Monday, December 5, 2011

Indian Cinema Now




Arena – Aadukalam

Arena

Aadukalam

India/2010/35mm/Colour/120’/Tamil

Direction, Screenplay: Vetri Maaran









When Petaikkaran, the emperor of the murky underworld of rooster fight in southern Indian territory of Tamilnadu for 40 years, is challenged and proved wrong by his disciple Black he decides to avenge the insult. Black’s small world is shattered. When he comes to know about the betrayal and confronts Petaikkaran, he decides to do the unthinkable.

Azhagarsamy's Horse - Azhagar Samiyin Kuthirai
Azhagarsamy’s Horse

Azhagar Samiyin Kuthirai

India/2011/35mm/Colour/99’/Tamil

Direction: Susindran N











In a lively Tamil village in the eighties, a ceremonial statue of a horse goes missing, throwing the villagers into comic chaos. Suseendran’s new feature opens like a tragedy, then goes on to surprise and delight with its warm but pointed satire. Rain hasn’t come to the village of Mallayapuram for three years, and people are desperate for relief. On the advice of their priest, the village council decides to rekindle the annual Azhagarsamy festival to appease their god, Azhagar. As one of the festival’s rituals, Azhagar’s effigy is taken to the river on a wooden horse. After painstakingly collecting funds and making plans, the residents journey to a tiny temple on the village outskirts and open its doors to find — to their shock — that the holy statue of Azhagarsamy’s horse has disappeared.

Baboo Band Party - Baboo Band Baaja


Baboo Band Party

Baboo Band Baaja

India/2010/Colour/127’/Marathi

Direction: Rajesh Pinjani










Synopsis

Baboo Band Baja is a tug-of-war between fate and hope. It shows the irrepressible surge to soar in life, pitted against the vicious grip of circumstances. Baboo is the son of a band player living in dire poverty. His father has resigned to the idea that his son would have to carry on their family tradition of playing the band at the functions in the village. By contrast, his mother is doing everything possible to get him educated. Though all his music instruments are mortgaged, the father helplessly dreams to restart his band one day – Baboo Band Party.


Handover

Handover

India/2010/HD/Colour/73’/Hindi-Magadhi

Direction, Screenplay: Saurabh Kumar





Synopsis

An impoverished Dalit couple from rural India hits the headlines when it is exposed that they have sold their child. The couple acquires national infamy. An embarrassed minister deputes a local government officer to investigate the case. Despite a painful truth, the child is restored to her mother, and the accused is jailed for illegal trafficking. But that is not really the solution. The aftermath is the failure of humanity. The movie is based on an article “Selling one’s child” by Harsh Mander, published in the newspaper, The Hindu.
Chaplin
Chaplin

India/2011/35mm/Colour/137’/Bengali

Direction: Anindo Bandopadhyay




Synopsis

Banshi and his eight year old son Nimua have not been bowed down by the struggle around them. Instead, every passing day is a moment of mirth and laughter for them, a relentless persistence to dig out happiness from misery. Banshi’s brilliant performance in birthday parties and marriage ceremonies are hardly applauded. Fate smiles on him when Reena , a dynamic young lady running an N.G.O. notices Banshi and gives her best effort to help this man. A rare chance and coincidence take place when Rina’s fiancé gives Banshi a chance to participate in a comedy show in his channel. Banshi mesmerizes the judges with his performance and soon he gets selected for the final round. All hell broke loose when he discovers that Nimua is all on a sudden attacked by a peculiar ailment that has no medicine. The father struggles hard to make his son happy but will Banshi’s indomitable spirit, his never say die attitude be able to achieve his desired goal and make his son return from the jaws of death?

I Want to be a Mother - Mala AaiI Vhhaychy!
I Want to be a Mother   

Mala AaiI Vhhaychy!

India/2010/Colour/35mm/115’/Marathi

Direction, Production, Screenplay: Samruoddhi Porey








SYNOPSIS 

Surrogation has become a large scale business in India now days. This film is based on a true incident. Mary a model from a foreign country comes to India with a dream of becoming a mother and selects a poor Yashoda as surrogate mother. But the destiny has some different plans. After five and half months of pregnancy, doctor fears that the child could be born a handicapped. Mary’s dream shatters .She denies accepting a handicapped child .Yashoda cries and struggles a lot for child’s rights but Mary returns. Will a mother within Mary come back in search of her child? Now whom the child belongs to?

