Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; November 9, 2019)

The 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which begins on November 20, will give movie buffs an opportunity to meet master filmmakers and actors during the nine-day festival. While several dozen film selections include both India premieres and other screenings, the festival also offers an opportunity for cinema lovers to understand the craft of acting and filmmaking with masterclasses and sessions. Here are some of the highlights of the festival.


IN CONVERSATION WITH TAKASHI MIIKE
Japanese cult filmmaker Takashi Miike (right), best known for films like Audition (above), Dead or Alive and 13 Assassins, will be present at IFFI this year. The filmmaker, who has directed over 100 films, will be visiting India for the first time. A source said, “We are honoured that Takashi Miike has accepted our request to be present at IFFI. We can’t reveal any details right now, but he’s a very special guest at IFFI.” Another source told us, “We are screening five of his films at IFFI this year.”

Miike will be part of a session at IFFI this year. A source told us, “Takashi Miike will be in conversation in a session titled ‘Prolific Filmmaker In The World’.”

A MASTERCLASS ON THE NUANCES OF ACTING WITH ISABELLE HUPPERT
Last week, it was announced that French actress Isabelle Huppert (top) will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. She is among the only four female actors who have twice won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival — in 1978 for her role in Violette Nozière by Claude Chabrol (tied with Jill Clayburgh, who won it for An Unmarried Woman) and in 2001 for The Piano Teacher by Michael Haneke. This year, her film Frankie was screened at Cannes, in which she plays the role of a dying actress who gathers her family and friends in Portugal.

A source said, “We had contacted Isabelle Huppert for the Lifetime Achievement award at IFFI, and she accepted the award.”

Isabelle received international acclaim for her performance in Elle, and won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She’ll be talking about the nuances in acting in her masterclass on ‘The Actor’s Connect’ at IFFI this year.

A source says, “We have also contacted Hungarian director Bela Tarr (right), who will be present at IFFI.” The source adds, “There’s another session planned with Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (below) and Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (left). Both of them will be a part of a panel discussion titled ‘The Magnificent Artists’.” Moura will also present his film Marighella in the International Competition category. There are several other renowned foreign filmmakers and actors who are expected at IFFI, however, the officials have not revealed their names yet.