PRLog (Press Release) -
Feb 02, 2010 -
Mumbai: Documentary film festivals usually conjure up visions of jhola-carrying filmmakers and activists among the viewers. However, this year, the Films Division has made the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) look a lot more colourful with a dash of glamour. The 11th edition of the festival received 864 entries from 37 countries
“We are reaching out to a larger audience,” saidKuldeep Sinha, director, MIFF. “Earlier, we held screenings in theatres but got poor response.” The first change is the merger of international and national categories. Besides, this time, actors, directors, musicians and writers from Bollywood will conduct talks and workshops. “Yash Chopra will be the chief guest for the inauguration,”
said Sinha. “Ajay Devgn will also be present and Preity Zinta will be the guest for the concluding session. We will also have interactive sessions with film industry’s experts.” Following the inauguration on February 3, two films, On the Tiger Trail by Naresh Bedi and Viola by Shih-Ting Hung, will be screened. The V Shantaram lifetime achievement award, including a citation of Rs5 lakh, will be given to MV Krishnaswamy this year. The films in the competition section include Documentary upto 30 minutes (12 films), Documentary over 30 minutes (17 films), Fiction upto 75 minutes (23 films) and Animation (11 films). As many as 43 films are to be screened in the Non-Competition Section. All the documentaries will be screened at the Tata theatre and the sessions will be in the NCPA complex. There are special films from the North-East, and documentaries on legends like KL Saigal, Raj Kapoor, Salil Chowdhary, Mohammed Rafi and Ashok Kumar. As an attempt to encourage young documentary film makers, Sinha said, “I have asked the government to give a channel on Doordarshan dedicated only to documentaries. Hopefully, we will see this happening soon.” Vijaya Muley’s book From Rajahs And Yogis To Gandhi And Beyond will be released by Nandita Das. The best short film/documentary (up to 30 minutes) will be awarded a Golden Conch and Rs3,00,000. Another Golden Conch and Rs3,00,000 will be given to the best film/documentary over the 30-minute duration.There are awards for best animation, fiction and student’s film. The state government’s Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari will give a Trophy and Rs1,00,000 for best debut film of a director. for more detail
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