IFFI Goa launches with 100 films from 65 countries

Films from 65 countries for 42nd international film festival goa, shahrukj khan, luc besson, betrand tavernier to attend
More than 100 films from 65 countries will be screened during the 42nd International Film Festival of India - 2011 in Goa between Nov 23 and Dec 3,3011 Bollywood badshah Shahrukh Khan will be chief guest at IFFI's inauguration at the Ravindra Bhavan in Margao Goa on 23 November. The main centre of the festival is Panaji,although films will be screened over the 10 day Fest in Margao,Goa's commercial hub which is located 4 km from the political capital.

Revived in this edition of IFFI, the Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred upon the eminent French Film Maker Bertrand Tavernier by the Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Ms. Ambika Soni on the opening night of the festiva1.The Lifetime Achievement Award carries an amount of Rs. 10 Lakh, a scroll and a certificate.

Best known for his ‘Prix Louis Delluc’ and the ‘Silver Bear’ - Special Jury Prize award winner film at the 24th Berlin International Film Festival - ‘The Clockmaker’, Bertrand Tavernier has to his credit acclaimed films like ‘Life and Nothing But’ which won the BAFTA for best film in a language other than English in 1990 and ‘The Princess of Montpensier’ which competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

The 42nd IFFI will open with the Portugese film ‘The Consul of Bordeaux’ – one of the most significant of human stories from the World War II, featured first time on celluloid.

Directed by Francisco Manso and Joao Correa,the film portrays the story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a man of conviction who saved 30.000 lives during WW II - Among them were 10.000 Jews. As a Portuguese General Consul stationed in Bordeaux, France, he issued 30.000 visas for safe passage to Portugal. He defied the direct orders of his government and exhibited courage, moral rectitude, unselfishness and self-sacrifice by issuing visas to all refugees, regardless of nationality, race, religion or political opinions. This narrative film expresses his heroic actions towards humanity, which will perpetuate his legacy of justice for a new generation. In 1966, Yad Vashem named him Righteous Among the Nations. He is considered to have achieved the largest single rescue operation of World War II.

Curtains will come down for the 42nd IFFI with the Asia Premiere of the film ‘The Lady’ directed by Luc Besson, on the closing night of the festival on 03 December 2011.
THE LADY is the extraordinary story of Burmese freedom fighter Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband, Michael Aris. It is also the story of the peaceful quest of the woman who is at the core of Burma’s democracy movement.

Despite distance, long separations, and a dangerously hostile regime, their love endures until the very end. A story of devotion and human understanding set against a backdrop of political turmoil that continues today.

THE LADY was written over a period of three years by Rebecca Frayn. Interviews with key figures in Aung San Suu Kyi’s entourage enabled her to reconstruct for the first time the true story of Burma’s national heroine.

Luc Besson (Director), Virigine Besson Sella (Producer – Europacorp)
Michelle Yeoh (Lead Actor) and David Thewlis (Lead Actor) will be in Goa for the screening.

The 42nd IFFI also showcases 3D stereoscopic movies which are chosen not for their stereoscopic content, but also for the excellence in handling the medium.
Bringing together the gems of the cinematic world which have found acclaim in noted film festivals abroad, the ‘Festivals Kaleidoscope’ package brings for the movie aficionado films which include top award winners in film festivals like Cannes, Locarno, Montreal and Busan.

The package which includes movies acclaimed across the world for their cinematic geniuses screens:

Nino directed by Loy Arcenas which won the ‘New Currents Award’ at Busan IFFI, 2011
The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius which won the ‘Best Actor’ at Festival De Cannes, 2011
Chronicle of My Mother directed by Masato Harada which won the ‘Special Jury Award’ at Montreal IFF, 2011
Restless directed by Gus Van Sant which won the ‘Uncertain Regard’ at Festival De Cannes, 2011
Nana directed by Valarie Massdian which won the ‘Best Debut Film’ award at Locarno Film Festival, 2011

The section which brings together 3D cinema classics from across the world includes movies like:

The Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Canada/USA/France/Germany/United Kingdom) directed by Werner Herzog
Pina (Germany) directed by Wim Wenders
Hara Kiri: The Death of Samurai (Japan) directed by Takashi Miike
Toomelah (Australia) directed by Ivan Sen



Notable film luminaries who died in the past year will also be remembered and paid respect in a special section. This special segment which brings together some of the cinematic masterpieces of the revered luminaries are preceded by a short speech which sums up the life and times of the film personality.

