This year NYF has unveiled new categories and updated existing categories. With the popularity of video streaming and the increase in viewer consumption of short-form digital video, NYF renamed the existing Online group to Digital Short-Form and added 2 new categories as well: Digital Reality TV Drama and Digital Documentary. Other new categories include Use of Technology in Promos, launched to showcase the innovative ways creative services teams use all facets of today’s technology (VR, AR, MR) to target their audiences; Magazine Feature in News Reports; International Affairs in Documentary; and Tourism in Corporate Image. 

New York Festivals World’s Best TV & Films Competition is Open for Entries; NYF Unveils New Categories for 2018

New Categories for 2018:  Magazine Feature, International Affairs Documentary, Use of Technology in Promos, Digital Documentary, Digital Reality TV Drama, and Tourism

New York, NY – July 26, 2017:  New York Festivals® International Television & Film Awards  2018 competition is open for entries. Since 1957, NYF’s World’s Best TV & Films℠ competition has celebrated content in all lengths and formats and continues to honor exceptional content being created around the globe. 

New York Festivals acknowledges the wide range of superlative content being made today. “There are no geographical boundaries for talent and innovation,” said Rose Anderson, VP/Executive Director of NYF Television & Film Awards, “so we have no boundaries on our entry process. We welcome storytelling across all platforms including all genres for all types of audiences”

With the popularity of video streaming and the increase in viewer consumption of short-form digital video, NYF renamed the existing Online group to Digital Short-Form and added 2 new categories as well: Digital Reality TV Drama and Digital Documentary. 

“NYF provides opportunities for recognizing all of the innovations today’s storytellers use to engage their audiences” said Rose Anderson, VP/Executive Director of NYF Television & Film Awards. “This year in addition to adding new categories, we have made our 16 category groups more user-friendly and more current, incorporating the language that our entrants from every continent use today.”

Other new categories include Use of Technology in Promos, launched to showcase the innovative ways creative services teams use all facets of today’s technology (VR, AR, MR) to target their audiences; Magazine Feature in News Reports; International Affairs in Documentary; and Tourism in Corporate Image.

The 2018 Television & Film Awards gala will take place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 10, 2018. For the eighth consecutive year NYF and their official partner, NAB Show, will present the competition to more than 103,000 media and entertainment professionals from 166 countries, and 1700+ exhibitors.

Three outstanding entries were recognized in 2017 with the NYF Grand Award: “David Attenborough's Light on Earth” Terra Mater Factual Studios GmbH; “MARS” National Geographic and “Super Bowl 50” CBS Sports. 

Tony Petitti, Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball was honored with the annual New York Festivals®Lifetime Achievement Award.  New York Festivals Specialty Awards honored the following international companies: Al Jazeera with Broadcaster of the Year; The Edge Picture Company, UK, with Production Company of the Year; and Fox Networks Group Latin America with the 2017 Program Promotion Team of the Year Award.

The deadline to enter the 2018 Television & Film Awards competition is October 15, 2017. Entry details and competition rules and regulations can be found on the NYF Television & Film Awards website www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/. To view the complete list of categories, please click: Here

All Entries in the 2018 competition will be judged online and screened by New York Festivals Television & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200 plus producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Nominated Finalists are judged by a selected panel at the United Nations for the UNDPI Awards. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the NYF Television & Film Awards website. To View the 2017 TV & Film Awards Recap Video please visit: HERE.

Press inquiries are welcome and should be directed to Gayle Mandel: gmandel@newyorkfestivals.com, Ph: 1 212 643 4800.

About New York Festivals

New York Festivals organizes advertising and programming competitions for the following brands:

AME Awards World's Best Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness℠

The Global Awards World's Best Healthcare & Wellness Advertising℠
Midas Awards World's Best Financial Advertising℠
New York Festivals^® International Advertising Awards®

New York Festivals World's Best Radio Programs℠
New York Festivals World's Best TV & Films℠

Entries to each of the competitions are judged around the world by panels of peers in their respective industries. For more information, go to www.newyorkfestivals.com.

About NAB Show
NAB Show, held April 7 - 12, 2018 in Las Vegas, is the world's largest convention encompassing The M.E.T. Effect, the convergence of media, entertainment and technology. With 103,000 attendees from 166 countries and 1,700+ exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and embrace content delivery to new screens in new ways. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, NAB Show is where global visionaries convene to bring content to life in new and exciting ways. Learn more at www.nabshow.com

About NAB 
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.

Fantasporto 2018 February 20 - March 4, 2018

EARLY ENTRY DEADLINE: OCTOBER 30TH, 2017!  

Fantasporto’2018 | Oporto International Film Festival announces our Call for Film Entries for the 38th annual festival, running February 20th till March 4th.

This Call is for Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi features and shorts in the Fantasy competition. The Director’s Week is for features only, in all genres except fantasy.

Deadlines for Entries for 2018 edition are October 30th (Early Call) and December 5th (Final Call).

Films can be submitted now using the film submission website www.fantasporto.com

Fantasporto enjoys incredible loyalty and support from the large film-appreciating community all over the World. In the last edition, Fantasporto was attended by over 20,000 enthusiastic genre film fans and over 200 members of the film press and industry.

Considered in 2015 as the first of the independent film festivals in the world by TRIPPER, Fantasporto is among the top film festivals  for the discovery of new talent, having revealed countless of now famous directors, producers and actors.

The World Heritage City by UNESCO of Porto, twice considered Europe’s Best Touristic Destination,  is another factor adding interest . Founded in 1981, the 37th edition has the support of the Portuguese State.

Check the  Regulations on the site www.fantasporto.com.

Fantasporto'sblog I Website  I Submit I  Facebook I Twitter I Contact Mario Dorminsky I Entry Form

We're partnering with Backstage to provide their talent database and casting tools to ALL filmmakers who submit to the 9th Annual NYC Independent Film Festival! Cast your next project with Backstage, for free! Learn more about our talent database and casting tools here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAaWF4xch4k 

Submit your project before November 30, 2017 for your FREE access to Backstage! 

We, at filmfestivals.com, are extremely proud of our relationships and partnerships with these amazing film events: Venice Production Bridge, FestForums Santa Barbara, AFM, Animaze, WoFF Glasgow, Tallinn Black Night International Film Festival, UNAFF, Bridges Festival, Bahamas Int Film Festival, Houston WorldFest, Fantasporto, and Cannes Market of course.

We also partner throughout the year with key film events which gathers the most prestigious industry speakers

TV Film and Finance Forum East (NY April 27th ) Immersive Forum and Film Finance Forum in Cannes (May 19th), Annual Zurich Summit | September 30 - October 1, 2017, NY and Santa Barbara FestForums (April and November 2017)

thHappy to serve the community bringing industry news and dailies to our audience and newsletter subscribers (125 000)

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ARY Digital Network is the leading media network of Pakistan viewed in over 100 countries around the world and as an effort to support the upcoming filmmakers we have started the ARY Film Festival as an yearly event. The ARY Film Festival (AFF) is the biggest film festival in Pakistan. In 2017, the festival provided a platform to local and international filmmakers to showcase their talent here in Pakistan at an industry level.

The 3 day festival commenced in May 2017 and screened 33 films, which were shortlisted by the jury from around 400 entries received from all over the world. The jury itself is comprised of some very well known names from the local and international film making business. Apart from the above mentioned regular entries, the festival also came up with special screenings of internationally acclaimed films such as Maheen Zia’s ‘Lyari Notes’, ‘Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velazquez Story’ contributed by the American Film Showcase and Anjum Shehzad’s ‘Mah e Mir’.  Additionally, Academy award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s ‘Song of Lahore’ was also premiered at the festival. Delhi International Film Festival was also one of the collaborating partners of the festival. 

After such a commendable execution of AFF in 2017, the festival is back again for its second edition in April 2018, for which submissions are now open for the following categories:

Following is the link to our promo of our upcoming festival. 

             51^st WORLDFEST-HOUSTON “CALL FOR ENTRIES!”

“FORGET SUNDANCE! …WorldFest is one of the best conceived festival productions on the planet!” ~ Craig Outhier, film critic, Phoenix press; Tempe Times.

The 51^st Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival continues its totally dedicated Independent Film screening format for the upcoming April 20-29, 2018…! WorldFest will screen just 80-90 feature film premieres, with a total and absolute emphasis on the American and International Independent feature films and a continuing annual spotlight on award-winning short films and documentary films.

Entry forms & complete entry information are on our website (www.worldfest.org) – Click on Enter Film Festival, check the FAQ, Categories, Entry Form… The Main Entry Deadline is Friday, Dec. 15^th 2017 – A Mail-By Ship-By Deadline! Entries do not have to arrive by this deadline.  Now you can also enter with Feature, Shorts, & Documentary submissions via our great online partner Film Freeway  https://filmfreeway.com/

WorldFest Artistic and Program Director, Kathleen Haney, stated, “We are fiercely dedicated to the Indie Feature and Short Film and look for a quality selection of individual films to maintain a smaller, yet effective program rather than an overly large and unwieldy slate of 150-300 films. Haney continued, “At WorldFest we use the mantra‘A good story, well told’ as our time-tested approach to film selection”. (For complete winner info from the past WorldFests, go to – https://www.worldfest.org – click on the Winners tab.)

