argent Pictures, the Los Angeles based film production and financing outfit founded by Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens and Ben Renzo.

Brees, Parker, Brooks and Finley have all quietly built up impressive credits as movie producers over the last few years and are now active partners in Argent Pictures after collaborating with the company, independently, on single picture projects.

Together, the Argent team has been involved with some of the most acclaimed independent films of the last 18 months including the recently released “American Made” starring Tom Cruise (Paramount); Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” (Fox Searchlight); Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge” (Lionsgate), for which Argent funded the P&A, and the Sundance Audience Award winning documentary “Chasing Coral” (Netflix).

Additional film collaborations have included the critically acclaimed “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”; the hit comedy/horror “Meet the Blacks”; the drama “The Benefactor” starring Richard Gere; the crime/drama “LUV” starring Common; “Gleason” – the moving and inspirational documentary on NFL player Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS; and Universal Pictures adventure/thriller “Sanctum.”

Upcoming movie collaborations include the action/thriller “Nomis” starring Alexandra Daddario, Henry Cavill and Ben Kingsley; Rob Reiner’s drama “Shock & Awe” starring Jessica Biel and Woody Harrelson; the next two installments of Sylvester Stallone’s “Escape Plan” franchise (“Escape Plan 2 and 3”) and “First to do it” – a documentary about the first African American professional Basketball player, Earl Lloyd.

Argent Pictures most recently optioned the remake rights to “The Good Time Girls,” and has committed to financing and producing the feature adaptation of Courtney Hoffman’s blood-soaked western revenge short film.

The all-star quartet (Brees, Parker, Finley, Brooks) have come onboard as active producers to film projects currently on Argent Pictures’ development slate. Argent will continue to develop/finance/produce anywhere from three to six projects a year, with a mandate to serve as a top-tier supplier of mainstream projects for both the studios and major independent distributors worldwide.

Budget ranges of the films on the Argent slate will vary depending on the size and scope of the individual projects, but the company remains highly flexible. Above the financing of material, the company will be devoted to fostering an artist-friendly environment for top filmmakers and talent and willing to explore powerful stories featuring inter-cultural concepts.

Argent CEO Ben Renzo said, "Having worked with Mike, Drew, Tony and Derrick for many years on their entertainment endeavors, not only have they become good friends but our collective experience in the entertainment industry has been very rewarding and successful.  As a group, we have supported filmmakers of all statures, by getting behind their vision in the most collaborative sense possible.  We felt strongly that uniting as a formalized team under Argent would provide us greater reach to source and attract the best stories and storytellers, and enhance our ability to efficiently develop, finance and produce more films than ever before.  We are truly grateful and humbled to grow the Argent family with such quality individuals who are dedicated to using their experience, influence and resources to help Argent become an elite film finance and production company."     

“What attracted me to Argent is that it is a company that puts material first and will develop and explore original and unique themes and subject matters that can be fully exploited,” said Brooks. “We have collectively developed a solid business strategy encompassing a diverse portfolio of projects, which I am very excited to help get off the ground and shepherd.”

“For me, being in the film business is about being able to tell stories and having a viable vehicle to do so,” said Brees. “We are all inspired by stories with motivating messages yet are highly entertaining. Within Argent, we have by design, an expansive and efficient network through which we can identify and pursue the best projects and material and collaborate with any filmmakers around the globe to build a diverse slate. I am thrilled to be a part of the Argent family.”

Said Parker, “I’ve known Ben for a while and have tremendous respect for the approach and dedication to the business that he, Jill and Ryan exhibit. I am excited to be aligned with great like-minded partners who will aggressively pursue development material that we’re excited to finance and produce.”

Said Finley, “Ben, Jill and Ryan are incredibly savvy producers and I have a great deal of admiration and respect for their track record of finding tremendous material and shepherding it through to the big screen. Beyond the impressive credits and history of success, what makes this attractive is that we share a common vision - not just on taste and preferences of films, but on the execution of a partnership that will bring high quality, very entertaining films to the marketplace.”

About the Partners

Derrick Brooks is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, playing his entire career for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks established his production company Hit 55 Ventures making his film-financing debut in 2015 with “Birth of a Nation.” (Fox Searchlight).

Drew Brees is the 2009 Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. A native of Austin, TX, Brees also takes pride in his community service endeavors and activities off the field. Brees served as a producer on “Hacksaw Ridge” as well as the documentary “Gleason” about former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason. Drew and his wife, Brittany, established the Brees Dream Foundation in 2003 and since then have contributed and/or committed almost $25,000,000 to help improve the quality of life for cancer patients and provide care, education and opportunities for children and families in need.

Michael Finley is a two time NBA All-Star and won the 2007 NBA Championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. In 2009, Finley started his own film production company called Follow Through Production. He was the executive producer of the Lee Daniels film “The Butler” and “The Benefactor” starring Richard Gere. Finley also was a co-producer of the 2011 movie “Sanctum,” and executive producer of the independent film “The Day,” and the documentary “Sneakerheadz.”  Outside of the film business, Finley is an active real estate investor and venture capitalist who also enjoys playing golf in his spare time.

Tony Parker is a four-time NBA champion for the San Antonio Spurs. He began producing and financing films in 2015.  Parker previously served as an executive producer for the independent comedies “Meet the Blacks” and “Amateur Night.”

About Argent

Argent Pictures is a Los Angeles-based independent movie company dedicated to the development, financing, production and distribution of top-tier films for global audiences. Founded and run by partners Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens, Ben Renzo, Argent is an emerging company with a slate full of award-winning, critically acclaimed films. The company welcomed four new partners in 2017, Dew Brees, Tony Parker, Michael Finley and Derrick Brooks – all widely known, highly accomplished professional athletes who share a passion for cinematic storytelling and savvy Hollywood business acumen. 

Together, the Argent team has been involved with some of the most acclaimed independent films of the last 18 months including the recently released “American Made” starring Tom Cruise (Paramount); Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” (Fox Searchlight); Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge” (Lionsgate), for which Argent funded the P&A; and the Sundance Audience Award winning documentary “Chasing Coral” (Netflix).

For more information on Argent please visit https://www.argentpictures.com/

Lady Monika Bacardi, Andrea Iervolino, Andrea Bocelli, Toby Sebastian and Roberto Sessa

The Award Will Be Presented to the Film’s Producers, Screenwriter and Cast Members

At Ceremonies on December 30^th in Anacapri

Today the Board of the Capri in the World Institute today announced that “The Music of Silence,” Michael Radford’s Italian language film about the early life of the world renown tenor Andrea Bocelli, will receive the ‘Capri - Biopic of the Year - Award’ at the 22nd edition of Capri, Hollywood – The International Film Festival, which takes place here from December 27, 2017 through January 2, 2018. The award will be accepted by producers and Ambi Group principals Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi, co-screenwriter Anna Pavignano and cast members Toby Sebastian, Luis Ranieri, Ennio Fastastichini  and Jordi Molla, at ceremonies on December 29^th at Cinema Paradiso in Anacapri, Italy.

Directed and co-written by Radford (“Il Postino,” “The Merchant of Venice”), a two-time Oscar®-nominee, the Ambi Media Group and Picomedia production was filmed in Rome and Tuscany. It chronicles the life of a young Bocelli, who was born with a serious eye condition that eventually leads to his blindness. But Bocelli nevertheless rises above the challenges, driven by great ambitions towards his passion and becomes a global musical superstar. Ambi financed the film in which Antonio Banderas also stars and is handling world sales. 

In making the announcement, the noted Italian filmmaker and Festival Board Member Marina Cicogna said: “We are extremely pleased to honor this enchanting film about the early life of our dear friend Andrea Bocelli, which was brought to the screen by Michael Radford, Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi, each of whom has a long history with our festival. It’s based on his memoir in which Bocelli tells his own story in the form of an autobiographical novel, and has a cast of top tier Italian actors. We’re certain it will entertain audiences as it rolls out to cinemas throughout the world.”

Tony Renis, songwriter, music producer and honorary president of the Capri in the Word Institute added: “Having worked with Bocelli throughout his career, I can attest to the authenticity of the story and the way in which it chronicles his beginnings and his rise to stardom. As an added plus, the film features songs that Bocelli composed when he was young but have never before been released, which takes it to a higher level of motion picture entertainment. Our board unanimously chose to honor it, which delights me very much.”

The following awards have previously been announced for this year’s edition of Capri Hollywood: “A Ciambra” director Jonas Carpignano  was named the Festival’s ‘Rising Star’;   “Cinderella the Cat” by  Alessandro Rak, Ivan Cappiello, Marino Guarnieri and Dario Sansone  is the ‘Best European Animation Movie”; “Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives” is the Best Documentary Film'; British filmmaker Trudie Styler will be receive the “Person of the Year” Award.

The 22nd edition of the Capri, Hollywood - The International Film Fest will be co-chaired by the Oscar®-winning Italian make-up artist Alessandro Bertolazzi and Israeli is dedicated to the beauty and talent of Elizabeth Taylor. The festival traditionally offers a fundamental contribution to the season of the global Awards, bringing celebrities and awaited film productions to the Gulf of Naples.

Since 1995 Capri Hollywood has promoted tourism in southern Italy during the winter highlighting new ideas for recreation and exploration of the region; the event has the support of the Italian Ministry of Culture, (Cinema Division) and of the Municipality of Anacapri.

Studio 100 has taken over the New York-based company Little Airplane Productions. Animation studio Little Airplane Productions was founded by Josh Selig in 1999 and its staff has won numerous acclaimed awards, including 21 Emmy Awards.

Little Airplane Productions is known for the series Wonder Pets, Small Potatoes, Super Wings, P. King Duckling and many others, all original productions created from scratch for broadcasters around the world. Little Airplane Productions also has many international co-productions to its credit. The company has worked closely with major American broadcasters such as Disney, Nickelodeon and Sprout.  In Europe, they have strong links with KiKA, CBeebies and Canal+.  Moreover, what makes Little Airplane Productions unique is that they develop content with leading Chinese partners, which is also sold outside of China. The popular TV-show Super Wings is one example of this.

With this American acquisition, Studio 100 is taking a major step in the group’s further international expansion.

Hans Bourlon and Gert Verhulst, founders and CEOs of Studio 100, are delighted with this takeover. Hans Bourlon: “I have greatly admired the work of Little Airplane for years. It’s a unique company. It has amazing creative strength and has produced the most fantastic series and songs. My absolute favourite is ‘The Potato Train’ from ‘The Small Potatoes’.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXKkzzZUGpw

Josh Selig, founder and president of Little Airplane Productions: “I am thrilled that Little Airplane has joined forces with our friends at Studio 100 and all of their amazing companies.  There is a great synergy between our businesses and our teams, and we look forward to creating and producing new content together that will resonate with children around the world.”

Josh Selig will be working closely with Hans Bourlon and with Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO of Studio 100 Media. Little Airplane Productions will continue to focus on developing and producing new projects, in close cooperation with Studio 100’s animation studios: Studio 100 Animation in Paris and Flying Bark Productions in Sydney and will also continue developing for its third party clients . Studio 100 Media (Munich) takes care of international content sales, the exploitation of licences and merchandising, as well as the worldwide distribution of new brands and productions.

Hans Ulrich Stoef, CEO of Studio 100 Media and m4e: “We have been working successfully with Josh and his team for many years and currently develop ‘Fun Town Wheels’ and ‘Rock, Tacco, Balloon’ with him. So we are very excited about having this opportunity to join forces on a broader level. After m4e and I linked up with Studio 100 at the beginning of this year, the next logical step in the international expansion was to go into partnership with Little Airplane Productions. We have been impressed by the accomplishments of Little Airplane Productions and their great expertise in children’s and family entertainment. We are very much looking forward to producing world-class creations together.”

http://web.littleairplane.com/

Wishing you all much success on the festival circuit!

