Pickle December IFFI 50th Year Special Report

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IFFI SHINES IFFI’s Golden Jubilee edition at Goa was full of energy and hope, and will be etched in our memory for a long time. From honouring the film industry legends Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan to Digital Interactive Exhibition, Masterclasses and Film Bazaar, it was a nine-day cinematic feast for film lovers and industry delegates from across the world

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e are very happy to present you Pickle edition on the best moments and takeaways from the just concluded Golden Jubilee of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

The nine-day festival (November 20-28, 2019) was memorable and showcased some of the best films over the five decades.

Undoubtedly, 10,000 delegates who had come from every nook and corner of India to Goa had enjoyed a cinematic feast. The magnetic moments and the presence of legends of Indian cinema Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, Golden Jubilee Icon of IFFI Award Winner, in the Opening Ceremony will last for ever.

John Bailey, the world’s renowned cinematographer and former president of the Oscar Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, said in an interview to Pickle: “Unlike some European or Asian film festivals which has a narrow focus, IFFI is truly international. I enjoyed every moment of the festival.”

As a host State, Goa, truly turned to festivity, and the city embraced delegates with the best that it can offer. The Golden Jubilee edition was organised to perfection

by Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) and Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) with leadership from Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Environment and Dr Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister, Government of Goa. French film ‘Particles’ received Golden Peacock Award, while Lijo Jose Pellissery got Best Director award for his film ‘Jallikattu’. ‘Rwanda’ received the ICFTUNESCO Gandhi Medal.

The 50th edition of IFFI had more than 190 films screened from 76 different countries which included 90 Indian premier, six world

Nat Vidyasagar with American Cinematographer and director John Bailey and his wife Carol Littleton (Film Editor) premier and 11 Asian premier and 24 Oscar submissions. More than 10000 delegates participated which is also a record number.

Celebrations and cinematic feast apart, one of the takeaways from the IFFI for introspection is the need for a market place for the festival. Although, there is Film Bazaar, organised by National Film Development Corporation on the sidelines of IFFI, its objective was more to spotlight talent and films from independent filmmakers.

Going forward, a B2B market (buying and selling) within the festival premises will benefit the Indian film industry.

Feel free to email your thoughts and suggestions.

n vidyasagar pickle media nat@pickle.co.in, www.pickle.co.in

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Pickle Business Guide 2019 Copyright 2019 by Pickle Media Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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The star-studded gala opening ceremony of IFFI saw stalwarts of Indian cinema Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth getting honoured for their outstanding contribution to the Indian cinema. While Rajnikanth was conferred the ‘Icon Of Golden Jubilee Award’, a retrospective of Bachchan’s films was among the main attractions at this edition of the festival

“Coming to Goa has always been like coming home. My very first film was shot here. And ever since then, I’ve had many opportunities to work in this wonderful place” - Amitabh Bachchan

“I want to dedicate this (the award) to my directors, producers, technicians and my fans.”

- Rajinikanth

IFFI 2019 AWARD WINNERS ‘Particles’ wins the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI 2019 ‘Particles’ directed by Blaise Harrison and produced by Estelle Fialon has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 50th Iffi.

The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs to be shared equally between the Director and the Producer, Trophy and the citation. ‘Particles’ is an “ambitious yet modest film about the mysteries of being a teenager,” said the jury.

Best Director Award for ‘Jallikattu’ Lijo Jose Pellissery won the Best Director Award for his film ‘Jallikattu’. This Malayalam film is the portrait of a remote village where a buffalo escapes and causes a frenzy of ecstatic violence. In a story that starts as man versus wild, it doesn’t take that long before man becomes the wild. The jury said that they honour the “intricate and complex choreography of this very original and anarchic film”.

Seu Jorge gets Best Actor (Male) Award The Best Actor (Male) Award has gone to Seu Jorge for his portrayal of Carlos Marighella in the Brazilian movie ‘Marighella’. He bagged the award for “ the powerful and charismatic portrayal of a revolutionary, very relevant in our increasingly authoritarian times”.

Usha Jadhav gets Best Actor (Female) Award The Best Actor (Female) Award has gone to Usha Jadhav for her portrayal of ‘Prabha Mai’, in the Marathi film ‘Mai Ghatt: Crime No. 103/2005’. Usha Jadhav got the coveted prize for her “understated and powerful performance of a mother defending her child’s honour against the injustice of a corrupt system”.

Special Jury Award for Pema Tseden’s ‘Balloon’ Pema Tseden walked away with the Special Jury Award for his film ‘Balloon’. The film set in Tibetan grasslands got the prize for “the beauty of the film language and the authenticity of the actors”.

Best Debut Feature Film of a Director Centenary Award for ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ is shared between Amin Sidi Boumediene for ‘Abou Leila’ and Marius Olteanu for ‘Monsters’.

Abou Leila’ tells the tale of two childhood friends who crossed the desert in search of Abu Leila, a dangerous terrorist. ‘Monsters’ tells a relationship drama in three chapters that describes the current state of a couple over 24 hours.

Special mention for ‘Hellaro’ ‘Hellaro’ directed by Abhishek Shah earned special mention from the jury for the “incredible music, it’s colour and graceful choreography”. Though set in a time 45 years ago, issue of woman’s empowerment portrayed in the film is even more relevant today, said the jury.

‘Rwanda’ won The ICFT – UNESCO Gandhi Medal Italian film ‘Rwanda’ directed by Riccardo Salvetti won The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal instituted by the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication, Paris and UNESCO. The medal bears a portrait of Gandhi engraved by the French artist Pierre-Yves Tremois. Etched underneath is Mahatma’s message of hope : “ In the midst of darkness light prevails” ‘Bahattar Hoorain, the Indian movie directed by Sanjay P. Singh Chauhan earned the special mention under ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal category.

MAKING

Jallikattu by Lijo Jose Pellissery

The Father by Florian Zeller

G I B IMPRESSION

Showcasing more than 200 films from 76 countries in over nine days, IFFI 2019 won the hearts of the cine lovers. Here are some of the most popular films that stole the show at the Festival

Parasite by Bong Joon-ho

Pareeksha by P. Bhaskaran

Sole, Carlo Sironi

First Love by Takashi Miike

Jyesthopurta by Kaushik Ganguly

It Must Be Heaven by Elia Suleiman

Portrait of a Lady on Fire by Jane Campion

“India has lots of scenic and beautiful shooting sites for national and international films but shooting at these locations requires around 1520 permissions. The Government is now preparing for a singlewindow arrangement which will take care of all the permissions and it will benefit places like Goa, Leh-Ladakh and Andaman & Nicobar�

- MR Prakash Javadekar Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting

Goa CM’s vision As a host State, Goa is progressing every year with more productive and meaningful experiments. One of the main dreams of former CM Late Manohar Parikkar is to make Goa a haven for the film industry.

Hope we will be able to fulfill the dream. We plan to develop infrastructure and provide the latest technology for filmmaking in Goa Dr Pramod Sawant

Chief Minister of Goa & Chairman, Entertainment Society of Goa

Tribute to Satyajit Ray in IFFI 2020 IFFI 2020 and 2021 will be a tribute to legendary filmmaker of India Satyajit Ray whose centenary celebrations will be observed from next year. IFFI 2019 has been quite successful in bringing together film enthusiasts all over the world along with the well-known filmmakers, artists and film critics. It will be our endeavour to have the 51st IFFI at an even larger scale Mr Amit Khare

Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Government of India

Film Industry

Hails IFFI

Veteran film industry leader Ravi Kottarakara presents mementos to Mr Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting; Dr Pramod Sawant, Chief Minister of Goa; Mr Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; and Mr Chaitanya Prasad, Festival Director, IFFI on the occasion of IFFI’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations, on behalf of GANESH PICTURES, the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce and Film Federation of India.

