46th IFFI gets underway with Grace and Glitz
46th IFFI gets underway with
Grace and Glitz
Music composer Ilaiyaraaja Receives Centenary Award
IFFI 2015 Opens with Screening of the film ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’
Music composer Ilaiyaraaja Receives Centenary Award
IFFI 2015 Opens with Screening of the film ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’
The 46th edition of the International Film Festival of
India got off to an illustrious and colourful start amidst electrifying
performances evoking nostalgic memories of evolving Indian cinema through
various eras.
Compered by actor, singer Ayushmann Khurrana and actress Aditi Rao Hydari, the festival opening unfolded with the lighting of the traditional lamp by Governor of Goa,Smt. Mridula Sinha, the Union Minister Information and Broadcasting, Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Defence, Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Sunil Arora , legendary Anil Kapoor as Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour illustrious music composer Ilaiyaraaja. The International Jury Chairman Shekhar Kapur and other members film director from South Korea Jeon Kyu-hwan, actress from Germany Julia Jentsch, Director/Screenwriter Michael Radford from UK and Screenwriter and Producer Suha Arraf from Israel were also present. The other Celebrities present on the occasion included Sonakshi Sinha, Kabir Khan, Dev Patel, Devika Bhise and Sushant Singh among others.
Compered by actor, singer Ayushmann Khurrana and actress Aditi Rao Hydari, the festival opening unfolded with the lighting of the traditional lamp by Governor of Goa,Smt. Mridula Sinha, the Union Minister Information and Broadcasting, Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Defence, Shri Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Sunil Arora , legendary Anil Kapoor as Chief Guest and the Guest of Honour illustrious music composer Ilaiyaraaja. The International Jury Chairman Shekhar Kapur and other members film director from South Korea Jeon Kyu-hwan, actress from Germany Julia Jentsch, Director/Screenwriter Michael Radford from UK and Screenwriter and Producer Suha Arraf from Israel were also present. The other Celebrities present on the occasion included Sonakshi Sinha, Kabir Khan, Dev Patel, Devika Bhise and Sushant Singh among others.
The amazingly energetic performances by Indian dancer and
choreographer, Terence Lewis, specializing in contemporary dance and his troupe
kept the audience spell-bound. The theme of the performances ‘Reel life to Real
life’ was interwoven with intermittent on stage and on screen performances. The
narration by the compere kept the audience engaged while evoking various
ingredients of Indian Cinema like love, anger and social turmoil, locations
etc. The opening performance – the choreographed welcome song ‘IFFI mein aapka
welcome…swagatam’ and live dance performances by Anil Kapoor thrilled the
audience.
During his inaugural address Shri Jaitley said that the
International Film Festivals give filmmakers a chance to interact with fellow
filmmakers and provide opportunities to showcase the best domestic and
international talent. He said that there could not be a better opportunity than
a Film Festival to celebrate the excellence of cinema. The Minster also
mentioned that there would be many new initiatives this year at IFFI-2015 such
as a special section on ‘World Cinema Restored Classics’ to highlight the idea
of film restoration, master classes with eminent Academy members, a special
“ICFT- UNESCO Fellini Prize” and Talkathons.
The Union Minister Shri Arun Jaitley jointly with Chief
Guest Shri Anil Kapoor presented the Centenary Award to the great music
composer Ilaiyaraaja. Indian Centenary Personality of the Year award consists
of a trophy, a cash component of Rs. 10 lakh and a citation. Legend
music composer Ilaiyaraaja enthralled the audience with live demonstration
of his disclosure that he is the only music composer in the history of music
who composes only in three notes and that too ascending ones. In his
brief and crisp dialogue with the audience, he stressed upon the need to music
compulsory in the schools and colleges to promote peace and harmony.
The music composer Ilaiyaraaja, predominantly composes films for the South Indian film
industry since the late 1970s . The phenomenally popular music composer
has entertained cine lovers with his compositions and has recently
composed music for his one thousandth film. Regarded as one of the finest music
composers in India, Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, singer,
and songwriter.
