Filmmaker Adoor seeks removal of National Film Awards jury chairperson

- Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle

                 Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan has in a searing criticism of the national film awards selection under the new dispensation called for a probe against the jury chairman (Rajendra Singh Babu), who presided over the selection of the Indian Panorama at IFFI 2016. In a nine-point letter to Information and Broadcasting Secretary Ajay Mittal, Mr Gopalakrishnan lamented the plight of “the cinema movement of purpose and integrity”.

He was also vehemently critical of the Ramesh Sippy-led jury that selected the national awards for 2015, heavily biased in favour of commercial cinema. Mr Gopalakrishnan withheld names of the two chief jurors in the letter but did not conceal his outrage since “never before have such jokers been appointed as jury chairmen”.

Reflecting sentiments of the film fraternity pursuing “purposeful cinema”, Mr Gopalakrishnan said that soon there would be an occasion to choose members as well as a chairman to the National film awards jury. “We insist that the jury should be headed by a filmmaker of eminence, familiar with modern trends in cinema and enjoys a national stature and he and other members on the jury would instill a feeling of fairness in the minds of the professionals involved”, said Mr Gopalakrishnan.

Rahman in Oscar Race Again

- NDFS Desk

      Music maestro A R Rahman stands
a chance to win at the Oscars once again with his work on sports biopic "Pele: Birth of a Legend".
The Indian musician, who is already a double Oscar-winner for his work on "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2009, has found mention in both Best Original Score and Best Original Song long
list of 89th Academy Awards. 145 original scores are vying for the top award in February next year and Rahman is one of the names on the list as the composer for the Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist -directed drama on Brazilian football legend Pele. 

Similarly, "Ginga", which Rahman composed to celebrate Pele's soccer legacy, is part of the 91 songs competing for nominations in the Original Song category, according to the list released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rahman, 49, will compete with titles like "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", "La La Land", "Moana" and "Florence Foster Jenkins".

Nominations for the Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 with the main ceremony scheduled for Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.

Screening at Miranda House Film Club for students

*NDFS info

 Miranda House Film Society, Celluloid,  extends a warm invitation for their upcoming event , the screening of 'Jashn-E-Azadi' 
 a film by Sanjay Kak titled  on 15th September 2016. 
followed by 
an interactive session with the Director himself on 16th September 2016 .  
We request you all to bring your valid College Ids for entry . 
Hope to see you there .

 

Singapore Film Festival in Delhi

                    
Singapore High Commission is organizing the Singapore Film Festival at the India Habitat Centre from 5 to 7 August 2016. This event is aimed to promote arts exchanges between India and Singapore, The three day festival will feature three films which will be followed by post-screening dialogues with the film makers. The events are all free and open to public. It is good opportunity for the Indian art community to be introduced to Singapore art and films, and for interaction between Singapore and Indian artistes.

                                    

                         

- - NDFS Desk   

Retro Summer Japanese Film Festival

The Japan Foundation, New Delhi presents “Retro Summer Japanese Film Festival” from 18^th July (Monday) to 23^rd July, 2016 (Saturday) at 6.30 pm.

Enjoy the Japanese Film Festival with Six Japanese movies back-to-back.

DATE	DAY	TIME	NAME OF FILM	DIRECTOR	YEAR	Duration  (minute)
18-07-2016	Monday	18:30	The End of Summer 小早川家の秋	Yasujiro Ozu	1961	103
19-07-2016	Tuesday	18:30	Sword of Doom 大菩薩峠	Kihachi Okamoto	1966	119
20-07-2016	Wednesday	18:30	Red Beard                  赤ひげ	Akira Kurosawa	1965	185
21-07-2016	Thursday	18:30	Kill! 斬る	Kihachi Okamoto	1968	109
22-07-2016	Friday	18:30	Samurai 宮本武蔵	Hiroshi Inagaki	1954	93
23-07-2016	Saturday	18:30	Godzilla ゴジラ	Ishiro Honda	1954	98

Short Synopsis:

1. The End of Summer: The film carries forward the lives of the Kohayagawa family, where each wants to do the best that he can for the family. The widower father- Manbei- often visits an old flame in Kyoto, causing concern in the family that he is not paying attention to the sake making company that he is going through financial troubles. With a venerating tone, this film is a reflection on old age, traditional values verses modern influence and mortality.
2. Sword of Doom: Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai without compassion or scruples. When he is scheduled for an exhibition match at his fencing school, the wife of his opponent begs Ryunosuke to throw the match, offering her own virtue in trade.
3. Red Beard: The Original book “Akahige Shinryotan” (Tales of Doctor RED BEARD) is the work of Shugoro Yamamoto. The entire film flourishes with the spirit of humanism centred on the magnificent character of RED BEARD. In Japan, where it is common to be playing more than one part at a time especially when shooting of one film is to be conducted over an extended period of time, this was an rare exception.
4. Kill!: Genta is disillusioned with life as a samurai, while Hanjiro is a farmer fed up with his powerless existence, who dreams of a glory days as a samurai. Kill! Is a comical exploration of a samurai life.
5. Samurai:  With his closest friend, Matahachi, Takezo (the town’s wild orphan kid) leaves his village to join an army on its way to battle. Takezo returns to the village and Matahachi’s family rejects his report and has him arrested for treason.
6. Godzilla: This 1954 original pioneered special effects filmmaking and inspired many remakes. Re-live this epic classic that introduced the most fearful of all movie monsters- Godzilla.

NOTE:  No reservations or passes required for any of our event. Entry is free for all. However, seats will be given on first come first basis.

प्रतिरोध का सिनेमा: ग्यारहवां गोरखपुर फ़िल्म फेस्टिवल

                                                                                                                                                   -एनडीएफएस डेस्क

             प्रतिरोध जितना ज़रुरी है, उसकी निरंतरता भी उतनी ही ज़रुरी है। मौजूद दौर में इसकी ज़रुरत और भी बढ़ गयी है। सिनेमा इसके लिए कितना प्रासंगिक और कितना सशक्त माध्यम हो सकता है 'प्रतिरोध का सिनेमा' आयोजन इस बात की मज़बूत मिसाल है।

दरअसल हम ऐसे दौर में रह रहे हैं जब आसपास की गतिविधियां और आयोजन न सिर्फ सारहीन, तत्वहीन और निरर्थक प्रतीत होते हैं, बल्कि थोड़ा पड़ताल करने पर मार्केटिंग और पीआर इवेंट साबित होते हैं। ऐसे में 'गोरखपुर फिल्म फेस्टिवल' से शुरु हुआ 'प्रतिरोध का सिनेमा' कैंपेन एक भरोसा देता है, ढांढस बंधाता है और हिम्मत न हारने की हिम्मत देता है। कोशिश कहीं भी हो, किसी भी रुप में हो... होती ज़रुर रहनी चाहिए।

इस  सिनेमा आंदोलन ने आम शहरी मध्य वर्ग को सिनेमा के जनवादी स्वरुप से न सिर्फ परिचित कराया है, बल्कि उसकी सार्थकता का भी अहसास दिलाया है। इस बार 'गोरखपुर फिल्म फेस्टिवल' का आयोजन 14 और 15 मई को हो रहा है। हर वर्ष मार्च के महीने में होने वाला ये आयोजन इस बार थोड़ा सा लेट हो गया है, लेकिन ग़ौर करने वाली बात ये है कि पूरा आयोजन हमारे और आपके निजी सहयोग से होता है, किसी कॉर्पोरेट स्पॉन्सरशिप या सरकारी ऐड से नहीं।*

सिनेमा में गहरे डूबे दर्शक हों या उत्साही आम मध्यमवर्गीय जन, हर बार इस आयोजन में ऐसा कुछ नया मिलता है, जो इसे यादगार बना देता है। गोरखपुर वालों के साथ साथ शहर के आसपास और दूरदराज इलाकों में रहने वालों के लिए भी ये आयोजन एक अमल बन चुका है, और वो हर साल बेसब्री से इसका इंतज़ार करते हैं। एक नज़र इस साल के शिड्यूल पर।

* अगर आप प्रतिरोध का सिनेमा: गोरखपुर फिल्म फेस्टिवल  को आर्थिक मदद देना चाहते हैं तो साइड पैनल पर लगा विवरण पढ़ें।

साभार: संजय जोशी, मनोज सिंह