Curtains down on 50th IFFI :Italian film ‘Rwanda’ by Riccardo Salvetti winsThe ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal instituted by International Council for Film,Television&Audiovisual Communication,Paris&UNESCO.

Prakash Kamat
Panaji, November 28- Particles’, French film directed by Blaise Harrison bagged the award for Best Film in IFFI 2019.
The award comes with the Golden Peacock trophy, certificate and a cash priz  e amount of Rs. 40,00,000, shared equally between the Director and the Producer. ‘Particles’ is an “ambitious yet modest film about the mysteries of being a teenager,” said the jury.
The Best Director award was given to Lijo Jose Pellissery  for the film ‘Jallikattu’, who bagged the Silver Peacock Trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 15,00,000. While Usha Jadhav was awarded the Best Actor (Female) for her portrayal of  ‘Prabha Mai’, in the Marathi film ‘Mai Ghatt: Crime No, 103/2005’ while Seu Jorge  won the Best Actor (Male) for his portrayal of Carlos Marighella in the Brazilian movie ‘Marighella. Both received the Silver Peacock Trophy and cash Prize of Rs 10,00,000 each.
Special Jury award, which carries the Silver Peacock Award and a cash prize of Rs. 15,00,000, was awarded to Pema Tseden for his Chinese movie ‘Balloon’. The film set in Tibetan grasslands got the prize for “the beauty of the film language and the authenticity of the actors”.
Centenary award for ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ was shared between Amin Sidi Boumediene for ‘Abou Leila’ and Marius Olteanu for ‘Monsters’. Abou Leila’ tells the tale of two childhood friends who crossed the desert in search of Abu Leila, a dangerous terrorist. ‘Monsters’ tells a relationship drama in three chapters that describes the current state of a couple over 24 hours. Award carries Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs.10 lakhs. The Gujarathi movie ‘Hellaro’ directed by Abhishek Shah got special mention from jury for the “incredible music, it’s colour and graceful choreography”. Though set in a time 45 years ago, issue of woman’s empowerment portrayed in the film is even more relevant today, said the jury.
On the occassion, ICFT-UNESCO Fellini medal was awarded to International Film Festival of India (IFFI) on completion of its glorious 50 years. Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Amit Khare and Festival Director Directorate of Film Festivals Chaitanya Prasad received the award on behalf of IFFI.
Italian film ‘Rwanda’ directed by Riccardo Salvetti won The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal instituted by the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication, Paris and UNESCO. The medal bears a portrait of Gandhi engraved by the French artist Pierre-Yves Tremois. Etched underneath is Mahatma’s message of hope : “ In the midst of darkness light prevails”
‘Bahattar Hoorain, the Indian movie directed by Sanjay P. Singh Chauhan got the special mention under ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal category.
The closing ceremony of IFFI 2019 was anchored by Sonali Kulkarni and Kunal Kapoor. The ceremony also witnessed enthralling performance by Hariharan and Lesle Lewis of Colonial Cousins who kept the audience spellbound with their mesmerising music while Tanushree Shankar choreographed a series of spectacular dance performances on the theme ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
The festival opened with the Asian premiere of Italian film ‘Despite the Fog’. 26 feature films and 15 non feature films are screened in Indian panorama section. Russia was the focus country.
Isabelle Anne Madeleine Huppert was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony of IFFI Golden jubilee.
Rajinikanth was conferred the 'Icon Of Golden Jubilee Award' for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema, a first time award beginning with the 50th edition.
This year, the International Competition consisted of 15 movies out of which two are made by Indians.
Festival Kaleidoscope section of 50th IFFI showcased 20 films handpicked and curated from various parts of the world.  World Panorama section had 64  films which are specially curated for the festival. IFFI also showcased  24 films which were or are in the race for the Oscars.
Eight irenowned films including one Indian movie competed for the coveted ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal.
10 Oscar Award Winning Films were screened at Oscar Retrospective section.
In a mark of respect to the women filmmakers in industry, IFFI featured 50 films from World Cinema directed by 50 strong Women Filmmakers that have won billions of hearts worldwide. A section of Films to the Indian New Wave Cinema. This selection includes 12 films produced in India from the late 1950s to the late 1970s that were distinct.
IFFI 2019 also showcased six of the best films by Amitabh Bachchan in a separate Dadasaheb Phalke Award retrospective section honoring the star’s achievement.
The Restored Classics Section showcased two pioneering films-Kalpana by Uday Shankar and Titas Ekti Nadir Naam by  Ritwick Ghatak which have been restored. In order to venerate an Asian filmmaker and earmark a section to his works IFFI 50 showcased the films of Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike.
IFFI, in its 50th year also dedicated a section for films, released in 1969, which turned 50 this year. Notable Films from the host state Goa are showcased through the ‘The Goan Story’ Section consisting of six films.  Spreading the message of accessibility and inclusion, IFFI also screened three films with audio description for differently abled under ‘Accessible India – Accessible Films’ section.(eom)