In his welcome address, the
Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar said that film is not only a
source of entertainment but also art and a powerful medium of education. Indian
cinema reflects unity in diversity since we have the best of directors from
various regions of the country making films in different languages and
dialects. IFFI has grown as one of the most respectable film festivals of Asia
and Goa is the most suitable destination for a festival of this genre because
of its scenic beauty and hospitable people.
Earlier welcoming
the guests and participants, Shri Sunil Arora, Secretary, Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting briefed the audience about the details of the
Festival.
Appreciating Goa as a perfect venue for IFFI, veteran
actor Anil Kapoor said that the Festival offers a platform for directors and
actors to showcase their work. If a film gets recognition at the Festival, it
helps the film and the director/actors, he added. Highlighting the growing
importance of IFFI, Anil Kapoor said that the Festival is moving from strength
to strength. He paid a glowing tribute to the musical genius of Ilaiyaraaja.
Director, actor and producer
of international fame and Chairman of IFFI Jury, Shekhar Kapoor said that the
jury has followed an astute selection process for including the films in
various sections. Every jury member expressed concern over the state of the
world and gave their verdict fearlessly.
A book ‘Legends of Indian
Silver Screen” brought out by Publication Division of the Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting was also released by the Minister, Shri Arun
Jaitley.
The famous Art
Director and production designer Sabu Cyril is the designer for all sets and
logo of IFFI 2015.
**********
‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’
opens IFFI 2015 today: Based on Indian Mathematics genius Ramanujan’s biopic
The 46th edition of International
Film Festival of India, IFFI 2015 opens with internationally-acclaimed UK film
‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ today in Panjim, Goa. The film was screened at Kala
Academy. For the benefit of wider audience and to facilitate more people to
view it, the film was screened at INOX also.
The Man Who Knew Infinity is the true story of
friendship that forever changed mathematics. In 1913, Ramanujan a self-taught
Indian mathematics genius traveled to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he
forged a bond with his mentor, Professor GH Hardy who helped reveal his
mathematic genius to the world.
Growing up poor in Madras, India, Srinivasa
Ramanujan Iyengar earns admittance to Cambridge University during WWI, where he
becomes a pioneer in mathematical theories with the guidance of Professor G.H.
Hardy. Highly engaging performances by Dev Patel in the lead role and Jeremy
Irons as his curmudgeonly mentor gradually warm up the Cambridge story. His
evolving friendship with professor, who championed his brilliance against
racism and prejudice, is the real core of the film.
The film has been written and directed by Matthew
Brown and produced by Edward Ramback Pressman. Annie Marie Mc Encroe is the
co-Producer and Swati Bhise is the Associate Producer(India) for Cultural
Authenticity and distributor for the Indian sub-continent of the film. The
other cast and crew of the film include Dev Patel, Devika Bhise and Toby Jones.
In the movie, Toby Jones has portrayed the role of
Ramanujan’s Cambridge Fellow and mathematical analyst John while Devika Bhise
has played the role of Ramanujan’s wife. The director Matthew Brown has written
and directed the feature film Ropewalk (2000) and The Man Who Knew Infinity is
his second feature film.
The Director Matthew L. Brown along with the actors
of the film Dev Patel, Toby Jones, Devika Bhise, Producer Edward Ramback
Pressman, Producer Annie Marie Mc Encroe and Executive Producer & Associate
Producer Swati Bhise addressed a press conference yesterday in Kala Academy,
Goa and interacted with media and fans. They said that it is their honour and
privilege that this film is being screened as the opening film of the festival.
***********
Shri Arun Jaitley Releases
Book 'Legends of Indian Silver Screen' by Publicatins Division at 46th IFFI
The Union Minister
of Information and Broadcasting, Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri. Arun
Jaitley released a book ‘Legends of Indian Silver Screen” at the opening of
IFFI 2015 here today. The book has been brought out by the Publications
Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Shri Jaitley released the
book in the presence of actress Sonakshi Sinha, director Kabir Khan and actress
Devika Bhise.