Nouka Dubi – Kashmakash
Nouka Dubi

Kashmakash

India/2011/Colour/135’/Bengali 

Direction, Screenplay: Rituparno Ghosh







Rameshchandra Chaudhry, a lawyer by profession, is in love with Hemnalini, and is displeased when he finds that his father wants him to marry Sushilla, the daughter of a widow. He initially refuses despite of his father disowning him, but changes his mind when the bride’s mother pleads with him, and gets married without even seeing, leave alone getting to know his bride. After the marriage, they board a boat which overturns after a storm, and they end up being the only survivors. Unable to get Hemnalini out of his mind, he refuses to be intimate with his bride. On talking with her gradually over the next few months, it slowly sinks in that she is not Sushilla but Kamla - the bride of another male!




16 IFFK Films


C Competition Films 
1

At the End of it All - Abosheshey
Dir:Aditi Roy/India/Bengali/118'/2011
2

Black Blood
Dir:Miaoyan Zhang/China-France/Mandarin/124'/2010
3

Body - Vucut
Dir:Mustafa Nuri/Turkey/Turkish/104'/2011
4

The Cat Vanishes
Dir:Carlos Sorin/Argentina/Spanish/89'/2011
5

The Colours of the Mountains - Los Colores de la Montana
Dir:Carlos Cesar Arbelaez/Columbia-Panama/Spanish/90'/2011/
6

Delhi in a Day
Dir:Prashant Nair/India/Hindi-English/88'/2011
7

Flamingo No. 13 - Flamingo Shomareh 13
Dir:Hamid Reza Aligholian/Iran/Persian/82'/2010/
8

The Dreams of Elibidi
Dir:Nick Reding, Kamau Wa Ndung'u/ Kenya/Sous-titrage Anglais-Swahili/72'/ 2010
9

The Painting Lesson - La leccion de Pintura
Dir:Pablo Perelman/Spain-Chile-Mexico/Spanish/85'/2010
10

Future Lasts Forever -Gelecek Uzun Surer
Dir:Ozcan Alper/Turkey-France-Germany/Turkish-Kurdish-Armenian-Hemshince/108’/ 2011
11

A Stone's Throw Away - A Tiro de Piedra
Dir:Sebastian Hiriat/Mexico/Spanish/118'/2010

