Kasba.The epic may go to the origins: the archetypes of thought, emotion and spiritual desire, and dissolve them in the present. The sensuous, contemporary life, seen from the perspectives of both past and future: film. Like music, the cinema is experienced as a continuous, live process of energies. It is conceived and best remembered in a flash, a composite whole.—Kumar Shahani, Film as a Contemporary ArtA sequence from Kasba (1990), directed by Kumar Shahani, has remained imprinted in my mind. Adapted from Anton Chekhov’s 1900 novella In The Ravine, Shahani’s melodrama is an exploration of feudal patriarchy in a small township in the mountains of Kangra. The film follows the younger daughter-in-law Tejo’s (Mita Vashisht) brutal power grab, which will finally culminate in the killing of the male heir to the family business. Immediately following this harrowing scene, Tejo stands at the edge of an open window,...
- 4/24/2024
- MUBI
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSDahomey.Mati Diop’s Dahomey (2024), a documentary about the repatriation of artifacts plundered by French colonists to the present-day Republic of Benin, won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale. It is only the second film from the African continent to take the festival’s top prize.The Berlinale has filed criminal charges against activists who hacked the festival’s Instagram account on Sunday to post calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which the festival deemed “anti-Semitic.”The festival has also released a statement disavowing the acceptance speeches of award winners who used their platform to speak out against the occupation and war. Such speeches included those by Ben Russell and Guillaume Cailleau, whose Direct Action won Best Film in the Encounters section, and by Yuval Abraham,...
- 2/29/2024
- MUBI
Kumar Shahani, one of the pioneers of India’s arthouse parallel cinema movement, died at a hospital in Kolkata on Feb. 24 after a period of illness. He was 83.
Shahani studied screenwriting and direction at the Film and Television of India, where he was tutored by Indian master Ritwik Ghatak. He won a French government scholarship for higher studies in France, where he studied at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques and assisted Robert Bresson on “Une Femme Douce” (1969).
He returned to India and directed his first feature “Maya Darpan” in 1972. Shahani was known for his formalist style of filmmaking and his landmark films include “Tarang” (1984), “Khayal Gatha” (1989) and “Kasba” (1990).
Internationally, Shahani’s work was particularly appreciated at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which programmed several of his films including “Maya Darpan,” the short “Var Var Vari,” “Tarang,” “Kasba,” the documentary “Bhavantarana” and “Char Adhyay.” “Khayal Gatha” won the Fipresci prize...
Shahani studied screenwriting and direction at the Film and Television of India, where he was tutored by Indian master Ritwik Ghatak. He won a French government scholarship for higher studies in France, where he studied at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques and assisted Robert Bresson on “Une Femme Douce” (1969).
He returned to India and directed his first feature “Maya Darpan” in 1972. Shahani was known for his formalist style of filmmaking and his landmark films include “Tarang” (1984), “Khayal Gatha” (1989) and “Kasba” (1990).
Internationally, Shahani’s work was particularly appreciated at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which programmed several of his films including “Maya Darpan,” the short “Var Var Vari,” “Tarang,” “Kasba,” the documentary “Bhavantarana” and “Char Adhyay.” “Khayal Gatha” won the Fipresci prize...
- 2/25/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The world of Indian cinema mourns the loss of Kumar Shahani, a visionary filmmaker whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the landscape of parallel cinema. Shahani, who breathed his last on Sunday at the age of 83, leaves behind a legacy rich with artistic brilliance and innovation.
Born into a world enamored with the magic of storytelling, Kumar Shahani embarked on a journey that would redefine the contours of Indian cinema. His alma mater, the Film and Television Institute of India (Ftii) in Pune, served as the crucible where his cinematic sensibilities were honed. It was here that he found himself under the mentorship of the legendary director Ritwik Ghatak, who recognized in Shahani a spark of genius.
Following in the footsteps of his mentor, Kumar Shahani ventured into the realm of filmmaking with a thirst for experimentation and a keen eye for detail. His sojourn to France, where...
Born into a world enamored with the magic of storytelling, Kumar Shahani embarked on a journey that would redefine the contours of Indian cinema. His alma mater, the Film and Television Institute of India (Ftii) in Pune, served as the crucible where his cinematic sensibilities were honed. It was here that he found himself under the mentorship of the legendary director Ritwik Ghatak, who recognized in Shahani a spark of genius.
Following in the footsteps of his mentor, Kumar Shahani ventured into the realm of filmmaking with a thirst for experimentation and a keen eye for detail. His sojourn to France, where...
- 2/25/2024
- by Chesta Singh
- ReferSMS
The film festival ‘Dilip Kumar Hero Of Heroes’, which will showcase the milestone films of the ‘Tragedy King’ such as ‘Aan’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ and ‘Shakti’, will be held on December 10 and 11.
With a career spanning five decades, Mohammed Yusuf Khan, popularly known as Dilip Kumar, ruled the silver screen with his work earning him the title of ‘Abhinay Samrat’ (king of acting).
The actor first tasted success the same year India attained Independence – 1947, and steadily built his success over the next few decades, courtesy films such as ‘Andaz’, ‘Aan’, ‘Daag’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Azaad’, ‘Naya Daur’, ‘Madhumati’, ‘Paigham’, ‘Gunga Jumna’, ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ and the epic ‘Mughal-e-Azam’.
The festival will cover over 30 cinema halls in 20 cities across India and will honour the screen legend through its showcase. The festival is being organised by the Film Heritage Foundation.
Talking about the showcase, Saira Banu states: “I am so happy that Film...
With a career spanning five decades, Mohammed Yusuf Khan, popularly known as Dilip Kumar, ruled the silver screen with his work earning him the title of ‘Abhinay Samrat’ (king of acting).