Legends of Indian Silver Screen is the latest addition to the endeavours of the Publications Division to document the evolution of Indian Cinema through the assessment of works of those who care for and contribute to film making in India. This elegantly designed book is a compilation of essays on 23 luminaries who have been awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award from 1992-2014. These include Dilip Kumar, Gulzar, K. Balachander, Sivaji Ganesan, Bhupen Hazarika, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Asha Bhosle. Eminent writers and film critics like Saibal Chatterjee, Randor Guy, Rachel Dwyer, Jai Arjun Singh to name a few, have contributed to this anthology and have provided insightful write-ups on their personalities along with a critical evaluation of their contributions to Indian Cinema. Enriched with appropriate photographs from various sources, this book is a reader’s delight.
In the past, Publications Division has regularly brought out educative books on cinema, namely Indian Cinema: A Visual Voyage; Conscience of the Race – India’s Offbeat Cinema and Samay, Cinema aur Itihas and Great Masters of Indian Cinema.
The Publications Division, a media unit in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has been publishing books and journals on issues of national importance including history, art, culture, science and biographies of national leaders as part of its efforts to disseminate information and preserve Indian heritage.
Legends of Indian Silver Screen is the latest addition to the endeavours of the Publications Division to document the evolution of Indian Cinema through the assessment of works of those who care for and contribute to film making in India. This elegantly designed book is a compilation of essays on 23 luminaries who have been awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award from 1992-2014. These include Dilip Kumar, Gulzar, K. Balachander, Sivaji Ganesan, Bhupen Hazarika, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Asha Bhosle. Eminent writers and film critics like Saibal Chatterjee, Randor Guy, Rachel Dwyer, Jai Arjun Singh to name a few, have contributed to this anthology and have provided insightful write-ups on their personalities along with a critical evaluation of their contributions to Indian Cinema. Enriched with appropriate photographs from various sources, this book is a reader’s delight.
In the past, Publications Division has regularly brought out educative books on cinema, namely Indian Cinema: A Visual Voyage; Conscience of the Race – India’s Offbeat Cinema and Samay, Cinema aur Itihas and Great Masters of Indian Cinema.
The Publications Division, a media unit in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, has been publishing books and journals on issues of national importance including history, art, culture, science and biographies of national leaders as part of its efforts to disseminate information and preserve Indian heritage.
***********
Film Festivals an opportunity
to celebrate the excellence of cinema: Shri Arun Jaitley
Eminent music composer Shri Ilaiyaraaja conferred Centenary Award for Indian Personality of the Year
46th International Film Festival of India inaugurated at Goa
Eminent music composer Shri Ilaiyaraaja conferred Centenary Award for Indian Personality of the Year
46th International Film Festival of India inaugurated at Goa
Shri Arun Jaitley,
Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting
said that Film Festivals world over had acquired a global niche by identifying
themselves with their geographical location. Citing the examples of Cannes,
Berlin and other prestigious film festivals he said that it is customary to
make such locations the permanent centres of such festivals where creativity
excels. The Minister said this while delivering his address at the inaugural
ceremony of the 46th edition of International Film Festival of India which
began in Goa today. Honorable Governor of Goa, Smt. Mridula Sinha, Union
Defence Minister, Shri Manohar Parikkar, Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant
Parsekar, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Col.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore , Secretary I&B Shri Sunil Arora and Shri Anil
Kapoor were also present on the occasion.
During his inaugural address Shri Jaitley said that International Film festival gave filmmakers a chance to interact with fellow filmmakers and provided opportunities to showcase the best domestic and international talent. He said that there could not be a better opportunity than a Film Festival to celebrate the excellence of cinema. The Minster also mentioned that there would be many new initiatives this year at IFFI-2015 such as a special section on ‘World Cinema Restored Classics’ to highlight the idea of film restoration, master classes with eminent Academy members, a special “ICFT- UNESCO Fellini Prize and Talkathons.
Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar in his address said that Indian Cinema produced in National and Regional languages represented India’s unity in diversity and IFFI had developed itself into a respectable Film Festival in Asia.
In his address, the Chief Guest for the function, Shri Anil Kapoor said that International Film Festival had aimed and showcased the excellence in global cinema.