Multimedia

Exhibition The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had put up the one-of-itskind hi-tech interactive multi-media exhibition, IFFI@50, a tribute to the journey of IFFI from its inception in 1952 till now. Inaugurated by Mr Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting,the aimof the exhibition was to show how IFFI helps to showcase Indian cinema to the world while also providing a platform in India for showcasing world cinema. The hi-tech features used in the exhibition included Zoetrope (moving picture creative installation), 360 degree immersive experience area, augmented reality experience, vertical digital display panels, Virtual Reality tools, hologram technology, IFFI’s journey through digital panels, etc. These were designed to engage the audience to showcase the craft of filmmaking and highlight the impact of cinema on society.

“Children and youth will be attracted towards IFFI@50 as the exhibition will have an interactive capacity where they can try various things and get information themselves. It also showcases various new techniques being used by film industry” Mr. Amit Khare, Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting

The 13th Film Bazaar at IFFI was the biggest Market so far in terms of number of delegates in attendance. The four-day event held at the Marriott Resort in Goa also saw a new addition this year in the form of Workshops on Skill Development, where leading filmmakers, directors, writers and others film experts provided the much required know-how on film-making craft to young filmmakers

Learnings From Masters Young filmmakers and students had a great opportunity to learn current trends from leading filmmaking practitioners at IFFI, thanks to Knowledge Series like Masterclasses and InConversation sessions, Open Forum

Learning to

Soar High 26

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Thirty five students and four faculty members of Chennai’s Avichi College of Arts & Sciences, a part of AVM Group, promoted by AVM K Shanmugam, were at IFFI Goa primarily to attend a host of Masterclasses, Open Forums and In Conversation Knowledge Sessions. Their aim was to get a perspective of the current trends in filmmaking from master filmmakers. A group of students also participated in the short film competition in addition to watching movies

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ESG Ready to expand

Capabilities ESG Vice-Chairman Subhash Phal Dessai

In successfully organizing IFFI, Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) has proven its capability, says ESG Vice-Chairman Subhash Phal Dessai, while also stressing that the work on the Film City and convention centre projects, the dream projects of late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, will also soon pick up pace in the state How did you plan the Golden Jubilee celebrations of IFFI? I was appointed as the Vice-Chairman of ESG just three months before the festival happened. Although I was good in administration, I made sure that things were well-planned. I made various committees and delegated powers to my team working on the project.

I think I lived to the expectations of the Hon’ble Chief Minister. He was very clear from the beginning that work should not get stuck at any stage.

He cleared almost all the files within 24-hours.

How did you manage to work with different stakeholders in organizing a successful festival this year?

It is normally difficult to synchronize things with both the institutions— ESG and DFF—having different works to execute. At the same time, it had to be done in convergence with each other as it was a combined effort. Due to proper planning, this year ESG and DFF worked together without any clash of opinion. It was a smooth sailing.

Subhash Phal Dessai Vice-Chairman Entertainment Society of Goa 28

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Do you plan to bring many more events like this one to Goa? Yes. Our job is not just limited to organizing IFFI. Of course IFFI is the biggest festival we have and the forma-

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tion of ESG happened because of IFFI, but at the same time we have proved in the last few years that we are capable and have good potential and expertise in organizing events beyond IFFI. The late Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar had envisioned a powerful infrastructure for the festival in the State. Don’t you think it is taking time for his vision to be fulfilled?

Manohar Parrikar was a visionary leader and taking IFFI to Goa was a brave decision he took. He executed it so well for everyone to see. However, his untimely demise was a great setback. Before the first IFFI in 2004, there was nothing in Goa in terms of infrastructure, but he transformed the infrastructure within six months time.

It was his dream to build a film city and a big convention centre.

Under the leadership of our present Chief Minister, we are definitely heading towards fulfilling Parikkar’s dream.

We will be taking the Film City Project this year. We are also making efforts to make all facilities to filmmakers at one place. We have announced a short film competition in the State and probably through them we would be able to highlight some of the scenic places of Goa.

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We wanted Goa to remember

50

th

IFFI

ESG CEO Amit Satija

It wasn’t going to be an easy job to organize an international event, but for Amit Satija, CEO of Entertainment Society of Goa, who worked on the ground 24/7 to manage logistics in close collaboration with DFF, it was meticulous planning and collaboration with different departments that helped him organize a memorable 50th Anniversary of IFFI

A

ESG sent mobile vans with movies to different talukas and we also screened films in four Rabindra Bhavans for the benefit of local population.

positive man, who looks for a silver lining in every situation, Amit Satjja, CEO of Entertainment Society of Goa, was a hard person to find while he was busy preparing to fulfil the vision of making the 50th IFFI Golden Jubilee celebration a memorable one.

“Everyone in Goa is proud that IFFI takes place in their place and associates with it. Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant’s unflinching support was there all the time. He would personally monitor the progress. He personally used to review the project; visit the venue and guide us what to do and what not to do. In the beginning only we set the contours.

We wanted to make it people-friendly. We wanted Goa to remember the 50th IFFI Golden Jubilee celebration,” says Satija, who took over the preparations for the festival in July this year.

This edition of IFFI was also special for Goa, as it was the first time that movies were sent to different talukas of the State in mobile vans for common Goans to experience their magic. “ESG sent mobile vans with movies to different talukas and we also screened films in four Rabindra Bhavans for the benefit of local population. There were also two open-air screenings,” he reveals.

His attitude towards work has been one of the key elements in making IFFI’s Golden Jubilee celebrations such a huge success. “When someone comes with a problem, at least I don’t take it as a problem. I take it as a feedback of the system we work in. And, if one person comes to me with a problem, at least 100 persons must be facing it. Therefore, we must find a solution to that problem,” he adds.

Satija and his team started preparing for IFFI in mid -July. This was an additional charge for him, as his main charge is that of Commissioner of Excise, Government of Goa. “I tried to jot down everything possible that happens in the festival and arranged them in a sequence, clearly writing what action has to be fulfilled with what. And most importantly, we had to follow the

Organize

your meetings

government procedures in all the tendering that happened for the festival.”

He said that he was thankful to at least 30 government departments who took collective responsibility to make this edition of IFFI a success. “Without police, the event could not have been successful. We also got venues from forest department.

Without them it was not possible. Then CCP, PWD, Electricity department, waste management, health department, and traffic police also contributed significantly,” he says.

His mantra for dealing with stress: “The stress is directly proportional to the planning that you make. If your preparations are well, your stress will be less.”

It was this attitude that kept him going which resulted in a festival that will be remembered for a long time to come.

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IFFI@50

A Perfect Execution From meticulous planning to see a perfect execution on ground, organizing International Film Festival of India’s Golden Jubilee edition was never an easy task.

Chaitanya Prasad, Festival Director, IFFI, shares with Pickle how the nineday cinematic extravaganza was achieved success through a laudable team effort, and sheer will to succeed in the face of challenges

Chaitanya Prasad, Festival Director, IFFI 32

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Congratulations for successfully organizing the memorable IFFI Golden Jubilee edition. The films showcased here, especially the foreign films, were impressive this year. What do you have to say about this nine-day fest?

My team worked hard to come up with a programming which was on par with the standards of international film festival. We sought to offer links between old narrative of cinema and contemporary styles as far as format and filmmaking is concerned. It was a blend of cinematic excellence. We were duly advised by our Preview Committee and Steering Committee on the kind and quality of films we could have.

Due credit should also be given to my programming team who identified the master filmmakers. With this edition of IFFI, I believe that we are on the right track.

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pickle entertainment biz guide

Did the execution of IFFI go according to your plans?

We tried to make the execution plan of IFFI as perfect as possible.