The actor first tasted success the same year India attained Independence – 1947, and steadily built his success over the next few decades, courtesy films such as ‘Andaz’, ‘Aan’, ‘Daag’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Azaad’, ‘Naya Daur’, ‘Madhumati’, ‘Paigham’, ‘Gunga Jumna’, ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ and the epic ‘Mughal-e-Azam’.
The festival will cover over 30 cinema halls in 20 cities across India and will honour the screen legend through its showcase. The festival is being organised by the Film Heritage Foundation.
Talking about the showcase, Saira Banu states: “I am so happy that Film...
- 11/26/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
The late Govindan Aravindan’s 1978 masterpiece “Thamp̄” (“The Circus Tent”) is one of two Indian films at this year’s Cannes Classics selection, alongside Satyajit Ray’s “Pratidwandi” (“The Adversary”) from 1970.
“Thamp̄” was painstakingly restored by India’s Film Heritage Foundation (Fhf), an organization founded by filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in 2014. Dungarpur facilitated the restoration of Uday Shankar’s landmark film “Kalpana” (1948) by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, the restored version of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. He also collaborated with the World Cinema Foundation again for the restoration of the 1972 Sinhalese film “Nidhanaya” directed by eminent Sri Lankan filmmaker Lester James Peries. The restoration premiered at Venice in 2013.
The restoration of “Thamp̄” was a process that took eight months to achieve. Fhf, as a member of the International Federation of Film Archives, also put out a call to all the 171 member institutions around the world...
“Thamp̄” was painstakingly restored by India’s Film Heritage Foundation (Fhf), an organization founded by filmmaker Shivendra Singh Dungarpur in 2014. Dungarpur facilitated the restoration of Uday Shankar’s landmark film “Kalpana” (1948) by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, the restored version of which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. He also collaborated with the World Cinema Foundation again for the restoration of the 1972 Sinhalese film “Nidhanaya” directed by eminent Sri Lankan filmmaker Lester James Peries. The restoration premiered at Venice in 2013.
The restoration of “Thamp̄” was a process that took eight months to achieve. Fhf, as a member of the International Federation of Film Archives, also put out a call to all the 171 member institutions around the world...
- 5/25/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Awards
Siân Heder’s “Coda,” an Apple original film, has won the 2021 Sundance Film Festival: London Award presented by BIFA.
The award was voted for by 40 leading professionals from the British film industry assembled by the British Independent Film Awards.
The film follows Ruby, a Coda or Child of Deaf Adults, who is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. The film stars Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin, and is produced by Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger.
It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S., where it won best director U.S. dramatic, U.S. grand jury prize: dramatic and the audience award: U.S. dramatic. Walsh-Peelo attended the London event with Heder joining virtually for a Q & A.
The film will debut in cinemas and on Apple TV Plus on Aug.
Siân Heder’s “Coda,” an Apple original film, has won the 2021 Sundance Film Festival: London Award presented by BIFA.
The award was voted for by 40 leading professionals from the British film industry assembled by the British Independent Film Awards.
The film follows Ruby, a Coda or Child of Deaf Adults, who is torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. The film stars Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin, and is produced by Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger.
It had its world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S., where it won best director U.S. dramatic, U.S. grand jury prize: dramatic and the audience award: U.S. dramatic. Walsh-Peelo attended the London event with Heder joining virtually for a Q & A.
The film will debut in cinemas and on Apple TV Plus on Aug.
- 8/4/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Veteran composer Vanraj Bhatia, who provided the soundtrack to India’s new age cinema movement of the 1970s and 1980s, has died in Mumbai. He was 93 and is understood to have been in poor health for some time.
Born in Bombay, as the metropolis was known as then, in 1927, Bhatia studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Conservatoire de Paris in the 1950s.
Upon his return to India, Bhatia enjoyed a successful career as a composer for advertising commercials through the 1960s. During this time, he also composed scores for several documentaries.
Bhatia debuted as a composer for feature films with “Ankur” (1974) directed by Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of India’s New Wave cinema movement, an independent alternative to mainstream commercial cinema. The pair formed a fruitful partnership and worked together on a total of 16 films including “Nishant” (1975), “Manthan” (1976), “Bhumika” (1977), “Kondura” (1978), “Junoon” (1978), “Kalyug” (1981), “Mandi” (1983) and...
Born in Bombay, as the metropolis was known as then, in 1927, Bhatia studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Conservatoire de Paris in the 1950s.
Upon his return to India, Bhatia enjoyed a successful career as a composer for advertising commercials through the 1960s. During this time, he also composed scores for several documentaries.
Bhatia debuted as a composer for feature films with “Ankur” (1974) directed by Shyam Benegal, a pioneer of India’s New Wave cinema movement, an independent alternative to mainstream commercial cinema. The pair formed a fruitful partnership and worked together on a total of 16 films including “Nishant” (1975), “Manthan” (1976), “Bhumika” (1977), “Kondura” (1978), “Junoon” (1978), “Kalyug” (1981), “Mandi” (1983) and...
- 5/7/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
When the Pingyao International Film Festival staged its improbable tribute to the “New Indian Cinema” of the 1960s and 1970s last month, its organizers—historian Ayesha Geeth Abbas, Deepti DCunha, and festival director Marco Müller—placed two films by Ritwik Ghatak (1925–1975) at the center of the tribute. Improbable, that is, because of the radicality of the non-Ghatak contents of the program; even Ghatak’s greatest defenders would concede that (at least with these films) he never quite pushed things as far as some of these filmmakers were able to, preferring instead to work within more popular contexts. Nestled among the more standard fare of Pyiff’s main program, the opaque and challenging delights of this twelve-film series benefited from comparison with other movies; when seen against the both the Chinese and international competition at the festival, it was perhaps inevitable that the life seemed to drain out of the new films,...