Malayalam Cinema Today 





An Arab Spring   
1
Asma’a
Dir:Amr Salama /Egypt /96' /2011
2
Damascus with Love
Dir:Muhammed Abdulaziz /Syria /95' /2010
3
Here Comes the Rain
Dir:Bahij Hojeij /Lebanon|UAE /98' /2010
4
Rouge Parole
Dir:Elyes Baccar /Tunisia /94' /2011
5
Rough Hands
Dir:Mohamed Asli /Morocco /97' /2011
6
Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Politician
Dir:Ayten Amin|Tamer Ezzat|Amr Salama /Egypt /90' /2011
7
The End
Dir:Hicham Lasri /Morocco /105' /2011
8
Where Do We Go Now
Dir:Nadine Labaki /France|Lebanon|Egypt|Italy /110' /2011
Best of FIPRESCI   
1
Clay Bird
Dir:Tareque Masud /France|Bangladesh /90' /2002
2
Disgrace
Dir:Steve Jacobs /Australia|South Africa /119' /2008
3
Of Gods and Men
Dir:Xavier Beauvois /France /122' /2010
4
Poetry
Dir:Chang-dong Lee /South Korea /139' /2010
5
The Day I was not Born
Dir:Florian Micoud Cossen /Germany|Argentina /94' /2010
6
The Milk of Sorrow
Dir:Claudia Llosa /Spain|Peru /95' /2009
7
The Salesman
Dir:Sébastien Pilote /Canada /107' /2011
Contemporary Master in Focus:Semih Kaplanoglu   
1
Angel's Fall
Dir:Semih Kaplanoglu/ /Greece/Turkey /90' /2005
2
Egg
Dir:Semih Kaplanoglu /Turkey /97' /2007
3
Honey
Dir:Semih Kaplanoglu /Turkey | Germany | France /103' /2010
4
Milk
Dir:Semih Kaplanoglu /Turkey | Germany | France/ /102' /2008
Country Focus: Philippine Cinema   
1
Century of Birthing
Dir:Lav Diaz /Philippines /360' /2011
2
Clash
Dir:Pepe Diokno /Philippines /60' /2009
3
Fable of the Fish
Dir:Adolfo Alix Jr /Philippines /85' /2011
4
Independencia
Dir:Raya Martin /Philippines|France|Germany /77' /2009
5
Kinatay
Dir:Brillante Mendoza /France|Philippines /105' /2009
6
The Best Collector
Dir:Jeffrey Jeturian /Philippines /98' /2006
7
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
Dir:Auraeus Solito /Philippines /100' /2005
DEFA Films   
1
After Winter Comes Spring
Dir:Helke Misselwitz /East Germany /116' /1988
2
Deutschland – Endstation Ost
Dir:Frans Buyens /East Germany /84' /1964
3
Girls in Wittstock
Dir:Volker Koepp /East Germany /19' /1975
4
The Architects
Dir:Peter Kahane /East Germany /97' /1990
5
The Escape
Dir:Hajo Baumgärtner /East Germany /112' /1978
6
The Legend of Paul and Paula
Dir:Heiner Carow /East Germany /109' /1973
7
The Sons of Great Bear
Dir:Josef Mach /East Germany /98' /1966
8
Traces of Stones
Dir:Frank Beyer /East Germany /134' /1966
Homage   
1
Genealogies of a Crime
Dir:Raoul Ruiz /France|Portugal /113' /1997
2
Mysteries of Lisbon
Dir:Raoul Ruiz /France|Portugal /272' /2010
3
Our Daily Bread
Dir:Mani Kaul /India /110' /1970
4
Runway
Dir:Tareque Masud /Bangladesh /90' /2010
5
That Day
Dir:Raoul Ruiz /France|Switzerland /105' /2003
6
Three Lives and a Death
Dir:Raoul Ruiz /France|Portugal /123' /1996
7
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Dir:Mike Nichols /USA /131' /1966
Jury Film   
1
Breaker Morant
Dir:Bruce Beresford /Australia /107' /1980
Kaidan Horror Classics   
1
The Arm
Dir:Ochiai Masayuki /Japan /40' /2010
2
The Days After
Dir:Kore-eda Hirokazu /Japan /40' /2010
3
The Nose
Dir:Lee Sang-il /Japan /40' /2010
4
The Whistler