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Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 17  November - 3 December 2017 

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Industry @Tallinn December 1st

FRIDAY, 01.12   09:00-19:00 CE MEDIA LOUNGEVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 10:00-11:30 FIND YOUR WAY IN THE WORLD OF ONLINE DISTRIBUTIONSIRIUS, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 10:00-13:00 BE CO-PRODUCTION MARKETCAPELLA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 10:00-15:15 INDUSTRY & PRESS SCREENINGSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 10:30-12:00 MUSIC MEETS FILM. MENTORING SESSIONSVARIOUS, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 12:00-13:30 IS THE FUTURE OF FILM VIRTUAL? - THE POLISH CASE STUDY BY MARCIN LUNKIE...

 

Industry @Tallinn November 30th

 

THURSDAY, 30.11   09:00-19:00 CE MEDIA LOUNGEVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 09:30-17:05 INDUSTRY & PRESS SCREENINGSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 10:00-12:00 BALTIC EVENT WORKS IN PROGRESSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 10:00-14.00 SCREEN STARS TALLINN PARTICIPANTS PHOTO SHOOTSTUUDIO35 10:00-17:00 BE CO-PRODUCTION MARKETCAPELLA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 12:30-13:30 ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE – A CASE STUDY OF AT HOSTARARCTURUS, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 12:30-14:00 SCRIP...

 

Industry @Tallinn November 29th

 

WEDNESDAY, 29.11   09:00-16:30 STORYTEK FORUMSIRIUS, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 09:00-17:30 SCRIPT POOL TALLINNALTAIR, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 09:00-18:05 INDUSTRY & PRESS SCREENINGSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 09:00-19:00 CE MEDIA LOUNGEVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 09:30-10:30 POWR PITCHARCTURUS, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 10:00-12:00 MASTERCLASS BY STEVEN BERNSTEIN FOR SCREEN STARS TALLINN PARTICIPANTSSTORYTEK HUB 10:00-17:00 BE CO-PRODUCTION MARKETCAPELLA,...

 

 

Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event 2017 awards announced

At at ceremony in Tallinn tonight the 2017 awards of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event were presented. Baltic Event Co-Production Market awards Best Project Eurimages Co-Production Development Award This award of 20 000 Euros is given to the best proj...

 

Screen Stars Tallinn presentation

Screen Stars Tallinn is a three-day lab and talent showcase for young actors from the Baltic Sea Region, launched this year by Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. The first edition will take place on November 28-30 and offer the participants meetings with casting agents and filmmakers, masterclasses and networking events. The programme is open for actors who have already performed in films in their respective countries and...

 

Developments of the film and audiovisual field discussed at the visionary conference in Tallinn

 

On 27 and 28 November, representatives of film and audiovisual field, experts, policymakers and visionaries will gather in Tallinn for the international visionary conference to discuss topical issues of the European media and film industry. The conference is organised within the framework of the Estonian Presidency of the EU Council, during the 21st Black Nights Film Festival and is opened by the Estonian Minister of Culture Indrek Saar. The ob...

 

Follow the Black Nights Film Festivals Videos on Youtube Interviews, trailers...

PÖFF Director's statements   22OUT REGARDER PÖFF Interviews     14OUT REGARDER PÖFFi soovitused     110OUT REGARDER PÖFF 2017 Festival Trailers     3OUT REGARDER PÖFF 2017: TV Beats     21OUT REGARDER PÖFF 2017: Forum     18OUT REGARDER PÖF...

 

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival launches new initiative to boost creative industries

This year sees the launch of Creative Gate - a platform designed to increase the visibility of the Estonian creative sector and help it explore new opportunities for growth and export. A number of Estonian organisations in the field of film, culture, fashion, art and education have joined to create Creative Gate, whose main focus will be companies and professionals in production/post-production, film music, costume design, art direction, shorts/animation, casting and acting.  ...

 

Will you miss the Black Nights Catwalk

On 28 Nov, the magnificent Black Nights Catwalk takes place in the blackbox of Tallinn Creative Hub, bringing together film music, fashion, and film art. An exhibition of costumes and props used in Estonian films, specially created for the event by the members of the Estonian Film Artists’ Union, is opened. More information on the activities and membership of the development centre is available at the website www.creativegate.ee. The partners of the project are Tallinn Bl...

 

 

Regular Crisis - Multimedia Cantata on Global Economy

This multimedia project by the video and performance artist Marina Landia combines video projections with Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the renowned Estonian-born conductor and pianist Kristjan Järvi. The video material has been compiled from interviews with key figures in global industry and finance: José Ángel Gurría, the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Manfred...

 

 

Industry @Tallinn November 28th

TUESDAY, 28.11   09:00-16:40 PRESS SCREENINGSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 09:00-19:00 CE MEDIA LOUNGEVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 10:15-13:15 SCREEN STARS TALLINNKULTUURIKATEL 10:00-16:00 ESTONIAN EU PRESIDENCY CONFERENCE PICTURED FUTURESCINEMA KOSMOS 10:00-17:00 POWR BALTIC STORIES EXCHANGECITYSIDE, TALLINK CITY HOTEL 09:30-11:30 SCRIPT POOL TALLINNALTAIR, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 10:00-15:00 ART DEPARTMENT MASTERCLASSKULTUURIKATEL 11...

 

 

Industry @Tallinn November 27th

MONDAY, 27.11   09:00-16:45 ESTONIAN EU PRESIDENCY CONFERENCE PICTURED FUTURESCINEMA KOSMOS 09:00-16:50 PRESS SCREENINGSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 10:00-17:30 POWR BALTIC STORIES EXCHANGECITYSIDE, TALLINK CITY HOTEL 11:40-12:20 EUROPEAN GENRE FORUM PITCHVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 19:00-23:00 ESTONIAN EU PRESIDENCY AUDIOVISUAL CONFERENCE RECEPTIONESTONIAN FILM MUSEUM   ...

 

Industry @Tallinn November 26th

 

SUNDAY, 26.11   09:00-23:30 PRESS SCREENINGSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 09:30-14:00 EGF GROUP WORKVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 15:00-18:00 EGF GROUP WORKVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 18:00 TALLINN GAME JAM FILM FELLOWSHIP 48-HOUR HACKATHON PROJECT PRESENTATIONSLIFT 99 19:30 TALLINN GAME JAM FILM FELLOWSHIP 48-HOUR HACKATHON AWARD CEREMONYLIFT 99   ...

 

Industry @Tallinn November 25th

 

SATURDAY, 25.11 09:00-17:15 PRESS SCREENINGSCOCA-COLA PLAZA 09:30-14:00 EUROPEAN GENRE FORUM KICKOFFVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM 15:00-18:00 EGF GROUP WORKVEGA, NORDIC HOTEL FORUM   ...

 

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival announces two Lifetime Achievement Award winners Jörn Donner and Tõnu Kark

Jörn Donner Estonian actor Tõnu Kark and Finnish director and producer Jörn Donner to receive honorary Lifetime Achievement Awards. 84-year-old Jörn Donner is a renowned Finnish film director and producer, who has produced nearly 60 films, including Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny And Alexander, win...

 

Sundance Jan. 18-28 in Park City, Utah

 

Sundance 2018 selects 110 Independent Films From 29 Countries

  (Top, L-R) The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Credit: Jeong Park, Anote’s Ark, Credit: Matthieu Rytz; Search, Credit: Juan Sebastian Baron. (Bottom, L-R) King In the Wilderness, Credit: Flip Schulke Archives/Getty Images, The Kindergarten Teacher, Credit: Courtesy of Sundance Institute, Half the Picture, Credit: Ashly Covington. Sundance Institute showcases bold, independent s...

 

Premiere features in Sundance 2018

PREMIERES A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include The Big Sick, Call Me By Your Name, Boyhood and Mudbound.   A Kid Like Jake / U.S.A. (Director: Silas Howard, Screenwriter: Daniel Pearle, Producers: Jim Parsons, Todd Spiewak, Eric Norsoph, Paul Bernon, Rachel Song) — As married couple Alex and Greg navigate their roles as parents to a young son who...

 

 

Sundance 2018 for Kids

KIDS This section of the Festival is especially for our youngest independent film fans. Programmed in cooperation with Utah Film Center, which presents the annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival, Utah’s premiere film festival for children and youth. Films that have played in this category in recent years include My Life as a Zucchini, The Eagle Huntress and Shaun the Sheep.   Lu Over the Wall / Japan (Director: Masaaki Yuasa, Screenwriters: Reiko Yoshida, Masaaki Yuasa, Producer: Euny...

 

Spotlight section in Sundance 2018

SPOTLIGHT The Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love from throughout the past year. Films that have played in this category in recent years include Lunchbox, Ida, Raw and The Lobster.   BEAST / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Michael Pearce, Producers: Ivana MacKinnon, Lauren Dark, Kristian Brodie) — In a small island community, a troubled young woman falls for a mysterious outsider who empowers her to escape from her oppressive family. When he comes und...

 

Midnight Madness and Comedy in Sundance

MIDNIGHT From horror and comedy to works that defy genre classification, these films will keep you wide awake, even at the most arduous hour. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include The Little Hours, The Babadook and Get Out.   Arizona / U.S.A. (Director: Jonathan Watson, Screenwriter: Luke Del Tredici, Producers: Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Ryan Friedkin, Danny McBride, Brandon James) — Set in the midst of the 2009 housing crisis, this darkly comedi...

 

Documentary Premieres in Sundance 2018

DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES Renowned filmmakers and films about far-reaching subjects comprise this section highlighting our ongoing commitment to documentaries. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include An Inconvenient Sequel, The Hunting Ground, Going Clear and What Happened, Miss Simone?   Bad Reputation / U.S.A. (Director: Kevin Kerslake, Screenwriter: Joel Marcus, Producers: Peter Afterman, Carianne Brinkman) — A look at the life of Joan Jett, from her ...

 

Next in Sundance 2018

NEXT Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a "greater" next wave in American cinema. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include A Ghost Story, Tangerine and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. Presented by Adobe. 306 Hollywood / U.S.A., Hungary (Directors: Elan Bogarín, Jon...

 

World Documentary competition

Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Motherland, Last Men in Aleppo, Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower and Hooligan Sparrow.   A Polar Year / France (Director: Samuel Collardey, Screenwriters: Samuel Collardey, Catherine Paillé, Producer: Grégoire Debailly) — Anders leaves his native Denmark for a teaching position in rural Gre...

 

US Documentary competition Sundance 2018

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present day. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Chasing Coral, Life, Animated, Cartel Land and City of Gold.   Bisbee '17 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Robert Greene, Producers: Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Bennett Elliott) — An old mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border finally reckons with its dar...

Sundance Institute Announces 2018 Sundance Ignite Fellows

  Fifteen Filmmakers Ages 18 to 24 Selected from Short Film Competition to Receive Year of Creative and Professional Mentorship, All-Expenses-Paid Trip to 2018 Sundance Film Festival   ...

Cloud 21 and Kultura PR Present “Indie Film Showcase At Park City”

Cloud21 (www.cloud21.com) and Kultura PR (www.kulturapr.com) are pleased to present the” Indie Film Showcase At Park City” that will be held during Sundance Film Festival on January 21st at 2 PM at Bodega on Main.  The by-invitation only event will feature a six person panel that includes entertainment industry veteran,  E! co-founder Larry Namer. Namer is the president/CEO of Metan Global Entertainment Group (www.metanglobalentertainment.com), a multi-media company focu...

> AWARDS WATCH

 

2017 IFP Gotham Award winners announced

This past Monday evening we announced the winners of the 27th Annual IFP Gotham Awards at our awards ceremony hosted by John Cameron Mitchell and held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.   Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name won the Best Feature and Breakthrough Actor (Timothée Chalamet) awards, while Jordan Peele's Get Out took home Breakthrough Director, Best Screenplay, and the Audience Award.  ...

 

 

Winners of the inaugural ATF Animation Pitch and second ATF Formats Pitch unveiled

 

WINNERS OF INAUGURAL ATF ANIMATION PITCH AND SECOND ATF FORMATS PITCH UNVEILED Inaugural ATF Animation Pitch prizes goes to Taiwanese producer, while Indonesian entry tops ATF Formats Pitch   Singapore, 30 November 2017 – After an exciting round of on-stage pitches where producers from all over Asia presented their ideas, winners of the inaugural Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) Animation Pitch and second ATF Formats Pitch were unveiled today.   studio2 Animation Lab from ...

