RIVER TO RIVER FF 2010 Screenings and Guests

One of the most complete and active Indian cinema festivals in Europe is the River to River Film Festival, held annually in the beautiful Italian city of Florence. The 2010 edition of the festival will take place from December 3 to 9 and will feature a retrospective dedicated to renowned director Satyajit Ray as well as the screening of all films who have been awarded during previous editions of the festival.

Films that we would like to highlight in the 2010 competition are:

* Iti Mrinalini, the festival's opening film. This is Aparna Sen's most recent opus, starring Aparna Sen and Konkona Sen Sharma.

* I am, by acclaimed director Onir, starring Nandita Das, Rahul Bose, Anurag Kashyap, Purab Kohli, Juhi Chawla. Onir and Rahul Bose will attend the screening.

* Peepli (Live), by Anusha Rizvi, one of 2010's most acclaimed films within and outside India. Q&A with actress Malaika Shenoy after the screening.
* India by Song, by Vijay Singh, a treat for the eyes and ears of Hindi cinema lovers as the film takes the audience through an overview of Indian history through its cinema.

* The Japanese Wfe, by Aparna Sen, who will attend the screening. Starring Raima Sen and Rahul Bose.

* Ishqiya, by Abhishek Chaubey, starring a wonderful cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, a film not to be missed.

* Raajneeti, by Prakash Jha, starring established and promising actors such as Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Naseeruddin Shah in a family/political saga.

Visit the official River to River Florence Film Festival 2010 website for more information on the film programme and additional India themed activities and exhibitions.

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SOUTH ASIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST 2010: Your Indian Summer in New York

The 7th edition of the South Asian International Film Festival will be held from Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2010 in New York city.

The festival will be featuring various Indian films, including:

* That girl in yellow boots (2010), by Anurag Kashyap, starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah. The film will be screened for the festival's opening and will include a post-film Q&A with Anurag Kashyap. You may view the trailer here.

* Paan Singh Tomar (2010), of Dhul Tigmanshu starring Irrfan Khan and Mahie Gill.

* With Love to Obama (2010), by Subhash Kapoor, starring Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia and Amole Gupte.

* Pappu Can't Dance Saala (2010), by Saurabh Shukla, starring Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia, Rajat Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah.

* West is West (2010), by Andy De Emmony, starring Om Puri, Aqib Khan, Linda Bassett, Jimy Misrty and Ila Arun. The sequel to the internationally acclaimed, multi-award winning 'East is East',will be screened on the date of the festival's closing night. . You may view the trailer here.

Visit the SAIFF official website for more information on each of these films and more.

Se the SAIFF programme schedule

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Roll the drums for the MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2010

While Indian cinema continues to attract viewers across the world, Mumbai, the capital of Hindi cinema itself is welcoming the world of the 7th art from Oct 21st to 28th at the MAMI’s 12th Mumbai Film Festival, seemingly the largest film festival ever to be held. The event opened with David Fincher's 'The Social Network' this Thursday, Oct 21st 2010 and will be showcasing 215 feature films, 15 documentaries and 24 short films from 58 countries.

The 2010 edition features not only an all-woman jury led by Jane Campion (‘Bright Star’, ‘The Piano’) for the International Competition but also the ‘Celebrate Age’ jury, led by none other than famed director Ramesh Sippy, as well as a special ‘Mumbai Young Critics’ jury consisting of hand-picked college students who are film enthusiasts, thus contributing a fresh perspective for both film makers and audiences. The ‘Dimensions Mumbai’ short film competition will also be a part of the festival, making the event thoroughly encompass a wide range of cinematic expression. A Japanese retrospective will also give joy to Asian cinema amateurs. Last but not least, two of cinema’s most emblematic personalities, for India and the international scene, will receive the festival’s Life Achievement award: Indian film actor-director-screenwriter-producer Manoj Kumar and renowned film maker Oliver Stone.

The PVR Juhu will host the Main Festival Complex while films will also be screened at neighboring Chandan Cinema (Juhu), Metro BIG Cinemas (Marine Lines) and BIG Cinemas R City (Ghatkopar).