Our objective was to ensure satisfaction of all our delegates with the kind of films that were shown; the film sections that were curated; and the kind of packages we offered at IFFI. The festival had a retrospective on Oscar-winning films and a retrospective on Golden Line of Indian Cinema completing 50 years in 2019. To help the budding filmmakers and students gain better insights into the filmmaking craft, we included Master Classes, In-Conversations and workshops with some of the brightest minds in the field. In a nutshell, we sought to ensure that the joy of making cinema, celebration of cinema continue in its various forms at IFFI 50th edition.

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to make IFFI a success. Everything blended very well. My role was to facilitate my team to execute the work seamlessly.

Will the films shown at IFFI travel to other filmmaking centres of India?

This has been one of the suggestions. Let’s see how we take this forward.

Festival director Chaitanya Prasad welcoming the Chief Guest of IFFI, Amitabh Bachchan at the inaugural function of the 50th International Film Festival of India

What according to you are the three most important takeaways from the Golden Jubilee edition of IFFI? The first takeaway that comes to my mind was that we offered people a very difficult choice to immerse themselves into the wonderful world of cinema at three different venues at the same time. To make a choice to watch a film or attend a concurrently-held Masterclass or an Inconversation session was a challenging one for the audience. The second one was the cinema packages that we had to offer including Ken Loach Retrospective, Masterframe, World Kaleidoscope, Cinema of the World, Soul of Asia, Golden Line of Indian Cinema, Oscar Retrospective, Golden Peacock Retrospective. The third takeaway would be the mesmerizing music and dance performances during the opening and closing ceremonies of the festival. Be it the fusion music given by Shankar Mahadevan; the performance by Hariharan on the theme of Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat; or Tanushree Shankar’s

dance performance – these among other things will be etched in our memory for a long time.

How has been the synergy with Entertainment Society of Goa and Directorate of Film Festivals?

When we work as partners, collaborators in progress, we rise together and sink together. Simply put, team work is an important element to make any event of IFFI’s magnitude a success. We needed to be together at all possible junctures and combine our strengths to work towards a common goal, i.e., ensuring the success of the festival.

It turned out that each one of us worked in perfect sync with one another, which was the need of the hour. It had been a perfect team work between ESG and DFF. Our Minister Mr Prakash Javadekar captained the team and led it from the front. He gave me a blueprint of IFFI’s Golden Jubilee celebrations and we worked hard 24/7 in the last six months to make it a memorable festival. Mr Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, was like the Rock of Gibraltar. He ensured Our objective was to ensure that our requirements were met in satisfaction of all our delegates the best possible with the kind of films that were manner. My team has worked wondershown; the film sections that were fully. They are the curated; and the kind of packages ones who worked at the ground level

we offered at IFFI 34

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What are some of the challenges faced by you in IFFI @50?

Some of the most challenging tasks at hand were: finding way to blend the programming together; seamless integration of different genres of cinema; making sure the opening ceremony kickstarts the festival as intended; and everything goes smoothly as per the plan and the opening ceremony becomes a memorable one. The fusion of music is not a very easy subject. It is an abstract art.

It was very challenging to see how we could bring about the fusion in different segments. We have hopefully succeeded in doing it.

It was a great moment to have Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth sharing the stage during the opening ceremony of IFFI. What did it mean to you?

In a nutshell, we sought to ensure that the joy of making cinema, celebration of cinema continue in its various forms at IFFI 50th edition Amitabh Bachchan was unbelievable. So was Rajinikanth ji. It is a matter of great pride that both of them accepted our invitation and were kind to attend the IFFI Golden Jubilee edition. And for us, it was like a dream come true. What else do you want from a festival than these two doyens of cinema suddenly descent on your Golden Jubilee edition and make it a roaring success. We are too humbled.

How did you manage the stress?

You have been working almost 24/7 for many months...

The mantra for stress management is that if you do things systematically, it becomes a lot easier to achieve your goals. Our meticulous planning helped a lot in dealing with the stress and gain success.

ICFT-UNESCO Fellini medal was awarded to International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on completion of its glorious 50 years. Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Amit Khare and Festival Director, Directorate of Film Festivals Chaitanya Prasad received the award on behalf of IFFI at the closing ceremony

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india enchants bailey Everybody talks about the colors of India. Colors are magnificent. But the texture is fascinating, says John Bailey, acclaimed American cinematographer, film director and former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Bailey along with wife Carol Littleton (Film Editor) was recently in Goa to attend the International Film Festival of India as head of International Jury for Competition films. In an exclusive interview with Pickle, he expresses his keenness to explore India to shoot a film What has been your experience being at IFFI as head of International Jury for Competition Films?

It is truly international. IFFI has Indian Panorama and Indian section, but international competition is truly international. Some festivals (in Europe and Asia) tend to highlight and have a narrow focus. IFFI’s competition films are from everywhere. The films that Jury honor will be films that have real substance to them.

JOHN BAILEY Cinematographer Former President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences 36

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We have 92 countries competing for the best foreign film in Oscar foreign language category?

But only one film wins. Is that enough?

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Every competition has some kind of guidelines. For an example, we have a competition for screenwriters called the Nicholl Fellowship. It’s a screenwriting fellowship. There is a cash prize worth $35,000 for five winners for their next screenplay. The rule is that you have to be an unproduced writer. You cannot have had a commercial screenplay made. Each year we get 7,500 to 8,000 entries. That’s a lot more than 92 for the international films for foreign film features.

The Academy has a pretty good way of dealing with the foreign language films. Every film is shown in one of the two Academy theatres. And the voting is not based on the number of people who see it, but the ratings that the audience

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gives. And, then, of the 10 films that make it to the shortlist seven are chosen by the general committee. A smaller executive committee picks three more films that they feel are artistically very important which the general committee might have overlooked. All 10 films are screened together in early January on weekends. And, anybody in the Academy can see them. We project them in New York, Los Angeles, and London.

They can also stream them. The five nominated films are chosen that way.

Each country has its own submitting committee. The Academy tries to evaluate how fair those committees are. However there are challenges too.

Filmmakers may say that the film that was submitted this year was made by the sister-in-law of the President of the country or the Cultural Minister.

And, this is not our best film. We have a special meeting where we look at all of our challenges. And there are guidelines that most of the filmmakers have to come from the country of submission. You cannot have a film submitted

by Morocco that was made by French people even if it was shot in Morocco.

How do you see streaming services taking over? Will the future be different for Oscars?

The only thing that will change is change itself. Change is constant. What the changes will be, we are yet to know.

The Academy, just like film organizations, film distributors, audiences, is very uncertain right now. Change and uncertainty has been the history of motion pictures from the very beginning.

Because unlike some of the other arts, which are made by smaller groups of people or painters, motion pictures involve lot of people and lot of money.

Therefore, money and finance play a large role. That’s a given. As long as there is a change in shifting between art and commerce, we are going to have these challenges.

I don’t know what’s going to happen.

But I can tell you this. A lot of people—I am not saying older conservative people, but some young people—feel that the essence of a motion picture is being seen in a dark room on a large screen with an audience; where you go some place and you surrender yourself to a collective experience. It is not you and your living room, coming and going, turning it on, hitting a pause button.

You yield yourself and your life for the time and experience to surrender yourself to it. And, a lot of people feel, if we give that away, then we no longer are making motion pictures. Therefore, it is called the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts & Sciences, and not the Academy of Streaming Movies.

For instance, Netflix is buying several movie theatres. They have had to rent a Broadway live theatre to show Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Irishman’. It costs them a lot of money to retrofit a Broadway theatre. That’s crazy. They are trying to buy theatres and show their movies on larger screens.

Studios like Disney and Paramount are starting their streaming platforms.

So, if Paramount is making streaming content, I am not just talking about distribution. I am talking about creating original content. Then, what is a motion picture studio.

How did 2019 turn out for you?