 

Highlights and Winners 33rd International Short Film Festival Berlin 2017

33rd International Short Film Festival Berlin 2017 took place 20 - 26 November 2017 With an overall audience of 21,000 the interfilm – 33rd International Short Film Festival Berlin came to a successful close on Sunday 26 November. 500 films from 80 countries were shown in seven festival days. Prizes totalling € 32,000 were conferred in six competitions. The festival team celebrated the eclectic world of short film in four Berlin districts with 700 accredited guests, 300 of ...

 

The 2nd International Film Festival & Awards • Macao honours Udo Kier with Career Achievement Award

The 2nd International Film Festival & Awards • Macao (IFFAM) today announced that Udo Kier will be the recipient of this year’s Career Achievement Award.   Kier will be in Macao to receive the award and will also attend a Flying Daggers presentation of Brawl in Cell Block 99. The German born actor’s career has spanned over 50 years and more than 300 films. He has worked with some of the most acclaimed and controversial directors of the last five decades, includi...

 

Awards of The Zoom Festival, International Festival of Televised Fiction and Formats,

The Zoom Festival, International Festival of Televised Fiction and Formats, celebrated its 15th edition this year, in Igualada and Barcelona. This year’s awards list has been for: Best Film Award from the official jury Charité (República Txeca, 2016) by Sönke Wortmann is a period miniseries set in 1888 that tells stories of patients and workers of the Berlin Charité. This medical center hosts, among others, Ida Lenze, a young mainadera with acu...

 

SAFF Project Market 2017 reveals "The Hunted" and “Mina-Anud” as top winners

 ScreenSingapore, together with Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) and Ties That Bind: Asia/Europe Producers Workshop (TTB), today announced two projects from Indonesia and The Philippines as winners of the third Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market. “The Hunted” took home the Aurora Producing Award, RED Digital Camera Award as well as The Yellow Box Soundscape Award, while “Mina-Anud” won the Basecamp Colour Prize.   With three s...

 

The IndieFEST Film Awards Announces Latest Winners!

The IndieFEST is proud to announce the latest winners. Congratulations to all the filmmakers who participated in the current season!The awards go to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment and compelling documentaries. The IndieFEST is a top-tier international awards competition. It honors professionals, established and emerging, who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity. The goal of The IndieFEST is to help the winners of this coveted award achiev...

 

11th Asia Pacific Screen Awards

42 films from 25 Asia Pacific countries and areas will be honoured across 13 exciting award categories from Best Performance by an Actress to Best Feature Film. Hosted by acclaimed Australian actor David Wenham and pop-culture-icon and journalist Lee Lin Chin, the awards are attended by the region's leading names and will celebrate this year's best in cinema. BEST FEATURE FILM Sweet Country Australia Produced by Greer SIMPKIN, David JOWSEY Co-Produced by David TRANTER ...

 

> PARTNERS FESTIVAL NEWS    

The Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (April 26 – 29, 2018) is calling for your film

December 18, 2017  Regular Deadline I January 8, 2018  

Voted one of the top 50 Film Festivals worth the Submission Fee in 2016 AND 2017 by MovieMaker Magazine, the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival acknowledges emerging filmmakers from around the world, with a strong emphasis on discovering and encouraging new talent. In recognition of the time and talent of the independent filmmaker, awarding over $40,000 in cash and benefits, including a $10,000 Best of the Fest award.
Over $40,000 in cash and benefits to be awarded**

Email I  467 Bluff Street Dubuque, IA 52001 United States I Website I Profile on filmfestivals.com I Facebook I Twitter I SUBMIT

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Culver City Film Festival December 5 – 11, 2017 calling for entries

Regular Deadline I December 4, 2017
The Culver City Film Festival will be December 5th-11th and will be held at Cinemark 18 and XD Howard Hughes Center. Additional venues to be announced soon. All submissions are only $25.00. Submissions are Open for shorts and features!!! Have your film screened in the heart of screen-land Culver City, CA and home of Sony Pictures and many film company's and distributors.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Email I 4640 Admiralty Way Suite 500 Marina del Rey, CA 90292 United States I Website  Facebook I Twitter I SUBMIT

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NYC Independent Film Festival 2018

May 7 - May 13, 2018

November 30, 2017 Regular Deadline I  December 31, 2017  Late Deadline I January 31, 2018 Extended Deadline I

NYC Independent Film Festival is a celebration of the true independent filmmaker, documentaries, short and feature-length films, music videos, and animation. Whether a submission is comedic, dramatic, or something in between, The NYC Indie film Fest is eager to embrace fresh ideas and storytelling.

The festival aims to discover the Artist Filmmaker, showcasing them to the entertainment industry and the NYC public. All NYC Indie screenings take place in the historic center of NYC, Time Square which is the perfect home for an event geared toward creating incredible opportunities for independent voices.

NYC Indie Film Festival honors the Best in Category which includes Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Short Narrative, Best Super Short, Best Music Video, as well as Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Facebook I Twitter I  SUBMIT I Contact Dennis Cieri

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Sonoma International FilmFestival 

March 21 – 25, 2018

December 15, 2017 Regular Deadline I January 2, 2018 Late Deadline I January 29, 2018 Extended Deadline I

Submissions for 2018 Sonoma International FilmFestival (March 21-25, 2018) open on August 1, 2017.

Acceptances will be sent out by email in early February, 2018.  Please do not contact office before that date.

Thank you to all of our filmmakers for submitting your creative work to us. We had an unprecedented number of great films in 2017 and look forward to seeing all the submissions for the upcoming 21st SIFF.

Sonoma International Film Festival endeavors to celebrate the best in independent and international features, documentaries, and short films.  In Sonoma, it is all about the filmmakers.

Sonoma International Film Festival's blog I Website www.sonomafilmfest.org I Facebook I Twitter I SUBMIT I Past Winners I Contact Kevin W. McNeely I 707-933-2600 I 103 E. Napa St. Suite A Sonoma, California 95476 United States

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Fantasporto 2017 February 24 - March 4, 2017 PARTNER FESTIVAL WITH FILMFESTIVALS.COM Fantasporto’2018 | Oporto International Film Festival announces our Call for Film Entries for the 38th annual festival, running February 20th till March 4th. This Call is for Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi features and shorts in the Fantasy competition. The Director’s Week is for features only, in all genres except fantasy. Deadlines for Entries for 2018 edition are October 30th (Early Call) and December 5th (Final Call). Films can be submitted now using the film submission website www.fantasporto.com Fantasporto enjoys incredible loyalty and support from the large film-appreciating community all over the World. In the last edition, Fantasporto was attended by over 20,000 enthusiastic genre film fans and over 200 members of the film press and industry. Considered in 2015 as the first of the independent film festivals in the world by TRIPPER, Fantasporto is among the top film festivals  for the discovery of new talent, having revealed countless of now famous directors, producers and actors. Check the  Regulations on the site www.fantasporto.com. Fantasporto'sblog I Website  I Submit I  Facebook I Twitter I Contact Mario Dorminsky I Entry Form

 

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2018 WORLDFEST-HOUSTON April 20 - 29, 2018 calling for entries

PARTNER FESTIVAL WITH FILMFESTIVALS.COM

Entries Open August 15th. The EarlyBird Deadline is November 15th and the Main Entry Deadline is December 15th. These are "Postmark By Deadlines". If you enter Online by the January 15th Late/Final Deadline and we receive the physical entry by January 31st, your entry will still be reviewed by our judges. Due to popular demand, we have extended the Final Brick Wall Deadline to January 31st, online!

The 2018 Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival is now open for entries! Info on All Winners info is submitted to Seoul, Korea ~ Concorto, Italy & the USAFilmFestival, Dallas at no extra cost!

WorldFest Houston's blog I Website: http://www.worldfest.org I Submit I Facebook I Twitter I Contact Hunter Todd

 New Media Film Festival

June 12 -14, 2018

"I thank the New Media film festival for what they've done for young filmmakers."– Legendary Director Roger Corman

"Top 25 Festivals Worth The Entry Fee" - Movie Maker Magazine

"Makes the cutting edge accessible" - Huffington Post 

New Media Film Festival intersects the interactivity of new technologies & formats for Media & Cinema which exemplify the power of the cinematic arts to inspire and transform. A festival where we Honor Stories Worth Telling that are created by people of All Ages-All Cultures-All Media.
Each entry is considered for Screening in a state of the art theatre, The Landmark, owned by Mark Cuban and/or Competition and/or Distribution $45,000.00 in Awards will be given out. Each programmed content is in consideration for a Best of Category, Audience & Grand Prize Award.

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16th GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL 

March 22 -25 , 2018
 

2018 Call for Entries December 1, 2017! 

 

The Garden State Film Festival is scheduled for March 22-25, 2018 in Asbury Park, NJ. Film, Screenplay and Movie Music competitions open July 1, 2017.   Make sure all of the INFORMATION you are submitting into the submission system  is CORRECT because  THAT information GOES RIGHT INTO OUR SYSTEM. 

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SCIFI WORLD

Filmfestivals com has an eye for SciFi: check our fantastic selection

CHIMERA by Maurice Haeems, SciFi Thriller October 2017 80 minutes Chimera features Emmy-nominee Henry Ian Cusick (Lost) and Oscar-nominee Kathleen Quinlan (Apollo 13) in the two leading roles. This is Maurice Heems' first feature film. A brilliant but disturbed scientist decides to freeze his children alive, while he races against time to cure their deadly genetic disease by unlocking the secret of immortality encoded within the DNA of the Turritopsis jellyfish. &..

Blood Window in Ventana Sur Full Program

Programa de actividades Blood Window 2017     27th     02:00 pm • 04:00 pm (Producers Lounge. 1 piso/ 1st Floor) Blood Window Meeting Tables. Day 1 Participe del programa de reuniones con los productores de los proyectos de Beyond the window. Be part on the Beyond the window´s scheduled meetings with the producers.  04:00 pm • 05:00 pm (Aula Magna. 1 piso/ 1st Floor) Panel 50 ...

 

 

French short wins the Méliès d'Or 2017: Expire by Magali Magistry.

The European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF) is pleased to announce the winners of the 21st Méliès d'Or competition for European fantastic film.  The Méliès d'Or for feature film was awarded to Thelma by Joachim Trier (Norway).   The Méliès d'Or for short film went to Expire by Magali Magistry (France).   This year's Méliès jury was composed of&...

 

Melies d'argent winner at San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Festival 2017

And the winner at San Sebastián Horror and Fantasy Film Festival is ... The winner of the Silver Méliès at San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival has been: Clanker Man (Ben Steiner) UK 11' ...

 

OtherWorlds 2017 announces full slate including Texas Premiere of Closing Film CURVATURE!

Other Worlds Austin SciFi Film Festival has announced its final wave of programming for Austin’s first and only SciFi film festival (Dec 7-10) at Flix Brewhouse. The slate includes the Texas premiere of Closing Night Film CURVATURE  the North American premieres of TUFTLAND and RESTORATION; the US Premiere of DEFECTIVE; and the special retro screening of the 1979 Disney classic THE BLACK HOLE, with Defender of the Universe Awardee director Gary Nelson.   In addi...

 

 

 

The Other World Austin Film Festival wil open with Event Horizon - 20th anniversary screening

2017 Poster - Out of Town Food Truck designed by tattoo and graphics artist David Poe The festival will open next week December 7 7:42PM EVENT HORIZON (20TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING) LAUNCH FILM Technology with Unexpected Consequences Paul W.S. Anderson | USA | 96min | 1997 Writer: Philip Eisner Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Jason Isaacs A rescue crew in...

ECO CALLING

Filmfestivals com has an eye for Eco, Transition, Green and Conservationism cinema: check our fantastic selection

  "Ones to Watch for fests' by filmfestivals.com"    LIVING IN THE FUTURES PAST by Susan Kucera, an eco responsible documentary presented by Jeff Bridges. USA October 2017 - 83 minutes Website I Sneak peek 5 minutes edit I Request a screener I Sales by Vision Films I Jeff Bridges Academy Award Winner, Jeff Bridges presents this beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the...

