Showing posts with label Village Rockstars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Village Rockstars. Show all posts
If only five big producers can support independent cinema, things can drastically change-Rima Das
9:13 AM
As Village Rockstars 2 premieres at the Berlin Festival, Nation Award-winning filmmaker Rima Das opens up working on a folk-horror story for her next, and why financial support for independent filmmaking in India needs to go beyond just lip service
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; February 16, 2025)
It's time for Rima Das 2.0. The National Award filmmaker is currently at the coveted Berlin International Film Festival for the premiere of her latest work, the Assamese movie, Village Rockstars 2. The festival darling lets us in on a new resolution when we speak to her—she is ready to turn over a new leaf. “I have realized going to festivals is not enough. Now, my main aim is that my work reaches more people,” she says.
In her over a decade-long career, Das has created an enviable filmography—her breakout film Village Rockstars, Bulbul Can Sing to Tora’s Husband—and now the sequel to her National Award-winner, which has already travelled to several national and international festivals.
“At Busan Film Festival last year, a producer from Singapore told me, ‘Rima, I think this is the only sequel of an independent film. We haven’t had any other sequel to an indie film before’.” Das laughs as we mention that her film couldn’t have come at a better time, as sequels seem to be the latest obsession.
“While making Village Rockstars [2018], I never thought of a sequel. But while editing it, it did strike me that the story has a natural progression and another film can be made. But I thought if I took it to festivals, how will they react to a sequel? Also, for the audiences who haven’t watched the first part, will the title Village Rockstars 2 work? Then, I thought about the long-term value of a story and that’s why I decided to make the sequel.”
Village Rockstars is about Dhunu, a 10-year-old girl, who dreams of buying a guitar and is saving up for it. However, when calamity hits her village, she must re-evaluate her priorities. Part 2 revisits the life of Dhunu, seven years after the events of the last film.
The filmmaker began working on the film, on which she also serves as the writer, cinematographer and co-producer, in 2020. But it ended up consuming Das’ time more than she anticipated.
“In 2020, I wanted to start something with Tillotama Shome. Then, the pandemic happened. I felt like I was in a cocoon, so I started making Tora’s Husband and Village Rockstars 2 simultaneously, but there was a lot of physical, mental trauma because of the pandemic. I lost my father. So, to finish both the films took a long time. I had to rewrite and re-shoot portions of Village Rockstars 2. It took me four years to finish the film,” she shares.
As rewarding as making Village Rockstars 2 was, it also left the filmmaker feeling stagnated. Das knew it was time for a reboot. “I had been shooting in the same location for years because Village Rockstars and Bulbul Can Sing were shot in the same area, while Tora’s Husband was shot nearby. I stopped enjoying it. So, during that time I started developing other ideas because I felt like doing something new,” she says.
Now brimming with ideas, the filmmaker is having a party. “I am writing something set in Mumbai, and it’s folk horror. When I look around, I see a lot of stories. Then, I feel like telling these stories is more important than making something perfect.”
With creative expansion on her mind, Das wants to enter unfamiliar territories. “Now, I also want to do commercial and semi-commercial films. Not being officially trained in filmmaking, my perception and knowledge of art is probably different from other filmmakers. Keeping the essence of cinema intact, I want my films to be accessible and reach a wider audience. Some films I think feel very arty. If I am making a Village Rockstars, I have a message to tell. If only cinephiles are watching it, it’s not enough for me. I want my films to reach marginalized sections or the [regular] audience. That is success for me. I don’t like my films to be a piece of art that is consumed by only a section of the audience. This wasn’t exactly on my mind when I made Village Rockstars. It was made without music and I thought the way it had shaped up was for a foreign audience but when it was released in India and I saw people loving it, I realized there are no boundaries to art.”
What also calls out to the filmmaker today is the need to embrace collaborations. Since the beginning of her career, Das has made movies largely by herself— from writing to producing. “I am looking for more collaborators, who are like-minded. I don’t want to be in the lonely place of doing everything by myself. I know when the time is right, the right kind of people will align with my vision and understanding of cinema.”
Making movies is as much about having talent as it’s about finding people who believe in it. It becomes particularly difficult to find believers of stories that don’t conform. Das, one of the biggest success stories in India’s independent space believes, “If you look at our audience, it should not be difficult to be an independent filmmaker in India. But there aren’t many forces to support it. There is a lot of lip service. If only five people, who are big producers, can support the scene, it can drastically change. But that’s not happening and I don’t know why. We look at old architecture and marvel at it, but nothing new is being built. Good art, poetry, and film are as important as good architecture. When I hear about the box office, it is only about two per cent of our population watching a film that is called a huge success. So, when we spend Rs. 50 lakh to a crore on an indie film, the recovery in India is very easy. You just need to find your audience. But there is no support.”
On this note, Das registers praise for actor-producer couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal, who made their production debut with the marvellous Girls Will Be Girls. “We need more people like Richa and Ali. Look how they supported an independent filmmaker [Shuchi Talati] and a beautiful film got so much visibility.”
Beyond that, Das believes one has to just be at it. “These problems have always been there in the independent space. Films are a catharsis for me. Every time I am doing something, I am creating opportunities for people, whether the number is 10 or 40.”
I attended Cannes Film Festival as the cultural ambassador of Assam-Papon
8:16 AM
Papon, who was invited as a cultural ambassador of Assam at the Cannes, was representing the state’s culture and cinema at India Pavilion
Niharika Lal (BOMBAY TIMES; June 7, 2022)
Papon, who attended the 75th Cannes Film Festival recently, says he was proud to discuss his upcoming films and to promote filming in Assam. Talking to us, Papon says that in recent years, Assamese filmmakers have been making films on unconventional subjects in modest budget and these films are not just being praised in the country but at international film festivals, too. He says, “I attended Cannes Film Festival as the cultural ambassador of Assam. I was asked by the Ministry of Culture to represent the state’s culture and the country at India Pavilion.”
‘NOW, FILMMAKERS WANT TO SHOOT MORE FILMS IN ASSAM’
Papon, who has also ventured into filmmaking and has been working on two films from the last four years, stresses on the need for more stories, shoots in Assam. He says, “These films are still work-in-progress and are being directed by my friend Parasher Baruah. These films will showcase Assamese heritage, culture and nature. Filmmakers at Cannes, who saw the teaser, were quite impressed with locations and said that it looked like ‘an interesting palette of unexplored beauty’. And that they would love to come and shoot their film in Assam, too.”
At the festival, Papon was part of a discussion to promote filming in Assam. On the topic, he says, “In recent years, the number of film shoots in Assam has gone up. Not just Indian but international projects have also come to the state, and films and web series have been shot here. We discussed the state film policy that has been updated to encourage filmmakers to come and shoot in Assam.”
‘ASSAMESE FILMS TRAVEL BEYOND THE STATE AND GARNER APPRECIATION WORLDWIDE’
This year, Boomba Ride was among those five films that I&B Ministry had selected for a screening at Cannes. Papon says that Assamese cinema has undergone a transformation in recent years. He says, “Assamese films have been able to travel beyond the boundaries of the state and have garnered appreciation worldwide. Films such as Boomba Ride to Village Rockstars are encouraging young filmmakers, who are already making very interesting cinema in Assam. Assamese cinema history is very interesting. For instance, films made on a tight budget such as Local Utpat have done well in theatres.”