Carol and I have traveled a lot. We have been to many countries. We were in India in May this year after we got an award at Cannes Film Festival -- insignia of Officer des Arts et Letters (Officer In The Order Of Arts And Letters). We were in Telluride, Morelia International Film Festival; we went to Poland, Toru Film Festival, where they gave me a Lifetime Achievement Award. We flew directly from Warsaw to India (Goa), via Doha. We have to pack our suitcases for extreme weather. It was five degrees in Poland and 32 degrees in Goa. What are your plans for 2020?

I want to continue to work as a director of photography.

If I find a good screenplay and good director, I will do that.

Otherwise, I would continue to write. I enjoy writing very much. I wanted to write a book

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on my life and reflections on how my life was defined by movies in five decades. I joined the Union in May 1969. I was a camera assistant for eight years and a camera operator for almost four years. And then, became a Director of Photography in 1978.

How has been your experience in India?

In some other countries where I go, where the country is small or the culture is contained, you feel like you know the country after you visit one or two places. But India is many countries in one. It has many cultures, many ethnicities of which I know only a very small part. We have been to Delhi in North, we were in Mumbai and Goa, but we have not even touched the South of India or East of India. There is a huge country left for us to explore. I will definitely come back, if someone asks me to.

Being in India is such an intense experience. We see so many people. There are so many things to see and hear. It is like having a very rich meal. The sense of culture and happenings is so intense for us because we are quite people back home.

You are a cinematographer. What does your eyes tell you when you see India? Will you do a film in India?

I would love to do a film in India. It is incredible. Everybody talks about the

colors of India. Colors are magnificent.

But the texture is fascinating. Older concreted buildings are abandoned, but not torn down. I live in a country, where as soon as something is old, they tear it down and put a new one up. Talking about color and contrast, we went to Agra and visited Taj Mahal. I was amazed at the texture of the walls and how smooth it was. People talk about light or color composition. These are all important. But to me as a cinematographer, texture and the light that reveal itself in motion picture creates a sense of depth.

As a cinematographer, is doing a web series same compared to doing a motion picture?

If you look at my credits, I have done only a few TV movies. Even as a camera assistant and operator, I have done only feature films. And, I cannot help or work to think as a feature cinematographer. I am very committed to anamorphic aspect ratio of 240, which in the 1990 was starting to die-off. It was not popular. But with the digital camera, almost every film that we have seen in this international competition has been shot in the 240 aspect ratio.

Somehow, shooting in 240 says shooting feature films because TV and streaming is almost 185. So, if you want to really make a statement and say it is a motion picture, not a TV movie or a streaming movie you shoot in 240.

A lot of people— I am not saying older conservative people, but some young people— feel that the essence of a motion picture is being seen in a dark room on a large screen with an audience; where you go some place and you surrender yourself to a collective experience.

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The Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant felicitating the Legendary Actor Amitabh Bachchan at the Dada Saheb Phalke Retrospective, during the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2019)

IFFI Spectacle Enthrals The Golden Jubilee edition of IFFI witnessed over 200 acclaimed films from 76 countries, with Russia as the country of focus. It also included 26 feature films and 15 non-feature films in Indian panorama section. More than 10,000 film lovers participated over its nine days of star-studded gala ceremonies and knowledge sessions 40

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D

@50

elivering on its promise to keep thousands of film fans, critics, theatre artists, aspiring actors and industry professionals captivated during the nine days of cinematic revelry in Goa, the Golden Jubilee celebrations of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) managed to bring the best of world cinema and talent under one roof.

One of Asia’s oldest festivals, IFFI saw a grand opening on 20th November at Dr Shyama Prasad Stadium, Bambolim. It was graced by stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth,

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besides various senior dignitaries from the Government of India including Minister of Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Shri Amit Khare and Chief Minister of Goa Dr. Pramod Sawant. With more than 7,000 delegates, 200 landmark films from 76 countries, knowledge sessions, masterclasses, awards ceremony, cultural programmes, World Panorama and Kaleidoscope, and IFFI Film Bazaar, the cinematic extravaganza got bigger and better this time.

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with the Festival, IFFI @50 also served as a prominent platform to network, learn and enhance knowledge about the nuances of film making.

Opening Ceremony Hosted by master of entertainment Shri Karan Johar, the opening ceremony was flagged off by the great doyen of Indian cinema Shri Amitabh Bachchan and the ‘Thalaiva’ of Indian film industry Shri Rajinikanth, in the presence of Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting Shri Prakash Javadekar and other official dignitaries. Shri Rajinikanth was conferred the ‘Icon Of Golden Jubilee Award’ for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, a first time award beginning with the 50th edition. One of French cinema’s defining faces actress Ms. Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The inaugural ceremony also witnessed some enthralling audio visual performances which kept the audience spellbound through the evening. Noted music singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan and his band won the hearts with a spectacular performance.

Opening Film The 50th edition of IFFI began with the screening of the Italian film Despite the Fog. The film journeys into the plight of refugees who are abandoned on the streets. In the film, Paolo, a manager at a restaurant finds an eight-year-old child on the cold streets and decides to take him

Legends of Indian cinema Ilaiyaraja, Prem Chopra, Manju Borah, Aravind Swamy and Haubam Paban Kumar were felicitated on the closing ceremony home. The director delves into how society reacts to the presence of the child.

Speaking about the film, Director Goran Paskaljevic said, “It’s an intimate story. There are many films already done on the subject. But this is a story about whether people accept or don’t accept refugees in Europe and most cases they don’t. It serves a metaphor to explore the xenophobic fog prevalent in the region.”

Mariella Li Sacchi, one of the producers, stated that “the film isn’t a mainstream film, but a political statement”.

Multimedia Exhibition Adding yet another dimension to the IFFI experience this year was a one of its kind hi-tech digital, interactive and multimedia exhibition put up by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication and National Film Archives of India (NFAI) at Darya Sangam, near Kala academy. Named IFFI@50 the exhibition traced the journey of IFFI over the last five decades as it showcases Indian cinema to the world while also providing a platform in India for showcasing world cinema.

The exhibition leveraged novelhi-tech features like Zoetrope

pickle entertainment biz guide

Indian Panorama The Indian Panorama section of the 50th edition of IFFI opened with the screening of National Award winning Gujarati film ‘Hellaro’ directed by Shri Abhishek Shah in the feature film category at INOX in Panjim, Goa. A Kashmiri film ‘Nooreh’, directed by Shri Ashish Pandey, opened the non-feature film category at Indian Panorama.

The other selections in the feature film category included five Marathi films — ‘Tujhya Aaila’, ‘Anandi Gopal’, ‘Bhonga’, ‘Mai Ghat’ and ‘Photo-Prem’. This category also included three films each in Malayalam and Bengali, two in Tamil and one Kannada film.

The feature film category also had a sub-section on mainstream cinema, under which popular films like ‘Gully Boy’, ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, ‘Super 30’ and ‘Badhaai Ho’ were screened.

Telugu film ‘F2’ was also screened under this category.

NFAI Calendar The NFAI Calendar 2020 was launched by I&B Secretary Shri Amit Khare. The calendar focuses on the musical instruments in Indian Cinema featuring 24

Panoramic view of the venue at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2019)

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(moving picture creative installation), 360 bullet shot, 360 degree immersive experience area, augmented reality experience, vertical digital display panels, virtual reality tools, hologram technology, etc to create a selflearning historical experience for the viewers.

Amitabh Bachchan Retrospective Shri Amitabh Bachchan inaugurated the Dadasaheb Phalke Award retrospective organised at Kala Academy during IFFI. Speaking at the launch, the veteran actor said, “I feel deeply humbled and would thank the Government of India for this prestigious award. I’ve always felt that I’m not deserving of such recognition but I humbly accept this with a lot of grace and affection”.