 

ANIMATION CALLING

 

MIAFF 5th edition wants your hot new animation films for 2018 EARLY BIRD until October 14!

MIAFF is bursting into its 5th edition and will be a spectacular 5th year birthday party! Call for entries are now open so take advantage of early bird rates until October 14 For festival strategy and consultation contact Animation Calling today! With hundreds of submissions from all over the world MIAFF 5 will be screening your film alongside  an ANIMAZING party to boot!         ... 

 

HORROR CALLING

Filmfestivals com has an eye for Horror and SciFi: check our fantastic selection

Films we curate for festivals Check our selection of 'Best for Fests' in th eHorror SciFi genre!   "Ones to Watch for fests' by filmfestivals.com"      CHIMERA by Maurice Haeems, SciFi Thriller October 2017 80 minutes Chimera features Emmy-nominee Henry Ian Cusick (Lost) and Oscar-nominee Kathleen Quinlan (Apollo 13) in the two leading roles. A brilliant but disturbed scientist decides to freeze his children alive,...

 

 

Silver Scream Fest is back!

      ...

 

13 Horror Calling Submit now

  Film & Screenplay Contest 2018 Deadline 13 April 2018 Submissions open for 13Horror.com's Film & Screenplay Contest 2018! Website I Twitter I Facebook I Profile on filmfestivals.com I SUBMIT I Contact 13Horror.com is back with THE go-to contes...

DOC FESTS CALLING

Filmfestivals com has an eye for Docs: check our fantastic selection

"Ones to Watch for fests' by filmfestivals.com"    LIVING IN THE FUTURES PAST by Susan Kucera, an eco responsible documentary presented by Jeff Bridges. USA October 2017 - 83 minutes Website I Sneak peek 5 minutes edit I Request a screener I Sales by Vision Films I Jeff Bridges Academy Award Winner, Jeff Bridges presents this beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the environ...

 

Docs selected for Sundance

U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people and events that shape the present day. Films that have premiered in this category in recent years include Chasing Coral, Life, Animated, Cartel Land and City of Gold.   Bisbee '17 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Robert Greene, Producers: Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Bennett Elliott) — An old mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border finally reckons with its dar...

 

IDFA 2017 Awards

On Wednesday November 22 in the Stadsschouwburg of Amsterdam the winners of the different competition programs were announced.   Click through to read the jury reports IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary                                   Mila Turajlic won the IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary (€ 15,000) for Th...

 

Video Interview with IDFA winner for best film: Mila Turajlic for The Other Side of Everything

  Last Week Mila Turajlic won the award for Best Feature-Length Documentary during IDFA 2017 with her film The Other Side of Everything. In this interview Mila talks more about her role as a filmmaker trying to make a portrait of her own family. The Other Side of Everything takes place within the walls of a sub-divided apartment in Belgrade. Capturing a family portrait (of Mila's own family) that symbolises the political unrest in the coun...

> FILMS FOCUS     

 

Fest Forums hosted the World Premiere of Jeff Bridges and Susan Kucera's new Trailer for 'Living the Futures Past'

Filmfestivals.com' Bruno Chatelin, a partner and Advisory board member of Fest Forums, Lise Romanoff CEO of Vision Films and Susan Kucera the Director of Jeff Bridges Living the Futures Past are proud to bring Jeff Bridges at the conference where he is expected to hand an award for T-Bone Burnett November 18th. Stage 32 is the co-curator of FestForums film screenings and we will be featuring an incredible film lineup in the Cinetransfomer theater with Q&A moderated by Stage 32... 

 

 

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Absinthe plays homage to the beautiful black and white old Hollywood stories and shares actual quotes from legends including James Brown, Janis Joplin, Frida Khalo and Marilyn Monroe. This avant-garde film stars two of France’s most beloved actresses Oscar-nominee Marie-Christine Barrault and Cesar-nominee Brigitte Fossey, as well as American actor Larry Cech. The film was directed by Michelle Figlarz and produced by Larry Cech, Raul Torres and Monica Cooper...

Trailer: 

Absinthe stars Academy Award nominee Marie-Christine Barrault and Cesar Award Nominee Brigitte Fossey

 

Studio 100 has taken over the New York-based company Little Airplane Productions. Animation studio Little Airplane Productions was founded by Josh Selig in 1999 and its staff has won numerous acclaimed awards, including 21 Emmy Awards. Little Airplane Productions is known for the series Wonder Pets, Small Potatoes, Super Wings, P. King Duckling and many others, all original productions created from scratch for broadcasters around the world. Little Airplane Productions also has many internatio...

 

Andrea Bocelli biopic MUSIC OF SILENCE wins special award at Capri, Hollywood Film Festival

Lady Monika Bacardi, Andrea Iervolino, Andrea Bocelli, Toby Sebastian and Roberto Sessa The Award Will Be Presented to the Film’s Producers, Screenwriter and Cast Members At Ceremonies on December 30th in Anacapri     Today the Board of the Capri in the World Institute today announced that “The Music of Silence,” Michael Radford’s Italian language film about the early life of the world renown tenor Andrea Bocelli, will receive the &lsqu...

 

NFL and NBA stars Drew Brees, Tony Parker among pro-athletes partnering for movie venture!

 

A Hollywood super team rivaling any in the sports world has officially been assembled as star NFL quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, NBA all-star guard Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, retired NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks, and retired NBA all-star Michael Finley have become partners in Argent Pictures, the Los Angeles based film production and financing outfit founded by Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens and Ben Renzo.   Brees, Parker, Brooks and Finley have all q...

 

 

 

New Film Noir from Hungary is a Groundbreaker and a Head Turner

by Alex Deleon      <filmfestivals.com> BUDAPEST NOIR is a murder mystery set in the German influenced Budapest of 1936 with Antisemitism on the rise. Superbly directed, acted, and beautifully lensed by master cinematographer Elemér Ragály.  This is by far the Best Hungarian film of the year in what has been a very good year for Magyar cinema generally. In terms of genre the very first film of its kind from this country and an eye opener...

 

Jeff Bridges own website featuring Living the Futures Past

http://www.jeffbridges.com/hope-for-humankind.html  ...

 

 

Living in the Futures Past - Stills

Jeff Bridges ...

 

Living the Futures Past Promo Reel

LIVING IN THE FUTURE'S PAST DOCUMENTARY PREVIEW ...

 

 

World Premiere of Jeff Bridges promo for Living the Futures Past at Fest Forum Santa Barbara November 18

Filmfestivals.com' Bruno Chatelin, a partner and Advisory board member of Fest Forums, Lise Romanoff CEO of Vision Films and Susan Kucera the Director of Jeff Bridges Living the Futures Past were proud to attend the conference with Jeff Bridges handing an award for T-Bone Burnett November 18th. Stage 32 is the co-curator of FestForums film screenings and has featured an incredible film lineup in the Cinetransfomer theater with Q&A moderated by Stage 32's fearless leader, R...

> "FILMFESTIVALS.COM ONES TO WATCH ON THE CIRCUIT" FOR FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION

CHIMERA by Maurice Haeems USA India Thriller Science Fiction 79 minutes

Trailer I Website I Blog on filmfestivals.com I Contact I Festival Screeners

A brilliant but disturbed scientist decides to freeze his children alive, while he races against time to cure their deadly genetic disease by unlocking the secret of immortality encoded within the DNA of the Turritopsis jellyfish.

LIVING AMONG US by Brian Metcalf  - Vampire Found Footage Thriller Ocober 2017 80 minutes

A family of Vampires hire some filmmakers to bring their story to the world with devastating results.  STARRING: John Heard (Home Alone), Esmé Bianco (Game of Thrones), Thomas Ian Nicholas (American Pie), William Sadler (Iron Man 3), Andrew Keegan (10 Things I Hate About You).

Website I  Blog on filmfestivals.com I Teaser trailer I Screener I Youtube I Facebook I Twitter I Sales by Vision Films

LIVING IN THE FUTURES PAST by Susan Kucera, A documentary presented by Jeff Bridges.
USA October 2017 - 83 minutes

Academy Award Winner, Jeff Bridges presents this beautifully photographed tour de force of original thinking on who we are and the environmental challenges we face. Jeff, alongside prominent scientists and authors, weave evolution, emergence, entropy, dark ecology, and what some are calling the end of nature, into a story that helps us understand our place among the species of Earth’s household. The film upends our way of thinking and provides original insights into our subconscious motivations, the unintended consequences, what to do about our fossil slaves, and how our fundamental animal nature influences our future as Humankind. 

...more details Blog on filmfestivals.com

DEAD ON ARRIVAL D.O.A. by Stephen Sepher - Thriller  - USA  - June  2017 -  96 minutes

Emmy nominated Billy Flynn stars in an ensemble cast as Sam Collins, a pharmaceutical sales rep who visits a small town in Louisiana to close the business deal of a lifetime. He finds himself in a dark world of sex, corruption and murder as he is poisoned with no antidote to save his life. Desperate for answers, with less than 24 hours to live, Sam turns to a local girl Jesse. Their path leads to a voodoo priestess who only confirms Sam's doomed fate. On the run, caught in a deadly vertigo with no one to trust, Sam and Jesse find themselves running from police detectives, the Mob and a dirty sheriff who wants him dead.

Inspired by the 1950 classic noir thriller D.O.A. 

http://www.doafilm.com I Twitter I Facebook I Request a screener and Festival bookings

THE EVIL WITHIN by late Andrew Getty 

Winner in Houston WorldFest and Fantasporto

The sadistic tale of a lonely, mentally handicapped boy who befriends his reflection in an antique mirror. This demonic creature orders him to go on a murderous rampage to kill the people he loves most.

Starring: Frederick Koehler (Death Race), Sean Patrick Flanery (The Boondock Saints), Michael Berryman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) Brianna Brown (General Hospital), Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers), Kim Darby (True Grit)

Written and directed by late Andrew Getty - Produced by Eric Berliner, Michael Luceri - Sales Vision Films Lise Romanoff

 

Horror, Thriller, 100 Min, 2016 Winner best actor at Fantasporto 2017 
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OFFENSIVE, Jon Ford's thriller.Winner in Houston Worldfest, Best Film and Audience Award for Best Film at Torino Film Fest

"They were forced beyond breaking point; they have no regrets, does that make them bad people? The first part of this film will enrage you ! The second part will sate you !". Bruno Chatelin - Filmfestivals.com

A retired couple, Bernard and Helen Martin, inherit a remote house in rural France, the very same village Bernard’s war hero father liberated during the Second World War, over 70 years earlier. This peaceful couple quickly become the target of a crual gang of street kids, who terrorise the village.

An e-generation permanently plugged into their devices, devoid of empathy, a new breed of technological psychopath…Pushed beyond breaking point, can Bernard live up to his father’s legend, as the situation explodes into a brutal war of generations ?

Website I Festival Bookings I Facebook I Contacts @ Production I Synopsis I Trailer I Poster

 

The Unwilling by Oscar nominee Jonathan Heap

 

Evil is inside

6 family members gather for the reading of a will. It comes with a mysterious box. Who will leave alive?

Starring David Lipper, Dina Meyer, Levy Tran, Austin Highsmith, Jake Thomas, Robert Rusler, Bree Williamson and  Lance Henrickson.  

USA 82 minutes I Supernatural Horror Thriller  I Sales by Vision Films I Festivals contact I Trailer I Website I Facebook I Twitter I Youtube I

A DYING KING Feature Documentary, directorial debut by Bobak Kalhor 85 minutes

HOW ONE MAN'S DEATH, CHANGED HISTORY

 

Trailer I Website I Blog on filmfestivals.com ITwitter I Contact I Festival Screeners

An expose of the last King of Iran’s medical story

On January 16,1979, the Shah of Iran Mohamad Reza Pahlavi, left the royal palace, the Peacock Throne and his beloved country Iran for the last time, commencing what became a 19-month odyssey into exile. He wondered hopelessly from Egypt to Morocco, Bahamas, Mexico, the U.S, then Panama and back again to Egypt where he died furtively at the age of 60. His death had profound consequences for the future of the Middle East and the world, yet the untold medical story of the last King of Iran has to date remained a puzzling mystery. By unraveling the secrecy surrounding this critical period of history, beginning from the onset of the Shah’s illness, to the diagnosis/misdiagnosis and maltreatment, “A Dying King” exposes the main causes of the Iranian Revolution, the pursuant 444 days hostage crisis, and the adversarial relations between the U.S and Iran.