‘Particles’ wins the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI 2019

Prakash Kamat
Panaji,November 28-'Particles’ directed by Blaise Harrison and produced by Estelle Fialon won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in Goa on Thursday,November 28.
The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize ofRs 40 lakhs to be shared equally between the Director and the Producer, Trophy and the citation. ‘Particles’ is an “ambitious yet modest film about the mysteries of being a teenager,” said the jury.
Lijo Jose Pellissery conferred Best Director Award for ‘Jallikattu’
Lijo Jose Pellissery won the Best Director Award for his film ‘Jallikattu’. This Malayalam film is the portrait of a remote village where a buffalo escapes and causes a frenzy of ecstatic violence. In a story that starts as man versus wild, it doesn't take that long before man becomes the wild. The jury said that they honour the “intricate and complex choreography of this very original and anarchic film”.
The Best Director gets the Silver Peacock Award, a citation and a cash prize of Rs 15 lakhs.
 Seu Jorge gets Best Actor (Male) Award
The Best Actor (Male) Award has gone to Seu Jorge for his portrayal of Carlos Marighella in the Brazilian movie ‘Marighella’. He bagged the award for “ the powerful and charismatic portrayal of a revolutionary, very relevant in our increasingly authoritarian times”.
Usha Jadhav gets Best Actor (Female) Award
The Best Actor (Female) Award has gone to Usha Jadhav for her portrayal of  ‘Prabha Mai’, in the Marathi film ‘Mai Ghatt: Crime No. 103/2005’. Usha Jadhav got the coveted prize for her “understated and powerful performance of a mother defending her child’s honour against the injustice of a corrupt system”.
Both Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) are honoured with the Silver Peacock Trophy, certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhseach.
Special Jury Award for Pema Tseden’s ‘Balloon’
Pema Tseden walked away with the Special Jury Award for his film ‘Balloon’. The film set in Tibetan grasslands got the prize for “the beauty of the film language and the authenticity of the actors”.
The Special Jury Award carries a cash prize ofRs 15 lakhs, a Silver Peacock Award and a citation.
Amin Sidi Boumediene and Marius Olteanu receives Award for ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ for ‘Abou Leila’ and ‘Monsters’
Centenary Award for ‘Best Debut Feature Film of a Director’ is shared between Amin Sidi Boumediene for ‘Abou Leila’ and Marius Olteanu for ‘Monsters’. Abou Leila’ tells the tale of two childhood friends who crossed the desert in search of Abu Leila, a dangerous terrorist. ‘Monsters’ tells a relationship drama in three chapters that describes the current state of a couple over 24 hours.
Award carries Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakhs
Special mention for ‘Hellaro’
‘Hellaro’ directed by Abhishek Shah earned special mention from the jury for the “incredible music, it’s colour and graceful choreography”. Though set in a time 45 years ago, issue of woman’s empowerment portrayed in the film is even more relevant today, said the jury.
 ‘Rwanda’ won  The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal
Italian film ‘Rwanda’ directed by Riccardo Salvetti won The ICFT –UNESCO Gandhi Medal instituted by the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication, Paris and UNESCO. The medal bears a portrait of Gandhi engraved by the French artist Pierre-Yves Tremois. Etched underneath is Mahatma’s message of hope : “ In the midst of darkness light prevails”
‘Bahattar Hoorain, the Indian movie directed by Sanjay P. Singh Chauhan earned the special mention under ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi medal category.
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IFFI 2020 and 2021 will be a tribute to legendary filmmaker of India Satyajit Ray coinciding his centenary celebrations to be observed from next year