Calling cinema a universal medium Shri Bachchan added that films are beyond the borders of language. The actor expressed hope that we continue to make films that will bring people together.

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IFFI Steering Committee Member and Director, Rahul Rawail felicitating Director and Producer, Farah Khan at the 50th International Film Festival of India

rare images from the collection of the archive. A rich compilation of the treasure of Indian musical instruments in Indian Cinema, the calendar features rare images of Raj Kapoor playing Tamboora (Valmiki, 1946); Jayashree Gadkar playing Veena (Seeta Maiya, 1964); Vishnupant Pagnis playing Ektara (Narsi Bhagat, 1940); P L Deshpande playing Tenor Banjo (Gulacha Ganapati, 1953); Sivaji Ganesan playing Nadaswaram (Thillana Mohanambal, 1968); Neralattu Rama Poduval playing Idakka (Thampu, 1978); Raj Kumar playing Shehnai (Sanadhi Appanna, 1977), Kalpana playing Violin (GejjePooje, 1970), Kishore Kumar playing Harmonium (Shabash Daddy, 1978), etc.

Oscar Retrospective A session on Oscar Retrospective was held on Day 1 at IFFI Goa. Moderated by Journalist and film critic Naman Ramachandran, the session had the Festival Director, ADG, Diretorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Chaitanya Prasad along with the editor of American Film Editor who also worked on the restored version of Casablanca, Ms. Carol Littleton. “We have grown up watching these films and admiring them. To be able to see these films on big screen is an experience in itself,” said Mr Prasad.

The specially curated “Homage Section” paid tribute to 13 eminent individuals who have contributed to Indian cinema during their lifetime

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Ms Littleton spoke about how huge amount of efforts involved behind Oscars. “We work throughout the year. There are outreach programmes, workshops, seminars to make technicians technically sound. We also look at science of making films.

Artistic and scientific sides both are important for making a film,” she said.

Country Focus-Russia This year, Russia was the focus country at IFFI. Speaking on the joint production of films and cultural exchange through films, Russian Ambassador to India Mr. Nikolay Kudashev said that such efforts will bring the spirit of India and Russia together.

Head of Russian delegation at IFFI and Editor in Chief of Kinoreporter Ms. Maria Lameshev said that there was a great

interest for Russian films among Indian people. She added that according to the co-production agreement, 40 percent of budget of the film would be given back by the Ministry of Culture. She extended her support in facilitating meetings for possible co-productions in future.

Eight Russian films--Abigail, Acid, Andrei Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer, Beanpole, Great poetry , Once in trubchevsk , Why don’t you just die!, and The Hero-were screened in the Country Focus section of IFFI this year.

Accessible India - Accessible Films A joint collaboration between IFFI, Saksham Bharat and UNESCO, the 50th IFFI edition screened three films for those with special needs with an aim to promote the creation of inclusive spaces for the differentlyabled through audio description. The section opened with ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ directed

by Rajkumar Hirani. Attending the festival for the first time, actress Taapsee Pannu said that she was surprised to know such films were made. “I’ve not seen films that use audio to explain the scenes; so I wanted to surely see how it’s done,” she said. The other films screened were ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’, ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’ and the Konkani film ‘Questao De Confusao’ with additional narration for the visually impaired.

I congratulate the entire IFFI team for a grand Golden celebrations of IFFI 2019 with impeccable choice of films. It was a great learning experience for filmmaker’s like us to network and understand the wide range of language of cinema Chandrakant Singh Film Maker

India, Mumbai celebrated ‘Constitution Day’ on 26th November.

Three documentaries: ‘Our Constitution’, ‘India’s Struggle for Freedom: We the People of India’ and ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’, were screened to mark the occasion. The widely publicized screening of these films was open to all and free.

Film Education An open forum held at IFFI brought to fore the urgent need for monitoring the quality of education being imparted by various film institutes in the country. Present at the session were panelists - Filmmaker, Cinematographer and Script writer A K Bir, Filmmaker M K Shankar, Filmmaker Ajay Bedi and Head of department, SRM School of Film Technology, R D Balaji. The panellists also raised concern about the mushrooming of film institutes and the affect that it has in reality on students. The session was moderated by Shashwat Gupta Ray, Resident Editor

of Gomantak Times who opined that there are more than 100 film institutes, almost 1400 mass communication institutes that claim to teach the art of filmmaking.

Memorable IFFI The golden jubilee edition brought to the shores of Goa the best of recent International cinema, along with special sections such as Golden Peacock Retrospective, Debut Film Competition, Soul of Asia retrospective, Master Film makers collection, Festival Kaleidoscope section, Accessible Films for Differently Abled, World Panorama 2019, Filmmaker in Focus, Restored Indian Classics, ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal competition, Retrospective of Indian New Wave Cinema , Konkani Film Package and Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

The 50th edition of IFFI also showcased fifty films of fifty women directors which reflect the contribution of women in cinema.

Open Forum The 2019 edition of the Open Forum organised by the Federation of the Film Societies of India opened with the pertinent topic: Focus on IFFI @50: Flash Back and Moving Forward. The session was inaugurated by Chaitanya Prasad, Festival Director, ADG, Directorate of Film Festival (DFF), Kiran Shantaram, President, Federation of Film Societies of India, AK Bir, Filmmaker and Chairman of Technical Committee, IFFI 2019, Alexey Govorukhin, Executive Producer, Kinoreporter Magazine, Russia and Marianne Borgo, actress from France.

Celebrating Constitution Day Films Division, Government of

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Singer and Music Composer, Hariharan, Lesle Lewis and Tanushree Shankar being felicitated, at the closing ceremony of the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2019)

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Sibiling

Power at IFFI Sisters Shenuga, Shegna and Sherga have bankrolled Uyare, helmed by debut director Manu Ashokan. scripted by award winning duo BobbySanjay. Part of the Indian Panorama section of IFFI, the film tells the story of an acid attack survivor, played by Parvathy

T

here were many spotlights at the recently concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Goa. One among them that got our attention are budding producer sisters Shenuga, Shegna and Sherga. They bankrolled Uyare, helmed by debut director Manu Ashokan. scripted by award winning duo Bobby-Sanjay. Uyare, which was part of the Indian Panorama section, tells the story of an acid attack survivor, played by Parvathy.

“We are excited that Uyare was part of the Indian Panorama at IFFI,” say three sisters in one voice giving full credit to their mother Sherien Gangadharan and father P V Gangadharan, well-known film producer in Kerala under the banner of Griharlakshmi Productions.

“We decided to green lit the film after go ahead from our mother.

We got the full confidence and inspiration after we got the narrative cleared by our mother. She is our script doctor.”

Shenuga, Shegna and Sherga have aptly named their new production outfit S Cube Films, a subsidiary of Grihalakshmi Productions which has successfully produced 24 films in Malayalam in the last four decades. The trio bankrolled a video

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song ‘Take a Break’ before getting into the production of Uyare.

Normally, those who are subjected to acid attack are often portrayed as victims by society. But there are

many who fight the trauma associated with acid attack and grab back their freedom like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Survivors will be the apt term for describing them.

Uyare is an uplifting film about an acid attack survivor who triumphs despite the odds stacked up against her. Elaborating the genesis of the movie, Manu Ashokan says the film is inspired by real life stories. “We have seen many women going through toxic relationships.

We wanted to share those stories with the society through Pallavi, the protagonist and her relationship”, he says.

Uyare laced with a social message recently celebrated 100 day run in theatres in Kerala -- a rare in today’s one week-end life of a feature film. The commercially successful movie was released in 150 screens in Kerala and 150 outside Kerala.

Uyare was also released globally in USA, Middle East and is also the first Malaylam film to be released in South Korea. “We are now working to get the film released in China,” say the sisters. Uyare is also streamed on Amazon Prime.