(IFFI) will also pay homage to seven stalwarts of the film industry who were well known for their creative geniuses. The luminaries who will be remembered at this year’s festival include Sidney Lumet, Raul Ruiz, Claude Chabrol, Adolfas Meekas, Richard Leacock, Elizabeth Taylor and Tareque Masood.

Films to be screened at this year’s homage section are:

12 Angry Men (USA) directed by Sidney Lumet
Network (Portugal/France) directed by Raul Ruiz
The Swindle (France) directed by Claude Chabrol
Hallelujah The Hills (USA) directed by Adolfas Meekas
Louisiana Story (USA) directed by Robert J. Flaherty with Richard Leacock as DOP
Butterfield 8 (USA) directed by Elizabeth Taylor
The Clay Bird (Bangladesh) directed by Tareque Masood

retrospective – Luc Besson and Phil Noyce


The ‘Retrospective’ section which screens acclaimed movies of eminent film personalities, this year screens unforgettable movies of two legendary directors. Luc Besson, who is one of the most revered and acclaimed names in the French Film Industry will grace the 42nd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) and will interact during the screening of a selection of his celebrated works. Another luminary whose works will be showcased at the festival will be the much acclaimed Australian film director Phillip Noyce.

Luc Besson

Luc Besson who is highly regarded as one of the most influential directors of the French Film Industry will take the audiences through seven of his highly praised classics. The director who has been involved with over 50 films, spanning 26 years, as a writer, director and producer is best known for his ventures like ‘Le Grand Bleu’ which is referred, as what the French call a film générationnel-a defining moment in the culture. He is also known for his ‘Arthur’ series, which comprising of films like ‘Arthur and the Minimoys’, ‘Arthur and the Forbidden City’, ‘Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard’ and ‘Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds’. He has also directed ‘Arthur and the Invisibles’, an adaptation of the first two books of the collection which is regarded as an important milestone in the world cinema movement.

The multi-award winner of the likes of Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film Critics Prize, Fantasporto Audience Jury Award-Special Mention, Best Director and Best Film for ‘Le Dernier Combat’ in 1983; The Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Silver Ribbon Award for Best Director-Foreign Film for ‘La Femme Nikita’ in 1990; the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for ‘Nil by Mouth’ in 1997 and the Best Director Cesar Award for ‘The Fifth Element’ in 1997.

Luc Besson will be showcasing seven of his best known works at the 42nd International Film Festival of India which includes:

The Big Blue
Leon
The Fifth Element
The Messenger: The Story of Joan Arc
Angel A
Arthur 3
Les Adventures Extraordinaires D’ Adele Blanc - Sec


Phillip Noyce

Phillip Noyce better known as Phil Noyce is one of the most famous cinematic directors of the Australian Film Industry. A master of espionage films, Phillip Noyce is best known for movies like ‘Newsfront’ which won Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards for Best Film, Director and Screenplay along with ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ which won the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for the Best Film in 2002.

Phillip Noyce has been one of the most successful Australian film directors in Hollywood and has been much acclaimed for his ventures in the American Film Industry. Films like ‘Dead Calm’ which released in 1989 turned Nicole Kidman into a star, the 1994 Tom Clancy spy thriller ‘Clear and Present Danger’ starring Harrison Ford, ‘The Quiet American’- a 2002 film which gave Michael Caine an Academy Award Best Actor nomination and the 2010 action thriller ‘Salt’ starring Angelina Jolie, have all stamped Phillip Noyce’s position as one of the most bankable Australian directors in Hollywood.

To be represented by Luc Besson, the 42nd IFFI will showcase five acclaimed films from the repertoire of Phillip Noyce which includes:

The Quiet American
Clear and Present Danger
Dead Calm
Newsfront
Backfront

section introduces and reintroduces classic films from Soviet Russia while screening iconic feature films from Russia's Cinematic history. Archival prints provided by the ‘Mos Film Cinema Concern’, the largest and oldest film company in Russia and Europe whose output includes most of the widely-acclaimed Soviet films, ranging from the works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein, form a part of this specially curated package.