Talking about his learnings from the Cannes Film Festival, he said, “It is all about networking and understanding how the exchange of cinema happens across different parts of the world. The important thing is to reach out to international producers or filmmakers and promote your film. This doesn’t happen over night, it takes a lot of effort and Cannes is a great place to meet the film community to understand how and why some films make it there.
Tales from Northeast find a voice on OTT
8:05 AM
Digital platforms have become instrumental in content and talent from the Northeast finding representation in the crowded mainstream
Juhi Chakraborty (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 14, 2021)
The OTT platforms have not only given a break to new or less appreciated talents, but are also helpful in bringing a diverse range of projects to the screen. This includes content from the Northeast. Often these small budget films get lost in the crowded Hindi mainstream market. But now thanks to the digital medium, they are able to reach a much wider audience. Aamis, Axone, Bornodi Bhotiai, Village Rockstars and Raag are some such films that are now available on OTT, and have been able to strike a chord with viewers.
Actor Sayani Gupta, who starred in Axone which follows Northeast Indian migrants in Delhi, in their attempt to organise a wedding party, says, “It was the first film that ever came out in the mainstream that represents characters from the Northeast, and is authentic. There is a lot of interest coming from content makers and filmmakers about the Northeast and the people.”
Noting how there is a growing appetite for such stories, Siddharth Anand Kumar, vice president - Films & Events, Saregama India Ltd — who made Axone — says it’s heartening to see people being receptive towards these stories. “I think the interest will only grow from here, after India’s shining jewels Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain, who hail from Manipur and Assam respectively, returned home with Olympic medals. The region is brimming with talent and stories. And I hope they get support from the industry, and bring inclusivity and an end to stereotypes,” Kumar shares.
Manipuri actor Lin Laishram, who was a part of Axone, is glad that actors from the Northeast were cast in it. And while she agrees that OTT is helping with representation, she believes there’s still a long road ahead. “We need more of our stories to be told in the mainstream. We’re on the right path but there is a long way to go,” she says.
Not just films, now even web series set and shot in the Northeast, with actors from the region are making its way to our screens — for instance, The Last Hour. “It features a lot of actors from there, the locations are breathtaking. So it has an authentic feel to it. That’s what stood out,” shares actor Raima Sen, who starred in the supernatural crime thriller.
While this is a step in the right direction, many believe that Bollywood, despite being one of the biggest film industries in the world, has failed to adequately represent the region and its people, often resorting to cliches and stereotypes in the story.
To this, Kumar says, “Our vision has always been to make films with an underlying message, a potential to spark conversation and change mind sets. Axone was just the perfect platform to highlight the umpteen misconceptions and racism that people from the Northeast face in daily lives.”
Agreeing to this, actor Adil Hussain, who hails from Assam, says that while the growing lot of stories from the region are helpful, he feels it is a drop in the ocean. He elaborates, “I think what they are doing is fantastic, but the OTT giants should look for such stories rather than have people approach them... A lot of projects made there still don’t find their way in the mainstream.”
How many movies can one watch now, it is getting a bit too much-Rima Das
8:08 AM
Sanskrita Bharadwaj (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 23, 2020)
Filmmaker Rima Das, whose film Village Rockstars (2017) was India’s official entry to the 91st Academy Awards, has been staying alone in Mumbai during the lockdown. “I was working on an untitled film with Tillotama Shome. More than 50% of the film was supposed to be shot in Mumbai and the rest in Assam. But now, the film is going to be on an indefinite halt. We would have had a crew with us. It looks very unlikely that shoots will begin anytime soon,” she says.
Talking about spending time on her own, Das says, she used to always like her own space “but this lockdown and Coronavirus pandemic are ‘forcing’ people to stay at home, which is increasing my anxieties about the uncertainty of things even more. How many movies can one watch now, it is getting a bit too much.”
Das wishes she was at her native place in Assam right now, but she is hopeful that she will be able to head back home soon. “We have to be hopeful in these times. That’s all we can do,” says the maker of films such as Bulbul Can Sing (2018) and Man With The Binoculars (2016).
Initially, Das who wanted to become an actor, says making her award winning film Village Rockstars was a journey of sorts for her. “I have heard people say negative things about it. But there will always be people who will say both positive and negative things. One has to be sensible enough to take something from both. When Man With The Binoculars didn’t do well, I was devastated, and I cried one day in the middle of the road, but I did not give up. I kept trying. Filmmaking is a journey. Some people are lucky, they get instant success but for others it’s a process, it’s not something that can be achieved in a day. You might even get success overnight but the effort, the dedication, the passion and the love for making films are a continuous process,” says Das who enjoys watching Majid Majidi and Andrei Tarkovsky films, and wishes to make more “realistic and experimental” films.
I don’t believe in shoving feminist issues in anyone’s face-Rima Das
9:52 AM
Saptaparna Biswas (BOMBAY TIMES; February 24, 2019)
With an enviable record of three acclaimed films to her name, National Award winner Rima Das is the toast of the international filmmaking community. Her film Village Rockstars brought the Assam girl critical recognition and fame, but few know that direction was not always on her radar. Rima went from Chhaygaon to Mumbai with dreams of becoming an actress. However, rejection and a chance encounter with works of Satyajit Ray, Majid Majidi and Abbas Kiarostami gave her a new direction in life, quite literally. After making waves with Village Rockstars, which was India’s official entry to the Oscars 2018, and Bulbul Can Sing, which is currently earning praises at multiple film festivals, Rima has overcome gender disparity and language barriers to emerge as an influential name in the field of filmmaking. In a chat with us, she speaks about breaking the glass ceiling, why women should believe in themselves and what can be done to make Indian films Oscar-worthy. Excerpts:
‘MANY PEOPLE DIDN’T BELIEVE IN MY METHOD AND QUESTIONED MY APPROACH’
At the Berlin International Film Festival aka Berlinale, festival director Dieter Kosslick pledged for gender equality in film submissions by 2020, in addition to ensuring better gender representation. Speaking about the same, Rima says, “I can happily state that India was well represented by Zoya Akhtar, Udita Bhargava and my films. These were screened with other big names of international cinema. I think this pledge shows that there is a conscious movement to decrease the gender gap in the field of cinema. It will certainly encourage women to tell the stories they want to.”
For Rima, the journey to her first directorial was not a bed of roses. She hit a low point in her life before taking things in her hands. She shares, “Women must put more faith in themselves than others. In my school and college, I was always the best actress. But in Mumbai, the story was different. I was not accepted because of things like my accent, no film school background etc. I slipped into depression and resorted to watching world movies alone. However, that proved to be a turning point as it opened a whole new world to me. The films mesmerised me and direction took over. I realised that I wanted to create my own world, rather than being restricted to that of others. That is when I decided to tell stories from my native village through my characters.”