Keep an eye on the festival programme for the following Indian or India-related 2010 releases, among many other pearls:

* 'The Way Home' – by Biju Kumar

* 'Good Night Good Morning' – by Sudhish Kamath

* 'Alif' – by K.M. Kamal

* ‘Harud’ – by Aamir Bashir

* ‘Semshook’ – by Siddhartha Kumar

* ‘Laadli Laila’ – by Murali Nair

* ‘Mirch’ – by Vinay Shukla

* 'Next Year in Mumbai' – by Jonas Pariente and Mathias Mangin (documentary from France).

For more information visit the MAMI 12th Mumbai Film Festival official website.

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I-VIEW South Asia in New York 2010

If South Asia is your pick, from visual arts to fashion, from music to cinema, from to politics to human rights... the Big Apple's I-VIEW FESTIVAL will cater to that and more!

Organized by Engendered, the film festival focuses on exploring gender, sexuality, culture and religion through South Asian cinema, offering a rich program of events for the glee of those wanting to delve deep into meaningful subjects, arts and fashion.

This year's edition will take place from September 18-26th in Manhattan and will start with a bang by opening with Duane Baughman's 'Bhutto'  (Sundance official selection) and acclaimed director Onir Anirban's ('My Brother Nikhil', 'Bas Ek Pal') most recent film, 'I Am', starring reputed actors who will attend the festival's inauguration together with other icons of modern South Asian cinema:

Juhi Chawla,

Sanjay Suri,

Purab Kohli,

Raima Sen,

Rahul Bose,

Arjun Mathur,

Rituparno Ghosh,

Vishal Bhardwaj,

Abhishek Chaubey,

Arshad Warsi,

Zeenat Aman

Rituparna Sengupta,

Sabrina Dhawan

Actress Konkona Sen Sharma will attend a QandA session for the festival's closing, presenting her film 'Mirch' with director Vinay Shukla and Raima Sen as well as her own directorial debut, 'Naam Karan'.

The film festival also dedicates a retrospective to Aparna Sen, who will be attending the event.

Other films in the programme include 'Love Sex aur Dhoka', 'Maqbool', 'Ishqiya' and 'President is Coming' among an excellent selection ranging from Bollywood to independent cinema, short films or documentaries. For more information on the program and tickets, click here.

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TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL HAI!

Hindi cinema is all set to take Canada by storm as a series of Indian films have been programmed at the Toronto International Film Festival taking place from September 9 to 19, 2010.

Among the 300 films that have been selected for screening this 2010, the Toronto Film Festival has scheduled two world premieres of Hindi films: 'What's Your Raashee?' and 'Dil Bole Hadippa', which will be attended respectively by stars and directors such as Ashutosh Gowariker, Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra and Harman Baweja.

Other films from India or the Indian diaspora that will be getting exposure during the renowned festival include:

'That Girl in Yellow Boots' (Anurag Kashyap) - From the acclaimed director of Dev D, starring Kalki Koechlin and Naseerudin Shah. Trailer

'Dhobi Ghat' (Kiran Rao) The much awaited debut film of Kiran Rao, which has caught the eye of the Toronto Film Festival director, Cameron Bailey, starring Prateik Babbar and Aamir Khan. For an excellent account on the TIFF screening and the film, click here.

'Water' (Deepa Mehta) which released in 2005 and was nominated for an Oscar. Starring Sarala, Lisa Ray and John Abraham. Trailer

'Autumn' (Aamir Bashir)

'Soul of Sand' (Sidharth Srinivasan)

 

You may visit the TIFF official website for more information.

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Hindibuzz at CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2010

 

Cannes definitely Hindibuzzed this year with India's participation in the 63rd edition of France's renowned film festival.

* Acclaimed director Shekhar Kapur (Bandit Queen, Mr. India, Elizabeth) was a member of the 2010 jury.

* Udaan participated in one of the festival's official sections ("Un Certain Regard" - A Certain Focus). The film is produced by Anurag Kashyap and directed by young Vikramaditya Motwane and earned a standing ovation after the screening.