Angel's Salvation by Hassan AKHONDPOOR - Feature film Iran

Iran 2017 90 minutes 

Angel's (Fereshteh’s) father has gone bankrupt during Iran’s nuclear sanctions years and troubled economy. The family had to sell their home and are now living in a small, ran down house. The creditors pressure Fereshteh for their money and hurt her feminine family. Farzaneh, Fereshteh’s sister, was going to marry but her wedding was cancelled because of their situation. Fereshteh’s mother sells all home appliances and now there is only one creditor left who wants Fereshteh instead of his money. Fereshteh is in a dilemma of giving in to a married man, which will lead to her father’s release, or fighting the problems of lacking money and lacking her father.

A film by Hassan AKHONDPOOR, produced by Ebrahim ASGHARIstarring Elahe SHAHPARAST, Roshanak SE GHALEGI, Neda KOHI, 

Trailer I Worldwide Rights Available I Ask for a screeneer  I Festival placement

Revolution by Rob Stewart  

over 40 festival wins so far

Eco Documentary feature film by Rob Stewart April 2015, 82 minutes (Sharkwater)
Revolution is a film about changing the world. The true-life adventure of Rob Stewart, this follow-up to his acclaimed SHARKWATER (36 festival wins) documentary continues his remarkable journey; one that will take him through 15 countries over four years, and where he'll discover that it's not only sharks that are in grave danger -- it's humanity itself.

Website I Epk on filmfestivals.com I Trailer I Email us for a screener

> THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT   

Bahamas Int’l Film Fest reveals a very powerfull lineup this year

  Sean Baker’s Drama “The Florida Project” Starring Willem Dafoe, Selected as BIFF 2017 Opening Night Film   The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), celebrating its 14th edition this year, and taking place December 10-17, today revealed the lineup of films screening in the festival’s competition and sidebar sections. The program was announced by BIFF Founder and Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool.   This year, the Festival will showcase mor...  

 

Enter The New Media Film Festival HD Drone Giveaway.

Drone Giveaway Dec 7th it's easy to enter - Happy Holidays NewMediaFilmFestival.com         Drone Giveaway Dec. 7 -Holiday Cheer and a Meet the Creators video to enjoy.     ...

 

> PEOPLE ON OUR RADAR

Jeff Bridges Filmography

    The Only Living Boy in New York (2017)     Granite Mountain (2017)   Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)   Hell or High Water (2016) Marcus Hamilton  (soundtrack)   The Little Prince (2015) The Aviator (soundtrack) ...

 

Susan Kucera Director's Bio

Susan is currently working with Academy award winner actor Jeff Bridges on documentary collaborations. Susan is director, co-producer, cinematographer and editor of the film Living in the Futures Past which is also, produced, narrated by and features Jeff Bridges, set to be released in 2018.     Susan Kucera has been working in film since youth, first as a camera assistant studying the Athabasca Glacier creating educational short films with her father, Glaciologist, Dr.Ri...

 

Susan Kucera and Jeff Bridges at Fest Forums Santa Barbara promoting Living in the Futures Past

T Bone Burnett, Jeff Bridges and Ethan Coen at the conference.  ...

 

 

> STRICTLY BUSINESS AND SPECIAL OFFERS EXCLUSIVE FOR OUR READERS

Partner Film Festivals Calling. Fast-Approaching Deadlines

Need more and better film submissions for your festival? don't miss the one month booster

Filmfestivals.com was established 1995 as world reference in this niche, we are proud of our track record in helping festivals attract more legitimacy, visibility and film submissions from our large base of international film professionals (370 000 unique filmmaker visitors each month), 159 500 subscribers to the newsletter. ONE TIME OFFER We suggest this quick one month booster program for your call for entry including  with 4 newsletter ads, your call for entry promoted one month lon...  

The Bulletin Board I Pro Services's blog |  Advertise your festival in the next eBlast to our filmmakers.   

Major Buzz Factory : Expérience de Bruno Chatelin du marketing Digital pour les films

Fort d'une expérience acquise dans la distribution de films pour deux Majors (Sony et Fox mariée sous a direction avec UGC) Bruno Chatelin propose une expérience pointue au service de votre stratégie digitale à Travers sa structure de Conseil MAJOR BUZZ FACTORY Le fondateur Bruno Chatelin : un Professionnel de la communication entouré de spécialistes, son expérience est ancrée sur trois univers La publicité, Le mark.eting et le digital.

TOUTES LES NEWS EN FRANCAIS.  

Bilan de la 40e édition du Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt

La 40e édition du Festival du Film Italien de Villerupt s'est terminée le 12 novembre dernier après 17 jours mettant à l'honneur le cinéma vert, blanc, rouge sous toutes ses formes. 72 films programmés, 52 rencontres, 61 invités, 25 décentralisations et 39 400 spectateurs, tels sont les chiffres bilan de ce millésime 2017.   Parmi les temps forts à retenir, un palmarès illustrant une production pluriel...

 

 

Les lauréats 2017 de la Fondation Gan pour le Cinéma sont...

La Fondation Gan pour le Cinéma est ravie de vous dévoiler ses lauréats 2017, son Prix spécial ainsi que son Prix «30 ans » ! Découvrez chaque projet en détail dans notre dossier de presse et tous nos lauréats depuis 1987 dans notre plaquette de présentation. Retour sur les temps forts de l'année en image: LES FAITS MARQUANTS 2017.     Depuis 30 ans, la Fondation œuvre avec p...

 

Palmarès de la 28ème édition du Festival International du Film d'Histoire de Pessac.

 

 Le Palmarès 2017 Prix du Film d’Histoire - FICTION La Douleur d’Emmanuel Finkiel   Prix du Jury Professionnel Parrainé par la Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations et le Domaine Clarence Dillon (Château Haut-Brion - 1er Grand Cru Classé 1855, Château Mission Haut-Brion - Cru classé des Graves) « Cher amis, Emmanuel Finkiel, Les Films du Poisson, Cinéfrance et Les Films du Losange sont tr...

 

 

Palmarès / Les Œillades, Festival du Film Francophone d'Albi (21-26 nov. 2017)

PALMARÈS   Trois Prix ont été décernés lors de la 21è édition des Œillades, Festival du Film francophone d'Albi (21-26 novembre 2017)    PRIX DU PUBLIC - LONG-MÉTRAGE     ...

 

 

Les 10 finalistes des Prix Coal, verdict final ce mercredi 29 Novembre

L’association COAL a le plaisir d’annoncer les noms des dix finalistes du Prix COAL Art et Environnement 2017 ! Le Prix COAL 2017 sera remis le 29 novembre 2017 par le ministère de la Culture lors d’une cérémonie organisée au musée de la Chasse et de la Nature. L’évènement s’inscrit dans une journée dédiée à l’Art, la culture et la Biodiversité or...

RISC 2017 /Rencontres Internationals Sciences et Cinéma Before et soirée d'ouverture !

Screen your animation film at Animation Day in Cannes in 2018! Participate and submit your  animated film or script at the must attend animation event where film animation film professionals gather from around the world.

 Animaze Daze at Cannes is celebrating its 4th successful year presenting Animation Day in Cannes produced in collaboration with filmfestivals.com and The Montreal International Animation Film Festival 

Entries are still open for a happy and creative animated 2018 at the Cannes FIlm Festival

For submission queries please contact laurie@animazefestival.com

Submit entries on filmfreeway 

DISCOUNT CODE: Cannes2018

offer valid until December 7 

Screen your animation film at Animation Day in Cannes in 2018!  submit your  animated film or script at the must attend animation event where film animation film professionals gather from around the world.

 Animaze Daze at Cannes is celebrating its 4th successful year presenting Animation Day in Cannes produced in collaboration with filmfestivals.com and The Montreal International Animation Film Festival 

Entries are still open for a happy and creative animated 2018 at the Cannes FIlm Festival

For submission queries please contact laurie@animazefestival.com

Submit entries on filmfreeway 

DISCOUNT CODE: Cannes2018

offer valid until December 7 

SICILIA QUEER FILMFEST 2018 
PALERMO 31st MAY – 6th JUNE, 2018 
PARTICIPATION RULES 
PREMISE

1. ORGANIZERS 
The cultural association Sicilia Queer organises the Sicilia Queer filmfest. Independent festival, it has been supported for some years by the MIBACT - Directorate General for Cinema; by the Regione Siciliana, Department of Tourism Sport and Show Business – Sicilia Film Commission; by the City of Palermo, Department of Culture. Along with them, it receives further support by some associations and private sponsors. 

2. AIMS 
The Sicilia Queer filmfest ¬– International New Visions Festival is a project whose aim is to promote the cinematographic culture and the fight against social discrimination, and to protect and sustain the culture of diversity through the promotion of non-compliant movies, exploring horizons in search of a new perspective towards the cinema of the future. The festival intends to promote young actors, emerging and independent cinematography, new forms of expression connected to the experimentation and innovation of traditional and non-traditional languages. 

3. DATE AND DURATION 
The eighth edition of the Sicilia Queer filmfest will be held from May 31st to June 6th, 2018, for a total duration of seven days.

4. PROGRAM 
In addition to various non-competitive sections, the festival presents two different competitive sections: 
• Queer Short: International Shorts Competition. Competitive section for works related to queer issues in a broad sense. Any genre is permitted (fiction, documentary, animation, music video, experimental films) except for commercials and TV jingles and titles.

• International New Vision Prize: International Fiction Feature Films and Documentary Competition. Competitive section for debut films and second films, for debuting directors or for films considered as innovative under other points of view, not necessarily related to queer issues.

5. INTERNATIONAL QUEER SHORT COMPETITION SUBSCRIPTION 
a) The subscription is free. 
b) The selection will be the sole decision of the direction of the festival. 
c) Only short films relatable to queer issues in a broad sense, completed after January 1st, 2016 are eligible for the competition. The running time must not exceed 25’ of total duration. The direction of the festival reserves the right to admit, in exceptional cases, works that exceed the running time indicated above. 
d) All films should be entered online through the official entry form which can be filled online at FilmFreeway. 
e) Filmmakers willing to enter the competition must send a DVD or a streaming link or upload a file following the directions in the entry form at FilmFreeway not later than February 28th 2018. 
f) If not with Italian dialogues, all preview copies should be subtitled in Italian, English or French. An Italian, English or French dialogue list should be sent along with the DVD/link. All selected films must be subtitled in English. 
g) The direction of the festival will elect an international jury made up of at least three members designated to award the prize for best picture. 
h) During the festival, an Audience award supported by a sponsor of the festival may be established. 
i) In case you’re not able to provide us with a digital preview copy please send your DVD (the date of the postmark will be considered authentic) to the following address:

SICILIA QUEER FILMFEST 
c/o Institut Français Palermo 
Via Paolo Gili, 4 
90134 – Palermo 
ITALY

6. NEW VISIONS AWARD INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION SUBSCRIPTION 
a) A 10€ (ten euros/00) entry fee is applicable to submitted films. 
b) The selection will be the sole decision of the direction of the festival. 
c) Only fiction feature films and documentaries completed after January 1st, 2016 are eligible. 
d) All films should be entered online through the official entry form which can be filled online at FilmFreeway. 
e) Filmmakers willing to enter the competition must send a DVD or a streaming link or upload a file following the directions in the entry form on FilmFreeway not later than February 28th 2018. 
f) If not with Italian dialogues, all preview copies should be subtitled in Italian, English or French. An Italian, English or French dialogue list should be sent along with the DVD/link. All selected Italian films must be subtitled in English. 
g) The direction of the festival will elect an international jury made up of at least three members designated to award the prize for best picture. 
h) During the festival, an Audience award supported by a sponsor of the festival may be established. 
i) In case you’re not able to provide us with a digital preview copy please send your DVD (the date of the postmark will be considered authentic) to the following address:

SICILIA QUEER FILMFEST 
c/o Institut Français Palermo 
Via Paolo Gili, 4 
90134 – Palermo 
ITALY

7. SELECTED FILMS AND SHIPPING OF PRINTS 
a) The Scheduling Office will be in charge of requesting a complete documentation. All selected filmmakers will receive a list of the required materials only. These materials will be used in Festival publications and for distribution to the press and Festival guests. 
b) The requested materials should be sent/submitted as soon as possible upon acceptance of the invitation, but no later than one week after the selection communication. 
c) The shipping costs of all the materials for the selection are at applicant’s expense. The materials of non-selected films will not be returned and the copyright owners commit to authorize the festival offices to store them in the archive of the Sicilia Queer filmfest for the exclusive use of study, cataloguing and recommendation to other festivals. The archive will be available for free consultation. 