Ridley Scott commented “WorldFest is in the business of validating excellence!” after he received the Grand Remi Award in 1985 for his famous 1984 Apple TV commercial. The mission of WorldFest is to recognize and validate creative excellence in film & video production in every facet and category of filmmaking. Many filmmakers report that a Remi Award from WorldFest helps them doors to advance their film careers.

WorldFest proudly presents two ongoing Panoramas each year; The 13^th Annual Panorama Italia co-sponsored by The Italian Cultural Institute and The Italian Consulate and also the Fourth Annual Panorama China, a major, comprehensive survey of modern Chinese cinema, both independent & major studio films from China. WorldFest will also continue the annual Short Film Showcase, a special review of more than 100 new and award winning short and student films...from the festival that gave first top honors to Spielberg, Lucas, The Coen Brothers, Ridley Scott, Robert Rodriguez, Spike Lee, Gavin Hood, John Lee Hancock, Michael Cimino, Steven Poster, Oliver Stone, Ang Lee, Atom Egoyan and David Lynch, among many others! Few other festivals have such a “discovery” track record. WorldFest has emerged as the oldest continuous film festival management in the world with the same executive director, J. Hunter Todd serving for 50 consecutive years. A few other festivals are older, but they have had as many as ten different directors. WorldFest is the oldest film festival in The South.

  WorldFest began in August 1961, as an International Film Society. It began screening Independent, foreign & art films. It became an officially competitive International Film Festival seven years later, in April 1968, and has been in continuous operation since. It is one of the original three film festivals in North America, with San Francisco and New York as the first two events. Following WorldFest was Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, and Seattle. Then Sundance and SXSW, Toronto and Tribeca. Now there are more than 3,000 USA film festivals of various types, levels and quality, most being simply non-competitive screening events! WorldFest is international, competitive and invites filmmakers worldwide. WorldFest has emerged as the oldest, longest running Independent Film Festival in the whole wide world!

The 51^st Annual WorldFest offers International Competition in; Features, Shorts, TV production, TV commercials, unproduced Screenplays & Teleplays, Experimental, Student, Documentary, Business & Industry, New Media, and Music Videos. WorldFest is the largest film & video competition in the world, in sheer number of actual category entries, with more than 4,300 category entries received in 2017. There are almost 200 sub-categories for competition, allowing each film to compete in its own individual genre.

WorldFest-Houston is sponsored by the State of Texas, the City of Houston, Lopez Negrete Communications, Eastman Kodak, the Texas Film Commission, Boxer Properties, Arcodoro Ristorante, Masterpiece International, The Universal Film & Festival Organization (UFFO) Cottonwood Financial, the Brown Foundation, InkTip and Avis/Budget and the Houston Arts Alliance (HAA).

If you plan to enter only one film festival, it should be WorldFest.

For more information on the 51^st Annual 2018 WorldFest-Houston, simply send your name and address to:

Entry Team WorldFest - 2018
51^st Annual WorldFest-Houston
9898 Bissonnet St. #650, Houston, Texas 77036 USA

or call toll free: 1-866-965-9955 (or 713-965-9955) or fax: 1-713-965-9960

Or simply email us at: entry@worldfest.org

The complete Entry Kit with Entry Forms - is on our secure website: https://www.worldfest.org

(The 51^st Annual WorldFest-Houston is April 20-29, 2018) 

DIFF CLOSES WITH FULL FORCE ON the RED CARPET

140 films from near and far brought cinephiles, film fans and industry professionals together

Final day recognises excellence in regional filmmaking with Muhr Awards announced

Eight days of DIFF’s trademark silver-screen magic closed today with an epic Closing Night Gala, marking the close of the 14^th edition of the Festival. DIFF took over the city between 6 – 13 December with screenings of 140 films from globally acclaimed filmmakers and regional talent, and unparalleled industry networking opportunities and insights from the best in the business today. Continuing to raise the profile of Arab film on an international stage, the renowned film festival hosted a diverse selection of galas, special presentations, live performances, red carpet events and informative industry sessions, which made the Festival’s 14^th year an unforgettable experience for all.

Abdulhamid Juma, Dubai International Film Festival Chairman, commented: “DIFF’s 2017 Festival saw new talent emerging, and communities brought together through the power of cinema. The 14^th edition’s extensive lineup of films, both close and far from home, have once again thrilled audiences, and we are honoured to have brought this splendour to life. We extend our thanks not only to all the filmmakers, actors, directors and producers that have shared their stories with us this December, but also to our DIFF volunteers, selected from more than 7,000 applicants, that have worked tirelessly to make this year’s edition another success.”

DIFF’s Closing Night Gala saw the most recent adventure from a galaxy far, far away, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, enjoyed by a capacity audience. The next instalment in the Skywalker saga held its premiere at the Madinat Jumeirah, and was welcomed to the Festival in true Coruscant style with a Star Wars takeover for the final gala. Characters from the decades-spanning franchise graced the red carpet as DIFF audiences turned out in their best Star Wars costumes to ensure the Festival’s final screening provided a fitting end to a spectacular week.

Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Rian Johnson, the film features an interstellar cast of stars including Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro. The film also stars Carrie Fisher in her final role. In ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.

Shivani Pandya, Managing Director, DIFF, commented: “This year has been another fantastic edition of the Dubai International Film Festival. We are particularly thrilled to continue our commitment to shining a spotlight on Arab filmmakers by working to create unmatched networking opportunities and connections through the Dubai Film Market. The UK Spotlight programme focused on strengthening the bridge between two flourishing industries - the UK and the MENA region – with the support of BAFTA, BFI and the British Council. Partnerships such as these have not only helped amplify our goal of showcasing regional cinema to an international audience, but has also given budding filmmakers the chance to gain valuable insights and industry knowledge from experts in their craft. We are delighted to have hosted such a collaborative Festival for 2017, and look forward to continuing cross-cultural conversations in the next edition.”

His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented the prestigious Muhr Awards to the winners, which was held during a celebratory ceremony that took place in the Souk Madinat Theatre at Madinat Jumeirah. Winning the Best Director in the Muhr Emirati category was Abdullah Aljunaibi for his thrilling film ‘Camera’, winner of the Best Emirati Feature went to ‘Sharp Tools’ directed by Nujoom Alghanem, whilst ‘Escape’ directed by Hana Alshateri and Yaser Al Neyadi was named Best Muhr Emirati Short. In the Muhr Short category, Special Jury Prize went to Cyril Aris for ‘The President’s Visit’ and the Best Muhr Short went to gifted director Mahdi Fleifel for ‘The Drowning Man’. In the Muhr Gulf Short category, Best Muhr Gulf Short went to the deserving Ulaa Salim for ‘Fædreland (Land of Our Fathers)’, and Dhyaa Joda was awarded the Special Jury Prize for her compelling film ‘Sabyea’.

Jean-Claude Bastos de Morais, Founder and Group CEO, Quantum Global Group, on Muhr Awards at the 14^th edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF): "I have always been committed to promoting youth, entrepreneurship, innovation and cultural awakening in all the markets where I operate. As we are seeking to build a presence in Dubai, it is natural for me to invest in film, and in particular local Arab and Emirati film making through the Muhr Award. Film is such a powerful tool for cultural expression and exchange, so it is interesting to me that indigenous film making is growing so strongly, both in the Arab world and in Africa, as in Nollywood for example. I believe that an active film making culture is a sign of a healthy and progressive society where the young, bold and creative people are able to claim their place at the table and play a role in shaping the future.”

The Muhr Feature category saw Lucien Bourjeily awarded the Special Jury Prize for his feature ‘Heaven Without People’, while Ziad Khalthoum was presented with the Best Muhr Non-Fiction Feature prize for ‘Taste of Cement’, and winner of the Best Muhr Fiction Feature was handed to Annemarie Jacir for ‘Wajib’. Taking home Best Actress in the Feature category was Menha El Batroui, for her role in ‘Cactus Flower’, and she was joined by Mohammad Bakri and Saleh Bakri as a joint Best Actor award for ‘Wajib’. Best Director was presented to Sofia Djama for her outstanding film ‘The Blessed’.

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, DIFF Artistic Director, said: “The Muhr competition has grown with the Festival, and since its inception we have been able to see the variety and strength of talent from across the region continue to evolve. The 2017 edition certainly raised the bar and the esteemed jury members really had their work cut out in selecting the winners. On behalf of DIFF, I would like to extend our sincere congratulations to the deserving winners whose bold undertakings have told fascinating stories and shared regional perspectives with DIFF audiences. We are excited to see what is in store for these talented individuals, and will no doubt welcome them back to future Festival editions.”