- 10/31/2019
- MUBI
Before Tapsee Pannu quits acting or Neena Gupta, Surekha Sikri or Shabana Azmi (god forbid) go out of job there is something beyond this age related debate surrounding the casting of this movie that needs to timelessly addressed.
Thanks to the marvelous insight of debutant director Tushar Hiranandani and producers like Anurag Kashyap, Reliance Entertainment and Nidhi Parmar. The extraordinary story of real courage, bravery and tremendous determination of octogenarian sharp shooters ? shooter dadi and revolver dadi - Chandro and Prakashi Tomar, will be on silver screen this Diwali to inspire and motivate millions. Badhai Ho (congratulations).
A few decades ago, cinema was divided into three prime categories ? mainstream, art (avant - grade) and middle.
Mainstream was dominated with people like Kapoor, Khosla, Samantha, Desai. Mehra, Chopra etc.? The avant-garde was claimed by Kamal Swaroop, Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani and the ?middle? cinema saw the advent of Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani,...
Thanks to the marvelous insight of debutant director Tushar Hiranandani and producers like Anurag Kashyap, Reliance Entertainment and Nidhi Parmar. The extraordinary story of real courage, bravery and tremendous determination of octogenarian sharp shooters ? shooter dadi and revolver dadi - Chandro and Prakashi Tomar, will be on silver screen this Diwali to inspire and motivate millions. Badhai Ho (congratulations).
A few decades ago, cinema was divided into three prime categories ? mainstream, art (avant - grade) and middle.
Mainstream was dominated with people like Kapoor, Khosla, Samantha, Desai. Mehra, Chopra etc.? The avant-garde was claimed by Kamal Swaroop, Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani and the ?middle? cinema saw the advent of Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani,...
- 10/5/2019
- GlamSham
The 12-title line-up includes classics from filmmakers such as Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Mani Kaul, Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan.
This year’s Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff) is hosting a retrospective of Indian New Wave cinema from the 1950s to the 1970s.
The 12-title line-up includes classics from filmmakers such as Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Mani Kaul, Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The programme will kick off with two titles from Ghatak, who was considered the godfather of the Indian new wave and a mentor to other filmmakers (see full list of titles below).
India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,...
This year’s Pingyao International Film Festival (Pyiff) is hosting a retrospective of Indian New Wave cinema from the 1950s to the 1970s.
The 12-title line-up includes classics from filmmakers such as Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Mani Kaul, Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The programme will kick off with two titles from Ghatak, who was considered the godfather of the Indian new wave and a mentor to other filmmakers (see full list of titles below).
India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,...
- 5/19/2019
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
MollywoodSoubin shared the award for Best Actor with Jayasurya, who won for his performances in 'Njan Marykutty' and 'Captain'.Tnm StaffSudani from Nigeria Zakariya Mohammed's profoundly uplifting film on love, compassion and humanity that goes beyond borders and boundaries, reaped a rich harvest at the 49th Kerala State Awards. It fetched Zakariya and Muhsin Parari the award for Best Script, Zakariya the award for Best Debutante Director, Soubin the Best Actor, and Savithri Sreedharan and Sarassa Balusseri shared the award for Best Character Actor (woman). Sudani from Nigeria also won the Best Popular Choice film while the award for the best film went to Kanthan, The Lover of Colour. The latter, starring Dayabai, is based on the real life of tribal people of Wayanad. In Sudani from Nigeria, Soubin played the role of a small football team's manager, and an unhappy son who comes to terms with his mother's second marriage.
- 2/27/2019
- by Sowmya
- The News Minute
Courtisane Festival in Gent, Belgium (March 28 - April 4) in collaboration with the Essay Film Festival in London, UK (March 21 - 29) has brought together a selection of Mani Kaul films for a program titled Soft Notes on a Sharp Scale:The Rambling Figures of Mani Kaul. Two events, seemingly unassuming and unrelated, that happened in the mid 60s were instrumental in shaping the cinematic landscape of India. J.S. Bhownagary was appointed Deputy Chief Producer for a second stint at Films Division in 1965, and Ritwik Ghatak moved to Pune to teach at the Film and Television institute of India (Ftii) in 1966. The first resulted in experimental documentaries being made by the likes of S.N.S. Sastry, S. Sukhdev, Pramod Pati, M.F.Hussain and the second was the harbinger of what is commonly referred to as the New Indian Cinema, with Ghatak during his tenure at Ftii acting as an influential figure for the likes of Mani Kaul,...
- 3/28/2018
- MUBI
The parallel cinema movement in the country has over the years been nurtured by a number of stalwarts like Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Aparajitho) Mrinal Sen (Bhuvan Shome Ek Din Prati Din), Shayam Benegal (Ankur, Manthan), Mani Kaul (Uski Roti, Duvidha), Govind Nihalani (Ardh Satya, Aakrosh), Kumar Shahani (Maya Darpan, Tarang) and Gautam Ghose (Paar Antarjali Yatra).
- 11/25/2017
- by TNM NEWS
- The News Minute
A still from Khayal Gatha
What:
A two-day festival of films about music.
Screening of
5th April, Saturday:
2:00 – 2:55 – Nilamadhaba Dir: Dilip Patnaik (2010)
3:00- 4:20 – Forever Young –Ranjan Palit (2008)
4:30 – 6:00- Partners in Crime – Paromita Vohra (2011)
6:30 – 6:50 Saa –Ramani R.V. (1991)
6:50 – 7:35 -Songlines- Vasudha Joshi (2011)
6th April, Sunday:
10:00 -11:40: Khayal Gatha- Kumar Shahani (1989)
11:50 -1:00: Koyil Nagaswaram – Soudhamini (2013)
1:45 – 3:00: Sabad Nirantar Dir: Rajula Shah (2007)
3:00 – 4:15: Rasayatra Dir: Nandan Kudiyadi (1994)
5:00 – 7:30: 11 Miles Dir: Ruchir Joshi (1992)
At fd Zone.