8. FILM SCREENING 
a) The screening schedule will be the sole decision of the Direction of the festival. 
b) The screening format must necessarily be sent in PAL version. 
c) All films in foreign language, if not provided with Italian subtitles, will be screened in their original version with Italian electronic subtitles provided by the festival. 
d) The Direction of the festival will be in charge of the publication of a general catalogue of the selected films. 

9. AWARDS

a) All the awards are assigned to the directors of the winning works. The competitive sections of the festival will have the following awards:

• International New Visions Award: International Fiction Feature Films and Documentaries Competition. The award, followed by the related motivations, will be assigned by an international jury of at least three members selected by the Direction of the festival. The final, incontestable judgement of the jury will assign a prize of 1,000.00€ (one thousand euros/00) to the best feature film. 

• Queer Short Award – International New Visions Competition: The award, followed by the related motivations, will be assigned by a jury of at least three members selected by the Direction of the festival. The final, incontestable judgement of the jury will assign a prize of 500.00€ (five hundred euros/00) to the best short film. 

b) The producers and distributors, as well as the purchase and sales personnel commit to show on the film promotional material (poster, trailer, website…) the mention of the received award of the festival. The official logo of the awards will be provided by the festival and must not be altered in any way without the authorization of the festival. 
c) The winners will be invited to release a copy of the awarded film (free of charge) for further screenings aimed to the diffusion of the awarded works in the weeks following the festival.

10. GENERAL RULES 
a) The screening copies of the selected works must be sent before April 30th, 2018 (in case of international shipping), and before May 5th, 2018 (in case of domestic shipping).

b) Unless differently agreed, the screening copies of selected films coming from non EU countries must be sent via express courier. Please write on the outside of the package: “No commercial value. For cultural purposes only”. The festival will not accept the shipping of films burdened by customs fees at festival expense.

c) Filmmakers and/or producers are responsible for the content of their works and by entering the competition they automatically acknowledge that they have fulfilled any obligations towards third parties, including royalties and copyright. 

d) The selected films, whose availability has already been confirmed by the right holders, cannot be later withdrawn from the festival for any reason. Should the filmmaker or the producers decide to withdrawn a selected film already included in the festival schedule, they will be required to pay the sum of 2,000.00€ (two thousand euros/00) as a compensation for the damages. 

e) The application to the SICILIA QUEER filmfest implies the unconditional acceptance of every part of the present regulations. 

f) The Direction of SICILIA QUEER filmfest can take decisions on issues which are not listed above. In case of any controversy, the place of jurisdiction is the Court of Palermo. Please note that, in any case of dispute, only the Italian version of these regulations is legally valid.

The Direction of the Sicilia Queer

IFFI Goa 2017, XVII: Films and ratings

For the first time in many years, I decided not to write while the festival was on, and catch-up on as many films as possible. Of course, I did attend two Open Forums and two dinners, but that was about all that kept me away from watching movies. That, and my inability to wake-up early enough to catch the morning screenings.

Here’s a brief description of the films I managed to catch, and their ratings on a scale of 0-*****. A few were insufferable, and I had to walk out at some stage (at least 30 minutes after the beginnings), so they are mentioned, but not rated.

1. Beyond the Clouds *** (Opening film)

Majid Majidi’s sojourn on a territory charted in their own ways by Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay) and Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). It does not stand well against his best works, and why should we make allowances for the fact that Iranian Majidi has made an Indian film for Indian audiences, dwelling at length on Mumbai’s underbelly, what with drugs, prostitution, jails and hospitals? One also wonders about the casting of Bengali director Gautam Ghose as the molester who remains comatose for half the film.

2. Thinking of Him *** (Closing film)

Argentine Pablo César makes a co-production with an Indian company on a rare chapter in the life of Rabindranath Tagore. To put it into context, he weaves a 2017 track in colour that takes place in his native country, and cross cuts with the Tagore visit to Buenos Aires some 100 years ago, in B&W. In an attempt to avoid tropes, he delineates an elaborate matrix on education and educators in the juvenile delinquent homes of Argentina, and thereby makes the link tenuous, till it jells in the end.

3. Beats Per Minute (Walk-out)

Long live the Jury that gave it two awards, Best Picture and Best Actor, Male.

4. Racer and the Jailbird **1/2

An outlaw falls in love and conceals his true identity from his beloved. Beaten to death theme, with some slick thrills and heists. And then it slides into Love Story, with two added dimensions: the macho gangster is mortally afraid of dogs and the woman has cancer. Her boundless and sublime love for him is irrational.

5. Village Rockstars ***1/2

Hype can be counter-productive, as in this case. A good film about life of a bunch under-privileged pre-teen children in Assam, the annually recurring floods that keep wreaking havoc, and the kids’ fascination with being a rock band with, thermocole cut-out instruments. Class and gender bias is gently woven in.

6. Women of the Weeping River (Walk out)

Not much is known about the Muslim majority region of Mindanao in the Philippines. What I saw was just two families in a land feud that included regular murders. Failed to hold interest.

7. Breath **1/2

In the late 70s, a little girl lives in a fantasy world. Her father is an asthmatic pick-up driver. Meanwhile, a revolution is brewing in Iran, which will depose the Shah, and bring Ayatollah Khomeini to power. A striking opening shot, which is also the closing shot, but with a heart-rending twist, is one of the few redeeming factors of this film. Very Iranian in subject and execution, it does not meet the high standards set by quintessential Iranian films.

8. In Blue ***

Exploring the mind and soul of a broken woman can come-up with irrational but highly sentimental content. Contrasting the lives of a Dutch air-hostess who has given birth to a dead foetus with that of a young Romanian man who is deep into the abyss of drugs, conmanship and male prostitution, the film makes a mist unlikely couple, where sex is not part of the relationship. Sensitively handled and convincingly portrayed.

9. Life Beyond Me (Walk out)

Interesting premise of a woman trying to abduct her son after her separated husband’s death, where nothing really happens for 30 minutes. The film was beyond me.

10. Love Me Not ***

Few films at IFFI 2017 could boast of a plot with such a masterful twist. Ostensibly about surrogate motherhood, the film turns out to be a plan to swindle a few millions. Casting is perfect, meant to mislead with the face ‘masks’. Towards the end, it becomes a prolonged sadistic saga, designed to deliver justice to one partner in crime while the other goes scot-free.

11. Loveless ***1/2

A favourite at the Mumbai Film Festival, Loveless has been brought to India by the former director of MFF, Srinivasan Narayanan, who had three films in IFFI 2017. Though Russian, it highlights mainly Western phenomena of what a loveless marriage, divorce and remarriages can do to offspring. Who knows, such loveless, desensitised, materialistic societies might soon spread to Asia and Africa too! Bleak and dark, it has a moral that hits your senses like a velvet coated sledge-hammer.

12. Murder on the Orient Express ***

Everlasting in its appeal, this Agatha Christie murder mystery sticks to straight story-telling, with allowances only for the occasional flash-back when Belgian detective Hercule Poirot unravels the mystery. An all star cast helps, and actor-director Kenneth Branagh is in full control. The suspense apart, you will find some breath-taking visuals. Who killed Johnny Depp? Motive is the key, and there are motives galore.

13. The Nile Hilton Incident **1/2

Prostitution, murder, corruption in low places and politics of the dirtiest kind are in focus in the Egypt-based film (produced by Sweden, Denmark and Germany), and we all have read of the turbulent times the country has seen in the last decade or so. Some clever twists come at the right time to lift this tale above a routine murder mystery, but a lot of it is predictable. At 110 minutes, it is a bit long.

14. The Other Side of Hope ***

Migrants are again the subject of Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki. He gets you hooked with his first frame and offers you his trade-mark dead-pan black humour, albeit in small doses. One is not aware of the actual immigration procedure in that country, but writer Kaurismaki has penned it so well that it will be difficult to think it is any dissimilar. Apart from a couple of co-incidences that appear contrived, there is harmony in the way the ragtag bunch of ‘multi-nationals’ runs a restaurant.

15. Pomegranate Orchard ***1/2

Like Loveless, there is materialism and selfishness at the core of this film from Azerbaijan. Your heart goes out to the old man and you cannot but empathise with his daughter in law. Indeed, there are as many good human beings in this film as there are villains, but alas, all the good ones are on the losing side. Stellar performances and a wonderful location add to the merits.

16. Razzia ***1/2

Not to be confused with the name Razia, the film’s title is a corruption of the Arabic word Ghazia, which means raid. Since the film is set in Morocco, and in French, r is often pronounced as gh, Razzia here stands for raid. Disjointed in narration, it goes back a couple of decades in time to set the tone, when an idealistic teacher in rural Morocco is forced to use Arabic, while the students only understand the Berber dialect. The teacher chucks his job and moves to Casablanca, as does his beloved, a widow, who could never trace him, and now runs a ladies’ secret dance club. Many other tracks run parallel. The film is nothing, if not bold, and also reminds you that not one frame of the all time classic Casablanca was shot there.

17. Redoubtable ***

Paradoxically, the lead character in redoubtable, the cult film director Jean Luc Godard, is forever in doubt on almost every issue that concerns his films, himself or the politics of his time. Not a complete biopic, the film centres round Godard’s romantic affair with Anne Wiazemsky, who also acted in his films, during the height of the socialistic/Maoist upheavals in the France of 1967-68. Since no serious cineaste in India could dare find any fault with his films (most of them reached us in the 70s, through the Film Society network), it is interesting to see that in this film Godard is self deprecating and often critical of his own work.

18. Shelter ***

With Mossad calling the shots in his political thriller, Eran Riklis digs out his John Le Carré and spins a cat and mouse game. Germany, Israel and France have produced while the proceedings are in English, Hebrew and Arabic. You never know who is double-crossing whom and how safe is a so-called safe-house. Golshifteh Farahani plays a Lebanese woman supposedly on the run, for unclear reasons, while Neta Riskin is her handler agent. Nice pair.

19. Wajib ***1/2

Nazareth is holy for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. And in one cinematic day, the director paints a picture of the whole town and its inhabitants, a list that includes those who have moved on to other countries. It’s a divorcee school-teacher’s only daughter’s wedding, and his son comes from Rome to join the event in the Israeli occupied territory. As the two go around distributing invitation cards, a composite post-card is painted, of love and loss, unity and division.

20. Licence to Kill **1/2 (28 years ago, in 1989, that might have meant ***)

One Timothy Dalton caper I had missed. Q (Desmond Llewellyn) has a major role, for once, but the disappointments were Robert Brown (as M) and Caroline Bliss (as Moneypenny). Not bad on their own, they suffered by comparison with Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell. This would be the last Bond film for both. The title is not from an Ian Fleming novel, a first. John Glen does a fifth as director, also his last. Robert Davi makes an unimpressive drug-lord.

21. Skyfall ***1/2

That’s the name of Bond’s parental home in Scotland, and a place he detests. Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem (not his best outing) battle it out, when the latter, a rogue British agent, is out to destroy MI6 and kill M (Judi Dench). Ralph Fiennes is in the cast too. 23^rd in the series, Skyfall has been followed by Spectre (2015), and another Bond adventure should be out next year. Q, played by young Ben Whishaw, and Moneypenny, played by black actress Naomie Harris, return after earlier castings in same roles. It is quaint that Moneypenny, a regular Bond figure since the beginning, is formally introduced to him in Skyfall.