DIFF also announced the recipients of a range of awards granted to talented individuals whose work helps support the Festival and the local industry. Sanjay Shankar from Middlesex University Dubai was presented with the esteemed Young Journalist Award for his tireless work reporting from the Festival, with the support of the region’s leading media outlet, Gulf News tabloid!. Celebrating works that address key social issues and awareness, DIFF again partnered with the Emirates’ Ministry of Interior for its Cinema Award, which was presented to Rawia Abdullah for her project ‘The Contact Line of Domfront’ along with a cash prize of $100,000.

Celebrating the craft of storytelling, Sajda Almuallemi was awarded the Arab Film Studio Scriptwriting Award for her compelling work ‘Unexpected Holiday’. The People’s Choice Award was presented to ‘Goodbye, Christopher Robin’, directed by Simon Curtis, as judged by DIFF’s diverse audiences.

Since being established in 2004, DIFF has grown to become an influential platform for the region’s most talented artists to showcase their films. As part of this, the Dubai Film Market was conceived to provide production and post-production funding and support for budding directors in the region.

16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival opens in Mumbai on 21 December

Prabhat Chitra Mandal, one of India’s oldest and most active film societies that is celebrating its golden jubilee this year, in collaboration with P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, is holding its 16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival in Mumbai, supported by the Department of Culture, Government of Maharashtra. The festival will be inaugurated on Thursday, the 21^st of December, 2117. The inauguration will be followed by a screening of the Marathi feature film Ziprya (2017, 120 min), directed by Kedar Vaidya. TEAFF is an Asian Film Foundation initiative.

Extending from Turkey to Japan, and divided culturally in the Middle East, West Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Far East, Asian Cinema is as diverse and rich as its topography. Yet, most Asian countries share cultural similarities, and a common socio-economic scenario. They are plagued by similar problems of poverty, illiteracy, over-population, lowly status of women, etc. Cinema could be a common bond, which could create awareness about each other amongst Asian countries.

These are some of the festival’s objectives, cited by the organisers.

Film Sections

Spectrum Asia

Contemporary Asian films will be showcased in this section, to capture the cinematic trends in Asian countries.

Best Short Film Competition

Best Film will be awarded a Trophy + a cash prize of Rs.25.000/- (Approx. 350 USD). Second Best Short Film will be awarded Rs. 15.000/- (Approx. 200 USD).

Competition for women film-makers in Asia

'Women with views'

1^st. Prize: Rs. 50,000/- (Approx. 750 USD), to the Director.

2^nd. Prize: Rs.25,000/- (Approx. 350 USD), to the Director.

Focus on One Asian Country

Iran is the country for this year’s focus.

Retrospectives

The 16^th TEAFF will include a retrospective of Myanmar-born Taiwanese director Midi Z (also known as Chao Te-yin).

Also, films of Hungarian director Zoltan Fabri will be screened, which will also fall under the European Connection

Some other sections are: New Marathi Cinema, Centenary Tribute and Indian Vista.

Five shows will be held every day, over a period of a week, at the Ravindra Natya Mandir's Mini Auditorium in central Mumbai.

Screenings begin on Thursday morning itself, before the formal inauguration, which will be held later in the evening.

For more details, check out www.affmumbai.org

My Top Seven from the festival were:

1. A mon âge je me cache toujours pour fumer -- ALGERIA

2.  Newton --HINDI

3. Two  Persons, Malayalam

4. Heart of a Dog --Malayalam

5.  Black Jew, Malayalam

6. The Butcher, The Whore, and the One-eyed Man,

    Another Hungarian chef d'oeuvre from János Szász

7. WAJIB, Palestine

Details on these films to follow later

Alex,

Trivandarum

Nayinye Hrudayam,  (The Heart of Dog) Is a canine teaser that throws out the cinematic rule book at the 22nd Kerala Film Festival 

by Alex C. Deleon  <filmfestivals.com>

H.O.A.D is the most unusual film of the festival in a festival that abounds in unusual films. It is based on the satirical Russian novel "Heart of a Dog" (Собачье сердце) by Mikhail Bulgakov written in 1925 as a searing attack on Communism but thoroughly transformed here to match South Indian sensitivities and perceptions. In terms of style this film is beyond style. As the saying goes, you have know the rules in order to break them and Mr. Sreekrishnan has broken or deconstructed just about every rule in the rulebook on how to tell a story on celluloid. A full discussion based on our interview will come later. For the moment suffice it to say that the contentional bones of the story are about a man being changed into a dog via surgical intervention and then being changed back to his human form resulting in phantasmagorical complications for all involved. The narrative style of the film was so challenging that it generated a continual stream of walkouts with viewers giving up the effort to follow the proceedings at various points in the picture until the hall was about half empty but those who hung on doggedly to the end  were rewarded with enlightening remarks by the director which served to at least partially untangle the ordeal of incomprehension.  Not for every taste ~only for hardcore cinephiles willing to suspend all cinematic preconceptions going in and coming out. Bring forewarned see it and have a ball!

I saw 2 films today; might head to restaurant for quick lunch and skip an aft film.

Exceptional Indian Study of Schizophreniai

Author:alexdeleonfilm from Budapest

Viewed at the River to River Indian film festival, Firenze, December 2005. The title of Aparna Sen's latest film, "15 Park Avenue", is an oblique reference to that most exclusive of New York streets where many of the wealthiest people in America used to have their private residences. Meethi, an attractive young woman who can be very charming and appealing in her lucid moments, suffers from extreme delusions and has been diagnosed as incurably schizophrenic, although for a time she was engaged to a sincere young man whom she called Jojo. 

Jojo was aware of her condition but deeply in love, however, when her spells became too traumatic, the wedding was called off and he married another woman. Meetha has always been under the care of her much older, intellectual, and domineering sister Anjali. Anjali, herself a very attractive divorced woman of a certain age, supports the family consisting of herself, her sister and their aged mother (Waheeda Rahman!) by lecturing on Nuclear Physics and Quantum Mechanics at the local university -- (a nice touch attesting to India's highly advanced state in the theoretical sciences, of which there is precious little awareness in the Western world). 

A middle-aged academic colleague of hers keeps throwing himself at her feet, but Anjali has become much more interested in the white-haired psychiatrist, Kuman, who has been called in as a consultant on Meethi's difficult case and is more of an intellectual challenge to her. This is also a tricky relationship because Kuman is still committed to his own marriage, though obviously interested in the still very attractive quantum professorial Anjali. (Who wouldn't be!)

To complicate matters even more, Jojo who has been out of the picture for years with wife and young children, suddenly reappears to share in Meethi's delusionary world which has long been centered in her disturbed mind on the fixation of being happily married to him and living at number "15 Park Avenue" in Bombay -- an address which doesn't exist except in her imagination -- During this chance meeting at a Himalayan mountain resort Meethi fails to recognize him as her long-lost Jojo, but accepts his complicity in her dream world as she feels that everyone else is against her. In the strangely mystical ending of the address on the Monopoly board which is mistakenly mentioned as "Park Avenue" at several points in the film ... (On the Monopoly board it's Park Place)

There is actually much more to this picture than the cursory plot summary above might indicate, for the insights it provides into the lives of the contemporary Indian intelligentsia as well as for the depiction of the constant battle between cold rationalism and subjective emotionalism which is a leit motif throughout the film. The dialogue, especially in the first half of the picture, may sound excessively stiff and unreal to Western ears, but, apparently, this is the way westernized Indian intellectuals talk. Moreover, the Freudian analyses which take up much of the second half of the film, sound like a throwback to Hollywood movies of the forties when Freud was all the thing -- and makes it seem like the Indians of today are just now catching up on long over-baked Western psychology ... 

However -- and it is a big "however" -- whatever the trivialities of the plot from a jaded western point of view it is the personalities of the players, the excellence of the acting, and the humanitarian warmth throughout which makes all else secondary. 

There are really two, if not three central figures: (1) Meethi, the disturbed young lady as portrayed by Konkona Sen Sharma, a talented actress who happens to be the daughter of director Aparna Sen, (2) the charismatic Shabana Azmi who portrays the older protective sister and is one of India's leading older movie stars -- to see her is to understand why, and (3) "Jojo" -- the long-lost lover with an overweaning sense of responsibility, played by now 40 year old actor Rahul Bose, a favourite leading man of the director's and an unforgettable presence of every film he's in. 

Whether a striking piece of work like this will ever be seen outside of festivals is an open question, however it seems to me that an enterprising American distributor could do very well with this pic because it has universal appeal and universally appealing performers.

Scandinavia's leading film festival!

Göteborg Film Festival will be celebrating its 41st edition Jan 26-Feb 5, 2018. 450 films from 80 countries will be screened during eleven days. In 2018 the festival will turn a spotlight to the subject nationalism. Alicia Vikander is this year's Nordic Honorary Dragon Award recipient.

Nordic Film Market, Feb 1-4.
Take part of brand new films, works in progress, projects in development, the annual Nostradamus Report and much more. The TV Drama Vision days will start it all already on Jan 31. The full programme will be released in mid January.
 

Wishing you all much success on the festival circuit!