With her cousin Mallika Das’ support and a new DSLR camera, Rima ventured into filmmaking. “When I started my first film, Man With The Binoculars, there were many who did not believe in my methods and questioned my approach towards topics. By the second film, I decided to overlook all these hiccups and stuck to my stories that spoke of a dreamy-eyed village girl Dhunu (Village Rockstars) or the free-spirited Bulbul (Bulbul Can Sing), despite the lack of faith from people in my craft.” Agreeing that it takes a lot more for a female filmmaker to prove their worth, especially if the film is speaking about women from their perspective, Rima says, “See, I’m a woman who has grown up observing things around her. So, when I tell stories, the issues that women face in India naturally get highlighted. Having said that, I don’t believe in shoving feminist issues in anyone’s face. I’d rather present them subtly, through organic visuals, for better understanding. Things have to be believable to be taken seriously.”
‘THE WORLD NOTICED THAT A WOMAN CAN SINGLE-HANDEDLY MAKE GOOD FILMS’
Rima doesn’t regret the struggle and, in fact, calls it her ‘film school education’. “Since I do not have any professional training, I have had to pretty much learn everything through the process of filmmaking. I was handling multiple departments at the same time. It was tough yet liberating. With Village Rockstars and Bulbul Can Sing getting international recognition, I finally found my footing, and the world noticed that a woman can also single-handedly make good films. Going ahead, I will collaborate with big production houses, mainstream filmmakers and more. In a way, the real struggle will begin when I do that,” says Rima.
‘VISIBILITY IN THE US IS KEY FOR AN OSCAR NOMINATION’
Though Village Rockstars couldn’t make it to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars, Rima refuses to get bogged down by the setback. Instead, she focuses on what more could’ve been done. “I think we need more time to market and promote our films. Visibility in the US is necessary. Members of the guild need to watch the movie. There are around 5000 members who vote for the top nominations after that. A total of 87 films from all over the world were in the category, including films like Roma and Shoplifters, which had ample visibility. We got only two months to campaign and promote Village Rockstars and that’s not enough,” says Rima, adding that support from the government and private firms is essential for any Indian film to make it to the Oscar nomination list.
‘SATYAJIT RAY SHOWED ME THE WAY’
When people drew parallels between Village Rockstars and Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali at a film festival, Rima was overwhelmed. “They said that I have a realistic and organic approach, just like Ray. I would say that Ray is the master who showed me the way. And there’s still a long way for me to go,” she concludes, hoping for better collaborations and stories to come forth in the near future, and this time, not just from Assam.
India’s official entry Village Rockstars out of the Oscar race
8:01 AM
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 19, 2018)
Director Rima Das’ Village Rockstars, which was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category, is out of the race. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced that nine films have advanced to the next round of voting for the 91st Academy Awards. Colombia’s Birds Of Passage, Denmark’s The Guilty, Germany’s Never Look Away, Japan’s Shoplifters, Kazakhstan’s Ayka, Lebanon’s Capernaum, Mexico’s Roma, Poland’s Cold War and South Korea’s Burning have moved to the next round of voting.
Village Rockstars, which was shot in Assam, revolves around children who lead a fun-filled life despite their adversities and had won the National Award for the Best Film, too. Filmmaker Ananth Mahadevan, who was among the jurors who selected the film as India’s entry to the Oscar, told BT, “I still stand by the selection we made. Rima’s film offered an improvised look at relationships and it belonged to a part of India that has seldom been explored before. I have always maintained that with respect to filmmaking, the world is miles ahead of us. Their concepts and execution is far superior. Village Rockstars was competing with Roma, which according to reports, is the Oscar favourite this year. Shoplifters was a favourite at Cannes. Village Rockstars came very close to being selected in the top nine and it lost out to some of the best works in the world.”
He adds, “We have to improve our standards in filmmaking. Unless we have the fire to stand at par with world cinema and until producers don’t step in to help, we will languish with mediocre stuff. It’s like, why aren’t we at par with the best teams in football? I am not too taken aback by the Academy’s decision, but I still believe that no other film from India could have represented us this year. Our best effort fell short and there is a bitter lesson to be learnt here. Rima has nothing to be disheartened about because her work was knocked off the list while competing with the best the world had to offer.”
Why should films backed by big studios be the only ones to go for Oscars?-Rima Das
8:49 AM
Rima Das, whose film Village Rockstars is India’s nominee for the 2019 Academy Awards, on why she doesn’t mind being an independent filmmaker
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 4, 2018)
“There were no natural disasters, we had fun,” says Rima Das, about the floods she experienced as a child in Kalardiya, 50 km southwest of Guwahati. “As a child, you looked forward to heavy rain and water all around. We would make rafts out of banana leaves to go to school, go fishing and sometimes, school would be shut too.”
It’s this childlike perspective that Das, 36, has tried to capture in her multiple National Award-winning Village Rockstars, which is India’s entry for the 2019 Academy Awards. Set in rural Assam, the film follows the story of a young girl who dreams of owning a guitar and forming her own band. Das says it’s a story that reflects her own dreams and aspirations. “Miracles happen. If you dream, they can be achieved,” says the one-woman-crew who wore multiple hats during the production — that of a director, producer, editor and cinematographer.
Das, who aspired to be an actress, considers herself to be an accidental filmmaker. When she arrived in Mumbai in 2003, after completing her masters in Sociology from Pune University and after clearing the National Eligibility Test (to pursue teaching like her father), it seemed her tinsel town ambitions would never take off. “I did a few plays at Prithvi, but I wasn’t getting the roles I wanted,” she says. “So I thought I would make a film and create a role for myself.” This is when Das came across the Canon 5D, “a small camera which offered cinematic results”. Her first “experiment” resulted in the short film Pratha (2009), which was well received on the festival circuit and gave her the “confidence to go ahead”.
A few years later, Das released her first feature Antardrishti (Man With The Binoculars), inspired by a friend who had purchased a pair of binoculars for his father in Kalardiya. The film, which was shot in Kalardiya, was completed in 2016. While Das was determined to make it to the front of the camera, she found being both an actor and director too much to handle. “I couldn’t focus on either and eventually direction took over.” Antardrishti was screened at Cannes in 2016, the Mumbai Film Festival and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia the same year. “When I started out, people told me there are 10,000 films submitted for Toronto Film Festival and 12,000 films submitted for Cannes, who is going to watch your film? But we are here, right? People told me a women empowerment film won’t win a National Award. But here we are.”
The idea for Village Rockstars struck Das when she was filming Antardrishti and came across a group of children dancing with make-believe musical instruments to a tune playing from a loudspeaker. As the movie enters its fifth week in theatres, Das feels “it’s truly a regional film that has gone mainstream.”
But this isn’t the response she expected. “When I made Village Rockstars, it was, for me, a festival film. There is no background score, there are many layers and it is not a structured film. But the response was heartening.”
Das credits the festival circuit as an enabler, as it “helps [the film] reach out to a wider audience”. “I didn’t even think of various interpretations [of the film] that others pointed out during the one-on-one audience interactions.” To create a buzz around her Oscar contender, Das has acquired an agent in LA and plans to host screenings to build awareness and generate interest.