Prakash Kamat
Panaji,November 28-International Film Festival of India(IFFI)2020 and 2021 will be a tribute to legendary filmmaker of India Satyajit Ray whose centenary celebrations will be observed from next year.
Opening the closing ceremony of the IFFI 2019, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Amit Khare announced this as
curtains came down on the golden jubilee edition IFFI.
Music legend Ilaiyaraja,veteran actor Prem Chopra and  celebrities from India and abroad including Takashi Miike,Vijay Deverakonda, Aanand L Rai walked the red carpet, adding to the colour and glamour of the star-studded evening.
"It will be our endeavour to have the 51st IFFI at an even larger scale," said Mr. Khare.
The 50th edition of IFFI had more than 190 films screened from 76 different countries which included 90 Indian premier, six world premier and 11 Asian premier.
This year we screened 24 Oscar submissions at IFFI. More than 12000 delegates participated which is also a record number”,said Mr. Khare. Legends of Indian cinema Shri Ilaiyaraja, Shri Prem Chopra, Smt Manju Borah, Shri Aravind Swamy and Shri Haubam Paban Kumar  were felicitated on the occassion.
Cine actors Sonali Kulkarni and Kunal Kapoor hosted the closing ceremony.
The IFFI which opened on Movember 20 witnessed more than 200 acclaimed films from 76 countries, with Russia as the country of focus. It also included 26 feature films and 15 non feature films in Indian panorama section.
The golden jubilee edition brought to the shores of Goa the best of recent International cinema, along with special sections such as Golden Peacock Retrospective, Debut Film Competition, Soul of Asia retrospective, Master Film makers collection, Festival Kaleidoscope section, Accessible Films for Differently Abled, World Panorama 2019, Filmmaker in Focus, Restored Indian Classics, ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal competition, Retrospective of Indian New Wave Cinema,Konkani Film Package and Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
The 50th IFFI also showcased fifty films of fifty women directors which reflect the contribution of women in cinema.
In order to celebrate the spirit of 50 Golden Years of International Film Festival of India, the Films Division has curated a package of 17 MIFF award-winning films made in the last 10 years. Movies that gained recognition internationally at various other film festivals like Cannes film festival, Venice film festival, Berlin international film festival, Mumbai international film festival, Sundance film festival, Busan international film festival are featured as part of IFFI this year.
The specially curated “Homage Section” paid tribute to 13 eminent individuals who have contributed to Indian cinema during their lifetime. Two time Palme d’Or winner Ken Loach had a Retrospective Section at the IFFI.(eom)

Audio Description mechanism must be integral part of movie-making&info-tainment content: Saksham Co-founders

Prakash Kamat
Panaji,November 25-The golden edition of the International Film Festival of India(IFFI) is also noted for its pursuit of inclusiveness. Three films for those with special needs are being screened at IFFI under the ‘Accessible India-Accessible Films’ section.
Sakhsham Trust, a Delhi based NGO working in the field of empowerment of persons with total visual impairement and low vision is making this possible along with the collaboration of IFFI and UNESCO.

