Chennai, Aug 10 (Ians) Conversational, offline and enhancement of limits for small transactions in the Unified Payments Interface (Upi) are some of the measures for payment systems that the Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das announced on Thursday.
Amid announcement of the decisions of the three day meeting of Monetary Policy Committee (Mpc), Das said to harness new technologies and enhance the digital payments experience it is proposed to enable “Conversational Payments” on Upi, which will enable users to engage in conversation with artificial intelligence (AI) powered systems to make payments; introduce offline payments on Upi using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology through ‘Upi-Lite’ on-device wallet; and enhance the transaction limit for small value digital payments in off-line mode from Rs 200 to Rs 500 within the overall limit of Rs 2,000 per payment instrument.
“These initiatives will further deepen the reach and use of digital payments in the country,” he added.
According to Rbi,...
Amid announcement of the decisions of the three day meeting of Monetary Policy Committee (Mpc), Das said to harness new technologies and enhance the digital payments experience it is proposed to enable “Conversational Payments” on Upi, which will enable users to engage in conversation with artificial intelligence (AI) powered systems to make payments; introduce offline payments on Upi using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology through ‘Upi-Lite’ on-device wallet; and enhance the transaction limit for small value digital payments in off-line mode from Rs 200 to Rs 500 within the overall limit of Rs 2,000 per payment instrument.
“These initiatives will further deepen the reach and use of digital payments in the country,” he added.
According to Rbi,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Singer, music composer, and lyricist Rahul Jain, who has given his voice to many tracks like ‘Yaara’, ‘Bepannah 2.0’, ‘Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain’ and ‘Janam Pe Janam’, is all set to work on his new song, ‘Wo Din’ featuring renowned social media influencer Kapil Soni.
Rahul said: “The song has a friendly vibe. It will define the bond that you share with your friend for life and will relive all those happy memories. All friends are surely going to resonate with the upcoming song. The song is emotional and will teach about friendship, love, and companionship.”
Expressing his excitement, Kapil said: “It’s going to be my first ever music video, and that too with such a renowned singer Rahul Jain. I have grown up listening to all of his songs. Whether it’s ‘Yaara Teri Yaari Ko’, ‘Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye Recreated’, or ‘Tujhse Naaraz Nahin Zindagi’, I...
Rahul said: “The song has a friendly vibe. It will define the bond that you share with your friend for life and will relive all those happy memories. All friends are surely going to resonate with the upcoming song. The song is emotional and will teach about friendship, love, and companionship.”
Expressing his excitement, Kapil said: “It’s going to be my first ever music video, and that too with such a renowned singer Rahul Jain. I have grown up listening to all of his songs. Whether it’s ‘Yaara Teri Yaari Ko’, ‘Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye Recreated’, or ‘Tujhse Naaraz Nahin Zindagi’, I...
- 3/19/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Mubi has announced its lineup of streaming offerings for next month and amongst the highlights are Martine Syms’ The African Desperate, Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s Free Chol Soo Lee, Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s Earwig, plus films from George A. Romero, Dario Argento, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Thomas Vinterberg, Nanni Moretti, and more.
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1 – Goodnight Mommy, directed by Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 2 – Van Gogh, directed by Maurice Pialat | I Don’t Like You Either: A Maurice Pialat Retrospective
October 3 – The Great Buster: A Celebration, directed by Peter Bogdanovich | Portrait of the Artist
October 4 – Invisible Demons, directed by Rahul Jain | Viewfinders
October 5 – Pulse, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 6 – Diary of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero | George A. Romero: Double of the Dead
October 7 – Free Chol Soo Lee, directed by Eugene Yi,...
Check out the lineup below and get 30 days free here.
October 1 – Goodnight Mommy, directed by Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 2 – Van Gogh, directed by Maurice Pialat | I Don’t Like You Either: A Maurice Pialat Retrospective
October 3 – The Great Buster: A Celebration, directed by Peter Bogdanovich | Portrait of the Artist
October 4 – Invisible Demons, directed by Rahul Jain | Viewfinders
October 5 – Pulse, directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Thrills, Chills and Exquisite Horrors
October 6 – Diary of the Dead, directed by George A. Romero | George A. Romero: Double of the Dead
October 7 – Free Chol Soo Lee, directed by Eugene Yi,...
- 10/1/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
A despairing handwring of a film shows the effects of environmental crisis on India’s capital – with images as nightmarish as sci-fi
Environmental doom is coming: as the planet heats up, it’s all going to get much worse. Nothing new there – but, terrifyingly, this depressing snapshot of severe pollution in Delhi gives us a vision of apocalypse now. It’s a follow-up by Rahul Jain to another haunting documentary, Machines, about a Gujarat textile factory. Here he has captured some nightmarish images that genuinely look as if they could have been staged for a sci-fi film: patients in a hospital gasping into oxygen masks like victims of a chemical attack; streets engulfed by brown smog; waves of toxic white foam bobbing along a river.
This is a despairing handwring of a film. In a voiceover at the start Jain admits his own privilege, explaining that he “grew up in...
Environmental doom is coming: as the planet heats up, it’s all going to get much worse. Nothing new there – but, terrifyingly, this depressing snapshot of severe pollution in Delhi gives us a vision of apocalypse now. It’s a follow-up by Rahul Jain to another haunting documentary, Machines, about a Gujarat textile factory. Here he has captured some nightmarish images that genuinely look as if they could have been staged for a sci-fi film: patients in a hospital gasping into oxygen masks like victims of a chemical attack; streets engulfed by brown smog; waves of toxic white foam bobbing along a river.
This is a despairing handwring of a film. In a voiceover at the start Jain admits his own privilege, explaining that he “grew up in...
- 9/28/2022
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
"India had been projected to be the world's fastest growing economy… I wonder, who objectively benefits from this growth?" Mubi has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film from India titled Invisible Demons, which is opening in select cinemas in NYC this weekend. Emerging filmmaker Rahul Jain (also of Machines) directs this climate change exposé which was in the line-up at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. In the film, Jain returns to Delhi and explores the dramatic consequences of India's growing economy through stunning visuals, capturing not only a city in crisis but magnifying our collective climate realities. Reviews describe the film as: "Eye-opening. Rahul Jain pulls no punches about his homeland’s environmental crisis." Following up his work on Machines, this is yet another immersive / observation doc, that relies mainly on footage along with a few interviews to show us just how bad overpopulation is becoming and how it connects to the planet.
- 9/22/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Event runs September 22-27 in Malmo, Sweden.
The Nordisk Panorama Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries, which runs September 22-27 in Malmo, Sweden, will welcome more than 800 industry delegates, including a special delegation of seven director/producer teams from Ukraine.
The Ukrainian teams will present works in progress on September 25 to an invited group of international producers and decision-makers.
Scroll down for list of projects
While some of the projects of course cover the war– such as Olha Zhurba’s Displaced, and a disabled activist’s displacement during the war in Listening To The World; some of the other films are...
The Nordisk Panorama Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries, which runs September 22-27 in Malmo, Sweden, will welcome more than 800 industry delegates, including a special delegation of seven director/producer teams from Ukraine.
The Ukrainian teams will present works in progress on September 25 to an invited group of international producers and decision-makers.
Scroll down for list of projects
While some of the projects of course cover the war– such as Olha Zhurba’s Displaced, and a disabled activist’s displacement during the war in Listening To The World; some of the other films are...