While Das has received Rs 1 crore from the Assam government towards her Oscar campaign, she agrees that being backed by a studio would’ve made things smoother. On the other hand, she isn’t entirely sure if it would allow her complete autonomy over her project. “A few [studios] who have approached me lately, say they will give me the freedom to do whatever I want… but I can’t say how it would be because I haven’t experienced it yet. Mine has been a different journey,” she says. “When I take money from other producers, I would have to be more careful and listen to them too.” But she also admits that lack of funds can be detrimental when lobbying for a film that hasn’t had an international release. “There are 87 films being entered in the Best Foreign Language Film category so people should know about our film too. Films like Roma (Spanish) and Shoplifters (a Japanese film which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year) are backed by big studios and can afford to spend over 10 crore to create visibility, we can probably spend one, but it’s OK. Why should films backed by big studios be the only ones to go for Oscars?”
I value every penny people have extended for Village Rockstars-Rima Das
8:12 AM
Rima Das, the National Award winning filmmaker, whose film has been chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars this year, charts the journey ahead
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 2, 2018)
Filmmaker Rima Das is relieved that the government of her home state, Assam, has contributed Rs 1 crore to help her promote Village Rockstars in the US. The National Award-winning film was unanimously chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars, 2019. It beat 27 films, including contenders from Hindi cinema and other languages, to bag the honour two months ago. Back then, Rima, in her interview to BT, had said, “As an individual, it will be very difficult for me to gather so much money on my own. My journey with Village Rockstars began five years ago. I have made it with my own money and travelled with it all over the world. Now that it’s gearing up to represent India, the country needs to step forth and help it get there.”
Her plea was heard and the government of Assam, where the film was also shot, has contributed Rs 1 crore for her impending Oscar journey. More contributions, big and small, have also been made by individuals. Rima can’t thank the state government enough for their contribution. Manish Mundra, the producer of Newton, which was India’s entry to the Oscars last year, has also helped Rima with a handsome amount, though no one from mainstream Bollywood has stepped in to help her.Rima says, “Promotions for the Oscar run is a very big deal and I am still figuring my way forward. Thankfully, I didn’t have to work too hard for the CM of Assam to grant the money. I value every penny and whatever little help that people have extended so far. My state was celebrating Village Rockstars’ selection for the Oscars. I met our CM and a couple of other ministers. Everyone has seen the film and they willingly came forth to help me.”
For Rima, the Oscar chase is unlike anything she has experienced in her journey across international festivals. With the money granted to her, she has hired a publicist and is seeking advice from some of her friends, who she met at international film fests. “We have hired a publicist. I have been travelling to festivals for three years now. I’ve found some genuine people who are guiding me for putting together a team that will help me publicise the film and cover some ground in the Oscar run. We are now looking at exploring other avenues for visibility in America. I’m paying everyone in instalments. Crowdfunding is not a cakewalk. People are chipping in. I am talking to corporates, too, but all this takes a while,” says the filmmaker.
Rima will head to Los Angeles on November 5 and spend two months there, promoting her film and screening it for the Oscar lobbyists. “People across the world have responded well to my film. So, I am hopeful that it will impress people at the Oscars, too,” she says. Rima had applied for visas for her child actors, Bhanita and Mallika, who headline the cast of her film. However, their applications were rejected. “I want them to travel to America and promote the film there. Their application was rejected for the lack of documents, but I will try again and hopefully, I will be able to fly them to the US, which will be great for the film’s visibility,” she explains.
The director, in the last two months, has not had time to breathe. She believes that every work of art has its own destiny, and though she panics sometimes, it always helps to be calm in every scenario. “I just hope we do our best,” she sums up.
How will I promote Village Rockstars at the Oscars without any money?-Rima Das
8:22 AM
With a month to go before the Oscar lobbying begins, director Rima Das rues lack of financial support for India's entry, Village Rockstars
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; October 17, 2018)
Rima Das is on the threshold of realising one of the biggest achievements for a filmmaker - going to the Oscars. Her Assamese film, Village Rockstars, is India's official entry to the Academy Awards 2019 in the Best Foreign Film category. Though jubilant about the honour, Das says she has a tough road ahead - with no studio backing her small-budget film, the director lacks the financial resources required to promote it in Hollywood. Das is well-aware that lobbying is crucial to ensure that her film makes it to the final five nominees vying for the golden statuette.
"I made Village Rockstars on a budget of less than Rs 30 lakh. But to make it visible in Hollywood, I need money for marketing and promotion. I need to hire a PR machinery there and have to organise screenings for critics. My friend Adil [Hussain, whose film What Will People Say is the Norwegian entry] told me I need at least Rs 5 crore. How will I promote my film without any money," questions Das.
As a mark of support, the government of Assam, her home state, has promised her Rs 1 crore. "I have been assured that the tax will be waived. If taxed, I will get about Rs 68 lakh." Das adds that her friends and well-wishers have joined forces to raise funds for her trip.
No stranger to global acclaim, her film has done the rounds of several international film festivals. Before the lobbying of films kicks off in Los Angeles next month, Das hopes that her labour of love does not fall victim to scarcity of funds.
"Taking my cast to Los Angeles and staying there will cost me a tidy sum. I am now appealing to Bollywood stars to help Village Rockstars find a place in the world forum." She also points out that while previous Oscar entries have had their share of controversies, Village Rockstars has been universally applauded.
Selecting Village Rockstars was a well-calculated decision, because it ticks every box-Ananth Mahadevan
8:23 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (September 23, 2018)
Village Rockstars was unanimously chosen by a 12-member jury, which was headed by producer S V Rajendra Singh Babu. The rest of the jury included directors and technicians from every department of filmmaking.
“Village Rockstars deserved this. We haven’t given it a chance; it bagged the chance to represent India at the Oscars. It has the right material. It belongs to a beautiful state of India and depicts a story rooted in the culture of the state. We have also been discussing the road ahead. Rima is an independent filmmaker. Our worry is, how will she manage a sum of Rs 2 crore to promote the film at the right avenues in America for two months. It needs to be shown to critics, Academy members, and needs to be advertised well. We will request the state and the central government to step forth and help her. We will also reach out to film studios in the country to contribute towards her journey to the Oscars. We’re very hopeful that this film will get really far in the competition if it’s given the right aid at the right time. It has already travelled to the most acknowledged film festivals of the world,” says Rajendra Singh Babu.
Director-writer Ananth Mahadevan, one of the key members of the jury, believes that this is one of those rare occasions when a jury has placed its finger on the right kind of film to represent India globally.
“In all these years, we haven’t made one right choice. If you select a bad player and he is underwhelming on the field, it’s the selectors to blame. For years, the jury has not selected the right film as the entry to the Oscars. I joined the jury with thorough research about the entries for the current year from other countries, and past entries from India and other countries. We had to know where we were going wrong. Selecting Village Rockstars was a well-calculated decision because it ticks every box. It’s a film rooted in India, has an international appeal and works beautifully at every level. We tend to think that what works in the mainstream here is what will appeal to the Academy out there, which is never the case. I have a strong feeling that this year, we will finish at the Top Nine if not the Top Five,” says Ananth.