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Happy Holidays

Best wishes from the whole team, and from our group of correspondents around the world for a happy peaceful & successful new year for you and yours on the festival circuit. 

 

 

The Aussie reports by Bruno Chatelin

Trevor Jamieson to become Revelation Ambassador

    Revelation Perth International Film Festival is thrilled to announce that acclaimed actor Trevor Jamieson has joined the Revelation team as a permanent ambassador.   Soon to be seen in the upcoming re...

 

Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship still open through Sydney Film Festival

Sydney Film Festival and Lexus Australia are encouraging all up and coming Australian filmmakers to enter the Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship through Sydney Film Festival, with submissions accepted from 4 December 2017 until 29 January 2018. The Fellowship is the largest cash prize for short film in Australia, offering $50,000 each to four filmmakers to produce their next short film. All new entries are w...

 

 

Tropfest Australia submissions close in 3 weeks

Filmmakers have just three weeks to wrap up their films for Tropfest Australia, supported by foundation partner CGU Insurance, for their chance to win a spectacular bevy of prizes, and join the ranks of esteemed Tropfest legends continuing to make huge waves internationally. Submissions close on Thursday 11 January 2018. The winner of Tropfest 2018 will be awarded a shiny new Equin...

 

 

Outdoor Premiere of Paddington 2 in Sydney at Moon Light Cinema

A screening for families who did not forget to bring their favourite teddy for this Teddy Bear’s Picnic! Premiere screening of Paddington 2, with some goodies given away like PADDINGTON 2 PRIZE PACKS ! Each pack contained Paddington 2 themed prizes including a bag, notebook, pencil case, pen AND a Moonlight Cinema Family Pass!   get the whole^ropgram and cities where the moonlight cinema happen https://www.moonlight.com.au/  ..

 

Byron Bay Film Festival 2018 a Dream With Your Eyes Open

BBFF2018 will run from Oct 12th to the 21st.

Entries are open now: SUBMIT NOW

BBFF is a platform for outstanding independent film talent, showcasing a uniquely rich and diverse program of entertaining, inspiring and thought provoking films.

“This is an important festival and for those young people that screen here for the first time it can be a life-changing experience” – Paul Cox, 2015

BIFF DECEMBER 10 -17   : 

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

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

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Junod, japanese animation, screened, out of competition at BIFF

The film tells the story of the swiss doctor who came to Hiroshima for Red Cross after the bombing saving thousands. It is seen through the eyes of two young girls who magically travel through time...   

 

14th Bahamas International Film Festival Winners announced

Congratulations for their win to Interlude - New Vision Award INTERLUDE (PARENTHESE)  France / 2016 / 94 mins Raphaël is 50-something and in a rut. Without telling his wife, he buys a sailboat and convinces his childhood friend Patrick, an eternal teenager, and Alain, a hypochondriac, to go on a tour of the Mediterranean Sea with him. Holidays just like in the old days! The three friends however soon notice that they are not as fit as they used to be and don&...

 

Grace Jones & Rae Dawn Chong at BIFF

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Women In Film: Grace Jones & Rae Dawn Chong at BIFF

& PRESENTS GRACE JONES: Bloodlight & Bami Trailer Grace Jones Supermodel, Actress, Songwriter, Singer, Record Producer to be in attendance Principal Cast:  Grace Jones, Jean-Paul Goude, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Ivor Guest SHOWTIMES Friday, D...

 

In discussion with Grace Jones at BIFF

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Sundance Jan. 18-28 in Park City, Utah 

Inside the Mind of a Programmer: Breaking Down the 2018 Festival Lineup

Film Still: "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" Nate von Zumwalt Following what's felt like an unusually protracted Sundance Film Festival offseason, and one marked by what Festival Director John Cooper calls a “rejuvenated idea” of the 24-hour news cycle, the 2018 program announcement arrives at a pivotal time for audiences and artists. If we approach 2018 still processing the tumult and instability of the past... 

 

 

 

Oscar The Academy Awards

341 feature films are eligible for the 2017 Academy Awards®

Three hundred forty-one feature films are eligible for the 2017 Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today. To be eligible for 90th Academy Awards consideration, feature films must open in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County by midnight, December 31, and begin a minimum run of seven consecutive days. Under Academy rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited t...

 

7 films remain in competition in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 90th Academy Awards®

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seven films remain in competition in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 90th Academy Awards®. The films are listed below in alphabetical order: “Bright” “Darkest Hour” “Ghost in the Shell” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” “I, Tonya” “Victoria & Abdul” “Wonder” On Saturday, January 6, 2018, all members of the A...

 

141 scores are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 90th Academy Awards®

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that “All I See Is You,” Marc Streitenfeld, composer “Annabelle: Creation,” Benjamin Wallfisch, composer “Battle of the Sexes,” Nicholas Britell, composer “Beauty and the Beast,” Alan Menken, composer “Blade Runner 2049,” Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer, composers “Born in China,” Barnaby Taylor, composer “Boston,” Jeff Beal, compo...

 

70 songs are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 90th Academy Awards®

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 70 songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2017 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 90th Academy Awards®. The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title: “U.N.I (You And I)” from “And the Winner Isn’t” “Love And Lies” f...

 

10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 90th Academy Awards®.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 90th Academy Awards®. The films are listed below in alphabetical order: “Alien: Covenant” “Blade Runner 2049” “Dunkirk” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” “Kong: Skull Island” “Okja” “The Shape of Water” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” “Valerian an...

 

9 foreign language films advance in Oscar® race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 90th Academy Awards ®. Ninety-two films had originally been considered in the category. The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are: Chile, “A Fantastic Woman,” Sebastián Lelio, director; Germany, “In the Fade,” Fatih Akin, director; Hungary, “On Body and Soul,&r...

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SFFILM Announces First Round of Winners for Brand New Initiatives in Support of Immigrant Filmmakers and Women Championing Peace

 

Three Filmmakers to Receive Inaugural New American Producer Fellowship and Women, Peace, and Security Fellowship     SFFILM announced today the recipients of the first round of fellowships in su...

 

Nominations Announced for the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®

Nominees for the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances in film and television of 2017, as well as the honorees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood. SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris introduced Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Predator) and Niecy Nash (Claws, The Soul Man), who ann...

 

Winners of the 17th River to River Florence Indian Film Festival

 

The 17th River to River Florence Indian Film Festival has had its closing night on December 12th, at Cinema La Compagnia in Florence. The winners of the River to River Audience Award are: My Pure Land by Sarmad Masud (feature film section) Abu by Arshad Khan (documemtary section) Kajal by Paakhi Tyrewala (short film section) ...

 

Barco receives the Technology Innovator Award at CineAsia 2017

 

  At a reception at the end of the 23rd edition of CineAsia 2017 in Hong Kong, key players in the cinema industry were awarded for significant contributions over the previous year. Barco was saluted as the Technology Innovator of the Year.   ...

 

FOCUS 2017 wraps successful third edition

FOCUS, the Meeting Place for International Production, sees record attendance for third edition at Business Design Centre, London Booming state of international production, particularly high-end TV drama and feature film, emerges as key talking point at FOCUS’ high-level programme of seminars London, 12 December 2017 – Record attendance, increased number of exhibitors, a high-level programme of seminars and keynotes, plus a raft of networking events all com...

 

Announcing the Audience Award Winners for the 2017 BJFF!

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2nd IFFAM Industry Hub Project Market Award Winners Announced

 

The IFFAM Project Market (IPM) Award Winners were announced today at the closing of the IFFAM Industry Hub.  The three winning IPM films were each presented with cash awards of US$10,000.  The winners were: ·         Mihara (USA/Japan) Director: Jacqueline Castel, Producer Pier Harrison - presented by Lorna Tee on behalf John Penotti of Ivanhoe Pictures ·         The Gir...

 

5 film projects received vital funding with dubai film connection

Director Mohamed Ismail Laouti (R) and producer Willy Rolle (C) winners of the DIFF Award during the Dubai Film Connection Awards   More than USD 60,000 in prizes and unparalleled networking access to bring projects from script to screen 15 talented Arab filmmakers were awarded crucial funding and key partnership opportunities with the Dubai Film Connection (DFC), the co-production market of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Filmmakers behind shortlisted projects prese...

 

Palmarès / Prizes list - 40th edition Poitiers Film Festival

  Grand prix du jury Jury's Grand Prize Sélection internationale - Courts métrages International Selection - Short films   ...

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Future Femme Festival May 10 – 13, 2018 

 

January 25, 2018 Regular Deadline 
March 31, 2018 Late Deadline I May 1, 2018 Extended Deadline

Anyone who identifies as a Future Femme may enter.

Does your movie: elevate future femme perspectives, support the advancement of future femme talent, and empower future femmes through cinema?

Enter now: FutureFemmeFest via Film Freeway. Take 50% your entry with this code filmfestivalscomff

Future Femme Fest is a celebration of cinema. We bring the film festival experience to you via live competitions and our streaming partners.

The Future Femme Short Film Fest begins its UK tour in May 2018.