Accessibility of cinema was the central focus of discussion when the founders of Saksham Trust Dipendra Manocha spoke to me on Monday at the IFFI venue.
Later in the evening  Rummi K. Seth, Technical expert Narendra Joshi explained the project undertaken by Sakhsam to make films inclusive for all.
Mr. Manocha said that making movies accessible to visually impaired people will send out the message of inclusion. "Accessibility is not only about making buildings accessible. Movies are one of the best entertainment opportunities available for the society.  Making movies  accessible will create a whole experience of being part of society and be felt that our rights are acknowledged," he said.
In order to ensure more films are easily accessible, Dipendra said, "We need to have the heart in the right place. It has to become a norm in the film industry. "
Sakhsham co-founder Rammi Seth said, "Over the years, the importance of education for the differently-abled  has been realised. But entertainment too is important for visually impaired people.”
Narendra Joshi, technical expert of Saksham, explained the process of  getting a movie ready with audio descriptions."Audio description isn't a commentary but a technique so that everyone can understand”, he explained.
Saksham Trust supported by Publicis Sapient joined hands with IFFI to present a audio-describe three-movie event at the ongoing IFFI.
"Questao de Cofusao" happened to be the first-ever language movie to be screened in a audio-description format,on Monday.
Mr. Manocha said that for last two years Publicis Sapient has supported their project of making multiple movies audio-descriptive.
He explained that the process includes an additional narration that translates images, visual information, non-dialogue portions of films/media into spoken words and subtitles
so that the people who are visually and/or visual impaired can access,enjoy and learn from the works of popular culture and educational importance.
He said in reply to a question that Publicis Sapient helped Saksham make 19 movies audio-describing form,which included feature films, shirt films, documentaries,children's films and regional language films.
Saksham co-fiubdercwho himself is 100 per cent visually impaired said that they have taken up with Producers' Guild of Indian Film Industry the concept to make the audio description a part of film making so that it is self-sustaining aspect of film industry.
He said that more than 10 moviews were made accessible by Saksham in the year 2018.
Making a forceful plea for accessible movie-making, Mr. Manocha said that India continues to be home to 10 million persons with visual and hearing disabilities per 2011 Census. He felt that the figure could be much more higher by now. As for instance, he said that UNESCO puts the visually impaired people's number at 50 million in India.Accessibility of cinema is,therefore, the need of the hour.
 This is a huge constituency which needs to be served for entertainment and education, said Mr Manocha.
He also pointed out that in India, movie viewing is often a family celebration and,therefore,making accessible movies and other digital  entertainment content will go in a big way in mainstreaming the people with disability.
He explained that through this initiative that enables to enjoy cinema together with their loved ones,without waiting for them to explain what is happenning on the screen.
Long way to go for achieving the inclusiveness,but such initiatives are,undoubtedly, strides in right direction.
(eom)

(Interviewing Mr. Dipendra Manocha at the Accessible Film event at IFFI 2019, in Panaji on November 25,2019)

Indian Panorama at IFFI 2019 opens with "Hellaro",a Gujarati film with strong message on gender justice

Prakash Kamat
Panaji,November 21- The Indian Panirama Section of 50th edition of International Film,Festival of India opened in Panaji on Thuraday, November 21 with  हेल्लारो(Hellaro), a Gujarati feature film with a powerful theme of breaking the shackles of patriarchal mandates.
Directed by Abhishek Shah, the film is a story of 1975, of a young Manjhiri, married off in a small village in the Rann of Kurch. In the totally patriarchal village setting, she joins a group of women shackled by patriarchal mandates,with many of them even not conscious about the shackles. Some resigned to fate accompli of gender inequality.
Their only escape from the suppression is when they going out to fetch water every morning to a distant water body.
One day, while on their way to the daily chore,they find someone in the middle of the desert and theirr lives are changed forever.
A drummer who himself is a victim of caste suppression and violence breathes life in the lives of these village women who grow bolder and eventually fight the patriarchal mandates which are administered and imposed using the traditions like women in the village are not supposed to play Garbha. The shackles are tightened by ensuring that no much educated girls are brought to village in marriage. Any rebellious action is attacked by using superstition and blind beliefs in the name of Gods and Godesses.
The story based on a Gujarati folklore and all the cast has worked wonderfully to make the film come alive with subtle and beautiful use of folklore and folk dances.
Women actors have been very good in their performances. Especially the lead actor Shraddha Dangar has given a strong performance. Others like Nilam Panchal,Tejal Panchasara,Brinda Trivedi have been equally good.