22. The Sacrifice ***

It was Stalker at MFF, and it is the Sacrifice at IFFI—the Andrei Tarkovsky (restored) pilgrimage is complete. Solaris has already seen by millions decades ago. Ambiguous dialogue, apparently vacuous statements that lead to philosophical discussions and a string current of (Christian) religion are found in all three, but never as strong as in the sacrifice. A mysterious child who needs to be protected, and a man’s sacrifice of life and property, in the hope that the sacrifice will stop war. As usual, not easy viewing.

23. Bahubaali 2-The Conclusion ***

What? I watched James Bond and Babubaali at IFFI, where one goes to see films that are not easily available/accessible? Yes, I did. And I watched one more regular commercial Hindi film. Mind-blowing in terms of Chinese/American superhero flick SFX and CGI, this one is rooted in mythology and legend. That you can see artificial figurines as army-men in several shots takes a few points away. Add to that an obvious lifting of the plot from the Manmohan Desai film DharamVeer, and some more points are lost. Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Ramya and Nasser ham it to the hilt, when not swaggering. Nasser makes a suitably hideous villain.

24. (The State v/s) Jolly LL.B. 2 **1/2

A sequel, with no direct connectivity, the film has Akshay Kumar in the role done by Arshad Warsi. It is incredible that the Indian judicial system at the small town level in the state of Uttar Pradesh could be this bad, but I know many who will swear that it is even worse. As a qualified lawyer, it makes my blood boil. Now, as a film-critic, it is easy to see Huma Qureishi, Saurabh Shukla and Annu Kapoor slide so easily into their respective roles. There is a ‘straight in the face’ message of great import here: we do not need terrorists masquerading as holy men, but we also do not need communal-minded police officers carrying out encounters of the innocent.

25. Khynikaa (Walk out)

I did not get it. Believe me, I tried hard. But makers Amartyya Bhattacharyya and Swastik Choudhury, I will defend your right to make films that you want to. The selection jury saw merit in Khynikaa and included it in the Indian Panorama, and so might some audiences.

26. Pihu ****

Her real name is Myra, while she is called Pihu by her family. Vinod Kapari, who had earlier worked in TV, cast her in this outstanding effort when she was two, and it took all of two-and-a-half years to film it. Pihu’s mother has committed suicide in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, even as her father is on the way to Kolkata. The gas burner is on, and the audiences will have their hearts in their mouths, as they applaud and pray for the little girl. When asked by this writer, Kapari expressed unawareness of the world’s first one-actor film, Yaadein, made by Sunil Dutt in the 60s, but said that he learnt about it much after Pihu was on the way. Easily the best film of IFFI 2017.

27. Xhoixobote Dhemalite **

Writer-director Bidyut Kotoky’s heart is in the right place. And his heart has place for theatre, media, effects of the civil and armed unrest against foreigners/outsiders in native Assam, the desire to see the world through the eyes of his little daughter and hope that one day he will become the unobtrusive but kind and almost mythical grand-father that he gets Victor Banerjee to play in the film. While the children’s play and the grand-father’s visit become high points of emotional drama, the rest of the narrative does not hold as much attention. Some flashback cuts are used as standard technique, to show passage of time, and not to build up excitement. Possibilities not fully actualised.

IFFI Goa 2017 flagged off on the 20^th of November, with the inaugural film screening that evening. On the 28^th, films were shown till about 1 pm and the closing ceremony was held in the afternoon. The closing film was screened late that evening. Let’s count these two days as one screening day, which leaves us with seven ‘screening’ days. Journalists were allowed to watch up to five films a day. Theoretically, I could have seen 35, and I know a few die-hard aficionados who did see 35. I, for my part, managed 27. To remind you, I am unable to catch the first show (starts at 9-10 am) due to sleep/insomnia issues. So, my target was 28. Managing 27, two dinners and two panel discussions as well, I am not too disappointed.

Shashi Kapoor gone? What a huge loss!

Nine years ago, the Pune International Film Festival honoured Shashi Kapoor with a Life-time Achievement Award. He had already suffered a stroke and could only mumble, yet his presence lit up the auditorium. I felt privileged to have contributed his profile to the official brochure of the festival, but a tear ran down my cheek as he was given the award. As the news of his passing away came in an hour ago, I felt deeply distraught. We had worked together in two films (Mr. Romeo and Koi Jeeta Koi Haara) and I had compèred a couple of shows where he was the Chief Guest. During a long break while we were shooting for Mr. Romeo, he took me to the ramshackle canteen of Filmistan Studios and narrated the story of Sidhhartha, the English film he was doing with Simi.

(Shashi on the extreme left, the author on the  extreme right)

There have been few gentlemen in the Mumbai film industry; he was one, for sure. And he had a memory that could only be equalled by say a Hrishikesh Mukherjee. He often asked me why did I not start an acting and broadcasting school of my own, instead of lecturing and conducting workshops all over Mumbai and Pune, and I, in turn, asked him why did he not continue making films as producer, never mind acting. He laughed and replied, “All my films were huge flops. Junoon barely brought back the investment. After shutting shop, I spent more than ten years acting in insignificant films to repay the creditors. Surely, I must be the worst producer in the world…and you want me to get back into production? Have a heart!” We laughed about it. Today, I am crying. He survived some ten years of serious illness and was almost 80 when he died. For Shashi Kapoor, the original boy-hero, 100 would have been early. So much more to remember, so much more to say. For the moment, let me just mourn.

Here is what I wrote for the PIFF brochure, nine years ago.

Actor-producer Shashi Kapoor (born Balbir Raj Kapoor) doesn’t act any more. He doesn’t produce films any more. But his contribution to Indian cinema has been immense and highly praiseworthy. One of the three Kapoor brothers, he belongs to what is popularly called the first family of Hindi filmdom. (The other two brothers being Raj, deceased, and Shamsher ‘Shammi’ Raj Kapoor, still active). Innocent, boy-next-door looks, a rare, sensitive screen persona and a desire to make off-beat, meaningful films, have been the essence of his personality. Born on 18^th March 1938 in Kolkata, 70 year-old Shashi Kapoor spent fifty active years in filmdom and acted in over 200 films, before calling it a day, in 1998.

It was in Papa Prithviraj Kapoor’s Prithvi Theatres’ production of the classic Shakuntala that he made his stage debut, aged six. When big brother (Ranbir) Raj Kapoor turned director, he found him the ideal choice to play young Raj in Aag and Awara. Some thirty years later, Raj was to cast him in the lead, opposite Zeenat Aman, in Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Shashi, on his part, paid tribute to the memory of his late father ‘Papajee’, by building an amphitheatre auditorium, and naming it Prithvi Theatre, now managed by his daughter Sanjana, who, along with brothers Karan and Kunal, dabbled in acting, but gave it up soon.

Stage had already become a passion with teenager Shashi. Giving up academic studies, he joined Joseph Kendall’s touring drama troupe Shakespeareana, toured India, Pakistan and Malaysia, and married Kendall’s daughter, Jennifer, in 1958. Twenty years later, Jennifer was to become the moving spirit behind Prithvi Theatre and to play a lovable character in 36 Chowringhee Lane, which Shashi produced and Aparna Sen directed. In the early 60s, the adult Shashi bagged central roles in Dharamputra and Char Diwari, playing intense, emotional characters. In spite of some highly successful films like Jab Jab Phool Khile, Aamne Saamne and Hasina Maan Jayegi, he finally hit big time with films like Sharmeelee, Aa Gale Lag Jaa and Chor Machaye Shor.

Besides several solo hits, Shashi played one of the main roles in the multi-starrers and box-office bonanzas, Waqt, Deewar and Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. If Mafioso Amitabh Bachchan’s under-the-bridge dialogue in Deewar is one of the most memorable in film history, so is the role of his perfect foil, big brother Police Inspector, essayed by Shashi, “Meray paas maā hae.” The chemistry with Amitabh was so palpable that the two appeared together on screen with regularity, over almost two decades. Meanwhile, Shashi kept on producing films directed by creative geniuses like Shyam Benegal, Girish Karnad and Govind Nihalani. Accepting the challenge of playing an aging Urdu poet, Shashi turned in a compelling performance in Mohafiz (In Custody). But the passing away of Jennifer in 1984, the recurrent box-office failure of his home productions and the lack of exciting acting offers finally led him to hang up his boots.

With Ismail Merchant and James Ivory’s Merchant-Ivory Productions, Shashi did a string of English films, beginning with The Householder. These inspired him to launch his own production company, Filmvalas, which championed the cause of different, yet aesthetically superior cinema. Junoon got the National Award for Best Film, but his only directorial effort, the Arabian Nights fantasy Ajooba, starring Amitabh Bachchan and nephew Rishi Kapoor, proved a non-starter.

Shashi was one of the first Indian stars to act in British and American productions, like Pretty Polly (A Matter of Innocence), Siddhartha and Sammie and Rosie Get Laid. Seen in the TV mini-series, Gulliver’s Travels, as the Rajah of Laputa, his last two film ventures were Jinnah, in which he was the narrator, and Side Streets, produced by old friend Ismail Merchant, set in New York. Awards have come in the shape of Best Actor (National Award for New Delhi Times), Special Jury Prize (National Award for Mohafiz) and Best Supporting Actor (Filmfare Award for Deewar), but more significant is the undeniable fact that Shashi Kapoor has forever been the darling of the Indian film industry.  

Selected filmography

1948: Aag

1950: Sangram

1951: Awara

1961: Char Diwari, Dharamputra

1962: Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath, Prem Patra

1963: The Householder

1964: Benazir

1965: Jab Jab Phool Khile, Shakespearewallah, Waqt

1966: Pyar Kiye Jaa

1967: Aamne Saamne, Pretty Polly

1968: Hasina Maan Jayegi, Kanya Daan

1969: Jahan Pyar Miley, Pyar Ka Mausam, Raja Saab

1970: Abhinetri, Bombay Talkie

1971: Sharmeelee

1972: Janwar Aur Insaan

1973: Aa Gale Lag Jaa, Mr. Romeo

1974: Chor Machaye Shor, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan

1975: Chori Mera Kaam, Deewar

1976: Aap Beati, Kabhi Kabhie, Koi Jeeta Koi Hara

1977: Doosra Aadmi, Imman Dharam

1978: Junoon, Phaansi, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Siddhartha, Trishul

1979: Gautam Govinda, Kaala Patthar, Suhaag

1980: Do Aur Do Paanch, Kalyug, Shaan

1981: Basera, Kranti, Silsila, 36 Chowringhee Lane

1982: Namak Halal, Sawaal, Vijeta

1983: Heat and Dust

1984: Utsav

1985: Pighalta Aasman

1986: Ilzaam, New Delhi Times

1987: Sammie and Rosie Get Laid

1988: Commando, The Deceivers

1991: Ajooba, Akayla

1993: Mohafiz (In Custody)

1996: Gulliver’s Travels (TV)

1998: Jinnah, Side Streets

Germany based world sales company Media Luna adds an Award to one of its freshest acquisitions: Different Kinds of Rain by Isa Prahl, winner of Best Film at the First Feature Competition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Produced by Made in Germany’s Melanie Andernach, starring two of the most acclaimed German actors, Bibiana Beglau (Silver Bear for best actress in The Legend of Rita) and Bjarne Mädel (24 Weeks, Berlinale 2016), enriched by the score of Volker Bertelmann aka Hauschka (Academy Award nominated for Lion, 2016).
The film focuses on the troubles of Generation Z, specifically the so-called “Secluded” – teenagers locking themselves in with no apparent reason. Here the closed door starts to become a mirror for the whole family’s lives.
The jury, consisting in Eitan Anner (director), Aiste Diržiute (actress), Takeo Hisamatsu (festival director), Fernando Loureiro (producer), Tiina Mälberg (actress), Guillaume de Seille (producer) stated the reason: “For injecting new energy and a fresh approach into the portrayal of a family falling apart.”

By Liza Foreman

DOHA, QATAR - The fifth edition of the Doha

Film Institute's Ajyal Youth Film Festival (November 29 - December 4, 2017)

wrapped on Monday.