- 9/2/2022
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
The cream of the current crop of young Indian documentary filmmakers were on fire during the annual Doc Day at the Cannes Film Market, discussing ways of expressing dissent within India’s current political dispensation.
Since 2014, India has been ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes” is showing as a special screening at the festival and previously won the documentary grand jury prize at Sundance. It follows Delhi-based Muslim brothers Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who, against the backdrop of the territory’s polluted atmosphere and escalating sectarian violence, devote their lives to saving the black kite bird species.
“I was absolutely certain that this film was not a snapshot of the current political moment; this film’s main interests were ecological and the human-bird relationship,” Sen said. “However, the last couple of years, especially in Delhi, have been chaotic, and it doesn...
Since 2014, India has been ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes” is showing as a special screening at the festival and previously won the documentary grand jury prize at Sundance. It follows Delhi-based Muslim brothers Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who, against the backdrop of the territory’s polluted atmosphere and escalating sectarian violence, devote their lives to saving the black kite bird species.
“I was absolutely certain that this film was not a snapshot of the current political moment; this film’s main interests were ecological and the human-bird relationship,” Sen said. “However, the last couple of years, especially in Delhi, have been chaotic, and it doesn...
- 5/24/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Docs sidebar of the Cannes Film Market has announced the lineup of its annual Doc Day, which takes place on May 24.
The day will open with a morning session dedicated to Acid Cannes 2022 title “Polaris,” described by organizers as “a creative and human journey interwoven with uncompromising, gentle and bold filmmaking by a woman filmmaker, set against the backdrop of the Arctic.” Entitled “A Producing Journey,” the session will bring together Marion Schmidt, the co-founder of Cannes Docs partner Dae (Documentary Association of Europe), director Ainara Vera and producers Clara Vuillermoz (Point du Jour – Les Films du Balibari) and Emile Hertling Péronard (Ánorâk Film).
The first half of the day will also feature a discussion between Polish director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland, president of the 2022 l’Œil d’or Jury and president of the European Film Academy, and Pauline Durand-Vialle, CEO of the Federation of European Film Directors.
The day will open with a morning session dedicated to Acid Cannes 2022 title “Polaris,” described by organizers as “a creative and human journey interwoven with uncompromising, gentle and bold filmmaking by a woman filmmaker, set against the backdrop of the Arctic.” Entitled “A Producing Journey,” the session will bring together Marion Schmidt, the co-founder of Cannes Docs partner Dae (Documentary Association of Europe), director Ainara Vera and producers Clara Vuillermoz (Point du Jour – Les Films du Balibari) and Emile Hertling Péronard (Ánorâk Film).
The first half of the day will also feature a discussion between Polish director and screenwriter Agnieszka Holland, president of the 2022 l’Œil d’or Jury and president of the European Film Academy, and Pauline Durand-Vialle, CEO of the Federation of European Film Directors.
- 5/13/2022
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
One of the most eye-opening developments of the last couple of years is certainly the way we have experienced the consequences of globalization, exploitation and, in general, the growing gap between the world’s populations in terms of wealth, opportunity and many other factors. While the pandemic and the immigration waves are perhaps just the proverbial tip of the iceberg, there are other, more subtle developments taking place, whose repercussions we have so implemented in our daily lives, that we have come to accept them as normal, even though they are not. In India, the idea of being the world’s fastest growing economy is one of these aforementioned developments whose consequences, from the most obvious to the more subtle ones, come to light little by little. In his exploration of his home country’s textile industry and its workers in his 2016 documentary “Machines”, director Rahul Jain continues his venture...
- 4/25/2022
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The 2022 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) announced the lineup of official selections for the 20th annual edition of the internationally acclaimed film festival, which will mark a return to in-person screenings and events this year. Including a Gala presentation of Pan Nalin’s Last Film Show, Iffla will showcase 26 films, including the world premiere of Anmol Sidhu’s Jaggi, and the North American premieres of Faraz Ali’s Shoebox and Natesh Hegde’s Pedro.
The landmark 20th Anniversary edition of Iffla will:
Inaugurate a Spotlight on South Asia sectionFeature a 20th Anniversary Shorts special program celebrating the festival’s history, with a pre-festival screening of Iffla alumni shorts highlighting films representing each year of the festival’s history with an in-theater co-presentation with NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla)Present a live script read previewing an Iffla alumnus’ next feature project, and Include the announcement of a filmmaker mentorship initiative...
The landmark 20th Anniversary edition of Iffla will:
Inaugurate a Spotlight on South Asia sectionFeature a 20th Anniversary Shorts special program celebrating the festival’s history, with a pre-festival screening of Iffla alumni shorts highlighting films representing each year of the festival’s history with an in-theater co-presentation with NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (Nfmla)Present a live script read previewing an Iffla alumnus’ next feature project, and Include the announcement of a filmmaker mentorship initiative...
- 3/31/2022
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
Mumbai Film Festival Considers Physical Screenings After Filmmakers’ Appeal to Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Updated: Filmmakers have a glimmer of hope after the Mumbai Film Festival said it would consider physical screenings, but did not make any promises.
“We feel the disappointment of the filmmakers,” a statement released by the festival board of trustees and team on Monday said. “We are working on a plan to manage a physical screening for films in our selection that do not screen in India in the near future. Whenever that is possible, we will get in touch and work with the filmmakers to make it happen.”
“But we do not, as we have said repeatedly, want to make promises we cannot keep. We have never requested any of our filmmakers to make choices in our favor or to hold back from whatever they feel is the best platform for their film and we do not want to do it now,” the statement added.
The statement also revealed...
“We feel the disappointment of the filmmakers,” a statement released by the festival board of trustees and team on Monday said. “We are working on a plan to manage a physical screening for films in our selection that do not screen in India in the near future. Whenever that is possible, we will get in touch and work with the filmmakers to make it happen.”
“But we do not, as we have said repeatedly, want to make promises we cannot keep. We have never requested any of our filmmakers to make choices in our favor or to hold back from whatever they feel is the best platform for their film and we do not want to do it now,” the statement added.
The statement also revealed...
- 2/28/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Update, 02/28, 05:30Am: Organizers of the Mumbai Film Festival (Mami) have responded to an open letter published last week by a collection of Indian filmmakers criticizing the decision to not hold physical screenings at this year’s event.
In a statement, the fest said they “feel the disappointment of the filmmakers” and that the move had been a “last resort”. They added that a key sponsor had pulled out of the event. Below is the statement in full.
“We feel the disappointment of the filmmakers. The last two years have been very hard on the filmmaking community. Similarly, we as an academy, all our benefactors, collaborators, and partners have also suffered. Amongst many things, we have had an associate sponsor discontinue their partnership with us. While that has put accumulating pressure on us, we also understand the difficulties of our partners.
“For us, cancelling an edition of the festival is the last resort.
In a statement, the fest said they “feel the disappointment of the filmmakers” and that the move had been a “last resort”. They added that a key sponsor had pulled out of the event. Below is the statement in full.
“We feel the disappointment of the filmmakers. The last two years have been very hard on the filmmaking community. Similarly, we as an academy, all our benefactors, collaborators, and partners have also suffered. Amongst many things, we have had an associate sponsor discontinue their partnership with us. While that has put accumulating pressure on us, we also understand the difficulties of our partners.
“For us, cancelling an edition of the festival is the last resort.