He believes that if 20 pockets contributed Rs 10 lakh each, it could help Rima promote the film well, book ads in the trade papers and get people to watch it at the right time. “I am sure the Academy members will watch Village Rockstars to the end, and not discard it midway. This is the closest we have come to capturing spontaneity in a land ravaged by nature and the coming-of-age of a girl who doesn’t lose the innocence of her childhood. Indian films are believed to carry a poverty label, but here is a film about an impoverished community that holds its head high even in the face of calamities. That’s the message we want to send out everywhere in the world. We’ve made glaring errors for years — who sends a film like Jeans (1998) to the Oscars? The other wrong choices are also pretty evident. We haven’t sent a film by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Aravindan, Ritwick Ghatak, Shaji N Karun and more films by Satyajit Ray. For years, we didn’t have a filmmaker who could fill the void left by these filmmakers. We’ve finally found Rima Das,” Ananth sums up.
It’s hard for me to gather so much money for the Oscars campaign, the country needs to step in-Rima Das
8:22 AM
Independent filmmaker Rima Das’ Village Rockstars has been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars. In a chat with BT, she talks about the challenges that lie ahead
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; September 23, 2018)
Independent filmmaker Rima Das has hit bulls-eye with her coming-of-age film, Village Rockstars. After impressing the National Award jury earlier this year, and bagging top honours, including the National Award for the Best Film, the Assamese film has been selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars which will be held early next year. The film beat 27 contenders, comprising Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Gujarati films, to make its way to the top. The filmmaker has travelled with the film globally on her own steam. She produced, directed and shot it by herself with the help of one camera, one light and featured two children Bhanita and Manabendra Das from her village in Assam. Rima Das, who is currently in Assam, is elated with this news, but in a chat with BT, she says that taking this film all the way to the Oscars will be no mean feat. Excerpts…The National Award put the spotlight on your film that had only been seen at festivals before that. And now, Village Rockstars will represent India at the Oscars. Would you say that you’ve had a dream run?
It’s a dream come true that the film has been unanimously selected to represent India at the Oscars. When I entered it for the Oscar selection, I was somewhere expecting that it will make the cut. I’m so happy that I got what I expected. The news came to me when I was at my village in Assam where I shot the film. Life has come a full circle. The children who have worked in the film are jumping with joy, although I am not sure how well they understand the gravity of the situation. It’s a huge task and responsibility to represent the country on a global platform like the Academy Awards. I don’t know how I will do it, because it needs a lot of money to promote the film and reach out to the right people at the right juncture. The film needs to get maximum visibility and a fair chance to surge ahead in the competition.
What’s the plan then?
I don’t know what will happen now. I will reach Mumbai on Monday and immediately start work on chalking out a plan for promoting the film in the US. Money is a huge constraint and I will address that with the Film Federation of India and whichever other bodies that I need to reach out to. As an individual, it will be very difficult for me to gather so much money on my own. I will need help and I will ask for it as openly as I can. I am an independent filmmaker. My journey with this film began five years ago. I have made it with my own money and travelled with it all over the world. Now that it’s gearing up to represent India, the country needs to step forth and help it get there.
In our last conversation, you underlined the fact that no studio, despite a National Award, was willing to back your film and give it a theatrical release. How do you plan to release the film now, given that it’s an important criterion for a film running for an Oscar?
Even before that article, I had been speaking to people, and after the article, a cinema chain partnered with me to release the film in seven cities in India and I will release it independently in Assam. The chain has a plan in place and the film will finally release in the country. I wish it had happened earlier. A film running for the Oscars has to have released in the country of origin on or before September 30. Thankfully, Village Rockstars releases on September 28. Since the film has been a part of the festival circuit for some time now, it has already been seen by many people, but the theatrical release will only help it grab more eyeballs. The class audience has seen it and appreciated it and I hope the mass audience will also like it as much.
There were 27 other films in the race for India’s entry to the Oscars, including some popular mainstream Hindi films. Almost every year, a controversy erupts over the choice of film being sent to the Oscars. So far, there hasn’t been any hue and cry about this year’s choice...
(Cuts in…) You know something? I am used to such talks. It happened when my film won the National Award this year. I am only grateful that my work was appreciated by the jury at the National Award and the Film Federation of India (FFI) Selection Committee. The number might be low, but even the aam junta who had seen the film didn’t question the selection. Yes, there are more people who are not aware and they might think that it is a vague choice. After my film won the National Award, several people told me that they would be interested in helping me release it nationally, but no one came forth when it was time to act on their words. Even now, everyone is saying great things. I hope they will stick to their words and help me out. Empty words hold no meaning. People can say anything they want about a selection, but what matters to me is that there are so many young boys and girls who love independent cinema and are willing to give such films a chance.
OTHER FILMS THAT WERE IN CONTENTION FOR THE OFFICIAL ENTRY
Hichki
October
Love Sonia
To Let
Halkaa
Pihu
Kadvi Hawa
Tumbaad
Manto
102 Not Out
Gulabjaam
Mahanati
Aa Karaala Ratri
Bogda
Rangasthalam
Reva
Mai Gayatri Jadhav
Bioscopewala
Best Of Luck Laalu
Kolamavu Kokila
Bhayanakam
Ajji
Nude
Gali Guleiyan
India’s twin Oscar hopes: Rima Das's Village Rockstars and Adil Hussain-starrer What Will People Say in fray
8:19 AM
Abdul Gani | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 23, 201)
Guwahati: Self-taught filmmaker Rima Das’s ‘Village Rockstars’ has been selected as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars 2019, becoming the first film from Assam and the northeast to be nominated.The film tells the story of a 10-year-old girl, Dhunu, who dreams of owning a guitar and forming a band with a group of local boys. The film, shot on a handheld camera in rural Assam, has travelled to at least 40 countries across the globe and won accolades. Earlier this year, ‘Village Rockstars’ won the ‘Golden Lotus’ (best film award) at the National Film Awards, becoming the state’s first film to win the award in three decades.
“I can’t express how happy I am. I shouted and cried in joy. I was silently dreaming about this. This is the biggest thing to happen so far,” an excited Rima said on Saturday.
“It had started in a very small way. I stayed at home eating food my mother cooked and taking my brother’s car to shoots. I was never trained in filmmaking, so I had nothing to lose,” she said. The film was made on a shoestring budget. Assam will be represented among films by other countries too — Norway is sending to the Oscars the film ‘What Will People Say’, featuring Assamese actor Adil Hussain. It was directed by Iram Haq.
Countries have until October 1 to send their official entry to the Academy that organises the Oscars. Films under consideration to be India’s official Oscar entry included Meghna Gulzar’s ‘Raazi’, Siddharth Malhotra’s ‘Hichki’, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmaavat’, among others.
The film will be released on September 28 in 31 theatres in Assam and in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune.
We need brave producers to back a Rima Das film like Village Rockstars-Rima Das
8:27 AM
Village Rockstars, this year’s National Award winner for the Best Film, has travelled to international festivals, but it hasn’t released in India yet. Here’s what the director had to say
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 9, 2018)
Even as she is gearing up to start work on her fourth film, director Rima Das has not been able to find a producer for the release of Village Rockstars, this year’s National Award winner in the Best Film category. By the time the film bagged the National Award, it had already travelled to 60 national and international film festivals, enjoying full-house screenings. So, what is it that stops Village Rockstars from making it to our cinema halls?