Taking place at the Arabian-styled Katara

Cultural Village, 550 children from 45 countries

served as jurors at this year's event, as well as a

panel of regional industry professionals that

presented awards for the Made in Qatar section.

This year's program included 20 features and 83 shorts,

55 were from the Arab world and 52 by female

filmmakers.

This year’s Ajyal winners, voted by Ajyal Jurors in three categories were:

IFFI Goa 2017, XV: UnSeen Durga and the Nude that nobody saw

Among the many controversies and shake-ups that IFFI Goa 2107, one concerns the exclusion of two Indian films from the Indian Panorama. S*** Durga (name altered under instructions from the Central Board of Film Certification) and Nude. Durga was made by a Keralite director in Kerala while Nude is a Marathi film. The former uses Durga only as an allegory and there is no reference to the deity, while the latter is a docu-feature on the lives of women who pose in the nude for students studying painting and the arts. Neither film was shown. While the Nude makers accepted their fate, the Durga team moved heaven and earth, including camping in the courtyard of the festival campus, in attempt to have it shown. After a see-saw battle, they ended up on the losing side.

Let’s see what happened to S*** Durga.

My search begins with the official website of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which was appointed in preference over the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) to organise IFFI Goa 2017. Presenting the highlights of their home page:

LATEST NEWS

Sponsorship Package for IFFI 2017Posted in   15/11/17 17:23 pmRequest for proposal for Sponsorship for IFFI 2017Posted in   15/11/17 13:22 pmCAWFI - Application FormPosted in   02/11/17 05:41 amCORRIGENDUM 2 - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR PRODUCTION AGENCY FOR OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONY OF...Posted in   25/10/17 14:23 pm

Obviously, all this is outdated and irrelevant.

Using their own search engine, I came up with

Results Summary: 0 matching documents found for "S*** Durga"

Moving on to the DFF, I clicked on Indian Panorama 2017 Regulations. Result:

404 - File or directory not found. The resource you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.

Persisting, I found the pdf on

http://iffigoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IP_Regulations_2017.pdf

There is a clause here that allows inclusion of films NOT certified by the CBFC.

6.3 The completion year of production of the films should be during the last 12 months preceding the festival i.e. 1st September 2016 to 31st July 2017. The applicant should submit a declaration stating the date of completion year of production in the format as mentioned at clause number 7.2 (c) I, ii, iii. Films certified by CBFC during the period 1st September 2016 to 31st July 2017 are also eligible.

Note: (1) If the film (Feature or Non-Feature) has been selected/ screened in any Indian/international selection of a festival, it will be eligible for entry in Indian Panorama section in the same year only. (2) If a film selected for Indian Panorama is not certified by CBFC, DFF would take necessary action for seeking exemption as per Cinematography act, 1952 for the festival screenings.

On iffigoa.org, I could not find even one word on S*** Durga and Nude. Ditto the website of the Press Information Bureau, the Central Government’s official news agency. (All film-related activities fall under the purview of the Central Government’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Thank God that still leaves India’s independent media. The S*** Durga and Nude stories so far, culled from news reports. Remember, S*** Durga was screened at the last minute, on the last day, as the last show, at the Mumbai Film Festival on 18^th October 2107.

The Wire, 15 November (excerpts)

The row over dropping two films from the Panorama Section of the International Film Festival of India further escalated on Tuesday as S Durga director Sanal Kumar Sasidharan filed a petition in the Kerala high court against the information and broadcasting ministry as well as International Film Festival of India (IFFI) officials. Complicating matters even more, Apurva Asrani, another IFFI jury member, resigned.

These developments followed filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh’s resignation on Monday as head of IFFI’s Panorama section, after the I&B ministry pulled out Sasidharan’s film S Durga and Ravi Jadhav’s Marathi movie Nude from the 48th edition of the film festival, to be held in Goa from November 20 to 28.

“I want the ministry to go by the rule and not overlook the jury’s decision. They should behave like a democracy, not a dictatorship,” Sasidharan told PTI. His petition urges the ministry to implement the jury’s decision and include films in the final list.

While resigning, Asrani said, “I stand with the chairman of the jury. We have had a responsibility towards some very sincere films, and somewhere we have failed them. My conscience won’t allow me to participate in the festivities in Goa. However, I wish all the other films good luck. Each one has been made with a lot of love and no controversy should take away from that,” reported the Indian Express. Ruchi Narain and Gopi Desai, two jury members, also said they were disappointed with the I&B ministry’s decision to change the list without consulting or informing the jury members.

The petition cites protests by some fringe elements, based on their misunderstanding that the original title ‘Sexy Durga,’ was a reference to goddess Durga.

About Nude, the other film excluded from the festival, sources said the film was not completed technically, which is why it had been denied permission.

The Hindu, 25 November (excerpted)

Director asked to submit censored copy

After an uncertainty of several days, organisers of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2017 finally relented and have now written to Sanal Sasidharan, director of S. Durga to submit a censored copy of the film for consideration.

A spokesperson for the filmmaker said here on Saturday that the required documents and film copies would be submitted to the IFFI organisers.

A letter written by Sunil Tandon, director of IFFI, in this regard was uploaded on a social media site by Mr. Sasidharan late on Friday.

The letter requested the director to submit copies of the film to the festival authorities, as per directions of the Kerala High Court.

“In this connection you are requested to kindly provide the censored version of ‘S... Durga’ in 35mm print/DCP, Blue-ray, along with two DVD copies to IFFI, Goa. Please also submit a copy of the censor certificate,” Mr. Tandon’s letter said.

Kannan Nayar, lead actor of the film told reporters here on Saturday that copies of the film as well as the censor certificate would be submitted to Mr. Tandon’s office.

“We are waiting for the censor certificate to come from Kerala, after which we will submit all the required documents and film copies to the IFFI director,” Mr. Nayar said.

The cast of the film, which is present at the festival, had accused IFFI organisers of succumbing to political pressure in not responding to the court directive that film be screened at the IFFI.

IANS, 28 November 2017 (excerpted)

Sanal Kumar Sasidharan's fight to have his Malayalam film "S Durga" screened at the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) failed due to fresh title-related issues raised by the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC).

In a fresh twist to the "S Durga" saga, IFFI director Sunit Tandon said the film could not screened at the festival which closes on Tuesday.

Tandon's letter to director Sasidharan said: "Following the (jury) screening, certain issues related to the certification of the film with reference to the title of the film were raised. This was referred to the CBFC for clarification. As a consequence to the orders of CBFC, the film cannot be exhibited till the issues are resolved." (The CBFC had passed the film with a UA certificate allowing children to its screenings if accompanied by adults. Audio mutes were ordered at 21 places, and had been effected).

The film was dropped from the screening schedule of the Indian Panorama section of the IFFI along with another film "Nude", triggering controversy.

Sasidharan intensified his fight for "justice" with a petition at the Kerala High Court last week. The court directed IFFI to screen the film at the festival, after a censored version of the movie was screened for the jury.

According to official sources, the jury voted 7-4 in favour of screening the film at the festival late on Monday night, even as the festival was scheduled to end on the subsequent day.

The CBFC has now claimed that the change in title from "Sexy Durga" to "S Durga" and then to "S### Durga" was problematic and that the Indian Panorama jury which watched the film on Monday had complained about the changes in the title.

"Now we have received complaints from the IFFI jury at Goa that the title of the film on the title card is shown by the filmmaker as 'S### Durga' which has totally different implications and are effectively undermining and attempting to defeat the very basis of the title registration and changes effected thereby," Pratibha A, the CBFC regional officer from the Thiruvananthapuram division, said in a communication.

The CBFC communiqué to the film's producer Shaji Mathew also directs that the film should not be exhibited because of violations under Rule 33 of the Cinematograph (Certification) Rules 1983.

Meanwhile, Sasidharan and the film's actor Kannan Nayar staged a token protest near the IFFI screening facility here, against the refusal of the IFFI organisers to screen their film at the festival, despite the jury voting in the film's favour.

The Hindu, 02 December/Updated 04 December (excerpted)

“This is no longer about Sanal Kumar Sasidharan or S Durga. It has become a Constitutional issue about a democratic principle under threat. It sets a precedent, of a government setting rules without listening to the courts,” says an incensed Sasidharan when I meet him in Goa at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2017. Since his arrival in Panjim, the filmmaker has been attracting dozens of young film buffs and journalists who have just one question: “Will S Durga get at least one screening?”

Perhaps Sanal Kumar Sasidharan gets the courage to go to court because he is a lawyer himself. He quotes the famous P. Jagjivan Ram vs. S. Rangarajan case where “the Supreme Court declared that law and order is not an excuse to impede the right to speech and freedom of expression. My film was screened at the Mumbai Film Festival and played to full houses in New Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram. There were no law and order issues there. This is just a lame excuse.”

He made feature films such as Oraalppokkam, which won the FIPRESCI award and the award for Best Director at the International Film Festival of Kerala. His Ozhivudivasathe Kali, on five friends getting together to drink on an election holiday, was noticed for unmasking double standards in society, and was bought by Netflix.

With S Durga, Sasidharan appears to have hit the big time. It has done the rounds of international film festivals, won a Hivos Tiger award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and played at the Singapore International Film Festival.

“Commercial cinema depends on the common man who responds instantly to what he watches on screen, and the industry is confident the common man will stand up for them.”

I think it is pure art that lasts. Activist or propaganda filmmaking will just come and go.”

On the last day of the festival, an editor of a local newspaper asked me to put in a word to old acquaintance Rahul Rawail the new Chairman of the Jury, for an interview. I did. Rahul made it clear that he would give an interview, but would not talk about S*** Durga “since the matter is sub judice”.

No such drama accompanied the dropping of Nude, by Marathi director Ravi Jadhav (Natarang, Balak Palak, Timepass, Banjo and Bioscope). Nude was also certified U/A. Watch the exquisite trailer here: https://youtu.be/bFJMq-Y3a00

It stars Kalyanee Mulay, Chhaya Kadam and Madan Deodhar, with Naseeruddin Shah in a cameo at the end. Nude was the jury's unanimous choice as the opening film of the Indian Panorama. Jadhav has now written a letter to the (I&B) ministry seeking clarity about why his film has been rejected. “Give me some reason at least. It was selected as the opening film. It was a big honour. I am really disappointed and shocked to hear that it has been dropped. Nobody informed me about the decision,” he told The Indian Express.

Jury member Hari Viswanath clarified that though some post-production work on the film was pending, the festival directorate asked them to view the available copy and told them that if the film is selected, the director will be asked for the completed version.

Jadhav said he was not asked for the final version. “I have made five films before, each of which has gone to multiple festivals in India and abroad. My first, Natrang, was also at IFFI. I know how to submit films for festivals and also to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). I have a different version of the film for the international festivals, with six scenes shot differently from the one for India.”

A report from Hindustan Times, dated 15 November 2107: Filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh says he was in tears when he saw Nude --one of the two films excluded from the final selection for the Indian Panorama section of the 48th International Film Festival of India (IIFI).

Ghosh has resigned as the feature films’ jury head after Ravi Jadhav’s Marathi drama Nude and Sanal Kumar Sasidharan’s S Durga were reportedly removed from the recommended list.

In a call from New York where Ghosh is currently on a private visit, he said: “I’ve resigned from the chairmanship of the IFFI jury after this (the unceremonious exclusion of the two films). At the moment, I cannot say anything more.”

Prodded to comment on the merits of the two films, he said: “They are both very accomplished films. Nude is such a poignant and heartbreaking film. I wept when I saw it.”

Jury member Ruchi Narain added: “I am surprised and dismayed at the way the two films were dropped. Both the films were stunning cinematic experiences which the audiences at the festival would have loved.”

Nude is about a nude model’s dilemmas, while S Durga--originally titled Sexy Durga -- is described as a film about how obsession and worship can quickly degenerate in a patriarchal society into a mentality of oppression and abuse of power.

(All quotes and reports are reproduced/excerpted here for academic purposes only, with due credit. Copyrights vest with the authors and publishers).