- 2/28/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s no scarcity of documentaries on climate change; at the most recent Cannes Film Festival there was even a new program strand entitled “Cinema for the Climate” just to keep up with this ever-expanding genre. It was there Rahul Jain unveiled Invisible Demons, which took viewers into the air polluted streets of Delhi, where heatwaves and rapid floods have become commonplace. It largely focused on a journalist’s attempts to get local politicians to address the crisis and make changes. Her attempts were, depressingly and unsurprisingly, futile.
Invisible Demons frequently came to mind throughout All That Breathes, Shaunak Sen’s powerful documentary looking at unspoken victims of Delhi’s crisis: the birds and other wildlife struggling to survive an increasingly hostile habitat. The twin issues of climate change and Delhi’s ensuing air pollution remain largely unspoken factors in Sen’s film, which in its best moments constructs elaborate...
Invisible Demons frequently came to mind throughout All That Breathes, Shaunak Sen’s powerful documentary looking at unspoken victims of Delhi’s crisis: the birds and other wildlife struggling to survive an increasingly hostile habitat. The twin issues of climate change and Delhi’s ensuing air pollution remain largely unspoken factors in Sen’s film, which in its best moments constructs elaborate...
- 1/25/2022
- by Alistair Ryder
- The Film Stage
Mubi has acquired rights to climate change documentary “Invisible Demons” and plans to release the film in select U.S. theaters and on the company’s streaming platform in 2022.
Directed by Rahul Jain, “Invisible Demons” premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and later played at the Zurich Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. The movie will have its U.S. premiere at Doc NYC in November.
“Invisible Demons” shines a light on the increasingly urgent global climate crisis. Mubi, which functions as a streaming service, a film distributor and a production company, says the film offers new perspective on the clear and present climate realities. A press release about the movie reads: “Told through striking images and eye-opening accounts from everyday citizens fighting to survive, ‘Invisible Demons’ offers a new perspective on the clear and present climate reality. The film delivers a visceral and immersive journey...
Directed by Rahul Jain, “Invisible Demons” premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and later played at the Zurich Film Festival and the BFI London Film Festival. The movie will have its U.S. premiere at Doc NYC in November.
“Invisible Demons” shines a light on the increasingly urgent global climate crisis. Mubi, which functions as a streaming service, a film distributor and a production company, says the film offers new perspective on the clear and present climate realities. A press release about the movie reads: “Told through striking images and eye-opening accounts from everyday citizens fighting to survive, ‘Invisible Demons’ offers a new perspective on the clear and present climate reality. The film delivers a visceral and immersive journey...
- 11/3/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The 65th BFI London Film Festival (Lff) in partnership with American Express today announced the full 2021 programme line-up that will be presented both in cinemas and virtually, incorporating some of the most popular elements of the successful 2020 edition into the full large-scale festival model.
Over 12 days from 6 to 17 October, flagship venue BFI Southbank and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, the Lff gala venue for 2021, will make London’s South Bank one of two London hubs at the heart of the film festival experience. Films will also screen in a number of cinemas in London’s West End, with a selection of films at 10 venues in cities and towns across the UK. Audiences will enjoy a rich and varied programme of fiction, documentary, animation, artists’ moving image, short film, restored classics from the world’s archives as well as programmes of exciting international works made in immersive and episodic forms.
Over 12 days from 6 to 17 October, flagship venue BFI Southbank and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, the Lff gala venue for 2021, will make London’s South Bank one of two London hubs at the heart of the film festival experience. Films will also screen in a number of cinemas in London’s West End, with a selection of films at 10 venues in cities and towns across the UK. Audiences will enjoy a rich and varied programme of fiction, documentary, animation, artists’ moving image, short film, restored classics from the world’s archives as well as programmes of exciting international works made in immersive and episodic forms.
- 9/8/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The 65 British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival has unveiled its full program and the headline galas include several films that have been gaining fame recently.
Among the galas are Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer,” with Kristen Stewart; Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” with Benedict Cumberbatch; Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard,” with Will Smith; and Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” featuring a host of stars including Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton and Léa Seydoux.
The galas also include Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta,” Eva Husson’s “Mothering Sunday,” Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir: Part II” and Sarah Smith and Jean Philippe-Vine’s “Ron’s Gone Wrong.”
Special presentations include Clio Barnard’s “Ali & Ava,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria,” Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” Jacques Audiard’s “Paris, 13th District,...
Among the galas are Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer,” with Kristen Stewart; Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” with Benedict Cumberbatch; Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard,” with Will Smith; and Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” featuring a host of stars including Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton and Léa Seydoux.
The galas also include Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta,” Eva Husson’s “Mothering Sunday,” Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir: Part II” and Sarah Smith and Jean Philippe-Vine’s “Ron’s Gone Wrong.”
Special presentations include Clio Barnard’s “Ali & Ava,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria,” Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” Jacques Audiard’s “Paris, 13th District,...
- 9/7/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Progress is judged on industrialisation, comments one factory owner in Invisible Demons. Perhaps trying to throw his interviewer - director Rahul Jain - some optimism, he suggests nature will correct it, the implication being that the impact of pollution will eventually be rendered insignificant.
It’s safe to say that Jain doesn’t agree. In this follow-up to 2017’s Machines, he turns his attention to Delhi, a city regularly ranked as one of the world’s most polluted, and one struggling to meet the challenges of climate change. Punctuated by reports from Indian broadcaster Ndtv that are utilised for ominous ambience as well as their factual portent, these transmissions ground the film in a sobering reality, but the film’s most powerful moments are almost entirely visual.
Invincible Demons is a film that understands the aesthetic appeal of environmental abuse, but it doesn’t titillate with images of eco-collapse or...
It’s safe to say that Jain doesn’t agree. In this follow-up to 2017’s Machines, he turns his attention to Delhi, a city regularly ranked as one of the world’s most polluted, and one struggling to meet the challenges of climate change. Punctuated by reports from Indian broadcaster Ndtv that are utilised for ominous ambience as well as their factual portent, these transmissions ground the film in a sobering reality, but the film’s most powerful moments are almost entirely visual.
Invincible Demons is a film that understands the aesthetic appeal of environmental abuse, but it doesn’t titillate with images of eco-collapse or...
- 7/19/2021
- by Sunil Chauhan
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Indian filmmaker Rahul Jain, whose new film “Invisible Demons” has its world premiere at Cannes in the cinema for the climate special section, is prepping “Falling Star,” a limited fiction series.
Jain is developing the series, which is likely to consist of six or seven one-hour episodes, via his Jann Pictures. It will see him reunite with Heino Deckert’s Ma.Ja.De. FilmProduktion, who co-produced “Invisible Demons.”
The series was born out of Jain’s ongoing obsession with the concept of Anthropocene, a reference to the current geological age, during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Jain’s specific target is the smartphone.
“Tt was my biggest desire to find a way to tell a story by which a sixth grader can tell you how a smartphone is made — from the mines of Congo to a technology store,” Jain tells Variety. “I...
Jain is developing the series, which is likely to consist of six or seven one-hour episodes, via his Jann Pictures. It will see him reunite with Heino Deckert’s Ma.Ja.De. FilmProduktion, who co-produced “Invisible Demons.”
The series was born out of Jain’s ongoing obsession with the concept of Anthropocene, a reference to the current geological age, during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. Jain’s specific target is the smartphone.
“Tt was my biggest desire to find a way to tell a story by which a sixth grader can tell you how a smartphone is made — from the mines of Congo to a technology store,” Jain tells Variety. “I...