When:
5-6 April.
Entry:
Free and open to all.
Venue:
Rr Theatre
10th floor
Films Division
24, Pedder Road
Mumbai-400026
About the event:
Kumar Shahani’s Khaya Gatha is a seminal film to contemplate musical structure through film form. This film is an abstract exploration of the Khayal form of singing within Hindustani classical music. The film...
What:
A two-day festival of films about music.
Screening of
5th April, Saturday:
2:00 – 2:55 – Nilamadhaba Dir: Dilip Patnaik (2010)
3:00- 4:20 – Forever Young –Ranjan Palit (2008)
4:30 – 6:00- Partners in Crime – Paromita Vohra (2011)
6:30 – 6:50 Saa –Ramani R.V. (1991)
6:50 – 7:35 -Songlines- Vasudha Joshi (2011)
6th April, Sunday:
10:00 -11:40: Khayal Gatha- Kumar Shahani (1989)
11:50 -1:00: Koyil Nagaswaram – Soudhamini (2013)
1:45 – 3:00: Sabad Nirantar Dir: Rajula Shah (2007)
3:00 – 4:15: Rasayatra Dir: Nandan Kudiyadi (1994)
5:00 – 7:30: 11 Miles Dir: Ruchir Joshi (1992)
At fd Zone.
When:
5-6 April.
Entry:
Free and open to all.
Venue:
Rr Theatre
10th floor
Films Division
24, Pedder Road
Mumbai-400026
About the event:
Kumar Shahani’s Khaya Gatha is a seminal film to contemplate musical structure through film form. This film is an abstract exploration of the Khayal form of singing within Hindustani classical music. The film...
- 4/1/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Rajat Kapoor’s Ankhon Dekhi, a film about a middle class patriarch searching for meaning in life is intended as a tribute to Mani Kaul and Kumar Shahani, key proponents of the Indian new wave cinema of the 70s and 80s. But while Mani Kaul made films which were experimental and even considered inaccessible by some, Rajat Kapoor’s latest effort is an offbeat drama that manages to be both entertaining and thought provoking. Set in contemporary old Delhi, Ankhon Dekhi ponders over issues as disparate as the breakdown of the traditional family, the difference between perception and reality and the need to find one’s place in the larger scheme of things. While the different threads don’t necessary add up to a coherent whole, the film offers both humour and poignancy and builds up to a bewildering conclusion.
The film’s key strength-and its main point of interest-...
The film’s key strength-and its main point of interest-...
- 3/23/2014
- by Aniruddha Basu
- DearCinema.com
Redes
Written by Agustin Velásquez Chávez and Paul Strand
Directed by Emilio Gómez Muriel and Fred Zinnemann
Mexico, 1936
A River Called Titas
Written and directed by Ritwik Ghatak
Bangladesh, 1973
Touki bouki
Written and directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
Senegal, 1973
The Criterion Collection set assembling films rediscovered through the efforts of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project is one of the company’s premier achievements. Bringing together six diverse titles from six different regions of the globe, the collection is a treasure trove for those seeking obscure, rare, and fascinating works that extend well beyond film history’s conventional canon. As stated by Criterion itself, “Each is a cinematic revelation, depicting a culture not often seen by outsiders on-screen.” The set also emphasizes, through its calling attention to the efforts of the Wcp initiative, just how necessary and beneficial film preservation and restoration can be. The films included here are only...
Written by Agustin Velásquez Chávez and Paul Strand
Directed by Emilio Gómez Muriel and Fred Zinnemann
Mexico, 1936
A River Called Titas
Written and directed by Ritwik Ghatak
Bangladesh, 1973
Touki bouki
Written and directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
Senegal, 1973
The Criterion Collection set assembling films rediscovered through the efforts of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project is one of the company’s premier achievements. Bringing together six diverse titles from six different regions of the globe, the collection is a treasure trove for those seeking obscure, rare, and fascinating works that extend well beyond film history’s conventional canon. As stated by Criterion itself, “Each is a cinematic revelation, depicting a culture not often seen by outsiders on-screen.” The set also emphasizes, through its calling attention to the efforts of the Wcp initiative, just how necessary and beneficial film preservation and restoration can be. The films included here are only...
- 12/27/2013
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Dec. 10, 2013
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $124.95
Studio: Criterion
Established by filmmaker Martin Scorsese in 2007, Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project expands the horizons of moviegoers everywhere. The mission of the Wcp is to preserve and present marginalized and infrequently screened films from regions of the world ill equipped to provide funding for major restorations. This collector’s set brings together six superb films from various countries, including Bangladesh/India (A River Called Titas), Mexico (Redes), Morocco (Trances), Senegal (Touki bouki), South Korea (The Housemaid), and Turkey (Dry Summer); each is a cinematic revelation, depicting a culture not often seen by outsiders.
Here’s a breakdown of all six:
Touki Bouki (1973)
Touki Bouki (1973, In Wolof with English subtitles)
With a stunning mix of the surreal and the naturalistic, Djibril Diop Mambéty paints a vivid, fractured portrait of Senegal in the early 1970s. In this French New Wave–influenced fantasy-drama,...
