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Seems times are changing at last - for the better, and fast. After all these years of scouring the film festivals and pirated DVD shops (unless we have deep pockets to splurge on the highly-priced original DVDs of foreign films), it seems 2008 is bringing some happy tidings for us, the lovers of world cinema (that is, anything that comes from outside the country minus Hollywood).

Suddenly, Indian companies have started taking marketing rights for a large number of world cinema and at least two dedicated channels to telecast cinema of that kind are readying for launch. And, trust the French to do it - more and more French films are being screened, at least in Delhi and Mumbai, screened mostly free of cost through tie ups with multiplex chains, to introduce the casual moviegoer to the variety that rides with their cinema (hope other countries would also have as …

The second Rome Film Fest, which runs Oct 18-27, has announced its full programme.

World premieres in the Cinema 2007 programme include:

* La Recta Provincia (Raul Ruiz)
* Youth Without Youth (Francis Ford Coppola)
* August Rush (Kirsten Sheridan)
* Hafez (Abolfazl Jalili)
* L’Abbuffata (Mimmo Calopresti)
* And The Spring Comes (Chang Wei Gu)
* The Three Robbers (Hayo Freitag)
* The Private Man (Emidio Greco)
* Let’s Say (Francoise Maire)
* Have Dreams, Will Travel, (Brad Isaacs)

The festival also announced that Oscar-winning No Man’s Land director Danis Tanovic from Bosnia will serve as head of the jury, which is comprised of 50 international cinema-goers.

FULL LINE-UP

Premiere section
Across The Universe by Julie Taymor (UK/US)
The Dukes by Robert Davi (US)
Elizabeth: The …

IFFLA 2008 Announces Call for Entries
The Sixth Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) seeks narrative, documentary, music videos, experimental, children’s and animated films of any length and format. IFFLA will run April 22-27, 2008 at ArcLight Hollywood, a state-of-the-art facility located in the heart of Los Angeles. Jury and Audience Choice Prizes will be awarded for Best Feature, Documentary and Short Film.
IFFLA 2007 had over 6,000 attendees and screened 36 films from 8 countries. In addition to the high-quality of presentation of their work, filmmakers in attendance gained access to an eclectic mix of professionals from the Los Angeles film industry.

Check out what our past filmmakers …

Recently I had interviewed Neville Tuli, the founder chairman of the Osian’s Connoisseurs of Art, which organizes the Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian (& Arab - from this year) Cinema, in New Delhi. While some parts of the interview have been carried in my paper Deccan Herald, I am reproducing the whole text of the interview for PFC readers, for I am sure Tuli’s comments would provoke interesting responses. For information, Aruna Vasudev, the lady who built the Cinefan festival, has parted ways from it recently. Unconfirmed reports say Mani Kaul, who was the Creative Director of the Film House of Osian’s, has also quit. It remains to be seen how Tuli steers the festival without Vasudev, who built the festival brick by brick using her wide contacts in the film festival circuit and her reputation as a film critic / historian. So here it goes:

Arab Cinema have already been …

First, a lot of firsts. The first teaser of Saawariya (saawariyafilm.com) is out. This is the first Indian co-production of Sony Pictures. This is the first film of Rishi Kapoor’s son Ranvir Kapoor and Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam Kapoor. And it is being billed the first international film from India.

Oh, I forgot – it’s a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. The man who debuted with Khamoshi, went on to make Hum Dil De Chuka Sanam, Devdas and Black. Bhansali means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some he is modern Indian cinema’s only auteur, the only cinematic progeny of Guru Dutt, the only star director of our times. For others, he is a big ball of shit who disguises everything in grandiose but fake sets and copy-pastes other cinematic treatments calling them his own.

Well, the way I look at him, and the entire purpose of this …

Received from Worldwide Film Distribution yahoogroup… Please spread the word!

Let me take this opportunity to introduce you about me and social activities of our organization. …

I am working with a government organization, one of the most important & entertainment department called “NATIONAL FILM CIRCLE” is given to me and I am looking for your help to expand the membership.

What is “NATIONAL FILM CIRCLE” ?