Finalists & winners will have the chance to find an audience at 8 live events throughout the UK.

Website I Facebook I Twitter I Westone 114 Wellington Street Leeds LS1 1BA United Kingdom I contact I Profile on filmfestivals.com I SUBMIT

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ARY FILM FESTIVAL The largest festival in Pakistan April 2018

After a successful and commendable execution of ARY Film Festival in 2017, the festival is back again for its second edition in 2018 for which submissions are now open till December  31st 2017.

The 3 day festival commenced in May 2017 and screened 33 films, which were shortlisted by the jury from around 400 entries received from all over the world. Apart from the regular entries, the festival also came up with special screenings of internationally acclaimed films such as Maheen Zia’s ‘Lyari Notes’, ‘Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velazquez Story’ contributed by the American Film Showcase and Anjum Shehzad’s ‘Mah e Mir’.  Additionally, Academy award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s ‘Song of Lahore’ was also premiered at the festival. Delhi International Film Festival was also one of the collaborating partners of the festival.

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

Regular Deadline I January 8, 2018  

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

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18th Annual Phoenix Film Festival April 5 - 15, 2018 calling till December 18

December 18, 2017 Extended Deadline

We're the festival that filmmakers love.  You've worked hard to make your film. Now it's time to share it with a great audience inside a beautiful theater and experience firsthand why MovieMaker Magazine calls us one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World!

SUBMIT YOUR FILM I SUBMIT YOUR SHORT SCREENPLAY

 

Email I  Phone: +1 480-513-3195  I Website I Facebook I Twitter I Instagram I 7000 E Mayo Blvd Suite 1059 Phoenix, Arizona 85054 United 

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NYC Independent Film Festival 2018

May 7 - May 13, 2018

December 31, 2017  Late Deadline I January 31, 2018 Extended Deadline I

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

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

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

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Sonoma International FilmFestival 

March 21 – 25, 2018

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

 New Media Film Festival

June 12 -14, 2018

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

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

"Makes the cutting edge accessible" - Huffington Post 

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

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SCIFI WORLD

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

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

 

 

ECO CALLING

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

 

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

 

 

ANIMATION CALLING

 

 

MIAFF 5th edition wants your hot new animation films for 2018 

MIAFF is bursting into its 5th edition and will be a spectacular 5th year birthday party! Call for entries are now open so take advantage of early bird rates until October 14 For festival strategy and consultation contact Animation Calling today! With hundreds of submissions from all over the world MIAFF 5 will be screening your film alongside  an ANIMAZING party to boot!     
SUBMIT  ... Contact : Email I +1-514-260-0848 I 4122 Coloniale Montreal, Quebec H2W2C1 Canada I Website I Facebook I Twitter I Instagram

 

HORROR CALLING

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

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

 

 

DOC FESTS CALLING

> FILMS FOCUS   

Review from Kerala: THE BLACK JEW -- Karutha Joothan -- INDIA

KERALA 2017 REPORTS   THE BLACK JEW -- Karutha Joothan -- INDIA       by Alex Chaim Deleon-Sinha             <filmfestivals.com>   Karutha Joothan (The Black Jew)  is a 2017 Malayalam film written, directed and produced by the National Award winning actor Salim Kumar in which Salim Kumar himself essays the lead character. A major new Indian from the Deep Dravidian South. Director, Scenario and leading role, Salim Kuma...

 

 

Alex and the smoking gun from Kerala Fest

ALEX Calling from Kerala Namaskor. Best film festival ever. Tops. Adipowli !!!! Awesome. The Best. Top Prize  film  Wajib, from Palestine, was Awesome But overall best film and Audience prize favorite was  "A mon age je me cache encore pour fumer " ... / At my age I still have to hide to smoke ... The film is a smoking gun in the face of Islamic oppression of women and is as only to be expected, banned in all Arab countries ~~ wallapalooza smackeroo  -...

 

 

Barco receives the Technology Innovator Award at CineAsia 2017

At a reception at the end of the 23rd edition of CineAsia 2017 in Hong Kong, key players in the cinema industry were awarded for significant contributions over the previous year. Barco was saluted as the Technology Innovator of the Year.   ...

 

5 film projects received vital funding with dubai film connection

Director Mohamed Ismail Laouti (R) and producer Willy Rolle (C) winners of the DIFF Award during the Dubai Film Connection Awards   More than USD 60,000 in prizes and unparalleled networking access to bring projects from script to screen 15 talented Arab filmmakers were awarded crucial funding and key partnership opportunities with the Dubai Film Connection (DFC), the co-production market of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Filmmakers behind shortlisted projects prese...

 

Outdoor Premiere of Paddington 2 in Sydney at Moon Light Cinema

A screening for families who did not forget to bring their favourite teddy for this Teddy Bear’s Picnic! Premiere screening of Paddington 2, with some goodies given away like PADDINGTON 2 PRIZE PACKS ! Each pack contained Paddington 2 themed prizes including a bag, notebook, pencil case, pen AND a Moonlight Cinema Family Pass!   get the whole^ropgram and cities where the moonlight cinema happen https://www.moonlight.com.au/  ...

 

 

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

CHIMERA by Maurice Haeems USA India Thriller Science Fiction 79 minutes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

...more details Blog on filmfestivals.com

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

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

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

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Winner in Houston WorldFest and Fantasporto

OFFENSIVE, Jon Ford's thriller.Winner in Houston Worldfest, Best Film and Audience Award for Best Film at Torino Film Fest

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

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

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

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The Unwilling by Oscar nominee Jonathan Heap

 

Evil is inside

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

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

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

Revolution by Rob Stewart  

over 40 festival wins so far

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

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> THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT   

Göteborg Film Festival will be celebrating its 41st edition next january

Scandinavia's leading film festival! Göteborg Film Festival will be celebrating its 41st edition Jan 26-Feb 5, 2018. 450 films from 80 countries will be screened during eleven days. In 2018 the festival will turn a spotlight to the subject nationalism. Alicia Vikander is this year's Nordic Honorary Dragon Award recipient. Nordic Film Market, Feb 1-4. Take part of brand new films, works in progress, projects in development, the annual Nostradamus Report and much more. T...

 

Alex at the 22nd Kerala Film Festival

My Top Seven from the festival were: 1. A mon âge je me cache toujours pour fumer -- ALGERIA 2.  Newton --HINDI 3. Two  Persons, Malayalam 4. Heart of a Dog --Malayalam 5.  Black Jew, Malayalam 6. The Butcher, The Whore, and the One-eyed Man,     Another Hungarian chef d'oeuvre from János Szász 7. WAJIB, Palestine Details on these films to follow later Alex, Trivandarum Nayinye Hrudayam,  (The Heart of Dog) Is a can...

 

 

DIFF closed with the force...

DIFF CLOSES WITH FULL FORCE ON the RED CARPET 140 films from near and far brought cinephiles, film fans and industry professionals together Final day recognises excellence in regional filmmaking with Muhr Awards announced Eight days of DIFF’s trademark silver-screen magic closed today with an epic Closing Night Gala, marking the close of the 14th edition of the Festival. DIFF took over the city between 6 – 13 December with screenings of 140 films from globally acclaimed filmmake...

 

 

A Cinema of Dreams A festival about Dreams

January 25, 2018. The Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street), one of only a few surviving independent theaters in Manhattan, is hosting Secrets of the Deep: DREAMS on FILM, a short film festival fully dedicated to exploring relationships between cinema and the dream experience.  Ten films, each between 5 and 10 minutes long, are selected from among narrative, music video, documentary, and experimental genres.   Producer of the event is Lower East Side indie filmmaker Jeffrey Wengrofsk...

 

 

Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship still open through Sydney Film Festival

    Sydney Film Festival and Lexus Australia are encouraging all up and coming Australian filmmakers to enter the Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship through Sydney Film Festival, with submissions accepted from 4 December 2017 until 29 January 2018. The Fellowship is the largest cash prize for short film in Australia, offering $50,000 each to four filmmakers to produce their next short film. All new entries are w...

 

Tropfest Australia submissions close in 3 weeks

    Filmmakers have just three weeks to wrap up their films for Tropfest Australia, supported by foundation partner CGU Insurance, for their chance to win a spectacular bevy of prizes, and join the ranks of esteemed Tropfest legends continuing to make huge waves internationally. Submissions close on Thursday 11 January 2018. The winner of Tropfest 2018 will be awarded a shiny new Equin...

 

> PEOPLE ON OUR RADAR  

The Adventures of a Roving Film Festivaleer

ADVENTURES ON THE FILM FESTIVAL CIRCUIT by Alex Deleon (Herman Pevner) (filmfestivals.com) The very first film festival I ever attended was the San Francisco Festival of 1975. I had by then begun to publish articles about Japanese films in San Francisco and was invited by former festival director Albert Johnson, whom I knew from hanging out at the fabled Mediterraneum Caffe in Berkeley, and Albert used his influence to arrange a pass for me. To this day I must say it was one of...

