IFFI Goa: 40 countries, 100 films, Tabbu and Rekha along Goa Beaches
India's biggest film festival,39th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), since its opening Saturday, November 22, 2008, has been marred by controversies. Hindu extremists force MF Husain's Award-winning film to get cancelled. Observers say, it's business as usual as most of the IFFIs in the past were marred by bad organisation. "Look at the festival's website, it's awful. It's more embarrassing as IFFI is a government sponsored event of an IT-savvy India," commented one delegate. Read more »
39th Film Festival of India in Goa
The Indian government is keen to showcase country's global ambitions through this year's 39th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2008, to be held in Goa from 22nd Nov- December 2, 2008. The Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting, Anand Sharma said that the Indian Cinema has over the years attracted global attention, and the events like IFFI-2008 should serve as a platform to evoke greater interest of global audience. Read more »
Mira Nair’s film ‘risks insulting Islam’ suggests UNDP
Rome – A controversy, involving film director Mira Nair, has hit the 3rd Rome Film Festival (22-31 October, 2008). The United Nations Development Programme has disowned its own film “How Can It Be?” by Mira Nair, exploring gender equality in a story set in Brooklyn, New York, in which a Muslim immigrant woman finds the courage to leave her husband and young son for another (married) man. The UNDP, instead of sponsoring the project, has pulled out. Read more »
52nd London Film Festival opens
The London Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday with the world premiere of "Frost/Nixon," a movie based on a play about the dramatic series of television interviews with fomer president of the USA Richard Nixon in 1977. The fomer BBC presenter David Frost, who interviewed Nixon, attended the opening on October, 15. Read more »
52nd London Film Festival announces record number of world premiers
London. Wednesday 10 September: The programme for The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival (15-30 Oct, 2008), announced today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, includes a record number of world and international premieres with a total of 189 features and 108 shorts screening alongside a stellar line-up of special events and expected guests. After a long gap, Indian maestro Shyam Benegal comes back with his latest film WELCOME TO SAJJANPUR. Read more »
Rotterdam Film Festival Fund and Titles announced
Rotterdam — 38th International Film Festival Rotterdam (21 Jan- 1 Feb 2009) has disclosed its first titles Thursday, November 6, 2008. It also announced details about Hubert Bals Fund, saying that fund's next instalment would be given to a worthy winner at this year's IFFI India (Goa Film Festival) starting from 22 November. Read more »
London Film Festival ends on an Indian note
India was the talk of the town as the 52nd London Film Festival ended Thursday, October 30, 2008, with the European premiere of Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, based on Vikas Swarup's novel Q & A. This year’s Festival hosted 191 feature films and 109 short films from 43 countries including a record 15 world premieres. Read more »
'Colours of Passion' by Ketan Mehta at LFF08
'Colours of Passion' (Rang Rasiya 2008), directed by Ketan Mehta and based on a classic Indian novel ‘Raja Ravi Varma,’ will have its world premiere at the London Film Festival, 2008. This is after a long time that audiences will be able to see a Ketan Mehta film. 'Colours Of Passion' has taken more than usual time in production. The film will remind Indians of an on going controversy involving India's best known living painter MF Husain who has been made a target by extremist Hindus in India. Read more »
Florence Indian Film Festival
River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival- the 8th edition- will be held from December 5 to December 11, 2008, in Florence, Italy, at Odeon movie theatre, in Piazza Strozzi. Deadline for entries is September 30th, 2008. Read more »
India's travelling Environment and Wildlife Film Festival
India’s largest district Leh in Jammu and Kashmir will host “3rd CMS VATAVARAN 2008- Environment and Wildlife Travelling Film Festival” between 11th – 13th September, 2008. The theme of the festival is Climate Change, according to a press release by Vatavaran. It further says:
“The festival will start from Leh and travel to the cities of Agartala, Bhopal, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune & Ranchi from September 2008 to January 2008,” said Ms P. N. Vasanti, Director CMS. Read more »