IFFI 2018 glitters amidst ‘omission’ controversy
Gajanan Khergamker | Panjim
Nothing could be more true than what Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said at the 49th edition of the International Film Festival of India’s (IFFI) 2018 opening session about India being a “land of storytellers where very person had a story to tell.” IFFI 2018 was a bonanza of highs and lows - where despite the regular ‘omission’ controversy, the nine-day event from November 20th 2018 to November 28th 2018 transformed Goa into a magical maze. Even Sholay was screened specially for the visibly challenged at the festival.
Director Julien Landais and cast members presented the opening film, The Aspern Papers, at a screening in Goa on Day One of IFFI 2018 while Sealed Lips had its world premiere when it closed the festival on Day Nine.
IFFI 2018 also had Masterclasses held by experts in the entertainment industry and the festival focused on the past, the present and the future. And, for the first time, street cinema was held open to tourists visiting the state during the period too. During the nine-day event, more than 220 movies from 67 countries were screened. In all, 26 feature films and 21 non-feature films were screened in the Indian Panorama section.
No Indian film is ‘anti-national’, controversy unfortunate: Rawail
Replying to a query on some films being rejected for being ‘anti-national’ during a press conference on the opening day, Chairman of Jury, Indian Panorama (Feature) Rahul Rawail asserted there is no such thing as an anti-national film and the jury considers all movies that come before it as Indian movies. He stated that the controversy regarding omission of certain movies from Indian Panorama is unfortunate and the jury was given full autonomy in arriving at its decisions.
Also, in IFFI 2018 Israel was made the focus country and veteran Israeli film-maker Dan Wolman given the Lifetime Achievement Award. While speaking at the occasion, Mr Wolman said, “Thank you...It is sweeter because I am receiving it in India – a country whose people, culture and phenomenal cinema I truly admire.”
Also, Jharkhand was made the focus state of IFFI 2018. This is for the first time that any state was made a focus state.
For the first time in IFFI, six Indian sports biopics were screened as an extension of the Khelo India initiative. On the second day of IFFI 2018, was screened Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in the presence of Director of the film Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, actress Divya Dutta at Joggers Park in Altinho, Goa on the lines of ‘open screenings’ at International Film Festivals like Cannes and Locarno. Other open-air screenings of sports biopics included Gold, Mary Kom, 1983, MS Dhoni - The Untold Story and Soorma.
‘Films in Golden Era weren’t tagged as female-oriented’
During a ‘Konversation With Kapoors’ with Rumi Jaffrey and Boney Kapoor on films, actor Jahnavi Kapoor recited a self-written poem on her mother and late actor Sridevi and spoke of how the ‘Golden Era’ of Hindi cinema that her father spoke of was far ahead of times. “I think they are way ahead of even our time. I feel we have got tangled into a trap, a commercial one. I think the freedom to tell the story was more earlier,” she said. She spoke of how films like Mr and Mrs 55 celebrated feminism even back then.
Among the more prominent developments at IFFI was the launch of the Web Portal of Film Facilitation Office (FFO) by Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Union Minister of State (I & B). The portal will not only enable online submission of applications for international filmmakers, but also list India's co-production treaties and guidelines of key central government ministries and departments.
Indian Directors Tell World Of ‘Real’ Stories
“I wanted to tell the world about some real stories around us. Hence I contacted the Musahars and requested them to let us stay with them for two months. From wearing their clothes to eating the way they eat, we delved into the life they live,” said Kamakhya Narayan Singh, director of film Bhor, a film based on the Musahar community in Uttar Pradesh. The ‘simple and content people’ are happy with all that they have and this is something that the director wanted to share with people.
Sharing his experience about the film, Srijit Mukherjee, director of film Uma said his inspiration came from a news report called “The Boy Who Moved Christmas” where the townsfolk orchestrated a Christmas for a terminally-ill boy. He decided to adapt the story to the realities of his hometown in Bengal, replacing Christmas with Durga Puja.
Baaram which means ‘burden’, is a Tamil film directed & produced by Priya Krishnaswamy, that revolves around a widowed night-watchman, Karuppaswamy and his sons during his last days, when he is subjected to the practice of Thalaikoothal a traditional practice of senicide which had social sanction. Baaram is one of the two Indian films selected out of 12 movies nominated in ICFT UNESCO GANDHI Medal competition.
Salim Khan was awarded with the Lifetime Contribution to Cinema award at IFFI 2018, collected by son Arbaaz Khan. Salim later dedicated the award to Indore - his birthplace, Mumbai and the Hindi Film Industry.
“Despite Kamasutra, Indians hesitant to talk of sex”
“It is sad that in a country that gave the world Kamasutra, we are hesitant to talk about sex,” said Leena Yadav at IFFI 2018 during ‘Calling The Shots’: Women directors in Indian Cinema - held between Gauri Shinde, Meghna Gulzar and Leena Yadav in which they talked of gender equality, women-centric stories and more. They talked of their journey in the film industry, moderated by filmmaker Shashank Khaitan.
On her film ‘Parched’, Leena said, “When we were called by CBFC, we realized that they were slightly on the backfoot because of the awards that the film had won internationally. They told us that the film would be given an ‘A’ rating, which we were fine with. Then they pointed at the chest area and said that ‘it’ will have to be blurred, referring to the scenes involving frontal nudity. I asked them, “It what? Breasts?” The panel members jumped in shock at my utterance of the word. It is sad that in a country that gave the world Kamasutra, we are hesitant to talk about sex, because well you know, children in India are found in temples and sex has nothing to do with it.”
Support The Draft by sharing this story.