Glad to see the Indian Panorama section of IFFI in its Golden Jubilee year open with such a film with strong message of gender equality and gender justice. Breaking shackles of patriarchy is not easy,but women in the film give a message that unity is a powerful weapon.(eom)

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It was great interacting with the filmmakers and girls who have given sterling performances in the film "Hellaro",after the screening of the film on Thursday at INOX in Panaji

NFDC Film Bazar launched at IFFI 2019:To go on till Nov. 24

Prakash Kamat
Panaji, Nocember 21-Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday declared the 13th edition of NFDC’s Film Bazaar, open on the sidelines of 50th International Film Festival of India at Miramar near here.
 The Minister also launched the  new initiative of single window clearance with the link of the FFO promotional film - shorturl.at/wHK46
The 13th Edition of Film Bazaar will be held from 20-24 November 2019 at the Marriott Resort in Goa, India.
Celebrating its 13th edition this year, the annual NFDC’s Film Bazaar has become a beacon of hope for budding filmmakers of South Asia. The platform has evolved into a one-stop shop for filmmakers, producers, sales agents, distributors, film festival programmers and financiers from around the world; a marketplace that encourages collaboration between the South Asian and international film fraternities
The Knowledge Series is a series of specially curated presentations, panel discussions and lectures by filmmakers, producers, top executives of film organizations involved in content production, aggregation and distribution.
Prasoon Joshi and Siddharth Roy Kapur will be seen discussing ways to empower the youth with skill development in one of the panels, while Vani Tripathi Tikoo will be in discussion with Shobu Yarlagadda (Producer of ‘Baahubali’) and Vishal Bhardwaj on cinema inspiring entrepreneurs. Another engaging panel will have Soundarya Rajinikanth and Nandita Roy amongst others discussing the changing role of women in Indian cinema, while film critic Anupama Chopra will be seen engaging Josh Seigel, Curator, Dept of Film MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art), New York in a conversation. Others industry participants on the various panels include actor Sanjay Suri, cinematographers Shanker Raman and Tapan Basu, screenwriters Atika Chohan, Kanika Dhillon, and filmmaker Sharat Katariya. 
New additions at Film Bazaar this year include a separate segment titled “Behind the Silver Screen, Empowering the Aspirants” focused on skill development for students. This segment will have a series of workshops by industry veterans such as Actor Adil Hussain, Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar, CBFC Chairman Prasoon Joshi, Vani Tripathi Tikoo, Puneet Krishna, Rajiv Krishna Menon, Subhash Ghai, Shylaja Chetlur.
Also for the first time WIP lab projects will get a chance to pitch their films to potential investors, producers, sales agents, distributors, festival programmers in an Open Pitching session at the venue.
Another addition is the Producers’ Workshop, which is remodeled this year into an adaptive space for producing professionals in early stages of their careers. This year 20 projects from USA, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Taiwan and India have been selected to participate in the workshop.
The Co-production Market is a platform for filmmakers of a few curated projects to pitch their films to a selected audience of industry professionals including national and international producers, distributors, sales agents and financiers.
This year’s selection presents 14 projects from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, France, Nepal, Singapore and USA across languages like Hindi, English, Bengali, Malayalam, Assamese, Nepali, Dzongkha (Bhutanese) and Gujarati from established filmmakers as well as new talent. Out of 14 films selected in CPM, 3 are by female filmmakers.
The Work-in-Progress Lab includes five films who will get too screen their rough cuts to the panel of mentors and receive an in-depth one-on-one feedback. The mentors of this year’s WIP Lab are Philippa Campbell, Derek Malcolm, Olivia Stewart, Marco Muller, Jacques Comets, Lizi Gelber. The five projects selected in WIP lab this year include four debut films (Pedro, Swizerland, Uljhan, Shankar’s Fairies), one of which is by a female filmmaker (Shankar's Fairies). Films are in three Indian languages – three in Hindi, one in Kannada and one in Gojri.
The Viewing Room is designed to present films seeking finishing funds, world sales, distribution partners and film festivals to film programmers, distributors, world sales agents and investors.
Those interested can view the film on individual computer screens in segregated booths.
This year 213 films are available to view in the Viewing Room Library of which 154 are feature films and 59 are short films. 89 out of 213 films submitted are debut features. The films are in more than 30 languages including languages like Maithili, Sinhala, Galo, Gojri, Bodo, Gondi/Muria.
Film Bazaar Recommends 26 feature films to watch out for from out of the 213 films submitted in Viewing Room. The filmmakers of these films get to show their trailers and pitch to investors. Out of 26 FBR films, 16 are debut features and 4 are by women filmmakers.
Industry Screenings of a total of 36 films is scheduled at Film Bazaar this year. These films are in 11 Languages - Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Odia, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Konkani, Gujarat. There are 5 International Films, 29 Feature Films, 5 Short Films, 2 Documentaries, 2 Animated films, 19 Debut Directors. Out of 26 Film Bazaar Recommends films, 4 are from industry screenings
Film Offices of 12 Indian states are participating in Film Bazaar this year. These are, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka. A workshop on creating an effective ‘Single Window’ ecosystem will be held at Film Bazaar with sessions by Jess Conoplia (President, Association of Film Commissioners International) and T.C.A. Kalyani (Managing Director, NFDC) amongst others.
"Film Bazaar is a platform exclusively created to encourage collaboration between the international and South Asian film fraternities. The market aims at facilitating sales for world cinema in the region,says Ms. Kalyani.(eom)