All these years, the sisters have been observing their father Gangadharan who has won many awards, including two National Awards for Kanakkinavu and Shantham.

“We had a great learning experience on the sets of Uyare. We learnt nuances of filmmaking and ground reality,” say the trio. All three sisters concur to every view expressed by them individually.

S Cube Films is currently listening to scripts and looking to create content both for streaming and fea-

The Newcomers: Trio producers Sherga, Shenuga and Shenuga

ture films. “We look for stories that would be liked by audiences and will do both art and commercial films. We don’t go by commercials in the film. We go by the story and script,” they say.

Exciting days are ahead for Shenuga, Shegna and Sherga. And their objective and vision are to continue the tradition and glory of Malayalam cinema.

Sherga, Shenuga and Shenuga with their parents

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‘Normal is

Boring’

All my films carry a message, either directly or in the undercurrent. Also, I always want to try something out of the box, says National Award winning actor - filmmaker R Parthiban “Like how a bird’s flying space can’t be limited to a particular island, an artiste’s space can’t be limited to a single region. S/he can and should reach wherever / he wants,” says R Parthiban, an actor-filmmaker, whose recent Tamil film ‘Otha Seruppu, Size-7’ received the appreciation of many at the International Film Festival of India where it was part of the Indian Panorama section.

In a chat with ‘Pickle’, Parthiban talks about his three-decade long journey in the film industry, his passion for cinema and how audience and Censor Board have changed over the years. Excerpts...

What prompted you ‘Otha Seruppu Size-7’?

make

I love being in cinema. It feels like a gift. It’s different from making money, owning an Audi, BMW or a bungalow. I am not a businessman.

I have thirst for art, and I quench it by doing experimental films. There is a film called ‘Buried’, which was entirely shot inside a coffin box with just one actor. There is another film which was shot in an island with only one character. When foreign filmmakers can do it, why can’t I? I wanted to make something that was different. So I conceived ‘Otha Seruppu’ out of greed and my passion for cinema.

It’s a film with multiple characters, but only one (the protagonist) shown on the screen. The remaining can be felt by the audience only through their voices. It is a murder mystery.

The story starts with a bunch of police officials interrogating a suspect (Masilamani, played by Parthiban).

Everything except Masilamani’s expressions has been conveyed through voices. The only character visible on screen will be Masilamani. This is the first film in the world to convey everything through sounds. No one has done this before. It can either be dubbed or remade in any language.

Why do you want to make such movies?

My first film ‘Puthiya Pathai’ was released on 14 April, 1989. No one knew Parthiban till then. I was walk-

ing on the road on 13th April, but I was moving around in a car on 15th April.

Such was the impact of the success of a film on my life. I received a National Award for ‘Puthiya Pathai’. There was a perception that films winning National Award would be watched by some 12 persons in a remote theatre, which means, they won’t get the desired recognition. But that was not the case with ‘Puthiya Pathai’. It was released alongside Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan films, and managed to become a blockbuster. The film not just gave me fame, money and a National Award, but also the responsibility to make meaningful movies with relevant messages. All my films carry a message, either directly or in the undercurrent. Also, I always want to try something out of the box. Normal is boring. In 1999, I made a film titled ‘Houseful’. It won the National Award once again. The film was about the Coimbatore bomb blast, which conveyed the message that the one who keeps bombs is not a Hindu, Muslim or Christian, but some sort of animal.

How has been the response to Otha Seruppu?

Very good, should say.

People are celebrat-

I

ing it not just in film festivals and cities, but even in remote villages. In the last three decades, it is for the first time that IFFI is showing my film in the Panorama section. I am thankful to the chairman, the jury and others for that. But, I am disappointed that the film was not selected for competition section. Many who have seen my film would agree that ‘Otha Seruppu’ is the best film among the ones screened here because of its experimental value. They should have considered it under the competition section. I am trying my level best to take the film across the world.

People who watched the film came to theatres—thanks to their confidence on me. Because, I had made it clear much in advance that they would get to see only me in this film, they still watched it and made the movie a success. In this era when even Rajinikanth films are being made with a huge star cast like Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha, my film, with only me in the cast, getting recognised is a big deal. I think it got a good response because it spoke about the life of an ordinary man, his struggles and emotions. In a scene in ‘Otha Seruppu’, I break a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. I was initially afraid that the Censor Board would not allow it. But they cleared the scene without any cut by understanding its context.

This shows both the audience and the Censor have changed and they are ready to accept and approve such attempts. It is now the responsibility of the filmmakers to make novel films.

Audience are already on a different level, but it is only we (filmmakers) who have to reach there.

How has been the feedback from the industry?

The feedback has been phenomenal. Though I am the writer and the director of this film, the movie is mainly about the actor. Since I hail from theatre background, I did it on my own. And, the response from veterans was overwhelming.

Noted director S A Chandrasekhar, father of actor Vijay, fell at my feet after watching ‘Otha Seruppu’. He said he counted me among legends like K Balachander, K Viswanath and Bharathiraja. I was so humbled.

Aamir Khan appreciated it; Rajini sir said the film should win Oscar; Kamal sir said he rates me among the four best actors he likes in the world.

What else can I ask for?

How do you feel being at IFFI?

I am a lover of film festivals. In those days when I did not have money and pass, I would still go to film festivals by dressing myself well so that the gatekeeper would allow me in.

Even if I failed to get inside the theatre, I would still find some other way

to watch films at festivals. Such was my passion for movies and film festivals. I feel so happy that Otha Seruppu has found a place at IFFI and got the appreciation of many.

What are your expectations from the government and film festivals?

Releasing Otha Seruppu was a huge challenge, and taking it to festivals was another, as I don’t have a brand for myself. Movies of few directors easily make it to festivals just because of their brand value. The government and festivals should create more space for small films. More subsidy should be given to quality movies. Cinema theatres in capsule formats should be built to accommodate just around 100 people, so that small films can get screens easily. Taking movies to OTT and other platforms is a good route to make revenue. But, nothing can match the experience of watching a film in theatre. Also, festival films should not be the choice of four-five persons.

The Tamil Nadu Government and Information Minister Kadambur Raju were very supportive of ‘Otha Seruppu’. Both the State and Central State governments should give more concessions to cinema, like how it’s being done in other countries, to make the art thrive and reach more people. I conceived the idea of doing a solo film 15 years back, but I was able to do it only now. I still have ideas for more such movies. If an actor like me, who earns money by acting in others’ films, has to struggle this much, imagine the plight of aspiring filmmakers who don’t have any support.

Film Craft Revitalized

The 13th edition of Film Bazaar revitalised the collaboration between the international and South Asian film fraternities, facilitating partnerships and networking. Growing bigger with every passing year, the 2019 edition saw more than 1,100 delegates attend the 4-day event at the Marriott Resort in Goa 50

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“Film Bazaar is basically what we can call business behind the films, where we get producers to meet directors, where we have mentors curating scripts, industrial screenings, along with knowledge enhancing and skill development sessions, where students could interact with the eminent personalities like Prasoon Joshi, Meghna Gulzar, among others, from the industry and learn what goes into the process of making films. I am thankful to Goa and government of India for having made this happen” Smt T.C.A. KALYANI, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India and Managing Director, NFDC

T

he curtain came down on the 13th edition of Film Bazaar at IFFI on November 24th, firmly establishing it as the leading film market in the region shaping the future of cinema. The fact that 1,116 delegates from 36 countries participated in the Market, the largest number so far in its 13 years of existence, bears the testimony of its growing significance as a promoter of cinematic excellence and talent.

