by Alex Deleon The 62nd Berlinale opened this afternoon for early arriving journalists even before the Opening Gala which will be held tonight  with two special press screenings. First up was the rousing Bollywood actioner ''DON 2, The King Is Back'' starring The King of  Bollywood himself, Shah Rukh Khan, and this was followed by the much anticipated Angela Jolie directed Bosnian War drama,  ''Land of Blood and Hone'' (Zemlja Krvi a Mjod),  in which the actress does not herself...

   Customs Commissioner in Mumbai studied Indian Music “Sound is a fifty per cent partner in film” said A N Sharma, the author of an interesting masterpiece “Baajanama” which was released by Pandit Rajan Mishra and Pandit Sajan Mishra in Mumbai.  Interacting with media on the sidelines of Mumbai International Film Festival  2012, Mr Sharma said his book ‘Bajanaama’ is about the first decade of commercial recordings in India.” It was in ...

India’s premier film school Film and Television Institute of India is gearing itself for the  digital challenge in film making. “A fortnight ago, Kodak has filed for bankruptcy and the writing is on the wall. Digital technology is the future and FTII is seized of the developments and restructuring accordingly” said D J Narain, Director of the Institute at a press conference in MIFF 2012 today. Mr  Narain said a Group of Experts constituted by the Governing Council of FTII...

By Alex Deleon For the second time in three years a major Bollywood "blockbuster" starring top Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) will have a high profile opening at Berlin.  The title of the new film is "DON 2, The King is Back", and is directed by star director Farhan Akhtar. In 2012 Mr. Khan was here for the world's premier of "My Name Khan" --a combination political film and love strory set in the USA. The subject of that one was actually anti-Isla...

Veteran environmental filmmaker Mike Pandey from Delhi was honoured with the prestigious V Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award of the Mumbai International Film Festival for shorts, documentaries and animation films – MIFF 2012 The award carries a citation, a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 500,000. Instituted in 1996 in memory of India’s foremost film maker V Shantaram, the Life Time Achievement Award aims to recognise the multi-faceted contributions of an Indian for the documentary ...

                          Homage to Mani Kaul and 5 other noted film makers through 14 films in Special Screening during - MIFF-2012   Mani Kaul’s musical masterpiece Dhrupad traces the thousand year old living tradition of Raag Dhrupad.   Nomad Puppetteer, a cinematographic report on the string puppets of Rajasthan, Chitrakathi based on the marionettes and leather puppets of Goa and Arrival dealing with product-commodity exchange wi...

With the opening of Indian film 'DON 2' (2011) starring Bollywood giant Shah Rukh Khan, Khan has been popping up everywhere recently to promote his new film. Last week it was the Festival du Film de Marrakech and this week Dubai at DIFF. While Khan tells the world that his character ‘Don’ of the DON feature film series is his favorite character he has ever played, I would venture to say that the favorite character the world has seen him play is that of 'Rizvan Khan' in the blockbuste...

  The River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival hosts a focus on Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore, with screenings and talks, plus films in competition and special sections.   The River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival, directed by Selvaggia Velo, had its first edition in Florence in 2001 as the world's first festival entirely devoted to films from and about India: a mirror on the culture of an ever-growing, ever-changing subcontinent. ...

 Argentinian director Pablo Cesor, whose Argentine-Benin co-production Orillas delves into the subject of the people of African descent in Buenos Aires says Argentinians have for long been in denial about the African presence. I wanted to tackle the subject of social justice." Next on the agenda is a film on Rabindranath Tagore and his Latin American connections. Mr Cesor says he became interested in the subject after an interaction with the Indian Ambassador to Argentina, which Tago...

  music director Bhupen Hazarika is dead. ...

  INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES WELCOMES BOLLYWOOD ICON SHAH RUKH KHAN                                   The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), Eros International, and Red Chillies Entertainment, hosted Bollywood icon Shahrukh Khan at a special screening of his latest movie RA.One on the eve of it...

The 22nd edition of Stockholm International Film Festival, 9-20 november will be screening 173 films from 44 countries. Visiting directors include Whit Stillman, Alejandro González Iñárrit, Sean Durkin and Joachim Trier.  Stockholm Lifetime Award will be awarded to Isabelle Huppert. Love is an eternal theme where every new film generation creates their own interpretations. The way love is depicted is an essential reflection of our time and society. With inspiration from our Visison...

  The River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival hosts a focus on Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore, with screenings and talks, plus films in competition and special sections.   The River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival, directed by Selvaggia Velo, had its first edition in Florence in 2001 as the world's first festival entirely devoted to films from and about India: a mirror on the culture of an ever-growing, ever-changing subcontinent. Now in...

The first "JAIPUR INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVA-JIAFF-2011" presented by PICASSO ANIMATION COLLEGE, Jaipur will start tomorrow at EP Emerald (Entertainment Paradise) Cinema Hall at 10 A.M. Noted film actress Ms. Kamini Kaushal, will inaugurate the festival. She has performed in famous films such as, Neecha Nagar (1946), Nadiya Ke Paar (1949), Paaras (1949), Shabnam (1949), Aarzoo (1950), Shaheed (1948), Meri Bhabhi (1969), Do Raste (1969), & Roti Kapda Aur Makan (1974). Sh...

New kid on the Bollywood Shivi R Kashyap makes her musical debut in Deepa Sahi’s upcoming film Tere Mere Phere. Shivangi Kashyap grew up in the heart of the  Himalayas with culture-vulture genes - her father is a composer and mother a classically trained dancer. Tere Mere Phere is being shot in Himachal Pradesh  and has a  Himalayan theme. Small town girl  with the right (meaning familial with Danny Denzongpa for an uncle) ) connections in Bollywood, Shivi is  ...

<p>Bollywood, one of the largest centres of film production in the world, has recently taken on the flavours of  Melbourne which has Australia’s highest concentration of convention facilities located in the city centre, including the MCEC, the world’s first and only ‘Six Star Green Star’ rated convention centre. It  is also home to five of the six most significant annual sport events held in Australia – the Boxing Day Cricket Test, the Australian Football League Grand Final, ...

Dharmendra Jai Narain, has been appointed as the Director of the Film & Television Institute of India, Pune.  He succeeds Pankaj Rag, who was the Director of FTII till recently, a press note issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Govt of India, said. Popularly known as D J Narain, the new FTII Director is an officer of the 1990 batch of the Indian Information Service and comes to FTII with a  experience in administration, management, media communication and performing arts.�...

The remarkably diverse cinema of India is celebrated at the 32nd Durban International Film Festival this year, with a focus on both the classic and the daringly contemporary, with music and art also finding a prominent place. Six films from the great Indian master Satyajit Ray will be presented, alongside fine works by talented new Indian filmmakers, an exhibition dedicated to Bollywood by artist Ranjit Dahiya, and a performance by Indian slide-guitar maestro Debasish Bhattacharya. Taking plac...

Children’s Film Society India's weeklong Mumbai ‘Monsoon Dhamaal’ concluded at  Films Division  15th July 2011 in the course of which ten award winning CFSI films were screened to cheering school children. Entry to the screenings was  free! This specially curated package has already travelled to Kochi, Pune, Jaipur where it received an overwhelming response. Monsoon Dhamaal will travel to Srinagar, Kolkata, Indore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, New Delhi and Bangalore in the coming month...