Superstar Rajinikanth bestowed with the Icon of Golden Jubilee award at the opening of IFFI 2019.

Prakash Kamat

Panaji,November 20-The 50th Golden Jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India(IFFI 2019) opened in the  presence of Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchanand South Indian superstar Rajinikanth, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and other dignitaries at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium near here on Wednesday.

IFFI is jointly organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Goa Government's Entertainment Society of Goa.

The inaugural ceremony of the premier Indian film festival was hosted by ace filmmaker Karan Johar.

A postal stamp commemorating 50th edition of IFFI was also released on the occasion by Mr. Javadekar. 

Superstar Rajinikanth was bestowed with the Icon of Golden Jubilee award during the opening  ceremony of International Film Festival of India 2019. Speaking on the occasion, he thanked the Indian government for honouring him with this award. The megastar said that he dedicates this award to all his  producers, directors and technicians who worked in his  films.

This year, IFFI honoured  one of French cinema's iconic actresses, Isabelle Huppert, with the  festival’s highest honour Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening ceremony. She has appeared in more than 120 films and is the most nominated actress for the Cesar Award, with 16 nomination

Bachchan was also  felicitated during the opening ceremony of IFFI 2019. 

A special felicitation  recognized the contributions of Indian legends like Ramesh Sippy, N. Chandra and PC Sreeram at the inaugural event.

The 50th edition celebrates cinematic excellence from Russia, in the Country Focus section. Eight films will be showcased in this segment.

John Bailey, cinematographer and former President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences heads the International Jury of the 50th International Film Festival of India. Part of the Jury at IFFI 2019 are French filmmaker Robin Campillo, also on the Cannes 2019 International Jury; Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yang, Scottish filmmaker- writer and cinematographer Lynne Ramsay, and eminent Bollywood filmmaker Ramesh Sippy. They were felicitated on the occasion

Musician Shankar Mahadevan gave a riveting performance with the Godfather of Indian ‘Jazz’ Louis Banks.(eom)