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.

Jonathan Ryes Myers to walk red carpet; Ingmar Bergman retrospective brings seven of his classics
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 12, 2018)

The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) opens in Goa on November 20 with the world premiere of The Aspern Papers. Set in Venice in the late 19th century, the film is based on Henry James’ eponymous novella. A story of obsession, grandeur lost, and dreams of Byronic adventures, the period drama is co-written, co-produced and directed by Julien Landais. Landais along with his leading man and lady, Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers and actress Joely Richardso, will be present at IFFI. Also in attendance will be Nicolas Hau and Morgane Polanski (actress-daughter of filmmaker Roman Polanski). The film also features 81-year-old Venessa Redgrave feted as “one of the greatest living actresses of our times”.

The film festival directorate is understandably excited to have bagged one of the most talked about films of the year. “It will be a fabulous red carpet, a celebration of cinema,” promises a source. “It’s an acknowledgement that India’s profile in the international community is on the rise and a proud moment for the country.”

IFFI will also showcase seven classics of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman in a retrospective which opens on November 21 as part of his centenary celebrations. The films include the 1966 Swedish psychological drama Persona revolving around a young nurse played by Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann as her patient, well-known stage actress Elisabet Vogler who has suddenly stopped speaking. Wild Strawberries, a 1957 Swedish drama, is notable for Victor Sjöström’s final screen performance as an old man recalling his past while The Seventh Seal, a historical fantasy is another gem. Bergman’s final film, the 2003 Saraband — a sequel to Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage (1973) — the Summer with Monika which courted controversy when it opened in 1953 for its frank depiction of nudity, the 1978 Autumn Sonata (below) featuring Ingrid Bergman in her final screen appearance and the 1982 historical period drama, Fanny And Alexander, are also a must-see. Bergman Island, a documentary on the auteur directed by Marie Nyrerod, will also be screened.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 3, 2015)

After working with Nicole Kidman, Dev Patel and Rooney Mara in Garth Davis's Hollywood feature, Lion, Ranbir Kapoor's Besharam girl, Pallavi Sharda, is all set for another international outing. This time she will keep Irish heartthrob, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, company. The actor is best known for the historical fiction TV series, The Tudors. Shambhala is a survivalist drama written and directed by Australian filmmaker Summer Nicks. It chronicles the journey of a plane crash survivor, played by Meyers, and is set in the Hindu Kush mountain range in Northern Pakistan, but will be shot in North India.

"It's an interesting script intertwining the lives of the central characters, following the crash. I play this really strong character, Nadia, who goes against social traditions and norms. It's something I've never done before," says Pallavi.

The film, which rolls in a couple of weeks, features an ensemble cast, including Jonathan, Akshay Kumar (Homeland) and Kabir Singh (Damaged, One Less God). The 27-year-old actress, who will continue shooting till the year end, is currently working with the costume designer on her look.

"We'll go through some workshops before we start shooting. I play an Urdu speaking woman so I'm working on the dialect to make the character look believable," says Pallavi.

Summer had liked Pallavi's work in Hawaizaada. She was in Los Angeles where she met him, where he narrated the script to her and took a couple of auditions. Despite her international outings, the Australian - Indian actress insists that Bollywood is still the priority and is going through scripts.