Price: Blu-ray/DVD Combo $124.95
Studio: Criterion
Established by filmmaker Martin Scorsese in 2007, Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project expands the horizons of moviegoers everywhere. The mission of the Wcp is to preserve and present marginalized and infrequently screened films from regions of the world ill equipped to provide funding for major restorations. This collector’s set brings together six superb films from various countries, including Bangladesh/India (A River Called Titas), Mexico (Redes), Morocco (Trances), Senegal (Touki bouki), South Korea (The Housemaid), and Turkey (Dry Summer); each is a cinematic revelation, depicting a culture not often seen by outsiders.
Here’s a breakdown of all six:
Touki Bouki (1973)
Touki Bouki (1973, In Wolof with English subtitles)
With a stunning mix of the surreal and the naturalistic, Djibril Diop Mambéty paints a vivid, fractured portrait of Senegal in the early 1970s. In this French New Wave–influenced fantasy-drama,...
- 10/24/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
A Retrospective of Experimental Indian cinema and video titled “Hundred Years of Experimentation (1913- 2013)” will be held at Films Division from June 28-30, 2013. Curators Ashish Avikunthak and Pankaj Rishi Kumar share with us the thought behind putting together the Retrospective:
Curatorial Concept
A still from “Raja Harishchandra”
T his retrospective is a celebration of the spirit of experimentation in Indian cinema; from the moment of its mythic birth in 1913, with Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, to the innovative and challenging moving images produced and exhibited today. The films brought together chart the transformation of experimentation, from early celluloid spectacle to contemporary digital adroitness. The curatorial impetus of this retrospective is marked by an emphasis on tracing the chronology of experimentation through the history of Indian cinema. It halts at pit stops of radical moments of experimentation and underscores it.
The idea of ‘experimentation’ rather than the experimental or avant-garde drives the...
Curatorial Concept
A still from “Raja Harishchandra”
T his retrospective is a celebration of the spirit of experimentation in Indian cinema; from the moment of its mythic birth in 1913, with Phalke’s Raja Harishchandra, to the innovative and challenging moving images produced and exhibited today. The films brought together chart the transformation of experimentation, from early celluloid spectacle to contemporary digital adroitness. The curatorial impetus of this retrospective is marked by an emphasis on tracing the chronology of experimentation through the history of Indian cinema. It halts at pit stops of radical moments of experimentation and underscores it.
The idea of ‘experimentation’ rather than the experimental or avant-garde drives the...
- 6/26/2013
- by Ashish Avikunthak and Pankaj Rishi Kumar
- DearCinema.com
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur’s documentary film on P.K. Nair, the founder-director of the National Film Archive of India (Nfai) premieres at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles on April 14.
“You can see a hundred years from now; you can see a certain aspect of life which was there only at the time, on that day. It means a lot. It means more than Greek Tragedy where everything is heightened beyond compare. But those very small things get so beautifully manifest (on film). It is the very, I think, soul of art of any kind.”
-Kumar Shahani
For anyone who has spent time on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and visited the National Film Archive of India only a couple of blocks away, it is impossible to not think of the omnipresent influence of P. K. Nair, the long-serving director and founder of the Archive.
“You can see a hundred years from now; you can see a certain aspect of life which was there only at the time, on that day. It means a lot. It means more than Greek Tragedy where everything is heightened beyond compare. But those very small things get so beautifully manifest (on film). It is the very, I think, soul of art of any kind.”
-Kumar Shahani
For anyone who has spent time on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and visited the National Film Archive of India only a couple of blocks away, it is impossible to not think of the omnipresent influence of P. K. Nair, the long-serving director and founder of the Archive.
- 4/14/2013
- by Shekhar Deshpande
- DearCinema.com
A package of acclaimed diploma films made by the students of Film and Television Institute of India (Ftii), some of whom later became renowned filmmakers, will be showcased at the 2nd Guwahati International Short Film Festival (Gisff).
This Ftii Golden-Jubilee package, earlier screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival (Miff, 2012), comprises diploma films made by filmmakers like Kumar Shahani, Girish Kasaravalli, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sriram Raghavan and Rajan Khosa.
The 2nd Guwahati International Short Film Festival (Gisff) will take place from May 4-6, 2012 at District Library, Guwahati.
The films from Ftii to be screened at the festival have been listed below:
37 Down Manmad Passenger (10 min, 1967, Kumar Shahani) Deccan Queen (1966, K.S. Raju) Awashesh (1975, Girish Kasarvalli) Murder at Monkety Hill (1978, Vidhu Vinod Chopra) Bodhvriksha (1985, Rajan Khosa) The Eight Column Affair (1987, Sriram Raghavan) Dispossession (1988, N.H. Prasad) Sundance Cafe (1991, Ravi Davala) Still Life (1994, Subhadro Chowdhary) Jee Karta Tha (1997, Hansa Thapliyal) Chaitra (2000, Kranti Kanade...
This Ftii Golden-Jubilee package, earlier screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival (Miff, 2012), comprises diploma films made by filmmakers like Kumar Shahani, Girish Kasaravalli, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sriram Raghavan and Rajan Khosa.
The 2nd Guwahati International Short Film Festival (Gisff) will take place from May 4-6, 2012 at District Library, Guwahati.
The films from Ftii to be screened at the festival have been listed below:
37 Down Manmad Passenger (10 min, 1967, Kumar Shahani) Deccan Queen (1966, K.S. Raju) Awashesh (1975, Girish Kasarvalli) Murder at Monkety Hill (1978, Vidhu Vinod Chopra) Bodhvriksha (1985, Rajan Khosa) The Eight Column Affair (1987, Sriram Raghavan) Dispossession (1988, N.H. Prasad) Sundance Cafe (1991, Ravi Davala) Still Life (1994, Subhadro Chowdhary) Jee Karta Tha (1997, Hansa Thapliyal) Chaitra (2000, Kranti Kanade...