Rima says, “As an independent director-producer, I will release the movie in Assam and a few other cities. Big producers and studios don’t want to take any risk on content. They all talk about markets and the audience’s taste, but what they fail to understand is that markets need to be developed. I have been to many international festivals where children have watched my film and interviewed me for it. These countries work on developing the taste of their audience early on. As adults, these children will have a very different sensibility in cinema. That is what we need to do in India. Simply talking about the market not changing does not help. We need brave producers to back a film like Village Rockstars.”As she is gearing up to start her fourth project, Rima hopes to get better resources and equipment. Though she is struggling to find support for her National Award-winning film, she admits that she has no regrets. “With the position I am in, I don’t have to bother about getting a producer. Yes, I will try and get more equipment for making my fourth film. Since I have been financing my films so far, I could create my journey the way I wanted to. I want to continue with what I am doing. That is liberation in the true sense,” she explains.
Has the National Award given her more opportunities? “I made Village Rockstars because of my passion for cinema; I wasn’t thinking about the market or the audience. The National Award has opened more doors for me, but I feel sad that a large part of the audience in India has still not seen the film, though it has been appreciated all over the world,” she replies.
Rima, who is based in Mumbai and grew up on Bollywood fare like Pakeezah and Mughal-E-Azam, reveals that she has never been to a film school, nor hasshe assisted a top filmmaker. “I have constantly been educating myself about the craft. When my work gets appreciated, it fills me with confidence to make the next film. I think, as a writer-director, self-belief is very important. For that, even if one has to start on a really small scale, the journey is worth it,” she signs off.
We aren’t as open as Hollywood actresses in addressing sexual harassment at work-Huma Qureshi
7:56 AM
Lasyapriya Sundaram (BOMBAY TIMES; May 17, 2018)
Huma Qureshi’s first appearance at Cannes Film Festival happened six years ago, when she made her acting debut with Gangs of Wasseypur. The film was screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section at the prestigious festival. This time around, Huma visited Cannes as part of the Government of India’s contingent of artistes, who were there to talk about independent cinema. BT caught up with the actress and got her to talk about her recent sojourn to the French Riviera, fashion, films and the #MeToo campaign. Excerpts…
Did your sartorial choices for Cannes play out the way you envisaged? Also, in today’s day and age, do you think that it’s important for an actress to be a fashionista as well?
We barely had two weeks to put it all together. I was new to the red carpet game and didn’t want to compete with anyone. Some of my Indian designer friends went out of their way to make some exquisite clothes for me. It was very confusing, because people were giving my team all sorts of advice, but eventually, we followed our instinct. I completely trusted my team’s vision. Fashion is definitely important, but my aim was to enjoy the festival. I think that reflects in the pictures, too.
While you spoke up about sexual harassment at work in Cannes, many of your contemporaries talk about it as something that happens to others. The way the West has taken on the issue head on, are you hopeful that it will ever happen in the Indian film industry? Also, do you think that men, too, should join the fight against sexual harassment?
We are yet to be as open as Hollywood actresses in terms of addressing sexual harassment at workplace. But, I do hope that changes. The battle against sexual harassment has to be fought both by men and women. A #MeToo moment is welcome, but I think women fear backlash in our society so much that they would rather not come out. We must create space and security for women to speak out against sexual crimes.
As an artiste, what does the Cannes film festival mean to you? Did you manage to catch some of the films in competition?
Cannes is a mix of films and fashion. It gives filmmakers from across the world an opportunity to showcase their artistic brilliance. I hope there are more film festivals like this, not just in other parts of the world, but also in India. I didn’t get a chance to watch too many films, but I watched Manto. I love Nandita Das as an actor, and I knew that she would make an excellent film. Manto’s story is relevant even today. I also met Rima Das, who has made Village Rockstars (Won this year’s National Award in the Best Feature Film category). I missed Asghar Farhadi’s Everybody Knows, which I was keen on watching.
Your upcoming film (Kaala) is opposite Rajinikanth. Tell us about your experience of sharing screen space with him... Was learning Tamil a difficult task?
Working with Rajini sir is a dream come true for any actor; it was a humbling and learning experience. Not only is he immensely talented and professional, but also a warm person. Learning Tamil was challenging, but the team was supportive and helped me a great deal. I would converse with them in Tamil and that made it easier to pick up the language.
(Crisp) Movie Review: VILLAGE ROCKSTARS by FENIL SETA
11:08 PM
Village Rockstars is an Assamese film by Rima Das, who got noticed last year with her film Man With The Binoculars. This film, that had a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, throws light on a girl staying in a remote village in Assam and who aspires to buy a guitar. The film follows her journey over a period of few months. The film raises lot of issues about gender equality, whether it’s ok for a teenaged girl to roam around with boys, why people don’t leave farming despite the problems associated with it etc. One of the most striking moments of the film is the flood sequence – it’s all shot at actual locations and probably during the waterlogging. It’s as real as it can get and hopefully, the film will bring the world’s attention to the annual flooding issue faced by Assam residents. On the flipside, the 87 minute long film drags at places and your attention might wander somewhere else. But it was not an easy film to make and hats off to Rima Das for achieving it. She has not just directed it but also produced, written, edited, shot and did the production designing! Hats off and she’s surely an inspiration to many aspiring filmmakers – why be dependent on someone when you can do it all by yourself?!
My rating - *** out of 5!
Films helmed by women tell stories that are the polar opposite of 'safe'-Bornila Chatterjee
7:50 AM
Bornila Chatterjee's The Hungry, which sets Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus in an Indian wedding while delving into the murky world of politics and business, premiered recently at the Toronto International Film Festival with three packed screenings. The 31-year-old director, who divides her time between Brooklyn and Kolkata, spoke to Priyanka Dasgupta
Priyanka Dasgupta (THE TIMES OF INDIA; October 15, 2017)
What prompted you to make a macabre fairy tale in your adaptation of Titus Andronicus?
I trained in Bharatanatyam and perhaps because of that, I am drawn to rich colours and to heightened forms of expression. But then in film school (New York University's Tisch School of the Arts), I found myself focusing on the dramas of everyday life and the details that nuance an actor's performance. I fell in love with this intimate sort of filmmaking. But my desire to tell a very deliberate and stylised story onscreen remained. So when we began writing the script for The Hungry, I wanted to try to strike a balance between the two, with moments of unapologetic melodrama countered with moments of quiet and intimacy. While shooting, we realised that we were building something akin to a modern Grimm Brothers tale. So, we just went after that with everything we had.
Titus Andronicus is known more for gore and violence rather than the complexity and tragedy of Titus and Tamora's emotions. How challenging was it to adapt such a text with characters that viewers can't root for?
We wanted to make a film that highlights the futility of violence. So even though it might be difficult for some people to root for our characters, I think there is something in each of them that is very relatable.
Which adaptation of Shakespeare on screen or stage has left a mark on you?
Obviously, Maqbool! I went to see it with my friends and was blown away. It is such a cool, cool, cool film. Another Shakespeare adaptation that really left an impression is Sleep No More. It's an immersive, site-specific mashup of Macbeth and Hitchcock films done by a theatre company called Punchdrunk in New York. It's the most brilliant theatre I've ever seen.
As a young director, how did having an actor like Naseeruddin Shah on board help?