Also speaking on the occasion, Secretary I&B, Shri Sunil Arora said that IFFI had been instrumental in promoting world-class films to a wide spectrum of audience surpassing the geographical boundaries and creating a benchmark of quality and consistency. IFFI 2015 would bring a mélange of brilliant films in different languages and genres. He also mentioned that nearly 7000 delegates would be participating in the Festival this year.
Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting along with the Chief Guest Shri Anil Kapoor conferred the Centenary Award for Indian Personality of the Year on Shri Ilaiyaraaja for his outstanding contribution to the music industry. Shri Arun Jailey along with actress Sonakshi Sinha also launched the book on DadaSahab Phalke Award winners published by Publications Division, a media unit of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
The jury for International Festival was also introduced at the inaugural ceremony. The International Competition section included Chairperson Shri Shekhar Kapur along with Mr. Michael Radford, Ms. Julia Jentsch, Ms. Suha Arraf and Mr. Jeon Kyu-Hwan. The Indian Panorama jury for Feature and Non-feature categories included a team of highly acclaimed filmmakers and cinema stalwarts from different regions of India. The 13-member Feature jury and 7- member Non-feature jury was headed by Shri Aribam Syam Sharma and Shri Rajendra Janglay respectively.
The 11 day festival would showcase 187 films from 89 countries in World Cinema section along with 26 Feature and 21 Non-Feature films in Indian Panorama section. The opening film at IFFI 2015 was ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ by Matthew Brown. The film was a true story of friendship between Indian Mathematician Ramanujan and Professor GH Hardy that forever changed the world of mathematics. In the Indian Panorama section Priyamanasam and Goonga Pehelwan would be the opening films in the Feature and Non Feature Films category respectively.
The focus country for the film festival was ‘Kingdom of Spain’. The films of master Spanish filmmakers Carlos Saura and Pedro Almadovar along with contemporary filmmakers like Alejandro Amenabar would be screened at the festival. The section would also feature Spanish actress Leticia Dolera’s directorial debut ‘Requirements to Be a Normal Person.’ The IFFI 2015 in the International Competition included 15 films from across the globe including two from India.
The IFFI 2015 included a special award - “ICFT- UNESCO Fellini Prize” in collaboration with the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris and UNESCO. The award would be presented first time in India to a film which reflects the ideals of peace, tolerance, non-violence and friendship promoted by UNESCO.
Amongst the new initiatives of IFFI-2015 this year, there was a special section on ‘World Cinema Restored Classics’ to highlight the idea of film restoration. It would feature a package of classics to put spotlight on National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM). NFAI & DAVP also organized a Multimedia Exhibition on NFHM. The festival had a special Focus on North East Cinema to showcase the best of films and filmmakers from the region to the world. It would have a Special Retrospective on Aribam Syam Sharma along with a unique segment featuring next generation filmmakers from North East.
The film festival also introduced a new segment- ‘First Cut’ to recognize the young talent in the field of cinema and would screen some of the outstanding directorial debuts of 2015. The section would feature emerging filmmakers including Brian Perkins (Film - Golden Kingdom, USA), Michael Klette (Film - Solness, Germany) among others. The festival in association with the Oscar Academy would also promote skill development in film making through master classes with eminent Academy members on varied topics like sound designing, film archive and film editing.
IFFI 2015 would also organize a special seminar on Film and Cultural diversity. A special series titled ‘In Conversation’ with eminent Indian filmmakers such as Shyam Benegal, Vettrimaran to discuss films and the art of filmmaking with the audience would also be a new feature at IFFI 2015. Besides films screening, IFFI 2015 also offered various Special Programmes such as Contemporary Argentinean Cinema, Tribute to Anna Karina, Retrospective- Amos Gitai, Homage, Open Air screenings and Film Bazaar for the delegates.
During his inaugural address Shri Jaitley said that International Film festival gave filmmakers a chance to interact with fellow filmmakers and provided opportunities to showcase the best domestic and international talent. He said that there could not be a better opportunity than a Film Festival to celebrate the excellence of cinema. The Minster also mentioned that there would be many new initiatives this year at IFFI-2015 such as a special section on ‘World Cinema Restored Classics’ to highlight the idea of film restoration, master classes with eminent Academy members, a special “ICFT- UNESCO Fellini Prize and Talkathons.
Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar in his address said that Indian Cinema produced in National and Regional languages represented India’s unity in diversity and IFFI had developed itself into a respectable Film Festival in Asia.
In his address, the Chief Guest for the function, Shri Anil Kapoor said that International Film Festival had aimed and showcased the excellence in global cinema.
Also speaking on the occasion, Secretary I&B, Shri Sunil Arora said that IFFI had been instrumental in promoting world-class films to a wide spectrum of audience surpassing the geographical boundaries and creating a benchmark of quality and consistency. IFFI 2015 would bring a mélange of brilliant films in different languages and genres. He also mentioned that nearly 7000 delegates would be participating in the Festival this year.
Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting along with the Chief Guest Shri Anil Kapoor conferred the Centenary Award for Indian Personality of the Year on Shri Ilaiyaraaja for his outstanding contribution to the music industry. Shri Arun Jailey along with actress Sonakshi Sinha also launched the book on DadaSahab Phalke Award winners published by Publications Division, a media unit of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
The jury for International Festival was also introduced at the inaugural ceremony. The International Competition section included Chairperson Shri Shekhar Kapur along with Mr. Michael Radford, Ms. Julia Jentsch, Ms. Suha Arraf and Mr. Jeon Kyu-Hwan. The Indian Panorama jury for Feature and Non-feature categories included a team of highly acclaimed filmmakers and cinema stalwarts from different regions of India. The 13-member Feature jury and 7- member Non-feature jury was headed by Shri Aribam Syam Sharma and Shri Rajendra Janglay respectively.
The 11 day festival would showcase 187 films from 89 countries in World Cinema section along with 26 Feature and 21 Non-Feature films in Indian Panorama section. The opening film at IFFI 2015 was ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ by Matthew Brown. The film was a true story of friendship between Indian Mathematician Ramanujan and Professor GH Hardy that forever changed the world of mathematics. In the Indian Panorama section Priyamanasam and Goonga Pehelwan would be the opening films in the Feature and Non Feature Films category respectively.
The focus country for the film festival was ‘Kingdom of Spain’. The films of master Spanish filmmakers Carlos Saura and Pedro Almadovar along with contemporary filmmakers like Alejandro Amenabar would be screened at the festival. The section would also feature Spanish actress Leticia Dolera’s directorial debut ‘Requirements to Be a Normal Person.’ The IFFI 2015 in the International Competition included 15 films from across the globe including two from India.
The IFFI 2015 included a special award - “ICFT- UNESCO Fellini Prize” in collaboration with the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris and UNESCO. The award would be presented first time in India to a film which reflects the ideals of peace, tolerance, non-violence and friendship promoted by UNESCO.
Amongst the new initiatives of IFFI-2015 this year, there was a special section on ‘World Cinema Restored Classics’ to highlight the idea of film restoration. It would feature a package of classics to put spotlight on National Film Heritage Mission (NFHM). NFAI & DAVP also organized a Multimedia Exhibition on NFHM. The festival had a special Focus on North East Cinema to showcase the best of films and filmmakers from the region to the world. It would have a Special Retrospective on Aribam Syam Sharma along with a unique segment featuring next generation filmmakers from North East.
The film festival also introduced a new segment- ‘First Cut’ to recognize the young talent in the field of cinema and would screen some of the outstanding directorial debuts of 2015. The section would feature emerging filmmakers including Brian Perkins (Film - Golden Kingdom, USA), Michael Klette (Film - Solness, Germany) among others. The festival in association with the Oscar Academy would also promote skill development in film making through master classes with eminent Academy members on varied topics like sound designing, film archive and film editing.
IFFI 2015 would also organize a special seminar on Film and Cultural diversity. A special series titled ‘In Conversation’ with eminent Indian filmmakers such as Shyam Benegal, Vettrimaran to discuss films and the art of filmmaking with the audience would also be a new feature at IFFI 2015. Besides films screening, IFFI 2015 also offered various Special Programmes such as Contemporary Argentinean Cinema, Tribute to Anna Karina, Retrospective- Amos Gitai, Homage, Open Air screenings and Film Bazaar for the delegates.
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