Dir:Tsukamoto Shinya /Japan /40' /2010
Kicking&Screening: Football Films   
1
Game of their Lives
Dir:Daniel Gordon /UK /80' /2002
2
Garuda di Dadaku
Dir:Ifa Isfansyah /Indonesia /90' /2009
3
Offside
Dir:David Marcques /Argentina|Spain /106' /2011
4
Soka Africa
Dir:Suridh Hassan /UK|France|South Africa|Cameroon|Spain|Egypt|Netherlands /74' /2010
5
Two Escobars
Dir:Jeff Zimbalist| Michael Zimbalist /Colombia|USA /100' /2010
6
Two Half Times in Hell
Dir:Zoltan Fabri /Hungary /140' /1963
7
Will
Dir:Ellen Perry /UK /102' /2011
Retrospective: Adolfas Mekas   
1
Adolfas Mekas series of short films
Dir:Adolfas Mekas /USA /70' /1973
2
Going Home
Dir:Adolfas Mekas /USA /61' /1972
3
Hallelujah the Hills
Dir:Adolfas Mekas /USA /88' /1963
4
The Brig
Dir:Jonas Mekas /USA /68' /1964
5
Wind Flowers
Dir:Adolfas Mekas /USA /75' /1968
Retrospective: Madhu   
1
Bhargavi Nilayam
Dir:A. Vincent /India /175' /1964
2
Chemmeen
Dir:Ramu Kariat /India /120' /1965
3
Kudumbasametham
Dir:Jayaraj /India /1992
4
Olavum Theeravum
Dir:P. N. Menon /India /1970
5
Seven Indians
Dir:Khwaja Ahmad Abbas /India /144' /1969
6
Swayamvaram
Dir:Adoor Gopalakrishnan /India /131' /1972
Retrospective: Mambety   
1
Badou Boy
Dir:Djibril Diop Mambety /Senegal /56' /1970
2
Contras City
Dir:Djibril Diop Mambety /Senegal /22' /1969
3
Hyenas
Dir:Djibril Diop Mambety /Senegal /110' /1992
4
Le Franc
Dir:Djibril Diop Mambety /Senega|Awitzerland|France /44' /1994
5
Ninka Nanka: The Prince of Colobane
Dir:Laurence Gavron /France /45' /1991
6
Tell Us Of Grandmother
Dir:Djibril Diop Mambety /Senegal /30' /1989
7
The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun
Dir:Djibril Diop Mambety /Senegal|France|Switzerland|Germany /45' /1999
8
Touki Bouki
Dir:Djibril Diop Mambety /Senegal /85' /1973
Retrospective: Nagisa Oshima   
1
Boy
Dir:Nagisa Oshima /Japan /105' /1969
2
Sing a Song of Sex
Dir:Nagisa Oshima /Japan /103' /1967
3
Sinner in Paradise
Dir:Nagisa Oshima /Japan /80' /1968
4
Street of Love and Hope
Dir:Nagisa Oshima /Japan /62' /1959
5
The Sun's Burial
Dir:Nagisa Oshima /Japan /87' /1960
Retrospective: Robert Bresson   
1
By Chance Balthazar
Dir:Robert Bresson /France|Sweden /95' /1966
2
L'argent
Dir:Robert Bresson /France /85' /1983
3
Ladies of the Bois de Boulogne
Dir:Robert Bresson /France /86' /1945
4
Mouchette
Dir:Robert Bresson /France /78' /1967
5
Pickpocket
Dir:Robert Bresson /France /75' /1959
6
The Trial of Joan of Arc
Dir:Robert Bresson /France /65' /1962
Retrospective: Theo Angelopoulos   
1
Eternity and a Day
Dir:Theodoros Angelopoulos /Greece | France | Germany | Italy /137' /1998
2
Landscape in the Mist
Dir:Theodoros Angelopoulos /Italy|Greece|France /127' /1988
3
The Weeping Meadow
Dir:Theodoros Angelopoulos /Greece | France | Italy | Germany /185' /2004
Retrospective: Yasuzo Masumura   
1
A Wife Confesses
Dir:Yasuzo Masumura /Japan /91' /1961
2
A Woman's Testament
Dir:Yasuzo Masumura|Kozaburo Yoshimura /Japan /100' /1960
3
Hoodlum Soldier
Dir:Yasuzo Masumura /Japan /102' /1965
4
The Precipice
Dir:Yasuzo Masumura /Japan /97' /1958
5
The Woman who Touched Legs
Dir:Yasuzo Masumura /Japan /85' /1960