Nothing could be more true than what Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said at the 49th edition of the International Film Festival of India’s (IFFI) 2018 opening session about India being a “land of storytellers where very person had a story to tell.” IFFI 2018 was a bonanza of highs and lows - where despite the regular ‘omission’ controversy, the nine-day event from November 20th 2018 to November 28th 2018 transformed Goa into a magical maze. Even Sholay was screened specially for the visibly challenged at the festival.
 |
| Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at the ceremony |
Director Julien Landais and cast members presented the opening film, The Aspern Papers, at a screening in Goa on Day One of IFFI 2018 while Sealed Lips had its world premiere when it closed the festival on Day Nine.
IFFI 2018 also had Masterclasses held by experts in the entertainment industry and the festival focused on the past, the present and the future. And, for the first time, street cinema was held open to tourists visiting the state during the period too. During the nine-day event, more than 220 movies from 67 countries were screened. In all, 26 feature films and 21 non-feature films were screened in the Indian Panorama section.
No Indian film is ‘anti-national’, controversy unfortunate: Rawail
Replying to a query on some films being rejected for being ‘anti-national’ during a press conference on the opening day, Chairman of Jury, Indian Panorama (Feature) Rahul Rawail asserted there is no such thing as an anti-national film and the jury considers all movies that come before it as Indian movies. He stated that the controversy regarding omission of certain movies from Indian Panorama is unfortunate and the jury was given full autonomy in arriving at its decisions.
Also, in IFFI 2018 Israel was made the focus country and veteran Israeli film-maker Dan Wolman given the Lifetime Achievement Award. While speaking at the occasion, Mr Wolman said, “Thank you...It is sweeter because I am receiving it in India – a country whose people, culture and phenomenal cinema I truly admire.”
 |
| Dan Wolman with his team |
Also, Jharkhand was made the focus state of IFFI 2018. This is for the first time that any state was made a focus state.
For the first time in IFFI, six Indian sports biopics were screened as an extension of the Khelo India initiative. On the second day of IFFI 2018, was screened Bhaag Milkha Bhaag in the presence of Director of the film Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra, actress Divya Dutta at Joggers Park in Altinho, Goa on the lines of ‘open screenings’ at International Film Festivals like Cannes and Locarno. Other open-air screenings of sports biopics included Gold, Mary Kom, 1983, MS Dhoni - The Untold Story and Soorma.
‘Films in Golden Era weren’t tagged as female-oriented’
During a ‘Konversation With Kapoors’ with Rumi Jaffrey and Boney Kapoor on films, actor Jahnavi Kapoor recited a self-written poem on her mother and late actor Sridevi and spoke of how the ‘Golden Era’ of Hindi cinema that her father spoke of was far ahead of times. “I think they are way ahead of even our time. I feel we have got tangled into a trap, a commercial one. I think the freedom to tell the story was more earlier,” she said. She spoke of how films like Mr and Mrs 55 celebrated feminism even back then.
 |
| Jhanvi Kapoor with father Boney Kapoor |
Among the more prominent developments at IFFI was the launch of the Web Portal of Film Facilitation Office (FFO) by Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, the Union Minister of State (I & B). The portal will not only enable online submission of applications for international filmmakers, but also list India's co-production treaties and guidelines of key central government ministries and departments.
Indian Directors Tell World Of ‘Real’ Stories
“I wanted to tell the world about some real stories around us. Hence I contacted the Musahars and requested them to let us stay with them for two months. From wearing their clothes to eating the way they eat, we delved into the life they live,” said Kamakhya Narayan Singh, director of film Bhor, a film based on the Musahar community in Uttar Pradesh. The ‘simple and content people’ are happy with all that they have and this is something that the director wanted to share with people.
Sharing his experience about the film, Srijit Mukherjee, director of film Uma said his inspiration came from a news report called “The Boy Who Moved Christmas” where the townsfolk orchestrated a Christmas for a terminally-ill boy. He decided to adapt the story to the realities of his hometown in Bengal, replacing Christmas with Durga Puja.
Baaram which means ‘burden’, is a Tamil film directed & produced by Priya Krishnaswamy, that revolves around a widowed night-watchman, Karuppaswamy and his sons during his last days, when he is subjected to the practice of Thalaikoothal a traditional practice of senicide which had social sanction. Baaram is one of the two Indian films selected out of 12 movies nominated in ICFT UNESCO GANDHI Medal competition.
Salim Khan was awarded with the Lifetime Contribution to Cinema award at IFFI 2018, collected by son Arbaaz Khan. Salim later dedicated the award to Indore - his birthplace, Mumbai and the Hindi Film Industry.
“Despite Kamasutra, Indians hesitant to talk of sex”
“It is sad that in a country that gave the world Kamasutra, we are hesitant to talk about sex,” said Leena Yadav at IFFI 2018 during ‘Calling The Shots’: Women directors in Indian Cinema - held between Gauri Shinde, Meghna Gulzar and Leena Yadav in which they talked of gender equality, women-centric stories and more. They talked of their journey in the film industry, moderated by filmmaker Shashank Khaitan.
 |
| Meghna Gulzar, Leena Yadav and Gauri Balki at the In-Conversation |
On her film ‘Parched’, Leena said, “When we were called by CBFC, we realized that they were slightly on the backfoot because of the awards that the film had won internationally. They told us that the film would be given an ‘A’ rating, which we were fine with. Then they pointed at the chest area and said that ‘it’ will have to be blurred, referring to the scenes involving frontal nudity. I asked them, “It what? Breasts?” The panel members jumped in shock at my utterance of the word. It is sad that in a country that gave the world Kamasutra, we are hesitant to talk about sex, because well you know, children in India are found in temples and sex has nothing to do with it.”
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