“Film Bazaar is a multilingual, multi-national film market that gives a platform to diverse voices from across the region. This is clear from the fact that 268 projects across 30+ languages at various stages of progress were present in the market under its different sections,” said Smt T.C.A. Kalyani, MD of NFDC, while speaking about the growing role of the Film Bazaar in

harnessing independent making talent.

film-

Inaugural The Film Bazaar was inaugurated by Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar, who hailed the Film Market as a good platform “for aspiring filmmakers to sell their ideas, films and take their productions to the far reaches of the world”. “We can therefore export and import films at this market,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Goa Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said that Goa will allocate more resources to improve its infrastructure to boost film shootings in the state. “Goa is a small touristic state, albeit it is an environment-friendly destination where films have been shot. Though few, these international and national films have become hit films. We will try to provide the best infrastructure required for the film industry in the city as well as the interiors. We want the state to move forward in the film industry,” he added.

Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests and Climate Change Babul Supriyo, who was also present at the inaugural, said, “Filmmaking in India is an amalgamation of art and business; and how to take art to

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the homes of people because by doing so one can make a lot of business. There are a lot of filmmakers all over the world who are interested in making films in India and knowing more about Indian films because by far we make the largest number of films in the world in as many as 30 languages. It’s therefore not just an example of Make in India, but also of make money in India.”

‘Pedro’ by Natesh Hegde and ‘Swizerland’ by Ajitpal Singh, won the Prasad Lab DI Award + Moviebuff Appreciation Award from amongst the Work-In-Progress (WIP) Lab films.

Workshops & Master Class A new addition to the Film Bazaar this year, workshops on skill development for film students from across the country were held in the section entitled ‘Behind the Silver Screen, Empowering the Aspirants’. The section saw leading film personalities like Vishal Bhardwaj, Prasoon Joshi, Adil Hussain and Sidharth Roy Kapur mentoring and sharing tips with students on various filmmaking crafts.

The Producers’ Workshop finished with the producers pitching their projects to their fellow producers and mentors for the workshop. The producers used everything they had learnt over the last three days and pitched their projects with fervour and passion. The mentors were impressed with the pitches, most of which dealt with the realities of India today and ranged across genres and themes.

Veteran filmmaker Hariharan Krishnan (Professor Arts and Director Media Lab, KREA University) took a master class on the history and theory of cinema, the need for films and why we make films. His discussion tied together filmmakers across time and geography, and films across themes and genres. He was also critical of the way filmmaking has been taught in the country, and wondered whether filmmaking can be taught at all.

The workshop in the skill development sidebar was conducted by Actor, Entrepreneur and Filmmaker Ms. Shylaja Chetlur who spoke on gender sensitivity in film scripts and on film sets. She spoke about the current scenario of the film industry and how large sections of the society including women and homosexuals continue to be discriminated against not just in films but also in our society. Ms. Chetlur highlighted the irony of casting a fair looking person in the role of a dark-skinned character, and then blackening their faces. She spoke about the need to break stereotypes and be more inclusive in the way they are shown on screen.

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Knowledge Sessions Sessions in the Knowledge Series saw Smt T.C.A. Kalyani (MD – NFDC) engage in a conversation with Richard Sharkey (International Producer) on how the potential of Film Facilitation Office (FFO) can be leveraged to make India a leading destination for international filmmakers to shoot in. Smt T.C.A. Kalyani said, “Our motto is to ensure a one-stop-shop for facilitation of shooting in India. In line with LIKE PICKLE IN FACEBOOK

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this, the single window clearance is a fantastic initiative of the Government of India to ensure ease of filming.”

In perhaps the most engaging panel of the day, Namrata Joshi (Associate Editor, Cinema, The Hindu) spoke with Swami Laxmi Narayan Tripathi (Human Rights Activist), and filmmakers Onir and Sridhar Rangayan.

While all of them agreed that the perception of LGBTQ cinema and characters has changed for the better in the last ten years, there’s still a long way to go.

Tripathi was especially vocal in highlighting the stereotyping of the transgender community that continues to ail Indian films.

A panel on the changing role of women in cinema brought together women producers from across the country. This included Soundarya Rajinikanth (Managing Director, May 6 Entertainment), Nandita Roy (Producer, Director, Windows Production), Shareen Mantri Kedia (Founder - Director of Namah Pictures), Dominique Welinski (Founder & Head of Production, DW) and Aditi Anand (Promoter, Director, Little Red Car Films). They pointed out the challenges that women still continue to face in the industry and discussed ways of making it easier for women to come up the ranks, and suggestions included fair compensa-

tion and safer and hygienic sets.

Other insightful panels involved those on the evolving OTT landscape in India with executives from multiple OTT platforms clarifying their respective approaches to content, a panel on the wide diversity of multiple Indian language cinemas outside of the Hindi film industry which had filmmakers from Maharashtra, Assam, and Gujarat share the inspirational story of their film’s journey, and another panel that simplified the complicated world of music rights for the filmmakers in the room.

Awards & Accolades The final day of the 13th Film Bazaar saw the announcements of awards to independent filmmakers for projects selected in the Film Bazaar Recommends and the Work-in-Progress section.

The recipients were selected by a jury comprising of internationally acclaimed festival programmers/directors, producers and industry executives who also presented the awards to the winners alongside Smt T.C.A. Kalyani (MD of NFDC) and representative of the sponsors.

‘Pedro’ by Natesh Hegde and ‘Swizerland’ by Ajitpal Singh, won the Prasad Lab DI Award + Moviebuff Appreciation Award from amongst the Work-In-

Progress (WIP) Lab films. The awards were decided by mentors of the WIP Lab which included Philippa Campbell (Producer), Derek Malcolm (Film Critic), Marco Mueller, (Film Critic & Historian, Artistic Director of PYIFF, Pingyao) Olivia Stewart (Producer), Lizi Gelber (Editor), Jacques Comets (Film Editor).

From amongst the incomplete Film Bazaar Recommends films which have not yet got their DI done section, the Prasad Lab DI Award + Moviebuff Appreciation Award went to ‘Pinki Elli?’

(Where Is Pinki?) by Prithvi Konanur. The jury members were Kiki Fung (Programmer from Hong Kong International Film Festival), Laurence Kardish (Artistic Director, FilmColumbia), Nashen Moodley (Festival Director, Sydney Film Festival).

These awards include the following for each film: Free DI by Prasad Labs Two version of DCI DCP free for a movie by Qube Rupees Two Lakh (INR 2,00,000) worth of trailer promotion at QUBE cinema theatres (Max 300 theatres) for a movie.

Filmmakers will get a Qube Wire account with wallet worth of USD 500, which can be redeemed during Qube Wire deliveries.

In a happy surprise, it was announced that the 3 remaining films in the WIP Lab will also receive DI at 50% discount from Prasad Labs.

‘Laila Aur Satt Geet’ (The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs)

by Pushpendra Singh won the VKAAO WIP Lab Award, which includes a certificate from VKAAO and Free Theatrical Distribution Deal with PVR Cinemas. The award was decided by the same jury of mentors who decided the Prasad Lab DI Award + Moviebuff Appreciation Award for films in the WIP Lab. The VKAAO FBR Awards, chosen by an audience vote based on FBR Pitch and views in the Viewing Room, went to two films – ‘Gamak Ghar’ by Achal Mishra from amongst the completed films by a debut director and ‘rk/rkay’ by Rajat Kapoor from amongst the completed films by a non-debut director.

Each of these films won a certificate from VKAAO and will get a 75% discount on Theatrical Distribution.