The National Film Development Corporation Limited (NFDC) is a Government of India Enterprise set up with the objective of fostering excellence in Indian Cinema. It provides film enthusiasts in Mumbai an opportunity to see good meaningful World-Class Films throughout the year through the “NATIONAL FILM CIRCLE”.

For the past twenty-five years, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) has produced/co- produced more than 200 films in 15 languages, including English. Amongst these all several internationally acclaimed films like Gandhi, The Making of Mahatma, Mirch-Masala, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sardar, Parinda and …

It has been a while since we have had OST’s being released for songless Indian films.
The examples have been Black Friday, Sarkar, White noise, Bhoot, Black and more. The masters of the game are Indian Ocean, Salim-Sulaiman, Ashutosh & Dhruv, Midival Punditz, Amar Mohile, Nitin Raikwar, Monty, Sandeep Chowta etc. since Indian films have THE SONG has an indispensable element, OST’s featuring extensive background music pieces from the films, or inspired songs, become a shaky boat to ride on.

Sarkar had a brilliantly worked on 2 CD OST track, which by far has been one of the most definitive sounds or efforts in this domain. Indian Ocean’s Black Friday did it 2 years ago with original sounds, which build up the singularly arresting sound of a blast-infested Mumbai. White Noise, Snip and Bombay Boys were the showcase of Ashutosh Phatak & Dhruv Ganekar’s electronica and semi-classical fusion …

Last week Babul was released with widow re-marriage as its base subject.

The led me to seeking out more women issues that plagues India. My search took me to the dowry issue. I looked up the judiciary system and found Indian Penal Code 498a, the anti-dowry law. Following is an excerpt of the same

“Whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine. The offence is Cognizable, non-compoundable and non-bailable.”

As per the law if a woman lodges a complaint against her husband or in-laws (or anyone else), there is now way in hell they can run away. They are presumed guilty till proven innocent.

Hundred of movies have been made denouncing dowry and are in favor of this law.

But no movie has questioned …

Sequels rarely match the feat of their originals, but Johnny To’s sequel to his smash hit “Election” is a killer product. “Election 2″ also known as “Triad Election” is even more stylish and a lot more violent, with a deeper look into its captivating characters. Power corrupts, and Johnny To drills it in with a character pool soaked in deception and greed.

After winning the last election and becoming chairman of the Wo Sing triad, Lok (Simon Yam) earns the respect of the elders and young alike for all have equally prospered under his reign. 2 years have passed and it is time for the baton to be passed on to someone else. The smart, young, college educated businessman Jimmy (Louis Koo) is the obvious choice, though there are others also competing for the same chair. Matters get complicated when Lok himself decides to …

“Godfather” meets “Goodfellas” in this immensely entertaining Hong Kong gangster epic from director Johnny To. The rules, traditions, and honor that govern the Triads are reminiscent of the familial structures of the Italian mafia as portrayed in Francis Coppola’s “The Godfather”. Add to that mixture a healthy dose of raw violence, evidently inspired Scorsese’s street films. Strong on character and style, “Election” is worth watching even though it’s material is a tad predictable.

Comparable to Ramgopal Varma’s gangster films, “Election’s” plot is a healthy mixture of several cult films. The film scores because of its briskly paced narrative, and the freshness of its characters, along with an exploration of the origin of Chinese Triads.

As one of the Triads vote for their new chairman, two rival frontrunners for the post do all in their power to ensure the votes of the elders. When Lok wins, his hot-headed, impatient …

The Pang Brothers, Asia’s masters of Horror are loathed by most critics in the West, even though their films have an admirably large, underground fan following among American horror enthusiasts. In the last 10 years or so, Asian horror filmmakers have redefined the genre and pushed the envelope in an attempt to showcase more original concepts. Testimonial accounts of people who have been a part of supernatural experiences have always shown that these experiences are almost always unexplained, and unresolved, but chilling and terrifying. Asian horror film reflects that sense of paranoia. It breaks away from the traditional Hollywood horror mould where clear explanations and concrete resolutions are necessary. Asian horror filmmakers are never bothered about resolutions or explanations, and concentrate their creative energies in showcasing innovative concepts, and scaring their audiences through a sense of confusion, that most of their characters themselves face.

After the critically …