He read every draft we wrote and was really candid with his thoughts. He knew the play and understood what needed to be retained and where we could depart from the source. This was super helpful. He developed his character, bringing this really wicked blend of crass and elegance to Tathagat. To me, that's Shakespeare in a nutshell.
The few women directors who are around globally have had some success in directing independent films but they rarely helm big-budget studio films. Does the industry have a gender bias?
Bias. As a woman, you face bias in various situations. Whether you fight it or accept it is totally up to you but to deny the existence of bias or to make excuses for it is messed up to me. That said, here's the funny thing about really big-budget films. Often, because of those big budgets, they end up being rather 'safe'. And when you look at films helmed by women anywhere in the world, including India, these are stories that are fresh and alternative and audacious - the polar opposite of safe. We need these voices telling these stories.
The Toronto festival's artistic director Cameron Bailey has described you as “one of the boldest filmmakers to come out of India in years“. Who in your eyes are the bold filmmakers from contemporary India?
In Toronto, I met the Assamese filmmaker Rima Das, who was there with her beautiful film Village Rockstars. She produced, directed, shot and edited the movie all by herself. That's bold. She is the epitome of bold.
There was a time when the films of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Buddhadeb Dasgupta used to be regular at A-list film fests. Few Indian films today make it to Cannes, Venice and Berlin. Are we lagging behind?
I don't think Indian movies are lagging behind at all. Making a movie costs a lot of money. Worldwide, that money is disappearing while the cost of movie tickets is rising. This real economics of cinema has a real, direct effect on filmmakers. Despite that, we've recently seen some exceptional works made by some exceptional Indian artists. Chaitanya Tamhane, Amit V Masurkar, Kanu Behl, Neeraj Ghaywan, Rima Das, Aditya Vikram Sengupta - all their films have screened at the festivals you mentioned. India has a tradition of brilliant cinema and these guys are definitely keeping that tradition alive.
I trained in Bharatanatyam and perhaps because of that, I am drawn to rich colours and to heightened forms of expression. But then in film school (New York University's Tisch School of the Arts), I found myself focusing on the dramas of everyday life and the details that nuance an actor's performance. I fell in love with this intimate sort of filmmaking. But my desire to tell a very deliberate and stylised story onscreen remained. So when we began writing the script for The Hungry, I wanted to try to strike a balance between the two, with moments of unapologetic melodrama countered with moments of quiet and intimacy. While shooting, we realised that we were building something akin to a modern Grimm Brothers tale. So, we just went after that with everything we had.
Titus Andronicus is known more for gore and violence rather than the complexity and tragedy of Titus and Tamora's emotions. How challenging was it to adapt such a text with characters that viewers can't root for?
We wanted to make a film that highlights the futility of violence. So even though it might be difficult for some people to root for our characters, I think there is something in each of them that is very relatable.
Which adaptation of Shakespeare on screen or stage has left a mark on you?
Obviously, Maqbool! I went to see it with my friends and was blown away. It is such a cool, cool, cool film. Another Shakespeare adaptation that really left an impression is Sleep No More. It's an immersive, site-specific mashup of Macbeth and Hitchcock films done by a theatre company called Punchdrunk in New York. It's the most brilliant theatre I've ever seen.
As a young director, how did having an actor like Naseeruddin Shah on board help?
He read every draft we wrote and was really candid with his thoughts. He knew the play and understood what needed to be retained and where we could depart from the source. This was super helpful. He developed his character, bringing this really wicked blend of crass and elegance to Tathagat. To me, that's Shakespeare in a nutshell.
The few women directors who are around globally have had some success in directing independent films but they rarely helm big-budget studio films. Does the industry have a gender bias?
Bias. As a woman, you face bias in various situations. Whether you fight it or accept it is totally up to you but to deny the existence of bias or to make excuses for it is messed up to me. That said, here's the funny thing about really big-budget films. Often, because of those big budgets, they end up being rather 'safe'. And when you look at films helmed by women anywhere in the world, including India, these are stories that are fresh and alternative and audacious - the polar opposite of safe. We need these voices telling these stories.
The Toronto festival's artistic director Cameron Bailey has described you as “one of the boldest filmmakers to come out of India in years“. Who in your eyes are the bold filmmakers from contemporary India?
In Toronto, I met the Assamese filmmaker Rima Das, who was there with her beautiful film Village Rockstars. She produced, directed, shot and edited the movie all by herself. That's bold. She is the epitome of bold.
There was a time when the films of Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen and Buddhadeb Dasgupta used to be regular at A-list film fests. Few Indian films today make it to Cannes, Venice and Berlin. Are we lagging behind?
I don't think Indian movies are lagging behind at all. Making a movie costs a lot of money. Worldwide, that money is disappearing while the cost of movie tickets is rising. This real economics of cinema has a real, direct effect on filmmakers. Despite that, we've recently seen some exceptional works made by some exceptional Indian artists. Chaitanya Tamhane, Amit V Masurkar, Kanu Behl, Neeraj Ghaywan, Rima Das, Aditya Vikram Sengupta - all their films have screened at the festivals you mentioned. India has a tradition of brilliant cinema and these guys are definitely keeping that tradition alive.
Anupama Chopra talks about the Hollywood heavyweights and Indian flicks that rocked the show at TIFF
7:50 AM
Hollywood heavyweights to newbies and hard-hitting dramas, the Toronto Film Festival this year has been a celebration of cinema and talent
Anupama Chopra (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 16, 2017)
I met Christopher Nolan – first let that sink in. On the fourth day of
the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), the iconic director of
films like Inception, Interstellar and Dunkirk, arrived for a special
screening of his latest film. Dunkirk, considered a front runner for the
Oscars, was screened at Cinesphere – the oldest IMAX screen in the
world. Cinesphere is the first screen built specifically for the IMAX
format in 1971. Nolan, a long-time proponent of the format, shot a major
portion of Dunkirk with IMAX cameras.
First, the brilliant World War II drama was shown. It was overwhelming to see it again on a six-storey screen, so large that you could see every pore in the actor’s face. It was followed by a Q-and-A session with Nolan, conducted by TIFF’s artistic director Cameron Bailey. My favourite moment was when Bailey asked Nolan if the director was concerned that audiences would find it hard to follow the unique chronology in the film – three strands of the story unfold over different timelines. The director paused and replied, “I said, f**k it.” Afterwards, Warner Bros. studio held a reception for Nolan where I had a chance to meet him and he promptly reduced me to a giddy fan-girl. I briefly considered never washing the hand he shook again.
TIFF is a massive, bustling, beast of a festival but the possibility of magic is everywhere. This year, the programming has been reduced to 339 films from 397, which includes 244 features and 84 shorts shown over 10 days, from September 7-17. TIFF, as David Fear wrote in Rolling Stone magazine, is the start of “prestige-movie dropping, Oscar-obsessing, A-listing awards season”. The festival has all the possible Oscar contenders, including Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!, Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father and Alexander Payne’s Downsizing. Last year’s Best Picture winner, Moonlight, was premiered in the ‘Platform’ section. But the festival also had a terrific section for genre lovers, a great selection of documentaries, Cannes favorites, foreign-films and a TV sidebar.