* Khandahar (directed by Mrinal Sen) and Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (directed by Ritwik Ghatak), films that were released several decades ago, were both restored and presented to the audience.

More news included the presence of actors on the red carpet and additional film screenings or sales:

* Raavan, Mani Ratnam's awaited film, starring Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan and Vikram as well as the highly appreciated soundtrack composed by A.R. Rahman.

* Peepli Live, directed by newcomer Anusha Rizvi, an Aamir Khan Productions film was seemingly screened in Cannes after having gathered applause in other festivals around the world.

* Hissss (aka Nagin: The Snakewoman), coproduced by India and the USA. The film is directed by Jennifer Lynch and stars Irrfan Khan, Mallika Sherawat and Divya Dutta. You may visit the film's official website.

* Mallika Sherawat walked down the red carpet as she also performs in Love, Barack directed by Doug McHenryset.

* Other films have been promoted for overseas distribution: LSD, I am Kalam, Harischandrachi Factory, as well as animation films Arjun-The Warrior Prince and Alibaba and 41 Thieves. 

Cannes Film Festival official website

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INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is coming up with a wide selection of films, ranging from drama and documentaries to comedy or Bollywood hits. It will run from April 20-25 at ArcLight Hollywood, showcasing 33 films from India, Canada, Australia, UK and the USA, including 4 world premieres and 7 US premieres. An additional program of 13 short films will accompany the feature film schedule.

The festival's inauguration Gala shall feature the Los Angeles premiere and directorial debut of Dilip Mehta, 'Cooking with Stella', a comedy starring Lisa Ray, Seema Biswas and Don McKellar on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, at ArcLight Hollywood.

Bollywood screenings are also planned during the festival as part of ArcLight Hollywood’s “21+ screenings” soirées in which the audience may enjoy a movie while sipping a glass of wine or a decadent cocktail. The program features box office success '3 Idiots', 'Kaminey' starring Shahid Kapoor and the re-mastered 'Ashes to Ashes' ('Raakh'), directed by Aditya Bhattacharya, which introduced a dark and acclaimed performance by Hindi film superstar Aamir Khan. 

The festival's closing Gala shall feature an Australian production about adoption: 'The Waiting City', directed by Claire McCarthy and starring Radha Mitchell, Joel Edgerton and Samrat Chakrabarti. The event shall be held on Saturday, April 25, 2010, at ArcLight Hollywood, and shall have the director and part of the film's cast in attendance.

Tickets are sold online here and at the ArcLight Hollywood Box Office. For more information you may visit the IFFLA's official website.

Find the feature film program below:

3 IDIOTS (India) -  (Directed by: Rajkumar Hirani; starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor, R Madhavan, Boman Irani and Sharman Joshi)

ASHES TO ASHES (RAAKH Redux) (India) -  (Directed by: Aditya Bhattacharya; Screenwriters: Aditya Bhattacharya, Nuzhat Khan/dialogue)

AT MY DOORSTEP (India) - (Director/Editor: Nishtha Jain) 

BABIES MADE IN INDIA (India) - (Directed by: Stéphanie Lebrun, Philippe Levasseur)
COOKING WITH STELLA (Canada) - (Directed by: Dilip Mehta; Screenwriters: Dilip Mehta, Deepa Mehta)

FATSO (India) - (Directed by: Rajat Kapoor)

HARISHCHANDRACHI FACTORY (India) - (Director/Screenwriter: Paresh Mokashi)

KAMINEY (SCOUNDRELS) (India) - (Directed by: Vishal Bhardwaj; Screenwriters: Vishal Bhardwaj, Supratik Sen, Abhishek Chaubey, Sabrina Dhawan)

MAD, SAD & BAD (UK) - (Director/Screenwriter: Avie Luthra)

THE MAN BEYOND THE BRIDGE (PALTADACHO MUNIS) (India) - (Director/Screenwriter: Laxmikant Shetgaonkar)

NERO’S GUESTS (India) - (Directed by: Deepa Bhatia)

RASPBERRY MAGIC (USA) - (Director/Screenwriter: Leena Pendharkar)