- 4/6/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Nitin Kumar Pamnani’s I am Your Poet won the Best Documentary Film (upto 40 minutes duration) award comprising the Golden Conch and Rs. 5 lakh at the 12th Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation films.
Pamnani’s film in Hindi and Bhojpuri is about the poetry of Rama Shankar Yadav ‘Vidrohi.’
Shape of the Shapeless by the New York based film maker Jayant Cherian was adjudged the second Best short Film with Silver Conch and Rs. 250,000/- in cash.
Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris won the Golden Conch for Best Documentary Film above 40 minutes duration. The British film maker’s documentary tells the story of the ‘Gulabi Gang’ which is active in Uttar Pradesh, empowering women.
The Silver Conch for Best Documentary above 40 minutes duration is shared by Dreaming Taj Mahal by Nirmal Chandar and the Russian entry Home by Olga Maurina.
The Golden Conch for Best Fiction...
Pamnani’s film in Hindi and Bhojpuri is about the poetry of Rama Shankar Yadav ‘Vidrohi.’
Shape of the Shapeless by the New York based film maker Jayant Cherian was adjudged the second Best short Film with Silver Conch and Rs. 250,000/- in cash.
Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris won the Golden Conch for Best Documentary Film above 40 minutes duration. The British film maker’s documentary tells the story of the ‘Gulabi Gang’ which is active in Uttar Pradesh, empowering women.
The Silver Conch for Best Documentary above 40 minutes duration is shared by Dreaming Taj Mahal by Nirmal Chandar and the Russian entry Home by Olga Maurina.
The Golden Conch for Best Fiction...
- 2/10/2012
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
While we wait to see how Darren Aronofsky's jury will divvy up the Lions in Venice this evening, a big batch of autonomous organizations and critics associations such as Fipresci have already handed out their awards … Diego Lerer and Neil Young rank the films they've seen in Venice … Gautam Valluri introduces the new, fourth issue of Projectorhead, featuring Adrian Martin on Sergio Leone, Anuj Malhotra on Bong Joon-ho, Kaz Rahman on Emir Kusturica, interviews with Kumar Shahani and cinematographer Martin Ruhe and more … Michel Gondry returns to France for The Foam of Days, with Audrey Tautou, Léa Seydoux, Romain Duris and Jamel Debbouze … Arnaud des Pallières's Michael Kohlhaas will feature Mads Mikkelsen and Bruno Ganz … But the most controversial project in the works has to be Mel Gibson's biopic based on the life of Jewish hero Judah Maccabee — with a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas, no less.
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Image:...
- 9/11/2011
- MUBI
Influential Indian film-maker admired in European arthouses
Those who think of Indian cinema as the glitz of Bollywood on the one hand and the eloquent classicism of Satyajit Ray on the other miss a third important strand, manifested best by the radical director Mani Kaul, who has died from cancer aged 66. Kaul was a totally uncompromising film-maker who never sought popularity but pursued his own concerns, influenced by Ritwik Ghatak, his Bengali teacher and a great director in his own right, and by Robert Bresson and Andrei Tarkovsky among the foreign giants of the cinema. Watching Bresson's Pickpocket (1959), he once said, was one of the formative experiences of his life.
He was, however, entirely his own man, who understood Indian art, music, literature and theatre as much as film. He was a stern critic of orthodox storytelling and especially the modern gyrations of Bollywood. "If film shows you something you already know,...
Those who think of Indian cinema as the glitz of Bollywood on the one hand and the eloquent classicism of Satyajit Ray on the other miss a third important strand, manifested best by the radical director Mani Kaul, who has died from cancer aged 66. Kaul was a totally uncompromising film-maker who never sought popularity but pursued his own concerns, influenced by Ritwik Ghatak, his Bengali teacher and a great director in his own right, and by Robert Bresson and Andrei Tarkovsky among the foreign giants of the cinema. Watching Bresson's Pickpocket (1959), he once said, was one of the formative experiences of his life.
He was, however, entirely his own man, who understood Indian art, music, literature and theatre as much as film. He was a stern critic of orthodox storytelling and especially the modern gyrations of Bollywood. "If film shows you something you already know,...
- 7/14/2011
- by Derek Malcolm
- The Guardian - Film News
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, Enlighten film society will organize Tagore Film Festival in four cities of India in August. These cities are Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore.
The films that will be screened as part of this festival are Kabuliwala (Hemen Gupta,1961), Kshudishta Pashan (Tapan Sinha,1961), Teen Kanya (Satyajit Ray,1961), Charulata (Satyajit Ray, 1964), Ghaire Baire (Satyajit Ray, 1984, ), Char Adhyay (Kumar Shahani, 1997), Choker Bali (Rituparno Ghosh,2003), Chaturanga (Suman Mukhopadhyay, 2008) and Naukadubi (Rituparno Ghosh,2010).
Rabindranath Tagore, a documentary made by Satyajit Ray in 1960 will also be presented as part of this film festival.
In addition to the screenings, a recital in Rabindra sangeet as well as a commemorative lecture by Kumar Shahani will also be held in Delhi. Shahani’s lecture will focus on Tagore, his literature, to eventually signify Tagore as a modernist through a screening of Shahani’s masterwork Char Adhyay.
The screenings in other...
The films that will be screened as part of this festival are Kabuliwala (Hemen Gupta,1961), Kshudishta Pashan (Tapan Sinha,1961), Teen Kanya (Satyajit Ray,1961), Charulata (Satyajit Ray, 1964), Ghaire Baire (Satyajit Ray, 1984, ), Char Adhyay (Kumar Shahani, 1997), Choker Bali (Rituparno Ghosh,2003), Chaturanga (Suman Mukhopadhyay, 2008) and Naukadubi (Rituparno Ghosh,2010).
