RIVER TO RIVER in MUMBAI

The River to River Indian Film Festival has been delighting Italian moviegoers for 14 years. It was yesterday at the Blue Frog Mumbai that its India Chapter came to life through the screening of a brief anthology of the festival's winners in the category of documentary film. The event kicked off with a trio of short films who won the Advantage India award, granted by the jury of partnering film distributor Pocket Films.

 

Film maker, Samvida Nanda, was present to receive the 1st Advantage India Prize for her short film The Frame and actor Krishna Wadia responded to a brief Q&A session on 3rd prize winner, Rani, by Manish Sharma, a film that was also awarded at the London Indian Film Festival.

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FILM FESTIVAL PROMOTES SOCIAL CHANGE

 

YES! I am the CHANGE, initiated by YES FOUNDATION, the social development arm of YES BANK, has emerged as the largest filmmaking challenge in India and one of the biggest short-filmmaking movements in the world, with 1750+ films made by over 50,000 citizen film makers from 1,000 cities and towns across all states of India. The films were made on current issues of national importance including women’s safety, child rights and education, livelihood, environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment and elderly care.

Prerana Langa, CEO of YES Foundation, shares her views and how the initiative is creating inner transformation of youth through exposure to social causes.

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10 Indian Films to Anticipate - MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2014

Following a hurried crowd funding campaign recently organized by the MAMI, the Mumbai Film Festival has successfully avoided falling short of the budget necessary to open its 2014 edition, bound to take place from October 14 to 21. The support of the festival's friends but also that of the Indian film industry played a pivotal role in recovering the odds of enjoying one of the city's flagship events.
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TORONTO TIFF does it again: INDIAN PREMIERES

Still from Ship of Theseus by Anand Ghandi

Next September's Toronto International Film Festival 2012 is again interested in what happens in this side of the cinema world. Voicing its approval of contemporary Indian cinema by adopting Bombay as its Spotlight City for the festival's "City to City" programmes, this year's TIFF showcases ten new films from Bombay. Several of these releases are world premieres while some will be North American premieres. The lineup is:

Gangs of Wasseypur – Part One and Part Two  by Anurag Kashyap Starring Manoj Bajpayee, Richa Chadda and Reema Sen.

While Part One of Anurag Kashyap’s much awaited gangster saga has premiered in Cannes and New York, Toronto will see Part Two as a North American premiere. Gangs of Wasseypur tells the story of a bloody war between two mafia clans at the time of India's struggle towards independence. Indian audiences are eagerly expecting its release next week while its trailer does the rounds of several TV channels.

Ship of Theseus by Anand Gandhi Starring Aida El-Kashef, Sohum Shah and Neeraj Kabi

Another debut feature film is delivered by the hands of Anand Gandhi, who has received great applause as a playwright. Gandhi opens a window into the lives of three Mumbaikars: a monk, a blind photographer and a stockbroker with a heightened sense of justice.

Miss Lovely by Ashim Ahluwalia  

Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Niharika Singh and Anil George

Deep, dark, dramatic. Miss Lovely depicts the sex-horror film industry of  Bombay's 1980s. Cinematography, casting and the unusual choice of topic make it an interesting and intriguing option, apart from the fact that it was very well received in Cannes and that it stars an excellent actor such as Nawazzudin Siddiqui (who also stars in Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur).

Shanghai by Dibakar Banerjee

Starring Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin

Through an adaptation of Vassilis Vassilikos' Z, the director of Love Sex aur Dhokla delivers a paced and exciting political drama.   

Shahid by Hansal Mehta 

Starring Raj Kumar, Prabhleen Sandhu and Baljinder Kaur. Shahid revisits the life of lawyer Shahid Azmi, who was murdered in 2010 after being involved in the defense of human rights. A fascinating story of a young Muslim boy who became a symbol later in his life.

Mumbai Cha Raja by Manjeet Singh 

Starring Rahul Bairagi, Arbaaz Khan and Tejas Parvatkar. Young Rahul and Arbaaz live in the streets of Bombay finding ways to make their existence more tolerable while Rahul searches a way to reclaim his dignity by "taking care" of his violent father.

Peddlers by Vasan Bala 

Starring Gulshan Devaiah and Siddharth Mennon.

A directorial debut for Vasan Bala, Peddlers is a pulsating thriller that brings together the lives of three improbable characters in Bombay's underworld. 

Ishaqzaade by Habib Faisal 

Starring Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra

Action with a quirky edge, the love story between both protagonists has won accolades for delivering a different mainstream film.

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The Bright Day by Mohit Takalkar 

Starring Mohan Agashe, Radhika Apte and Shernaz Patel

Following the spiritual journey of a young man across India, images tell a soul's coming of age.

Consult the TIFF City to City programme 2012 for more information.

Roll the drums for the MUMBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2010

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

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

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

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

* 'The Way Home' – by Biju Kumar

* 'Good Night Good Morning' – by Sudhish Kamath

* 'Alif' – by K.M. Kamal

* ‘Harud’ – by Aamir Bashir

* ‘Semshook’ – by Siddhartha Kumar

* ‘Laadli Laila’ – by Murali Nair

* ‘Mirch’ – by Vinay Shukla

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

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