- 7/11/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Indian filmmaker Rahul Jain followed up his debut doc, “Machines,” with “Invisible Demons,” about the pollution in New Delhi. The film, which will play in Cannes’ inaugural Cinema for the Climate, will be represented for international sales by Participant and MK2 Films. Jain was in the German countryside trying to find “inspiration in nature” when he spoke to Variety.
• What inspired you to make a movie about Delhi’s pollution?
After “Machines,” I had a downward slump, I didn’t know what to say. For six, seven months there’s this intermediary period when you almost feel worthless as an artist. I feel drained, sure. You see in some of the filmmakers I look up to, I see in their trajectory they have one idea lined up next to the other one. But I didn’t plan anything like that. I went to Bhutan for a month and I was...
• What inspired you to make a movie about Delhi’s pollution?
After “Machines,” I had a downward slump, I didn’t know what to say. For six, seven months there’s this intermediary period when you almost feel worthless as an artist. I feel drained, sure. You see in some of the filmmakers I look up to, I see in their trajectory they have one idea lined up next to the other one. But I didn’t plan anything like that. I went to Bhutan for a month and I was...
- 7/10/2021
- by Shalini Dore
- Variety Film + TV
MK2, the venerable family-owned film group which operates a leading arthouse multiplex chain in France and Spain, is emerging from the pandemic stronger, cooler and more ambitious than ever.
Nathanaël and Elisha Karmitz, who succeeded their father Marin at the helm of the company in 2005, have galvanized the MK2 brand with activities ranging from films, art, publishing, technology and lifestyle. The common threads between all these ventures are a taste for singularity, curation and a socially-minded approach.
After scoring big at Cannes in 2019 with Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” and Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” which competed and won prizes, MK2 Films will again boast a fairly large presence for the festival’s comeback edition with nine films across several selections, including the competition with Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World,” the new Cannes Premiere section with Andrea Arnold’s “Cow,” Un Certain Regard...
Nathanaël and Elisha Karmitz, who succeeded their father Marin at the helm of the company in 2005, have galvanized the MK2 brand with activities ranging from films, art, publishing, technology and lifestyle. The common threads between all these ventures are a taste for singularity, curation and a socially-minded approach.
After scoring big at Cannes in 2019 with Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” and Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” which competed and won prizes, MK2 Films will again boast a fairly large presence for the festival’s comeback edition with nine films across several selections, including the competition with Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World,” the new Cannes Premiere section with Andrea Arnold’s “Cow,” Un Certain Regard...
- 7/2/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Participant and French sales agent MK2 Films have teamed up to jointly represent worldwide rights to Rahul Jain’s documentary feature “Invisible Demons.” The feature film will have its world premiere at Cannes in the cinema for the climate special section.
In “Invisible Demons,” Jain explores the dramatic consequences of India’s growing economy and what it means on the broader world stage.
Using Jain’s experimental style and strong visuals, the documentary zooms in on the situation in New Delhi, where climate change is impacting the daily lives and health of 30 million locals.
Set for July 12, the premiere will mark the Cannes debut of Jain, a rising filmmaking who made his critically acclaimed debut feature with “Machines,” which won Sundance’s best cinematography award in 2017. “Machines” went on to nab 17 international awards at more than 160 festivals.
Rob Williams, Participant’s VP of content sales, and Fionnuala Jamison, MK2 Films’ MD,...
In “Invisible Demons,” Jain explores the dramatic consequences of India’s growing economy and what it means on the broader world stage.
Using Jain’s experimental style and strong visuals, the documentary zooms in on the situation in New Delhi, where climate change is impacting the daily lives and health of 30 million locals.
Set for July 12, the premiere will mark the Cannes debut of Jain, a rising filmmaking who made his critically acclaimed debut feature with “Machines,” which won Sundance’s best cinematography award in 2017. “Machines” went on to nab 17 international awards at more than 160 festivals.
Rob Williams, Participant’s VP of content sales, and Fionnuala Jamison, MK2 Films’ MD,...
- 6/25/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Rahul Jain explores impact of Indian economy on climate.
Participant and French sales agent mk2 Films have teamed up to represent worldwide rights on Rahul Jain’s documentary Invisible Demons ahead of its premiere in Cannes’ Cinema For The Climate sidebar.
Jain explores the consequences of India’s growing economy on the climate and profiles a city in crisis while reflecting on the broader global picture.
Participant co-financed and served as executive producer on Invisible Demons, which Toinen Katse and Ma.Ja.De. FilmProduktion produced with support from Fff-Mdm-Yle-avek. Individual producers are Iikka Vehkalahti and Heino Deckert.
Participant and French sales agent mk2 Films have teamed up to represent worldwide rights on Rahul Jain’s documentary Invisible Demons ahead of its premiere in Cannes’ Cinema For The Climate sidebar.
Jain explores the consequences of India’s growing economy on the climate and profiles a city in crisis while reflecting on the broader global picture.
Participant co-financed and served as executive producer on Invisible Demons, which Toinen Katse and Ma.Ja.De. FilmProduktion produced with support from Fff-Mdm-Yle-avek. Individual producers are Iikka Vehkalahti and Heino Deckert.
- 6/25/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Rahul Jain explores impact of Indian economy on climate.
Participant and French sales agent mk2 Films have teamed up to represent worldwide rights on Rahul Jain’s documentary Invisible Demons ahead of its premiere in Cannes’ Cinema For The Climate sidebar.
Jain explores the consequences of India’s growing economy on the climate and profiles a city in crisis while reflecting on the broader global picture.
Participant co-financed and served as executive producer on Invisible Demons, which Toinen Katse and Ma.Ja.De. FilmProduktion produced with support from Fff-Mdm-Yle-avek. Individual producers are Iikka Vehkalahti and Heino Deckert.
Participant and French sales agent mk2 Films have teamed up to represent worldwide rights on Rahul Jain’s documentary Invisible Demons ahead of its premiere in Cannes’ Cinema For The Climate sidebar.
Jain explores the consequences of India’s growing economy on the climate and profiles a city in crisis while reflecting on the broader global picture.
Participant co-financed and served as executive producer on Invisible Demons, which Toinen Katse and Ma.Ja.De. FilmProduktion produced with support from Fff-Mdm-Yle-avek. Individual producers are Iikka Vehkalahti and Heino Deckert.
- 6/25/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Cannes Film Festival has added seven films addressing environmental concerns to its 2021 line-up.
“La Croisade” by actor-director Louis Garrel, stars himself, Laetitia Casta and Joseph Engel. It was co-written by legendary screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière who died last year. The festival describes the film as: “A fiction in which the children take the reins to protect the planet. A tale of anticipation equally urgent, funny and charming. A story about the alienation of adults from the concerns of children who want to save themselves.”
In “Marcher sur l’eau”, filmed in a village in Niger, director Aïssa Maïga follows a little girl who, while waiting for a well to be built, must travel several kilometres for water every day. The film also explores the question of whether access to water co-relates with access to education for girls in Sub-Saharan African countries.
From India, Rahul Jain, director of Sundance-winning documentary “Machines” (2016), returns with “Invisible Demons,...
“La Croisade” by actor-director Louis Garrel, stars himself, Laetitia Casta and Joseph Engel. It was co-written by legendary screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière who died last year. The festival describes the film as: “A fiction in which the children take the reins to protect the planet. A tale of anticipation equally urgent, funny and charming. A story about the alienation of adults from the concerns of children who want to save themselves.”