Rabindranath Tagore, a documentary made by Satyajit Ray in 1960 will also be presented as part of this film festival.
In addition to the screenings, a recital in Rabindra sangeet as well as a commemorative lecture by Kumar Shahani will also be held in Delhi. Shahani’s lecture will focus on Tagore, his literature, to eventually signify Tagore as a modernist through a screening of Shahani’s masterwork Char Adhyay.
The screenings in other...
- 5/9/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
In order to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore, Enlighten Film Society will organise a film festival based on his text in Mumbai in August . but before that two films will be screened in May as a beginning..We will celebrate Tagore.s birth anniversary by curating two films based on his texts in May, followed by a full-fledged festival in August,. Enlighten Film Society founder chairman Pranav Ashar told Ians..The films playing in May are Bimal Roy.s .Kabuliwala. (1958) directed by Hemen Gupta, and Kumar Shahani.s .Char Adhyay. (1997). In August, we will provide a more detailed look at Tagore by including works by masters like Satyajit Ray and Tapan Sinha and contemporary artists like Rituparno Ghosh and Suman Mukhopadhyay,. he added..Kabuliwala. will be screened May 20 at the Godrej Theatre in Ncpa here and .Char Adhyay. May 27 at the Little Theatre, also at Ncpa.
- 5/7/2011
- Filmicafe
Rabindranath Tagore
The Ministry of I & B in association with Nfdc will release a DVD pack called “Tagore Stories on Film”. The DVD will be launched on May 7, 2011 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
There are 6 DVDs in the pack which comprise five films based on Tagore’s stories filmed by different directors. The 6th DVD includes 2 documentaries on Tagore’s life as a bonus feature.
The films are: Tapan Sinha’s national award winning film on Tagore’s classic story ‘Khudito Pashan’ (Hungry Stones), 1960 in Bengali; Teen Kanya (Three Daughters) directed by Satyajit Ray, 1961 in Bengali, based on three of Tagore’s stories – The Post Master, Monihara and Samapti; Kabuliwala directed by Hemen Gupta in Hindi, 1961; Ghare Bhaire (Home and the World) by Satyajit Ray, 1984 which was screened in competition at Cannes the same year. The fifth DVD features Char Adhyay (Four Chapters), directed by Kumar Shahani,...
The Ministry of I & B in association with Nfdc will release a DVD pack called “Tagore Stories on Film”. The DVD will be launched on May 7, 2011 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
There are 6 DVDs in the pack which comprise five films based on Tagore’s stories filmed by different directors. The 6th DVD includes 2 documentaries on Tagore’s life as a bonus feature.
The films are: Tapan Sinha’s national award winning film on Tagore’s classic story ‘Khudito Pashan’ (Hungry Stones), 1960 in Bengali; Teen Kanya (Three Daughters) directed by Satyajit Ray, 1961 in Bengali, based on three of Tagore’s stories – The Post Master, Monihara and Samapti; Kabuliwala directed by Hemen Gupta in Hindi, 1961; Ghare Bhaire (Home and the World) by Satyajit Ray, 1984 which was screened in competition at Cannes the same year. The fifth DVD features Char Adhyay (Four Chapters), directed by Kumar Shahani,...
- 5/5/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The 10th Imagineindia International Film Festival announced its India programme. The 2011 edition of the festival will take place in Madrid from May 17-31.
The films that will compete in this year’s festival are : Girish Kasaravalli’s Riding the Stallion of Dreams, Rakesh Mehta’s Khuda Kushi, Dr. Biju Kumar’s The Way Home, Bela Negi’s Dayeen ya Baeen, Italo Spinelli’s Gangor, Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris, Ananth Mahadevan’s I am Sindhutai Sapkal, and Daniela Creutz’s Arranged Happiness.
Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat, Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa, Abrar Albi’s Sahib Bibi aur Gulam, Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar and Ritwick Ghatak’s Nagarik will be presented in the Classics section of the festival.
The documentaries that will be screened in the festival are: Alfredo de Braganza’s Smoking Babas, which portrays the world of the Sadhus, David Varela’s Banaras Me, a year-long effort to capture the enigmatic atmosphere of Varanasi,...
The films that will compete in this year’s festival are : Girish Kasaravalli’s Riding the Stallion of Dreams, Rakesh Mehta’s Khuda Kushi, Dr. Biju Kumar’s The Way Home, Bela Negi’s Dayeen ya Baeen, Italo Spinelli’s Gangor, Kim Longinotto’s Pink Saris, Ananth Mahadevan’s I am Sindhutai Sapkal, and Daniela Creutz’s Arranged Happiness.
Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat, Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa, Abrar Albi’s Sahib Bibi aur Gulam, Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar and Ritwick Ghatak’s Nagarik will be presented in the Classics section of the festival.
The documentaries that will be screened in the festival are: Alfredo de Braganza’s Smoking Babas, which portrays the world of the Sadhus, David Varela’s Banaras Me, a year-long effort to capture the enigmatic atmosphere of Varanasi,...
- 4/8/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The ninth edition of the Imagineindia film festival will run from May 18 to 29 in Madrid, Spain. 77 films from 18 countries will be screened at 10 venues out of which 41 films are from India, 21 Asian and 15 international.
The three major sections at the festival will be: Indian Section, Asian Section and International Section.
Gulal by Anurag Kashyap , Do Paise Ki Dhoop Char Ane Ki Barish by Deepti Naval, Kutty Shrank by Shaji Karun, Little Zizou by Sooni Taraporevala, Khargosh by Paresh Kamdar, Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniya by Amit Dutta, My name is Khan by Karan Johar, Harishchandrachi Factory by Paresh Mokashi will compete in the Indian section of the festival.
The Indian section will also offer retrospectives of Kumar Shahani, Mrinal Sen and Satyajit Ray.