Film Bazaar in Numbers

1,116

Countries

Delegates

36

268

Films in Work in Progress

Film Projects

14

Films in C-Production Market

5 Films recommended

by Film Bazaar

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A new addition to the Film Bazaar this year, workshops on skill development for film students from across the country were held in the section entitled ‘Behind the Silver Screen, Empowering the Aspirants’. The section saw leading film personalities like Vishal Bhardwaj, Prasoon Joshi, Adil Hussain and Sidharth Roy Kapur mentoring and sharing tips with students on various filmmaking crafts

The Film Bazaar has become an apt platform for captivating cinema, and this year it was no different with at least three movies stealing the show through their engaging and creative content at the industry screenings

By Gautaman Bhaskaran,

Recently at the Film Bazaar 2019 Raj R Gupta’s Marathi film Baba

At Film Bazaar,

Some Titles Stole the Show O

ne of the several attractions at the Film Bazaar, organised by the National Film Development Corporation of India, is the industry screenings, where movies that have just popped out of the cans are exhibited for possible festival selections and theatrical distribution. Running alongside the 50th edition of International Film Festival of India, the Bazaar has many such movies. One of them I quite enjoyed was Susant Misra’s ‘Josef – Born in Grace’.

Misra has had an illustrious career, and his films to name a few

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– Nischal Baadal, Indradhanura Chai and Biswaprakash – have been screened in some of the most prestigious festivals across the world including Cannes, Cairo, Rotterdam, Sochi, Moscow and Montreal.

‘Josef – Born in Grace’ has an impressive star cast. Victor Banerjee, who plays a Christian priest in Misra’s work, is one of the most talented actors that India has seen. Having worked with directors as distinguished as Satyajit Ray (Shatranj Ke Khilari, Pikoo, Ghare Bhaire), Shyam Benegal (Kalyug), Roman Polanski (Bitter Moon), David Lean (Passage

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to India) and James Ivory (Hullabaloo Over Georgie’s and Bonnie’s Pictures), Banerjee brings his enormous experience to Josef.. as Father O’Hara—a missionary doctor who serves the poor in a small hospital at the foothills of the Himalayas. The plot unfolds between 1960 and 1980.

In a tranquil setting that Misra has chosen to tell his story, his movie is paced in a way that reflects the times and the innocence of the period. There is a haunting beauty which Misra captures in detail and delight – as we watch Father O’Hara go about tending to his patients. At home, his

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caretaker, Maularam (Sudarshan Juyal), helps the priest look after Josef, a baby who was abandoned; a baby that O’Hara finds and brings home.

O’Hara sends Josef to Dehra Dun for his education and vocational training (to be a cook). Many years later, Josef (Subrat Dutta) returns to O’Hara’s abode as a great cook, but also bearing a dark spot. He has turned into an alcoholic, much to O’Hara’s angst.

The movie has a thin plot, but where it scores is the mood it captures by taking us along the different paths

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‘Midnight Delhi’ zooms in on a night in India’s capital city to present a picture of sheer horror, blood and gore

Susant Misra’s Josef – Born in Grace

which O’Hara and Josef take. Both seek spiritual fulfilment through their respective duties. While Josef puts his heart and soul into being a good chef, O’Hara brings joy and relief to the sick and the sad men and women, who turn up at his hospital doorsteps hoping for miracles.

Yes, some may find the film a trifle repetitive, but life in the hills in those times was precisely that—a series of events which played again and again with singular regularity.

Banerjee scores as the kind priest, whose mission to soothe tortured souls encompasses a baby whose mother abandons him and who finds a warm shelter in O’Hara’s nest. In an important way, Banerjee with his controlled performance and charming subtlety produces the spark that lights up Misra’s narrative style and substance, which are daringly different from many present-day films that appear to be in a rush.

The second work at the Bazaar that caught my attention was ‘Baba’, which is about a deaf-mute couple. Indian cinema has earlier given us stories about the deaf and the mute, and a fine example of this was Gulzar’s 1972 ‘Koshish’ in which Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri (now Bachchan) played a handicapped couple. In the film, the couple have a wonderful life going— at least as wonderful as it could have been—until a tragedy strikes them.

They lose their child; a loss that can be directly attributed to the couple’s inability to hear.

Raj R Gupta’s ‘Baba’ in Marathi also talks about a deaf-mute couple, Madhav (Deepak Dobriyal) and Aanandi (Nandita Patkar). The poor couple’s daily struggle to eke out a living gets a silver lining when an acquaintance gives them a new born baby that has been abandoned by the rich family of an unwed mother. Years later after she gets married to the man of her parents’ choice, she begins her search for the child that was taken away from her.

When she finds him – after eight years – she wants to get him back from Madhav and Aanandi, the husband

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and wife who had nurtured him all along and who has become a joyous part of their otherwise mundane and hard life. The boy does not speak probably because his parents do not. Also, the boy has had a sheltered existence because of the insecurity his parents had about losing him.

In the legal battle which his biological mother initiates to get her child back, there are hilarious moments as there are sorrowful interludes. In the court, while Madhav and his wife cannot communicate with the public prosecutor, he is also unable to express himself clearly to the magistrate because of a dental problem! Moreover, the couple’s friend also suffers from an awful stammering problem, and all this gets the magistrate flustered. But then Gupta lightens these situations in a way that I found the enormity of the handicap and its repercussions melt away. Not many helmers could have done this.

But the highlight of ‘Baba’, produced by Sanjay Dutt (his first Marathi venture), is undoubtedly the eightyear-old boy, played with disarming brilliance by Aaryan Menghji – who literally carries the plot forward to its finale. The climax may not be very original, for it tends to look similar to the one in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’.

The third title at the Bazaar that held some interest for me was ‘Midnight Delhi.’ Much as a city would seem bright and beautiful during the day with perhaps the sun adding allure, dusk with its creeping shadows might change the entire scenario, injecting a sense of forbidding fear.

Young Rakesh Rawat tries to capture this mood in his first feature, ‘Midnight Delhi.’

‘Midnight Delhi’ zooms in on a night in India’s capital city to present a picture of sheer horror, blood and gore. The film may be apt for the times we live in with Delhi gaining the notorious reputation of being hugely crime prone.

To a question why Rawat chose to depict brutality in a no-holds-kind of way, he tells me that cinema is after all a reflection of society, and this is what has been happening in Delhi and many other places. Rawat may have a point, and he is probably keeping pace with how modern cinema presents events – which is most graphically.

Whether it be sex or violence, writers and directors tend to present scenes with graphic imagery.

But there is a huge debate going on today – provoked by the recent ‘Joker’ – that whether cinema must be more covert than overt. As an example, let us take a look at Alfred Hitchcock’s 1934 ‘Shadow of a Doubt’ in which he tells us the story of a criminal dubbed Merry Widow Murderer. There is not a single scene where we see the man

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murdering a woman, and was the movie any less powerful than a Quentin Tarantino work? Or did Hitchcock (often described as the master of the macabre) fail to convey the enormity of the crime? No, certainly not. Maybe, it is an easier way of telling a story when you leave little to a viewer’s imagination.

Rawat’s fiction feature begins on a foggy night with a burglar (played by Anshuman Jha, whose screen name is not revealed until halfway through the 115-minute movie), who uses a blade to slit the jugular vein of his victims, jumping into an auto rickshaw (driven by Mukesh Bhatt, earlier seen in works such as ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘M.S. Dhoni’). The burglar engages in light banter with the driver, gaining his confidence until he attempts to commit the crime.

Later, in a series of seemingly unrelated events involving a jilted woman and a husband who returns home to find his wife with her lover, Rawat weaves a narrative that is packed into three acts. The unfolding drama has interesting characters, each with their own tragic tale.

In a style reminiscent of Tarantino’s films (whose canvas is invariably a bloody mess), ‘Midnight Delhi’ throws together puzzling situations that do not though quite add up the way Babel did some years ago.

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FFI CELEBRATES IFFI GOLDEN JUBILEE Film Federation of India hosted a dinner party at Goa to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of IFFI. The event was attended by a lot of industry people including IFFI steering committee members, international jury members, IFFI festival director, DFF and NFDC officials. It has been a tradition for FFI to organise a get-together at IFFI

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