In “Marcher sur l’eau”, filmed in a village in Niger, director Aïssa Maïga follows a little girl who, while waiting for a well to be built, must travel several kilometres for water every day. The film also explores the question of whether access to water co-relates with access to education for girls in Sub-Saharan African countries.
From India, Rahul Jain, director of Sundance-winning documentary “Machines” (2016), returns with “Invisible Demons,...
- 6/18/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Six documentaries also selected for the festival’s inaugural environmental strand.
The Cannes Film Festival has revealed the seven titles selected for its first ‘cinema for the climate’ section – part of a new focus by the festival to address environmental issues.
Comprised of one scripted film and six documentaries, the selection is led by comedy The Crusade, by French actor and filmmaker Louis Garrel.
The film revisits the family unit of his 2018 feature A Faithful Man and sees Garrel star opposite Laetitia Casta as a couple who discover their teenage son has been secretly selling the family possessions to fund an ecological project in Africa.
The Cannes Film Festival has revealed the seven titles selected for its first ‘cinema for the climate’ section – part of a new focus by the festival to address environmental issues.
Comprised of one scripted film and six documentaries, the selection is led by comedy The Crusade, by French actor and filmmaker Louis Garrel.
The film revisits the family unit of his 2018 feature A Faithful Man and sees Garrel star opposite Laetitia Casta as a couple who discover their teenage son has been secretly selling the family possessions to fund an ecological project in Africa.
- 6/18/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Mumbai, May 16 (Ians) "Balika Vadhu" fame actress Avika Gor will be seen in the music video "Dil ko mere", which is slated to drop on May 17. She says the track, which also stars Aadil Khan in the video, has nostalgic value.
"Aadil and I have great chemistry and I think it's evident in the music video. Our director and crew have done a marvelous job. The music is melodious and everyone would love to hear it on repeat," Avika gushed about her upcoming project.
She added: "It has that nostalgic value. During such difficult times, it would be an honour if I can bring any form of entertainment to the audience. I urge everyone to follow all SOPs and there can be no slip-ups. We have to fight together as a nation and we will defeat the virus."
Rahul Jain has composed and sung the song, written by Vandana Khandelwal.
"Aadil and I have great chemistry and I think it's evident in the music video. Our director and crew have done a marvelous job. The music is melodious and everyone would love to hear it on repeat," Avika gushed about her upcoming project.
She added: "It has that nostalgic value. During such difficult times, it would be an honour if I can bring any form of entertainment to the audience. I urge everyone to follow all SOPs and there can be no slip-ups. We have to fight together as a nation and we will defeat the virus."
Rahul Jain has composed and sung the song, written by Vandana Khandelwal.
- 5/18/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Mumbai, March 6: Actress Elli AvRam stars in the new music video Fidaai, which dropped on Saturday, alongside dancer-choreographer Salman Yusuff Khan. She recalls a particularly challenging shoot to bring alive the Latino moves in the song.
"It was a very tough shoot. I ended up shooting for 24 hours non-stop, with only 30 minutes of lunch break - something I never knew I could be capable of doing! I genuinely worked very hard to nail this choreography," said Elli.
"Fidaai" is sung by sung by Rahul Jain, and the video is directed and choreographed by Saurabh Prajapati.
"I sat with Saurabh, the director, and discussed the dress that I'm wearing. It's very different from what you usually see for contemporary or Latin dance. I wanted a little fairy tale look which is also very bohemian - very artistic yet Asian fusion. I wanted to look like Nature, as it stands for nurturing,...
"It was a very tough shoot. I ended up shooting for 24 hours non-stop, with only 30 minutes of lunch break - something I never knew I could be capable of doing! I genuinely worked very hard to nail this choreography," said Elli.
"Fidaai" is sung by sung by Rahul Jain, and the video is directed and choreographed by Saurabh Prajapati.
"I sat with Saurabh, the director, and discussed the dress that I'm wearing. It's very different from what you usually see for contemporary or Latin dance. I wanted a little fairy tale look which is also very bohemian - very artistic yet Asian fusion. I wanted to look like Nature, as it stands for nurturing,...
- 3/6/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Mumbai, Jan 6 (Ians) Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik says the song Jug jug jiyo captures the essence of his forthcoming film Kaagaz, and will leave everyone filled with hope.
The song talks of not backing down in face of adversity and reaching goals. The song has vocals by Rahul Jain, who has also composed it on lyrics by Aseem Ahmed Abbasee and Kunal Vermaa.
Talking about the song, Kaushik said: "This song had come to my mind two years ago and I asked Rahul Jain, an upcoming composer, to create an inspiring song for Bharat Lal Mritak's struggle to prove he was alive. I suggested the phrase 'Jug jug jiyo' and he came up with this excellent tune. 'Jug jug jiyo' leaves you with hope -- something I wish the audience will also take back after watching the film," he added.
Featuring Pankaj Tripathi in the lead role, the film revolves around...
The song talks of not backing down in face of adversity and reaching goals. The song has vocals by Rahul Jain, who has also composed it on lyrics by Aseem Ahmed Abbasee and Kunal Vermaa.
Talking about the song, Kaushik said: "This song had come to my mind two years ago and I asked Rahul Jain, an upcoming composer, to create an inspiring song for Bharat Lal Mritak's struggle to prove he was alive. I suggested the phrase 'Jug jug jiyo' and he came up with this excellent tune. 'Jug jug jiyo' leaves you with hope -- something I wish the audience will also take back after watching the film," he added.
Featuring Pankaj Tripathi in the lead role, the film revolves around...
- 1/6/2021
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
Actor Sooraj Pancholi and Brazilian actress-model Larissa Bonesi, who is his "dear friend", aim to raise the heat in a new romantic video.
The song "Dim dim light" has been sung and composed by Rahul Jain, and shot in London. This will be the latest in a line of music videos released by actor Jackky Bhagnani's music label Jjust Music.
Also Read:?Sooraj Pancholi's 'Satellite Shankar' gets a release date
The label earlier released the festive song "Choodiyan", featuring Jackky and international dancing sensation Dytto.
About shooting the video of "Dim dim light", Sooraj said: "The experience of shooting for a music video is very different from that of a film and at times, even more challenging. Jackky is a dear friend and an extremely intelligent entrepreneur, with a strong understanding of music."
"When he told me about his passion project, Jjust Music, I told him I...
The song "Dim dim light" has been sung and composed by Rahul Jain, and shot in London. This will be the latest in a line of music videos released by actor Jackky Bhagnani's music label Jjust Music.
Also Read:?Sooraj Pancholi's 'Satellite Shankar' gets a release date
The label earlier released the festive song "Choodiyan", featuring Jackky and international dancing sensation Dytto.
About shooting the video of "Dim dim light", Sooraj said: "The experience of shooting for a music video is very different from that of a film and at times, even more challenging. Jackky is a dear friend and an extremely intelligent entrepreneur, with a strong understanding of music."
"When he told me about his passion project, Jjust Music, I told him I...
- 10/17/2019
- GlamSham
The makers of the film "Fastey Fasaatey" ?have released three songs of their film. Audio of all the songs of the film "Fastey Fasaatey" ?are Savera, Kyun Ek Pal Mein and Dramebaazi Saari which are now available on all music platforms.?
The music of the film will take you on a lovely ride and make you want to listen to the songs on loop, melodious, fun and addictive are synonyms to the songs. While one of the songs sound very party like, the other one will keep you company if you are nursing a broken heart. The third song is high on its romantic richness which will strike the right codes with the audience.?