...
The three major sections at the festival will be: Indian Section, Asian Section and International Section.
Gulal by Anurag Kashyap , Do Paise Ki Dhoop Char Ane Ki Barish by Deepti Naval, Kutty Shrank by Shaji Karun, Little Zizou by Sooni Taraporevala, Khargosh by Paresh Kamdar, Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniya by Amit Dutta, My name is Khan by Karan Johar, Harishchandrachi Factory by Paresh Mokashi will compete in the Indian section of the festival.
The Indian section will also offer retrospectives of Kumar Shahani, Mrinal Sen and Satyajit Ray.
...
- 4/10/2010
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Navroze Contractor has been the cinematographer for many pathbreaking and award winning feature films. ‘Duvidha’ directed by Mani Kaul, ‘22nd June 1897’, ‘Limited Manuski’ and ‘Devi Ahilya Bai’ directed by Nachiket Patwardhan, ‘Percy’ directed by Pervez Merwanji, ‘Love In the Time of Malaria’ directed by Sanjiv Shah, and ‘Devarkadu’ directed by Pattabhi Rama Reddy being a few of them. He also shot ‘Frames’, directed by Chetan Shah, the first feature film in India to be shot on High Definition format.
He has also contributed to the documentary scene world wide, as his name is attached with films like ‘Balad of Pabu’ by George Luneau , ‘Dreams of the Dragon’s Children,’ shot entirely in China, by Pierre Hoffmann, ‘Are You Listening’ by Martha Stewart, and the ‘Last House in Bombay ‘ by Luke Jennings. His major Indian films are ‘All in the Family’ by Ketan Mehta, ‘What Has happened to This City’, ‘Something...
He has also contributed to the documentary scene world wide, as his name is attached with films like ‘Balad of Pabu’ by George Luneau , ‘Dreams of the Dragon’s Children,’ shot entirely in China, by Pierre Hoffmann, ‘Are You Listening’ by Martha Stewart, and the ‘Last House in Bombay ‘ by Luke Jennings. His major Indian films are ‘All in the Family’ by Ketan Mehta, ‘What Has happened to This City’, ‘Something...
- 2/24/2010
- by Oorvazi Irani
- DearCinema.com
Noted filmmaker Kumar Shahani feels that global financing of movies is a stumbling block for offbeat Indians filmmakers "who try to find their own voice and idioms in their films, removed from the celluloid mainstream".
The 70-year-old director, one of the founders of Indian New Wave (often referred to as parallel cinema), who is working on two new projects, is looking for international finance for his movies.
"Global finance standardises everything -- from the way directors should take a shot to the kind of movies they should make. The corporate decisions taken to finance movies are based on international financial trends. Sometimes the judgements the financiers make are delayed and affect filmmakers like me whose originality lies in being in touch with the pulse of life," Shahani told Ians in an interview.
Movies cannot be standardised, he said. "Eighty percent of our mainstream movies flop because of the corporatisation of the movie industry.
The 70-year-old director, one of the founders of Indian New Wave (often referred to as parallel cinema), who is working on two new projects, is looking for international finance for his movies.
"Global finance standardises everything -- from the way directors should take a shot to the kind of movies they should make. The corporate decisions taken to finance movies are based on international financial trends. Sometimes the judgements the financiers make are delayed and affect filmmakers like me whose originality lies in being in touch with the pulse of life," Shahani told Ians in an interview.
Movies cannot be standardised, he said. "Eighty percent of our mainstream movies flop because of the corporatisation of the movie industry.
- 2/21/2010
- by IANS
- DearCinema.com
New Delhi, Feb 21 – Noted filmmaker Kumar Shahani feels that global financing of movies is a stumbling block for offbeat Indians filmmakers ‘who try to find their own voice and idioms in their films, removed from the celluloid mainstream’.
The 70-year-old director of parallel cinema, who is working on two new projects, is looking for international finance for his movies.
‘Global finance standardises everything — from the way directors should take a shot to the.
The 70-year-old director of parallel cinema, who is working on two new projects, is looking for international finance for his movies.
‘Global finance standardises everything — from the way directors should take a shot to the.
- 2/21/2010
- by realbollywood
- RealBollywood.com
Noted filmmaker Kumar Shahani feels that global financing of movies is a stumbling block for offbeat Indians filmmakers 'who try to find their own voice and idioms in their films, removed from the celluloid mainstream'.The 70-year-old director of parallel cinema, who is working on two new projects, is looking for international finance for his movies.'Global finance standardises everything -- from the way directors should take a shot to the kind of movies they should make. The corporate decisions taken to finance movies are based on international financial trends. Sometimes the judgements the financiers make are delayed and affect filmmakers like me whose originality lies in being in touch with the pulse of life,' Shahani told Ians in an interview.Movies cannot be standardised, he said. 'Eighty percent of our mainstream movies flop because of the corporatisation of the movie industry. The filmmakers are usually dependent on the...
- 2/20/2010
- Filmicafe
New Delhi, Feb 20 – Acclaimed designer Bhanu Athaiya, the first Indian to win an Oscar for designing costumes for the film ‘Gandhi’, has released a book on her journey in the film world.
The book ‘The Art of Costume Design’ was released by filmmaker Kumar Shahani at The Ashok Hotel here Friday evening. It has been recommended by none other than Richard Attenborough.
Attenborough, in a message from London, said ‘it was important to document the landmark work done.
The book ‘The Art of Costume Design’ was released by filmmaker Kumar Shahani at The Ashok Hotel here Friday evening. It has been recommended by none other than Richard Attenborough.
Attenborough, in a message from London, said ‘it was important to document the landmark work done.
- 2/20/2010
- by realbollywood
- RealBollywood.com
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