 

Trevor Jamieson to become Revelation Ambassador

    Revelation Perth International Film Festival is thrilled to announce that acclaimed actor Trevor Jamieson has joined the Revelation team as a permanent ambassador.   Soon to be seen in the upcoming re...

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Partner Film Festivals Calling. Fast-Approaching Deadlines

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

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

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

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

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

TOUTES LES NEWS EN FRANCAIS.  

Les nominations aux Prix Lumière de la presse étrangère à Paris

Le programme des 18e Rencontres Art et Technique de L'industrie du rêve

LA FRENCH TOUCH DANS LE MONDE Mercredi 24 janvier 2018 //9H30 - 18h30    Les 18e Rencontres Art et Technique seront consacrées à la FRENCH TOUCH DANS LE MONDE, avec un retour d’expérience autour de 4 tables rondes composées de dirigeants des industries techniques, de professionnel(le)s de la production, de la réalisation, de la fabrication, de la distribution et de l’exploitation, de la formation et de la diffusion. Grâce &agr...

 

Top 10 des entrées hebdo France du 13/12/2017 au 19/12/2017

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13e édition du Festival Hors Pistes au Centre Pompidou

FESTIVAL HORS PISTES - 13e EDITION  « LA NATION ET SES FICTIONS » 19 janvier - 4 février 2018   Hors Pistes, le festival pluridisciplinaire de l’image en mouvement du Centre Pompidou présente sa 13e édition, du 19 janvier au 4 février 2018. Autour du thème « la nation et ses fictions »,...

Palmarès du festival LES NUITS MAGIQUES

Palmarès du festival du film d'animation LES NUITS MAGIQUES Bègles, Cinéma Le Festival du 29/11 au 10/12 Compétition internationale de courts métrages d'animation Tous les prix sont décernés par le public.     Prix catégorie « Société » SCRAPS . Atelier collectif (Belgique)   Prix catégorie « Curiosités » ALTERNATIVE WALK de Ivan Maximov...

 

Palmarès / Prizes list - 40th edition Poitiers Film Festival

  Grand prix du jury Jury's Grand Prize Sélection internationale - Courts métrages International Selection - Short films   ...

 

16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival: II

Prominent writer-journalist, late Arun Sadhu, winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, was honoured posthumously at the inaugural function of the 16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival (TEAFF), on 21 December, at the Ravindra Natya Mandir Mini Auditorium. Sadhu, who wrote mainly in Marathi but also penned works in English and Hindi, passed away in Mumbai three months ago, aged 76. At the ceremony, he was represented by his wife Aruna and daughter Shefali. Kiran Shantaram, Chairman of the Asian Film Foundation, presided over the ceremony, while the director of the Festival, Sudhir Nandgaonkar, conducted the proceedings.

The litterateur was a befitting choice, because TEAFF’s inaugural film, Ziprya (Marathi), which was screened a few minutes later, is based on an Arun Sadhu novel. Sadhu had spent a lot of time at Mumbai’s Kurla station, talking to the shoe-shine boys, and Ziprya is about their lives. Among Sadhu’s well-known works, Simhasan (Throne) tops the list, along with Mumbai Dinank (his first novel, 1973), and the two were blended into one Marathi film, titled Simhasan, by Jabbar Patel, in 1979. He also co-scripted the film on life and works of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000) and independently wrote Yashwantrao Chavan – Bakhar Eka Vaadalaachi (2014). Both films were directed by Dr. Jabbar Patel.

Sadhu’s other written works include Fidel Castro, Che Ani Kranti (on Che Guevara), Dragan Jaga Jhalyawar, Mukhawata, Shodhyatra, Bahishkrut, Trishanku and Tisri Kranti. Most of his writing dwelt with socio-political issues and corruption. For his impressive body of work, he was given India’s most coveted literary recognition, the Sahitya Akademi Award. Sadhu also served as professor and Head of the Department of Communication and Journalism at Pune University.

Kedar Vaidya, who wrote the cinematic adaptation of and directed Ziprya, narrated how he managed to convince Sadhu to part with the film rights of this book, which was written a long time ago. Several film-makers had approached Sadhu, but he was not convinced about their ability to do justice to the story. When Vaidya went to him, he was asked to write a synopsis, after reading which Sadhu was convinced, and agreed to the deal. Also present on the occasion were the producers of the film Ashwini and Ranjit Darekar, actress Amruta Subhash, who plays a key role, and the bunch of teenage boys who are at the centre of the story.

TEAFF is organised by the Asian Film Foundation and P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, and co-organised by Prabhat Chitra Mandal and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal and is supported by Department of Culture, Government of Maharashtra. 

16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival: III

Of the 10 feature films screened at the 16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival (TEAFF) during the first three days, I caught four and opted out of a fifth because I had seen it, albeit decades ago. Two of these were Indian, one Egyptian and one from Taiwan-Myanmar.

Ziprya, based on the Arun Sadhu novel and chosen as the inaugural film, was big let-down. Made in amateurish style, full of tropes and stock screenplay, it did great disservice to the memory of the decorated journalist-writer, to whose memory the festival was dedicated. It also raised doubts on the distinctive ability of Sadhu, who parted with film rights of Ziprya after being convinced that writer-director Kedar Vaidya had the sane vision of the novel as his own.

He had steadfastly refused to allow other makers to film his novel, not being convinced about their interpretation of the tale, which is woven around the lives of teenage shoe-shine boys who make an ‘illegal’ living, plying their trade on railway platforms. That two of Sadhu’s published works have been filmed earlier, and that he has himself written/co-written two films, rubs salt into the wounds of unwary viewers. Halfway through the pot-boiler, I made a graceful exit.

By contrast, Midi Z’s Ice Poison (Chinese title Bing Du), from Taiwan-Myanmar, was a deserving selection. Myanmar (Burma) shares its borders with China and Malaysia, both countries being far more prosperous than the poverty struck Myanmar. Not unexpectedly, a lot of Burmese look for work in the two neighbouring countries, often without work permits. Some are caught while others manage to make money. Back home, the only work that is really profitable is a jade mining job or drug trafficking.

Writer-director Midi Z’s protagonists are a woman who has returned from China to see her grandfather breathe his last and a mountain dweller who hope to make some money operating a motor-cycle ‘taxi’. The man’s father has pledged their only cow to get a rickety motor-cycle, since his farm is unable to provide sustenance. However, the taxi is not as profitable a venture as the father had thought. Meanwhile the woman’s grandfather dies, and she does not want to go back to China, where she was sold in marriage, and where she has a husband a child waiting for her. She seeks an easy way out, by turning pillion riding drug-runner, with the man as the driver.

Midi Z won the best directing award at the Taipei festival and Ice Poison was named best international feature at the Edinburgh festival. It was Taiwan’s entry to the Academy Awards, but was eliminated in the final nominations. Ice Poison is Midi Z’s third feature. It is made dispassionately and amorally, without any overt melodrama, although the film is hard-hitting in the compassion and pity it generates for its characters. At 95 minutes, it is short, but one does feel that some of the shots, like the burning of the hay, the man soliciting passengers for his taxi at the bus stand and the man’s long drive home, are overdrawn. Moreover, I do not remember any film showing so much of smoking, in so many variations.

It would rate it ***.

(In obvious proof-reading errors, the film’s title in the programme sheet is printed Ice Poisan and the director’s name appears as Mid Z in the booklet).

Woman film-maker Hala Khalil strikes all the right chords with a riveting screenplay with Nawara (2015), placed in the post Tahrir Square 2011 revolution in Egypt, during the last days of the Hosni Mubaarak regime. Add to that the fact that it is Khalil’s feature debut, and you know what any capable woman can achieve in cinema. Helping Khalil spin her narrative web is a creditable cast, led by a powerhouse called Menna Shalabi. Khalil was inspired by the slogan of the revolution, ‘Bread, Freedom, Social Justice’, but was also disappointed that the slogan largely remained just that.

Nawara works as a domestic helper at a villa whose owners are closely linked to the Mubarak regime. She is married, but the couple do not have a place of their own, so they are forced to live separately. As the revolution unfolds, Nawara’s employers escape, asking her to look after the house in their absence. Her Madam leaves her a large sum of money, to help her move into a house with her husband, and to pay for the medical expenses of her critically ill father-in-law. When a travel ban and property seizure orders are issued against the family, the police arrive at the villa, and confiscate Nawara's money, believing it to be part of her employers’ ill-gotten wealth. Sensitive stuff that holds interest all through the 122 minutes it lasts.

Rating: *** ½

Although the formal inauguration of the festival was held late in the evening, on 21^st December, screenings had already commenced the same morning. Even before Ziprya, I got to see Third Bank of the River, produced by a media school in southern India and directed by Indian cinema student Fowzia Fathima. In Malayalam language, it is based on a short story by acclaimed Brazilain author Joao Guimaraes Rosa (died 1967) and is of 62 minutes’ duration. The film has spell-binding cinematography and serves as a tourism poster for Kerala. But it is also among the most difficult 62 minutes if you expect anything like a narrative.