?Savera? is sung, directed and wriiten by Arko. Savera is programmed and arranged by Aditya Dev. ?The musical rhytms of guitars is contributed by Mayukh Sarkar. The beautiful mix and master is credited on the super talented Aditya Dev.
The music of the film will take you on a lovely ride and make you want to listen to the songs on loop, melodious, fun and addictive are synonyms to the songs. While one of the songs sound very party like, the other one will keep you company if you are nursing a broken heart. The third song is high on its romantic richness which will strike the right codes with the audience.?
?Savera? is sung, directed and wriiten by Arko. Savera is programmed and arranged by Aditya Dev. ?The musical rhytms of guitars is contributed by Mayukh Sarkar. The beautiful mix and master is credited on the super talented Aditya Dev.
- 6/3/2019
- GlamSham
With the advent of the industrial age, machines have played a central role in developing new industries, even new ideas. Many looked forward to people working lesser hours, expecting the machines to do most of the work. What many did not anticipate is that people would become moving parts in the machines. That they would be toiling away for long hours without breaks, to make sure the engine of modern civilization is ticking away without any hiccups. Even in the twenty-first century, there are still many places where workers toil away for little pay and little to no breaks. “Machines”, a documentary released in 2016 and directed by Rahul Jain offers us a window into this world.
The documentary opens with workers toiling away in a mill. The state of the mill is dilapidated, with the workers looking no better. Some are moving bundles of clothes while others...
The documentary opens with workers toiling away in a mill. The state of the mill is dilapidated, with the workers looking no better. Some are moving bundles of clothes while others...
- 4/24/2019
- by Anand Singh
- AsianMoviePulse
When “Machines” director Rahul Jain was growing up in India, he spent plenty of time as a child in his grandfather’s small textile factory. When Jain started making what would become his first film during his breaks from Cal Arts many years later, he knew he wanted to capture some of those mesmerizing sounds and visuals.
“There was a big sensory soup in my consciousness I was chasing,” he told IndieWire Special Projects Editor Steve Greene following a showing of his film about the goings on of a massive textile factory in Gujarat, India, at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series.
Of course, it took some time to figure out how to do that.
Read More:How ‘La 92’ Directors Sorted Through 1,700 Hours of Footage for Their Sobering Film
“When you’re in such a sensorially rich and stimulating environment, as a director you kind of feel like you should get everything,...
“There was a big sensory soup in my consciousness I was chasing,” he told IndieWire Special Projects Editor Steve Greene following a showing of his film about the goings on of a massive textile factory in Gujarat, India, at the International Documentary Association’s annual screening series.
Of course, it took some time to figure out how to do that.
Read More:How ‘La 92’ Directors Sorted Through 1,700 Hours of Footage for Their Sobering Film
“When you’re in such a sensorially rich and stimulating environment, as a director you kind of feel like you should get everything,...
- 12/8/2017
- by Jean Bentley
- Indiewire
Netflix’s latest offering is a true nightmare before Christmas — and that’s a good thing. “El Camino Christmas,” available to stream on Friday, Dec. 8, tells the story of a drifter (played by “Fifty Shades of Grey”‘s Luke Grimes) whose arrival in a sleepy California town sets off a chain of chaotic events, culminating in a fatal hostage situation at a liquor store. As the madness unfolds, countless lives — including those of a single mother (played by Letterkenny’s Michelle Mylett) and her young, introverted son — are changed forever.
In case it wasn’t already clear, this isn’t your typical comedy — and it’s definitely not your typical Christmas movie. The unconventional story, which also stars Dax Shepard and Vincent D’Onofrio as a pair of bumbling cops with absolutely no business wielding pistols, takes pride in bucking conventions at every turn, of which there are many.
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In case it wasn’t already clear, this isn’t your typical comedy — and it’s definitely not your typical Christmas movie. The unconventional story, which also stars Dax Shepard and Vincent D’Onofrio as a pair of bumbling cops with absolutely no business wielding pistols, takes pride in bucking conventions at every turn, of which there are many.
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- 12/8/2017
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
Last year’s dozen selections included Rahul Jain’s Machines (World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award), Adam Sobel’s The Workers Cup and Feras Fayyad’s searing World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary winning Last Men in Aleppo.
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- 11/30/2017
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Pop Aye, a comedic drama from Singapore filmmaker Kirsten Tan, has won the top prize of best international feature film at the 13th Zurich International Film Festival.
The feature is an unconventional road trip that follows a disheartened architect who leaves the city and travels across the country, accompanied by an elephant (called Popeye) he adopts along the way.
Pop Aye premiered in the World Drama section at Sundance and was selected by Singapore to represent the country in the foreign language category of the 2018 Oscars.
Rahul Jain's Machines,...
The feature is an unconventional road trip that follows a disheartened architect who leaves the city and travels across the country, accompanied by an elephant (called Popeye) he adopts along the way.
Pop Aye premiered in the World Drama section at Sundance and was selected by Singapore to represent the country in the foreign language category of the 2018 Oscars.
Rahul Jain's Machines,...
- 10/9/2017
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A spare and unflinching documentary about the true cost of cheap textiles, “Machines” doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know about the inhumane work conditions in countries like India, but it forces us to become palpably familiar with the awful facts of the matter. Applying a hyper-visceral vérité approach to a subject that might sound better suited to an infomercial, Rahul Jain’s debut feature is engineered to demolish the barrier between empathy and action, to narrow the distance between slaves and consumers.
This is a film that targets your heart, but works its way there through your senses rather than your sentiments. It doesn’t simply tell you how brutal it is to work 80-hour weeks while earning $100 a month, it forces you to to squint in the darkness of a windowless factory, to smell the aroma of dried sweat and motor oil, to feel the...
This is a film that targets your heart, but works its way there through your senses rather than your sentiments. It doesn’t simply tell you how brutal it is to work 80-hour weeks while earning $100 a month, it forces you to to squint in the darkness of a windowless factory, to smell the aroma of dried sweat and motor oil, to feel the...
- 8/11/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Rahul Jain’s Machines is definitely a case of quality over quantity. At only 70 minutes long, you would hope it is. This often medatative experience is a glimpse inside the little-seen world of the Indian textile industry, albeit one that never hides the grim realities. It makes stunning use of Rodrigo Trejo Villanueva’s camera, which captures images of striking colour explosions juxtaposed against the soot and the decay of a factory in India’s Gujarat region where workers stave off sleep across 12-hour shifts for $3 a day.
Machines’ title referring to both the steel and metal machines that hum and rattle throughout the confined factory as well as the human machines who operate them, working like wind-up toys performing the same robotic, repetitive movements over and over and over again. We see the detail that goes into producing the fabrics that clothe one billion people including the almost rhythmic...
Machines’ title referring to both the steel and metal machines that hum and rattle throughout the confined factory as well as the human machines who operate them, working like wind-up toys performing the same robotic, repetitive movements over and over and over again. We see the detail that goes into producing the fabrics that clothe one billion people including the almost rhythmic...
- 8/8/2017
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Navigating the sea of weathered faced laborers pulling in twelve-hour work shifts, Rahul Jain embraces the cinéma vérité aesthetic to relay a real time humanitarian crisis in the factories of India.