ROAD, MOVIE (India-USA) - (Director: Dev Benegal; Screenwriter: Dev Benegal) 

SEARCHING 4 SANDEEP (Australia) - (Director/Screenwriter/ Cinematographer: Poppy Stockell) 

THE SUN BEHIND THE CLOUDS: TIBET’S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM (India-UK) - (Directed by: Ritu Sarin, Tenzing Sonam; Screenwriter/Narrator: Tenzing Sonam)

THE WAITING CITY (Australia) - (Director/Screenwriter: Claire McCarthy) --

THE WELL (VIHIR) (India) - (Directed by: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni) 

WOMAN REBEL (Nepal-India) - (Director/Producer: Kiran Deol) 

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TONGUES OF FIRE 12th LONDON FILM FESTIVAL: Celebrating diversity

Following BBC's announcement of the possible closure of BBC Asian Network, the issue of British Asian talent in Great Britain's media has recently been in the limelight of debate. At times like these, the 12th edition 'Tongues on Fire London Asian Film Festival' brilliantly reasserts the importance of celebrating diversity. 

The festival shall run from 5 March through 14 March 2010 in London under the following banner: "Reflecting, celebrating and inspiring through film". It shall feature multiple feature films, documentaries and short films from Southeast Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) including partnering cinematic efforts accomplished by film makers from the Asian diaspora and Indian artistes.

See a list of films

However, film screenings are only part of a wider scope of activities related to South Asian cinema, such as panel discussions, masterclasses, debates and interviews as well as several educational and community screenings.

In this sense, the festival opened to a "BAFTA Interview with Abhishek Bachchan" and a Gala Dinner celebrating Jaya Bachchan’s rich contribution to Hindi Cinema, which served as the preamble to a more complete retrospective of Jaya Bachchan's films.

 

Other special guests are Sharmila Tagore and Soha Ali Khan, as well as acclaimed director Shyam Benegal, who is presenting the premiere of his recent film 'Well Done Abba' and heading a directors masterclass. 'Tongues of Fire' shall also be celebrating the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India by presenting a series of films about sports.

See the events programme

Visit the Tongues of Fire Film Festival website

Watch Abhishek Bachchan at the Festival on video

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BOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND FIlm Festival

The Indian Film Festival Bollywood & Beyond 2010 shall be taking place in Australia and New Zealand from 10 March to 21 April this year, showing Indian films at the following cities: Melbourne, Sidney, Perth and Auckland. The programme offers a rich diversity of films, including several non-Hindi entries, such as 'Kanchivaram', directed by Priyadarshan ('Billu') in Tamil, which received the National Award (trailer), and Marathi film 'Harishchandrachi Factory', which was directed by Paresh Mokashi and selected to represent India at the Oscars (trailer).

The festival shall also host a retrospective of Rani Mukherjee's films (featuring 7 titles): 'Dil Bole Hadippa!', 'Black', 'Bunty Aur Babli', 'Hum Tum', 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', 'Paheli' and 'Saathiya'. The diva graced the festival's inauguration ceremonies in Melbourne (10 March) and Sidney (12 March).

Other films to be screened are : 'Love Aaj Kal', 'Ghajini', '3 Idiots', 'Dostana', 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi', 'Paa', 'Kaminey', 'New York', 'Dev D', 'Wake Up Sid!', 'Luck By Chance', 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani', 'What's Your Raashee?' and 'Rocket Singh Salesman Of The Year'.

Apart from Rani Mukherjee's presence at the event, the Festival shall also be welcoming directors Rajkumar Hirani ('3 idiots'), Anurag Singh ('Dil Bole Hadippa!') and Imtiaz Ali ('Love Aaj Kal'), as well as actor Sohail Khan ('Main Aurr Mrs. Khanna'), brother of famous Salman.

Visit the Indian Film Festival 2010 website

Festival programme

Section dedicated to the Rani Mukherjee film retrospective

Video of Rani Mukherjee at the opening event in Sidney on March 12

POST WRITTEN BY: Cinema Hindi from our Italian team

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