In the story, a father, who seems to be disillusioned with life in a home that is run by his wife, gets a boat made, sets sail in a nearby river, and never steps foot on shore again. This, of course, greatly upsets his wife and three kids. But while they are saddened that he basically abandoned them, they never forget him. As time progresses, the mother and daughter move on with their lives. However, the son never does, and spends the rest of his life trying to keep the memory of his father alive, to the point that he leaves food for his father every day, although there is no sign of the man.

Fowzia Fathima was the cinematographer of Mitr: My Friend (2002), directed by actress-filmmaker by Revathy. She became the first ever woman cinematographer in Malayalam films, with Gulumaal (2009). Third Bank of the River (Nadiyude Moonnam Kara), her maiden film as director, was premiered at the Women’s International Film Festival in Thiruvananthapuram. It will be talked about for its camerawork, though I was not too happy with her tracking. A lot of the footage is repetitive and crawlingly slow. It gets even more excruciatingly and painfully slower as the minutes go by. 

Rating: **, largely due to the painting like quality of the frames and the magnificent angles of several shots.

Zoltan Fabri’s Two Half Times in Hell (titled The Last Goal in the UK), made way back in 1961, is the role model for many ‘sporting victory as a statement of the underdog’ films made in the years that followed. Fabri, a Hungarian, retired from film-making in 1984 and died ten years later. I would have loved to stay back and watch this football match between the Germans and their prisoners again, had it not been screened last on, for me, a tiring day.

TEAFF is organised by the Asian Film Foundation and P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, and co-organised by Prabhat Chitra Mandal and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal and is supported by Department of Culture, Government of Maharashtra. Screenings are held at Ravindra Natya Mandir Mini Auditorium, Mumbai.

16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival: IV

Screenings continued on Day 4, 5 and 6, and two films were memorable. One was a blast from 1956, made by an all-time great, and the other a laudable 2011 effort, shot in his home country, guerrilla style, by a returning prodigy, without permission

I managed to attend nine shows out of the 15, which is a reasonable score. But here I will speak of just two films, since there is much to say.

Return to Burma, 2011, 84 min

So now we know that Ice Poison represented the trade-mark Midi style of compassionate, localised and intimate portrayals. But not many would be aware that the film was supposed to be a documentary, and that his non-judgemental style is born out of filming utterly real persons and situations in his own remote, mountainous, small home town in Lashio. It begins with a group of Burmese labourers collecting their wages in Taiwan. Xing-hong is returning home, carrying the ashes of a co-worker, who was from his own home area and died after a fall, working at night, to earn extra money. After two decades of military junta rule, Myanmar holds its first parliamentary election.

Xing-hong arrives home to find his brother getting ready to go to work as a labourer in Malaysia. As he looks around, without much luck, for business opportunities, in his small home-town, a sense of disillusionment and alienation pervades. It seems as though nothing much, after all, has changed. Mostly shot guerrilla-style in Myanmar, without official permission, Midi Z’s directorial debut feature, symbolises the filmmaker’s personal homecoming in 2008, ten years after he moved to Taiwan to pursue an education and career.

Born and raised in Myanmar, Z, now 35, received a scholarship at the age of 16, to attend high school in Taiwan. He later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Commercial Design, at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. In order to meet his expenses, Z worked as a construction worker, chef, graphic designer, photographer, and commercial director. So far, he has made three features. Poor Folk (2012) is the one that is missing from this festival.

Midi admits that like the woman in Ice Poison (see my earlier post) he would have become a drug dealer, had he not got the break to go to Taiwan. Wang Shin-Hong, the lead actor in Return to Burma, was the production manager who had to be cast as the lead actor since Midi could not find anybody else willing to work in such a dangerous project. Denied permission to shoot the scripts (rejected), Midi’s crew shot the film pretending to be tourists. Long takes, bare, soft sound-track, many pauses and very few close-ups are his signature traits. Very rarely do we see faces, or lips moving, when the character is speaking. With just three films to his name, Midi Z is a director with great promise.

Rating: ***

*In 1989, the official name of the country was changed from Burma to Myanmar.

Almost entirely restricted to Asian cinema, TEAFF has included three films from the Hungarian master, Zoltán Fábri', in a section called European Connection/Centenary Tribute. (Fábri was born in 1917, 100 years ago). As mentioned in an earlier post, I opted out of a screening of Two Half Times in Hell (1961), which I had seen in the 1970s, but not because I did not want to see it again--rather, because there was a pressing commitment clashing. But I did manage to watch Merry Go Round (mis-spelt Marry Go Round in the programme) a 1956 film that was way ahead of its times.

Merry Go Round (Korhinta), 1956, 90 min

Six decades after the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, ‘Merry-Go-Round' returned to the Cannes in 2007. It was screened in the Cannes Classics section on the occasion of the festival’s 70th anniversary. Back in 1956, a very young French film critic, none other than François Truffaut (who was to become a great film-maker himself), sparked off a minor revolution in protest against the film not having been awarded the Palm d’Or.

Zoltán Fábri (1917-94) started his career as a painter. He later trained as an actor and a drama director. His first films were Storm (1951) and Fourteen Lives Saved (1952). In 1953, Hungarian farmers were able to choose whether to farm individually or to stay within the kolkhozes (co-operatives). Merry Go Round, made n 1955-56, is set in 1953 and based on Imre Sarkadi’s short story.

Although the main thrust of the story was the impact of the co-operative farming movement n small farmers, Fábri shifted the emphasis from social issues to the individual fates of the lead actors. For the first time in Hungarian film history--until then based on dialogue and verbal narrative--vision, rhythm, montage and unusual angles made a breakthrough and earned worldwide critical acclaim. Fábri’s montage and his clever play with predictability/unpredictability serve as text-book lessons for generations since 1956.

Here are some amazing facts from the Hungarian National Film Fund, written by Eszter Fazekas: Consisting of 77 cuts, the dance that the lovers perform at a wedding party that the village-folk are attending, publicly owning up to their revolt, has become iconic in Hungarian cinema. Their liberated Csárdás (also spelt Czárdás, Hungarian Folk Dance; in round, rotating style) is in contrast to the petrified outside world. Ever-tightening shots highlight the shocked groom’s hands as he clings to his glass, the father’s menacing expression and the mother’s anxious face. The long shots are also counterpointed by close-ups of the dancers. When the happiness montage of the merry-go-round fades in, its image features the girl’s state of consciousness. No one says a word.

Fábri’s discovery of Mari Törőcsik (named Mari in the film), then only a second-year college student, and the marvellous way in which he guided the actors, are ample evidence of his talent.

Mari Törőcsik remembers her co-actor, Imre Soós, who played the lover, “Even the very best actors are only ‘talented’ at the beginning of their careers; it is through their life and experience that they become great. I knew a single wonderful exception, Imre Soós, who all at once knew everything from the word 'go'.” The French papers that reported from Cannes called Soós the “Hungarian Gérard Philipe”. François Truffaut set up a ranking of his own, and, besides awarding the Palm d’Or to the film, he would have also awarded the Best Actress award to the 20-year-old who had just featured in her first film. Törőcsik was eventually officially awarded the prize twenty years, later for her performance in ‘Mrs. Dery Where Are You?’ (1976).

Due to the serious damage that the camera negative had suffered, as well as its resulting deficiencies, the real beauty of the film has only been able to be recovered through the present digital restoration, the works of which took four months in the Hungarian Film Lab.

Rating: ****

TEAFF is organised by the Asian Film Foundation and P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, and co-organised by Prabhat Chitra Mandal and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal. It is supported by Department of Culture, Government of Maharashtra. Screenings are held at Ravindra Natya Mandir Mini Auditorium, Mumbai.

16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival: V

Open Forum, a festival tradition, was held at the 16th Third Eye Asian Film Festival too, on six of the eight days. It was thoughtfully scheduled between 2 and 3 pm, December 22-27, a slot when no films were being screened. Santosh Pathare of Prabhat Film Society moderated. Compared to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Open Forum here was confined to an interaction with the cast/directors/producers of films screened on earlier day(s). Santosh, who is fluent in Marathi and conversant with English and Hindi too, spoke to these diverse film personalities in turns, seminar/conference style. Unfortunately, I could barely attend two or, rather, one-and-a-half. Sudhir Nandgaonkar, the festival director, egged me on to pose questions, but there wasn’t enough time for Pathare to throw the floor open for audience questions.

TEAFF is organised by the Asian Film Foundation and P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, and co-organised by Prabhat Chitra Mandal and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal. It is supported by Department of Culture, Government of Maharashtra. Screenings are held at Ravindra Natya Mandir Mini Auditorium, Mumbai. It follows that Marathi films occupy a large space in the package of movies chosen. On Christmas day, I watched Nati Khel and on the day after, Nadi Vahate. Later, I also caught Barayan and Copy.

Let me get Barayan out of the way and then talk about the other three.