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- 8/7/2017
- by Matthew Roe
- IONCINEMA.com
Winner of the Special Jury Award for Cinematography at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, Rahul Jain’s debut film Machines is a documentary that beautifully depicts process and the juxtaposition of the workers that make it happen. Ahead of a release next week, Kino Lorber have released the first trailer which previews this look at a textile factory in India, a $40 billion industry.
“The most pointed question asked by Rahul Jain’s documentary Machines comes from the camera,” we said in our review. “By showing us the gigantic textile spools, looms, and washers with only their rhythmic clanks, booms, and bangs opposite the Indian workers applying dyes, mixing chemicals, and ensuring there are no jams to the same sounds, we must wonder which are the “machines” of the title. This is an assembly line of ancient metal units kept moving by a revolving door of migrant workers that start at the...
“The most pointed question asked by Rahul Jain’s documentary Machines comes from the camera,” we said in our review. “By showing us the gigantic textile spools, looms, and washers with only their rhythmic clanks, booms, and bangs opposite the Indian workers applying dyes, mixing chemicals, and ensuring there are no jams to the same sounds, we must wonder which are the “machines” of the title. This is an assembly line of ancient metal units kept moving by a revolving door of migrant workers that start at the...
- 8/1/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Rahul Jain’s film takes us into the hazardous, punishing heart of the global textile industry
Rahul Jain’s astonishing debut feature is a documentary with no voiceover, no text inserts and no musical score. Instead, the dizzying tale of a textile factory in India’s Gujarat region, and the workers who spend 12-hour shifts earning the equivalent of $3 a day there, is told through its ecosystem of machines. These steel contraptions are a dull, concrete grey, not the slick silver you might expect. They clunk and click and whirr, pleating seemingly endless waterfalls of translucent fabric, slicing and sheeting the material.
It’s hypnotic, Jain’s camera smooth but free as it travels the factory’s bowels and observes its balletic processes. Soon, though, Jain reminds us that the grace and dexterity of human hands is needed to operate the factory apparatus, to ensure dye doesn’t drip and fabric doesn’t catch.
Rahul Jain’s astonishing debut feature is a documentary with no voiceover, no text inserts and no musical score. Instead, the dizzying tale of a textile factory in India’s Gujarat region, and the workers who spend 12-hour shifts earning the equivalent of $3 a day there, is told through its ecosystem of machines. These steel contraptions are a dull, concrete grey, not the slick silver you might expect. They clunk and click and whirr, pleating seemingly endless waterfalls of translucent fabric, slicing and sheeting the material.
It’s hypnotic, Jain’s camera smooth but free as it travels the factory’s bowels and observes its balletic processes. Soon, though, Jain reminds us that the grace and dexterity of human hands is needed to operate the factory apparatus, to ensure dye doesn’t drip and fabric doesn’t catch.
- 5/21/2017
- by Simran Hans
- The Guardian - Film News
Anne Hathaway stars in an indie comedy cum monster movie, while Rahul Jain’s documentary exposes Dickensian labour conditions in an Indian textile factory
“Needs to sort her life out” indie comedy meets sci-fi monster movie? It’s hardly a genre match made in heaven, but this refreshing oddity should silence anyone complaining it’s all superheroes and franchises these days. Anne Hathaway is at her most likable as a waster whose personal crises are somehow connected to a Godzilla-like kaiju that’s stomping Seoul. Why? How? What?
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“Needs to sort her life out” indie comedy meets sci-fi monster movie? It’s hardly a genre match made in heaven, but this refreshing oddity should silence anyone complaining it’s all superheroes and franchises these days. Anne Hathaway is at her most likable as a waster whose personal crises are somehow connected to a Godzilla-like kaiju that’s stomping Seoul. Why? How? What?
Continue reading...
- 5/19/2017
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
With the mystery and potency of a dream, Rahul Jain’s documentary focuses on conditions in the factories of Gujurat, many of which supply clothes to the west
Rahul Jain’s brief, fierce documentary feature Machines is about the people who work in the textile factories of Gujurat, India. Its images often have the mystery and potency of a dream. Jain’s work reminded me of the Austrian documentarian Nikolaus Geyrhalter; at other times, I found myself thinking of Chaplin twitching on the production line in Modern Times.
The title is well chosen. The bodies of the workers look naked and vulnerable, and yet they have become part of the machines, part of the process. The relentless rhythms of the work are captured. It looks soul-destroying – particularly in one grim shot of a boy almost falling asleep while doing some mind-crushingly repetitive task. Later, another is shown asleep on top of piles of cloth,...
Rahul Jain’s brief, fierce documentary feature Machines is about the people who work in the textile factories of Gujurat, India. Its images often have the mystery and potency of a dream. Jain’s work reminded me of the Austrian documentarian Nikolaus Geyrhalter; at other times, I found myself thinking of Chaplin twitching on the production line in Modern Times.
The title is well chosen. The bodies of the workers look naked and vulnerable, and yet they have become part of the machines, part of the process. The relentless rhythms of the work are captured. It looks soul-destroying – particularly in one grim shot of a boy almost falling asleep while doing some mind-crushingly repetitive task. Later, another is shown asleep on top of piles of cloth,...
- 5/19/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s over but it opened L.A.’s newest spring season of unlimited international film screenings all over the city throughout the month of April and into Cannes.
The 15th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) opened with “Lipstick Under My Burkha” and its impressive ensemble cast of Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur in a dramatic, but irreverent and vibrant film about women and faith. The film premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival 2016 and has been lighting up the festival circuit, including just winning the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival. Director Alankrita Shrivastava is confirmed to attend and additional talent to be confirmed.
“Lipstick Under My Burkha”
Iffla concluded on April 9 with a red carpet and gala that featured the Los Angeles premiere of Shubhashish Bhutiani’s “Hotel Salvation” starring Adil Hussain who was in attendance, as well as the...
The 15th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) opened with “Lipstick Under My Burkha” and its impressive ensemble cast of Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur in a dramatic, but irreverent and vibrant film about women and faith. The film premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival 2016 and has been lighting up the festival circuit, including just winning the Audience Award at the Glasgow Film Festival. Director Alankrita Shrivastava is confirmed to attend and additional talent to be confirmed.
“Lipstick Under My Burkha”
Iffla concluded on April 9 with a red carpet and gala that featured the Los Angeles premiere of Shubhashish Bhutiani’s “Hotel Salvation” starring Adil Hussain who was in attendance, as well as the...
- 4/21/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Danish doc examines Chinese-inflated property boom.
Danish project Dream Empire won the top prize at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival, which wrapped yesterday (12 March).
Director David Borenstein’s film about the inflated economic and real estate boom in China won the Golden Alexander award and a 5,000 Euros prize.
Produced by House of Real, the film is sold by Gunpowder and Sky Distribution (Us).
The Special Jury award and 2000 Euros went to the Indian, German, Finnish co-production Machines by Rahul Jain.
The film examines a huge giant textile factory in India and the human cost of mass production in a globalised world.
Produced by the director’s Jan Pictures, Pallas Film and IV Films and sold by Autlook Film Sales (Germany), the film was also the recipient of the Fipresci award.
A Special Mention went to the Greek, Belgian. Austrian co-production Shingal, Where Are You where director Angelos Rallis told the story of Yezidi refugees fleeing the Isis...
Danish project Dream Empire won the top prize at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival, which wrapped yesterday (12 March).
Director David Borenstein’s film about the inflated economic and real estate boom in China won the Golden Alexander award and a 5,000 Euros prize.