TIFF has also been a longstanding champion of Indian cinema and this year there were five films. A day before the festival started, Pahuna: The Little Visitors, produced by Priyanka Chopra, had its world premiere. She was also honoured at a gala fund-raiser, the proceeds of which will go to promoting the cause of women in film. About Nepali children separated from their family, it is Priyanka’s fifth production and she said the mission of her company is “to push content-driven films and opportunities to new talent”.
The India story at TIFF was propelled by new female talent. Apart from Paakhi A Tyrewala, who makes her directorial debut with Pahuna, the festival also showcased The Hungry by Bornila Chatterjee and Village Rockstars by Rima Das. The former is a brutal and bloody retelling of one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Titus Andronicus. The twisted revenge saga is transplanted in upper-class Delhi society, with Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca Chopra fighting each other to a grotesque end. I asked Bornila if she was concerned about the lack of likeable characters in her film and she retorted, “Not at all, I wanted them to do worse things!”
Rima, who shot Village Rockstars over three years in her native village in Assam, was similarly driven by the demands of the narrative. Her story is an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers. She came to Mumbai to be an actor, but when that didn’t happen, she moved on to making movies. She is a self-taught filmmaker who has directed, produced, wrote, edited and shot Village Rockstars with one camera. It narrates the story of a little girl, her mother and her group of friends. These children have little but there is a fierce joy and spirit in their lives.
Anurag Kashyap and Hansal Mehta, vanguards of Hindi independent cinema and TIFF veterans, were at the festival with Mukkabaaz and Omerta respectively. Mukkabaaz which features strong performances by the lead Vineet Kumar Singh, Ravi Kissan and Jimmy Sheirgill, is the story of a UP boxer who battles all odds for his sport and the woman he loves. The film has been co-produced by Aanand L Rai, whose company is fast becoming the premier exponent of the small-town, North India movie – think Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Raanjhanaa, the Tanu Weds Manu series. When I asked Anurag how Aanand has helped him to become a better director, he replied, “I just need someone to believe in me and give me freedom. Aanand has done that.”
For Hansal and his leading man, Rajkummar Rao, TIFF was a two-night stopover. Omerta is a disturbing character study of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh who killed the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The film’s biggest strength is Rao’s performances as the creepy, cold-blooded Omar. Hansal said that the existence of actors like Rao allows directors like him to think about difficult, challenging narratives.
These films and artists got a strong showcase at the festival with multiple screenings, press meets and networking opportunities. But the headlines were, not surprisingly, monopolised by the Hollywood heavyweights – Jolie, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jennifer Lawrence – but the festival infrastructure ensured that even the smaller films thrived. This audience-driven festival is an unparalleled celebration of the movies. Beyond the movies, red carpets and flashing cameras, what stayed with me are the 3000 TIFF volunteers. They were everywhere, wearing the trademark orange T-shirts and ensuring that delegates are happy – the unique marker of a great festival.
First, the brilliant World War II drama was shown. It was overwhelming to see it again on a six-storey screen, so large that you could see every pore in the actor’s face. It was followed by a Q-and-A session with Nolan, conducted by TIFF’s artistic director Cameron Bailey. My favourite moment was when Bailey asked Nolan if the director was concerned that audiences would find it hard to follow the unique chronology in the film – three strands of the story unfold over different timelines. The director paused and replied, “I said, f**k it.” Afterwards, Warner Bros. studio held a reception for Nolan where I had a chance to meet him and he promptly reduced me to a giddy fan-girl. I briefly considered never washing the hand he shook again.
TIFF is a massive, bustling, beast of a festival but the possibility of magic is everywhere. This year, the programming has been reduced to 339 films from 397, which includes 244 features and 84 shorts shown over 10 days, from September 7-17. TIFF, as David Fear wrote in Rolling Stone magazine, is the start of “prestige-movie dropping, Oscar-obsessing, A-listing awards season”. The festival has all the possible Oscar contenders, including Darren Aronofsky’s Mother!, Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird, Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father and Alexander Payne’s Downsizing. Last year’s Best Picture winner, Moonlight, was premiered in the ‘Platform’ section. But the festival also had a terrific section for genre lovers, a great selection of documentaries, Cannes favorites, foreign-films and a TV sidebar.
TIFF has also been a longstanding champion of Indian cinema and this year there were five films. A day before the festival started, Pahuna: The Little Visitors, produced by Priyanka Chopra, had its world premiere. She was also honoured at a gala fund-raiser, the proceeds of which will go to promoting the cause of women in film. About Nepali children separated from their family, it is Priyanka’s fifth production and she said the mission of her company is “to push content-driven films and opportunities to new talent”.
The India story at TIFF was propelled by new female talent. Apart from Paakhi A Tyrewala, who makes her directorial debut with Pahuna, the festival also showcased The Hungry by Bornila Chatterjee and Village Rockstars by Rima Das. The former is a brutal and bloody retelling of one of Shakespeare’s lesser known plays, Titus Andronicus. The twisted revenge saga is transplanted in upper-class Delhi society, with Naseeruddin Shah and Tisca Chopra fighting each other to a grotesque end. I asked Bornila if she was concerned about the lack of likeable characters in her film and she retorted, “Not at all, I wanted them to do worse things!”
Rima, who shot Village Rockstars over three years in her native village in Assam, was similarly driven by the demands of the narrative. Her story is an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers. She came to Mumbai to be an actor, but when that didn’t happen, she moved on to making movies. She is a self-taught filmmaker who has directed, produced, wrote, edited and shot Village Rockstars with one camera. It narrates the story of a little girl, her mother and her group of friends. These children have little but there is a fierce joy and spirit in their lives.
Anurag Kashyap and Hansal Mehta, vanguards of Hindi independent cinema and TIFF veterans, were at the festival with Mukkabaaz and Omerta respectively. Mukkabaaz which features strong performances by the lead Vineet Kumar Singh, Ravi Kissan and Jimmy Sheirgill, is the story of a UP boxer who battles all odds for his sport and the woman he loves. The film has been co-produced by Aanand L Rai, whose company is fast becoming the premier exponent of the small-town, North India movie – think Bareilly Ki Barfi, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Raanjhanaa, the Tanu Weds Manu series. When I asked Anurag how Aanand has helped him to become a better director, he replied, “I just need someone to believe in me and give me freedom. Aanand has done that.”
For Hansal and his leading man, Rajkummar Rao, TIFF was a two-night stopover. Omerta is a disturbing character study of terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh who killed the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. The film’s biggest strength is Rao’s performances as the creepy, cold-blooded Omar. Hansal said that the existence of actors like Rao allows directors like him to think about difficult, challenging narratives.
These films and artists got a strong showcase at the festival with multiple screenings, press meets and networking opportunities. But the headlines were, not surprisingly, monopolised by the Hollywood heavyweights – Jolie, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jennifer Lawrence – but the festival infrastructure ensured that even the smaller films thrived. This audience-driven festival is an unparalleled celebration of the movies. Beyond the movies, red carpets and flashing cameras, what stayed with me are the 3000 TIFF volunteers. They were everywhere, wearing the trademark orange T-shirts and ensuring that delegates are happy – the unique marker of a great festival.
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