Barayan, 2018

Nandgaonkar, not given to frivolity, introduced the story-writer/director, Deepak Patil, after saying that there was no such word as ‘Barayan ‘in the Marathi language, and asked Patil to explain its meaning. Patil revealed that he had coined the word to go with ‘Ramayan’, the Hindu epic about Lord Rama. Bara means ‘twelve’ in Marathi, and in his film, twelve stood for the examination conducted at class XII level, at the end of students’ twelfth academic year.

(The Maharashtra education system currently functions in the X+II+III format, with ten years in school, two years in junior college, and another three years in regular degree college. To move on and get admission to higher levels, students have to pass the two Board exams, Xth and XIIth, with high percentages. All other years involve internal exams, conducted by the school or junior college, and are, more often than not, high-scoring formalities).

Barayan deals with various issues related to the XIIth examination and the huge stress it creates in entire families, not only the students. To try and make sure that the student makes the cut, families turn to coaching classes, most of which are money-making machines, charging fees that are many times more than the college fees the students pay. Patil observed that little has changed since he himself went through the Baravi exam years ago, and even today, as the twelfth examination date draws near, it is a testing time for (a million) families in Maharashtra. He has set his tale in the Konkan region of this western state of India, which has a large coastline that stretches from Mumbai to Goa.

If one does not perform in this crucial year, then that’s the end of his/her career. Traditional mindset of Maharashtrian society is that Medical studies or Engineering are the only two major education stream options for a stable and lucrative career. The story of the film revolves around incidents based on this one year in the life of the protagonist, and his journey to engineering college after that.

At 152 loud minutes, the film is way too long. (As I post this, a page on the Internet informs me that the length is 130 minutes only. If true, this 22-minute trimming will be the best thing that has happened to the film). The main characters include a teacher, called “Teacher” by his wife, and their 17 years-ish boy, a neighbour duo of father and son who run an allopathic pharmacy but the old man sings praise of the alternate ancient Indian medical system of Ayurveda, motley/caricature teachers, headmasters, professors, conductors of a coaching class called XXX, the obligatory stereo-typical Muslim car mechanic and the Godman who charges by the minute. There is some genuine humour which is overshadowed by the over-the-top and infantile variety, often using mimicry of popular Hindi film-stars to play to the gallery. Halfway through, when it became as stressful as the baravi exam, I left the theatre for greener pastures.

16^th Third Eye Asian Film Festival: VI

Three Marathi films are the focus of today’s post: Nati Khel, Nadi Vahate and Copy. They were shown as part of a package at that consisted of as many as eight films, the maximum in any language from any Indian language. TEAFF is organised by the Asian Film Foundation and P.L. Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, and co-organised by Prabhat Chitra Mandal and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal. It is supported by Department of Culture, Government of Maharashtra. Screenings are held at Ravindra Natya Mandir Mini Auditorium, Mumbai.

Continuing my coverage of TEAFF, here are reviews of two Marathi films I saw there. Another, titled Copy, will be covered in the next instalment, which will also focus on some other films that featured in the festival.

Nati Khel, 2017

Sadba and Parvi are chosen by the temple rituals to be the prime married couple to sit by the grand prayers adoring the Goddess. Sadba learns that, Parvi, is having an affair with his younger brother Mallappa. After the three of them narrate and explain each of their stories, the Panchayat (village council) gives an unusual verdict, one that surprises everybody, whereby Parvi must also marry the second brother, and live the life of a woman with two husbands. A majority of people oppose this marriage, while turning a blind eye towards men with multiple wives. Will an orthodox patriarchal society approve of Parvi having two husbands? How will an orthodox patriarchal villagers deal with a rebellious Parvi, with her two husbands? Nati Khel is based on real life incidents which formed the basis of the story, penned by Pune-ite Rajan Khan.

Khan was in the news a few months ago when miscreants, who were angry at his old novel, Halal, being released as a film now, attacked his office in Pune. The movie, Halal, is directed by Shivaji Lotan Patil, and has been screened in the Cannes film festival. Khan won some awards in India, for best story. Bhosle told the audience that the central idea of a woman forced to marry her brother-in-law while her husband was alive, was from Khan, but it was trans-lifted to a different geographical locale and a back-story was built around it. Mythological figure of the Mahabharata, Draupadi was married to five men. But a happily married woman in modern India being forced to marry her husband’s younger brother because they live together and he has been infatuated by her before she was married, is sure to lad itself in taboo territory.

Total anarchy prevails in this village. Government laws are just on paper. The Panchayat still passes verdicts like the chopping to pieces of a rapist by swords, and so the Parvi verdict is no surprise. In such a milieu, Bhonsle manages to grip you with a deeply rooted in earth tale that has a brutal but open ending. Why open? “In recent times, there have been several brutal murders of prominent rationalists and reformers, but the killers were never caught. This fact prompted me to leave the ending open.”

Nagpur-born Nagesh Bhosle has acted in theatre, International, Hindi, Marathi and Telugu films, and directed six Marathi films. In 2014, he founded Ajna Motion Picture Pvt Ltd, a film production house. Ajna's first film Panhala (2015), directed and produced by Nagesh, was critically acclaimed. In live interaction before and after the screening, it was clear that Nagesh had a decent grasp over Urdu pronunciation that could be the result of his association with “my great mentor and educator Urdu poet Turfa Qureshi”. His Hindi is good too. In the film, he plays the village council head who has two women--a legal wife and another kept woman. There is a scene in which he kicks the ‘other’ woman for trying to speak out in favour of Parvi. Though done suggestively, it had to be deleted at the insistence of the Central Board of Film Certification, which looks down very harshly on violence against women.

In the three lead parts are the Radha Kulkarni, Milind Shinde and Umesh Jagtap; Screenplay is by Umesh Padalkar, Arvind Jagtap, Sapan Saran and Nagesh Bhosle while the cinematographer and editor is Amarendra Bhosle. All have done justice to their responsibilities. Crispy 98 minutes in duration, it raises several issues of religion, functioning of village councils, anarchy and lack of police rule in parts of rural India, metaphysical-sublime love versus married-physical love, capital punishment in this age and era, gender equality and the status of women in rural India and more. Surely worth a watch.

Rating: ***

Nadi Vahate,2016

A full twenty years after he created tidal waves with the Oscar nominated and National Award-winning Shwaas, Sandeep Sawant, a psychology graduate and mainly documentary-maker till Shwaas, returns to cinema with Nadi Vahate (the River flows). Made in the Marathi language, it uses a realistic situation of ecological hara-kiri to highlight corruption and exploitation in the interiors of the Indian state. Nadi Vahate has been shot at Kudal, DohaMarg, Sawantwadi's base of Western Ghats (all in Sindhudurg) and in Goa's Walpai, Sakhali, Satteri. The film showcases how to save the river and how it can be used to change the landscape around it. The film was showcased at the NFDC Film Bazaar 2015.

Antee meanders through the lush green mountains and thick green forest, with a few villages scattered on the river's banks. A group of people from a village: Anagha, her mother, Guruji, Bhau, Prakash, Tukaram, Mangesh...do not want to take up conventional jobs. They are trying to earn their livelihood through farming, agriculture and allied businesses, having realised that efforts involving and built around Antee are the only way to become truly self sufficient. Appa Naik is an important person in the village. He is strongly active in local politics, but his heart beats for the glitz and glamour of the city. He wants his son, Akash, to get settled in Mumbai, while Akash is fed up of city jobs, having just quit one. One day, the unsuspecting villagers find out that Antee is going to be blocked and a huge tourism project is to be built at the dam.

As writer and director, Sandeep Sawant has picked a burning topic and filmed it realistically. Beautiful, lush-green locales (captured by Sanjay Memane, who was the cinematographer on Shwaas too) help impart a personification to Antee. The inherent charm of Shwaas, however, is missing. Characters appear stencilesque at first sight but soon you begin to realise that the conceived village-folk and the city baddie could not be much different in real-life. Rapid, jerky cutting (Niraj Voralia, another Shwaas carry-forward) notwithstanding, the film gives you the feel of a well-made documentary rather than a fiction drama. Performances are uniformly good and slice-of-life.

Poonam Shetgaonkar, Asha Shelar, Hridaynath Jadhav, Jayant Gadekar, Abhishek Aanand, Shivkumar Subramaniam, Gajanan Zarmekar, Mahadev Sawant, Vishnupad Barve and Bhushan Vikas form the cast. A surprise packet is Hindi film writer-actor Shivkumar Subramaniam as the project head, representing city money-bags. Sawant builds up suspense about him, only to have an understated confrontation when the time comes. To make him more credible, Sawant gets him to speaking a blend of Marathi, English and Hindi.

Three departments are headed by theatre veteran Neeraja Patwardhan, an M.A. in Drama from the Pune University: Production Design, Art Direction, Costume Design. Neeraja, who is married to Sandeep Sawant, is also the co-producer of the film, along with Sandeep. Nadi Vahate, an acceptable 115 minutes in duration, was released in India in September 2017, more than two years after it was completed. It won the Special Jury award for its director, Sandeep Sawant, at the Pune International Film Festival, in the Marathi Cinema Awards category.

Rating: ***