Produced by House of Real, the film is sold by Gunpowder and Sky Distribution (Us).
The Special Jury award and 2000 Euros went to the Indian, German, Finnish co-production Machines by Rahul Jain.
The film examines a huge giant textile factory in India and the human cost of mass production in a globalised world.
Produced by the director’s Jan Pictures, Pallas Film and IV Films and sold by Autlook Film Sales (Germany), the film was also the recipient of the Fipresci award.
A Special Mention went to the Greek, Belgian. Austrian co-production Shingal, Where Are You where director Angelos Rallis told the story of Yezidi refugees fleeing the Isis...
- 3/13/2017
- by alexisgrivas@yahoo.com (Alexis Grivas)
- ScreenDaily
Throughout the year, film festivals pop up across the country highlighting everything from future Oscar nominees like Sundance or Toronto, to avant garde works that will likely make waves on the art scene, like Ann Arbor or Locarno. And that’s no different for non-fiction cinema.
One of the most intriguing festivals looking at documentary cinema is now nearing its conclusion, and has brought to light some truly superlative pieces of work. At NYC’s Museum of Modern Art, the museum’s latest installment of their Doc Fortnight series is about to conclude, and has included some great documentaries both new and old.
Opening the festival is one of its greatest discoveries. Entitled Machines, the film marks its New York premiere as part of this series, and is the debut film from documentarian Rahul Jain. An Indian/German/Finnish co-production, Machines centers around a large textile factory in Gujarat, India...
One of the most intriguing festivals looking at documentary cinema is now nearing its conclusion, and has brought to light some truly superlative pieces of work. At NYC’s Museum of Modern Art, the museum’s latest installment of their Doc Fortnight series is about to conclude, and has included some great documentaries both new and old.
Opening the festival is one of its greatest discoveries. Entitled Machines, the film marks its New York premiere as part of this series, and is the debut film from documentarian Rahul Jain. An Indian/German/Finnish co-production, Machines centers around a large textile factory in Gujarat, India...
- 2/22/2017
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) kicks off its 16th annual Doc Fortnight on Thursday, a 10-day festival that includes 20 feature-length non-fiction films and 10 documentary shorts. This year’s lineup includes four world premieres and a number of North American and U.S. premieres.
Read More: 2017 New Directors/New Films Announces Full Lineup, Including ‘Patti Cake$,’ ‘Beach Rats,’ ‘Menashe’ and More
The festival is far from the only major North American showcase for non-fiction cinema. Festivals ranging from Hot Docs to True/False have played key roles in the expanding documentary festival circuit. However, Doc Fortnight has maintained its own niche on the scene, by aiming to expose undiscovered stories and filmmakers, screening a range of documentaries from around the world and capturing the ways in which artists are pushing the boundaries of non-fiction filmmaking.
“It’s not an industry festival, there aren’t awards, and distributors aren’t all coming looking to buy,...
Read More: 2017 New Directors/New Films Announces Full Lineup, Including ‘Patti Cake$,’ ‘Beach Rats,’ ‘Menashe’ and More
The festival is far from the only major North American showcase for non-fiction cinema. Festivals ranging from Hot Docs to True/False have played key roles in the expanding documentary festival circuit. However, Doc Fortnight has maintained its own niche on the scene, by aiming to expose undiscovered stories and filmmakers, screening a range of documentaries from around the world and capturing the ways in which artists are pushing the boundaries of non-fiction filmmaking.
“It’s not an industry festival, there aren’t awards, and distributors aren’t all coming looking to buy,...
- 2/15/2017
- by Chris O'Falt and Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Documentary picked up by Kino Lorber and Dogwoof.
Independent documentary Machines, the Sundance-winning debut of director Rahul Jain, has secured deals in North America and Europe.
Doc specialists Autlook Filmsales have sold the film to Kino Lorber (North America), Filmcoopi (Switzerland), Pek Distribution (Finland), Dogwoof (UK) and Docs (Austria). They are considering offers from Benelux, India and Germany.
Machines explores a vast textile factory in India and the human cost of globalisation, it won the world cinema documentary special jury award for excellence in cinematography at Sundance this year.
It will open the MoMa DocFortnight (Feb 16 - 26) in New York, followed by a theatrical rollout in August.
Machines is co-produced by Pallas Film (Thanassis Karathanos), Jann Pictures (Rahul Jain) and IV Films (Iikka Vehkalahti).
Independent documentary Machines, the Sundance-winning debut of director Rahul Jain, has secured deals in North America and Europe.
Doc specialists Autlook Filmsales have sold the film to Kino Lorber (North America), Filmcoopi (Switzerland), Pek Distribution (Finland), Dogwoof (UK) and Docs (Austria). They are considering offers from Benelux, India and Germany.
Machines explores a vast textile factory in India and the human cost of globalisation, it won the world cinema documentary special jury award for excellence in cinematography at Sundance this year.
It will open the MoMa DocFortnight (Feb 16 - 26) in New York, followed by a theatrical rollout in August.
Machines is co-produced by Pallas Film (Thanassis Karathanos), Jann Pictures (Rahul Jain) and IV Films (Iikka Vehkalahti).
- 2/13/2017
- ScreenDaily
The most pointed question asked by Rahul Jain‘s documentary Machines comes from the camera. By showing us the gigantic textile spools, looms, and washers with only their rhythmic clanks, booms, and bangs opposite the Indian workers applying dyes, mixing chemicals, and ensuring there are no jams to the same sounds, we must wonder which are the “machines” of the title. This is an assembly line of ancient metal units kept moving by a revolving door of migrant workers that start at the age of ten to learn everything in youth and become irreplaceable by their thirtieth anniversary. The entire whole proves to be the machinery of an unseen man sitting in his office with a bank of surveillance screens flickering while he presses buttons on his phone.
It’s an astonishing experience to push through the dark alleys between rows of massive apparatuses working tirelessly, navigating around the men...
It’s an astonishing experience to push through the dark alleys between rows of massive apparatuses working tirelessly, navigating around the men...
- 2/2/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
First-time director Rahul Jain made a strong impression in 2016 with Machines, his documentary portrait of a massive sweatshop in Sachin, India. The film premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) and made its U.S. debut this week at Sundance. Praised for its visceral, experiential depiction of manual labor, the film provides a rare glimpse into the textile mills where many of our products originate. Jain hired the Paris-based Yael Bitton as one of multiple editors to give shape to his harrowing footage. Bitton spoke with Filmmaker before the film’s five Sundance screenings about Machines‘ unconventional narrative structure and […]...
- 1/23/2017
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Debutant director Rahul Jain displays an all-too-rare combination of artistic vision and social conscience in Machines, surveying the nightmarish working conditions at a fabrics factory in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Made as a midterm project at CalArts — Jain divides his time between California and Delhi — this brisk but bracing dispatch bowed to enthusiastic receptions in the main competition of the world's biggest documentary festival, Idfa of Amsterdam. The eye-opening and austerely uncompromising India-Finland-Germany co-production now appeals as a live prize contender at Sundance, where it will receive its North American premiere...
Made as a midterm project at CalArts — Jain divides his time between California and Delhi — this brisk but bracing dispatch bowed to enthusiastic receptions in the main competition of the world's biggest documentary festival, Idfa of Amsterdam. The eye-opening and austerely uncompromising India-Finland-Germany co-production now appeals as a live prize contender at Sundance, where it will receive its North American premiere...
- 12/21/2016
- by Neil Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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