Represented by Karen Shakhnazarov - Film Maker and Director General of Mos Film Cinema Concern, Grigory Gevorkyan - Deputy Director General of Mos Film Cinema Concern and Sitora Aleiva - Programme Director, ‘Kinotavr’ Film Festival of Sochi, Russia; the films which will be showcased as a part of the ‘Russian Classics’ section are:

Uncle Vanya directed by Andrei Mikhalov-Kochalovsky
The Mirror directed by Andrei Tarkovsky
Go and Look directed by Elim Klimov
The Day of the Full Moon directed by Karen Shaknazarov
1814 directed by Andres Puustusmaa
Truce directed by Svetlana Proskurina


documentaries have always been appreciated at the International Film festival of India and the 42nd edition is no different as well. Based on the virtues of form, theme and excellence, documentaries bring together the best of human subjects and objects.

Screened documentaries in this year’s edition are pieced together from across the world which includes:

The Island President (USA) directed by John Shenk
No More Fear (Tunisia) directed by Mourad Ben Cheikh
The Chilean Building (Chile/France/Cuba) directed by Macarena Aguilo
Voices That Heal (Peru/USA) directed by Delia Ackerman and Heather Greer
The Bengali Detective (USA/UK/India) directed by Philip Cox
The Redemption of the General Butt Naked (USA) directed by>Daniele Anastasion and Eric Strauss
Love Crimes of Kabul (Afghanistan/USA) directed byTanaz Eshaghian


European Discoveries


As a part of the ‘Promising Euro Directors to Watch Out For’ package, ‘European Discoveries’ showcases the works of ten of Europe's most talented emerging directors. The package highlights films selected by various European critics presented in association with the European Film Promotion as a part of the EU's Media Program.

Showcasing the fresh ideas and creativity of first and second time directors and prize winners from the international fest circuit, notable for their freshness, invention and passion, the package will be screening ten movies out of which eight are India Premieres.

Represented by the filmmakers, the films which are part of the package are:

She Monkeys (Sweden) directed by Lisa Aschan
A Quiet Life (Italy) directed by Claudio Cupellini
Flowers of Evil (France) directed by David Dusa
Turn Me On, Goddammit (Norway) directed by Jannicke Systad Jacobsen
The House (Slovak Republic) directed by Zuzana Liova
Hello! How are You (Romania) directed by Alexander Maftei
King's Road (Iceland) directed by Valdis Oskarsdottir
Almanya (Germany) directed by Yasemin Samdereli
Oxygen (Belgium) directed by Hans Van Nuffel
Kill List (United Kingdom) directed by Ben Wheatley


Spotlight on Poland


Honouring the elevated position that the Polish Film Industry commands across world cinema, the package titled ‘Spotlight on Poland’ showcases a collection of films of repute from the Polish film industry released last year.

Reflecting the cinematic pedigree of Polish cinema which is known the world over for its aesthetic values, the package will showcase creative masterpieces like:

Made in Poland directed by Przemek Wojcieszek
My Name is Ki directed by Leszek Dawid
The Winner directed by Wieslaw Saniewski
Heritage directed by Andrzej Baranski
Entanglement directed by Jacek Bromski


A notable part of International Film Festival of India, ‘Panel Discussion’ discusses ‘The Art of Subtitling in Cinema’. The most significant yet neglected aspect of film making in India, Subtitling derives the textual and contextual interpretation of the dialogue and thus is a vital component in the communicative aspect of the film.

The 42nd edition of the International Film Festival of India thus attempts to throw light into this untouched and underdeveloped area in Indian film making with a panel discussion comprising of Film makers, International Film Curators, Festival Directors, Journalists and Creative Writers.

The following film personalities have accepted IFFI’s invitation to be part of the International Jury.

Adoor Gopalakrishnan (Film Maker – India) – Jury Chairman
Dan Wolman (Film Maker – Israel)
Lee Yong Kwan (Director, Busan International Film Festival – Korea)
Laurance Kardish (International Film Curator/Director of MOMA – USA)
Tahmineh Milani (Film Maker – Iran)

Ronita Torcato
The Dailies from Goa on fest21.com