World Cinema   
1
A Screaming Man
Dir:Mahamat-Saleh Haroun /Chad|France|Belgium /French|Arabic /92' /2010
2
A Seperation
Dir:Asghar Farhadi /Iran /123' /2011
3
Almayers Folly
Dir:Chantal Akerman /Belgium|France /127' /2011
4
August Drizzle
Dir:Aruna Jayawardana /Srilanka /Sinhala /108' /2011
5
Beloved
Dir:Christophe Honoré /France | UK | Czech Republic /French | Czech | English /139' /2011
6
Belvedere
Dir:Ahmed Imamovic /Bosnia|Herzegovina|Croatia /Bosnian /90' /2010
7
Best Intentions
Dir:Adrian Sitaru /Romania /Romanian /102' /2011
8
Black Butterflies
Dir:Paula van der Oest /South Africa|Germany|Netherlands /English /100' /2011
9
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Dir:Kaz Cai|Wang Jing|Anocha Auwichakornpong /Thailand|China|Singapore /Cantonese /87' /2010
10
Cairo 678
Dir:Mohamed Diab /Egypt /Arabic /100' /2010
11
Chongqing Blues
Dir:Xiaoshuai Wang /China /Mandarin /110' /2010
12
Circus Columbia
Dir:Danis Tanovic /Bosnia and Herzegovina | France | UK | Germany | Slovenia | Belgium | Serbia /113' /2010
13
Come As You Are
Dir:Geoffrey Enthoven /Belgium /Flemish|French /115' /2011
14
Daddy
Dir:Dalibor Matanic /Croatia /70' /2011
15
Dance Town
Dir:Kyu-hwan Jeon /South Korea /Korean /94' /2010
16
Elena
Dir:Andrei Zvyagintsev /Russia /109' /2011
17
Eternity
Dir:Sivaroj Kongsakul /Thailand /Thai /105' /2010
18
Even the Rain
Dir:Icíar Bollaín /Spain|France|Mexico /103' /2010
19
Facing Mirrors
Dir:Negar Azarbayjani /Iran /Persian /102' /2011
20
Faust
Dir:Aleksander Sokurov /Russia /134' /2011
21
Free Hands
Dir:Brigitte Sy /France /French /100' /2011
22
Goodbye
Dir:Mohammad Rasoulof /Iran /104' /2011
23
Guerrilla
Dir:Nasiruddin Yousuff /Bangladesh /Bangla /140' /2011
24
Hanezu
Dir:Naomi Kawase /Japan /Japanese /91' /2011
25
Haru's Journey
Dir:Masahiro Kobayashi /Japan /134' /2010
26
Hi So
Dir:Aditya Assarat /Thailand /Thai|English /102' /2010
27
If Not Us Who
Dir:Andres Veiel /Germany /124' /2011
28
In the Name of the Devil
Dir:Barbara Sass /Poland /115' /2011
29
Innocent Saturday
Dir:Aleksandr Mindadze /Russia | Germany | Ukraine /Russian /99' /2011
30
Invisible
Dir:Michal Aviad /Israel | Germany / Hebrew /90' /2011
31
Jean Gentil
Dir:Laura Amelia Guzman|Israel Cardenas /Mexico|Germany|Dominican Republic /Spanish|Haitian /84' /2010
32
Kiss Me Again
Dir:Gabriele Muccino /UK /139' /2010
33
Lucky
Dir:Avie Luthra /South Africa / Zulu | English | Hindi /100' /2010
34
Man Without a Cell Phone
Dir:Sameh Zoabi /Belgium | Israel | France | Palestine /Arabic /83' /2010
35
Michael
Dir:Markus Schleinzer /Austria /German /96' /2011
36
Moneyball
Dir:Bennett Miller /USA /133' /2011
37
Mothers
Dir:Milcho Manchevski /Republic of Macedonia /2011
38
Mumbai Diaries
Dir:Kiran Rao /India /Hindi|English /100' /2010
39
Norwegian Wood
Dir:Anh Hung Tran /Japan /133' /2010
40
Old Dog
Dir:Pema Tseden /China /88' /2011
41
On the Edge
Dir:Leila Kilani /Germany /110' /2011
42
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Dir:Nuri Bilge Ceylan /Turkey|Bosnia /157' /2011
43
P-047
Dir:Kongdej Jaturanrasamee /Thailand /98' /2011
44
Palawan Fate
Dir:Auraeus Solito /Philippines /Tagalog|Palawanon|English /93' /2011
45
Pina
Dir:Wim Wenders /Germany|France|UK /106' /2011
46
Return Ticket
Dir: TENG Yung-Shing /China/Taiwan / Mandarin /88' /2011
47
Rice Paddy
Dir:Xiaoling Zhu /France /French /82' /2010
48
Ristabbanna
Dir:Daniele De Plano|Gianni Cardillo /Italy /2011
49
Romeo Eleven
Dir:Ivan Grbovic /Canada /French|Arabic /100' /2011
50
Sleeping Sickness
Dir:Ulrich Köhler /Germany|France|Netherlands /91' /2011
51
Stories that Exist Only When Remembered
Dir:Júlia Murat /Argentina | Brazil | France /Portuguese /98' /2011
52
Taipei Exchanges
Dir:Ya-chuan Hsiao /Taiwan /Mandarin /82' /2010
53
Tehran Tehran
Dir:Mehdi Karampoor|Dariush Mehrjui /Iran /109' /2010
54
The Dead Sea
Dir:Leena Manimekalai /India /Tamil /100' /2010
55
The First Grader
Dir:Justin Chadwick /Kenya|USA|UK /English /103' /2010
56
The Heritage
Dir:Andrzej Baranski /Poland /115' /2011
57
The House Under the Water
Dir:Sepideh Farsi /France | Iran | Germany | Netherlands /Persian /92' /2010
58
The Minister
Dir:Pierre Scholler /France /115' /2011
59
The Monk
Dir:Dominik Moll /Spain|France /102' /2011
60
The Poll Diaries
Dir:Chris Kraus /Germany|Austria|Estonia /129' /2010
61
The Prize
Dir:Paula Markovitch /Mexico|France|Germany|Poland /100' /2011
62
The Puzzle
Dir:Natalia Smirnoff /Argentina|France /Spanish /87' /2011
63
The Silver Cliff
Dir:Karim Ainouz /Brazil /85' /2011
64
The Sleeping Beauty
Dir:Catherine Breillat /France /82' /2010
65
The Tree of Life
Dir:Terrence Malick /USA /139' /2011
66
This is not a Film
Dir:Mojtaba Mirtahmasb|Jafar Panahi /Iran /75' /2010
67
Three
Dir:Tom Tykwer /Germany /119' /2010
68
Together
Dir:Zajedno /Zerbia /86' /2011
69
Tomboy
Dir:Céline Sciamma /France /84' /2011
70
Trishna
Dir:Michael Winterbottom /UK /117' /2011
71
Urumi-The Boy Who Wanted to Kill Vasco da Gama
Dir:Santhosh Sivan /India /Malayalam /110' /2011
72
Viva Riva!
Dir:Djo Munga /Democratic Republic of the Congo | France | Belgium /French | Lingala /98' /2010
73
You Are Here
Dir:Daniel Cockburn /Canada /English /78' /2010
74
Zohra: A Moroccan Fairy Tale
Dir:Barney Platts-Mills /Morocco /Darija /85' /2010