Golda Rosheuvel (Bridgerton, Dune)and Priya-Rose Brookwell (The Lazarus Project) are set to take up the lead roles of ‘Dinah’ and ‘Charlie’ in ‘Grow,’ produced by Double Nickel Entertainment in association with Sky and Orogen Entertainment.
The story of Dinah Little, a no nonsense, curmudgeonly farmer with a heart of gold, and Charlie, the unknown and unloved niece Dinah begrudgingly takes in after discovering Charlie in an orphanage. Dinah’s farm is in the self-proclaimed “Pumpkin Capital of the World” where the biggest event of the year is a high-stakes cutthroat giant-pumpkin-growing contest where the entire town gets their pumpkin patches ready to compete for a cash prize and pumpkin glory.
Charlie has a special bond with plants and, combined with her feisty personality and determination, decides to grow a gigantic pumpkin for the competition, to attempt to win the coveted prize. Charlie and other pumpkin growers face sabotage and...
The story of Dinah Little, a no nonsense, curmudgeonly farmer with a heart of gold, and Charlie, the unknown and unloved niece Dinah begrudgingly takes in after discovering Charlie in an orphanage. Dinah’s farm is in the self-proclaimed “Pumpkin Capital of the World” where the biggest event of the year is a high-stakes cutthroat giant-pumpkin-growing contest where the entire town gets their pumpkin patches ready to compete for a cash prize and pumpkin glory.
Charlie has a special bond with plants and, combined with her feisty personality and determination, decides to grow a gigantic pumpkin for the competition, to attempt to win the coveted prize. Charlie and other pumpkin growers face sabotage and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exclusive: Quiver Distribution has acquired U.S. and Canadian rights to A Bit of Light, the second feature helmed by Stephen Moyer, on the heels of 2018 family drama The Parting Glass. Starring Moyer’s wife, True Blood co-star and Emmy and Oscar-winner Anna Paquin, as well as Ray Winstone (The Departed), the film is an adaptation by Rebecca Callard of her Bruntwood Prize-winning play of the same name. It’s slated for release in select theaters across the country, as well as on VOD and digital on April 5.
Check out a trailer above.
A Bit of Light unfolds as an intimate story about a recovering alcoholic named Ella (Paquin). A series of tough breaks forces Ella to move back in with her father Alan (Winstone), while her daughters are under the care of her ex-husband Joseph (Youssef Kerkour) and his new partner Bethan (Pippa Bennett-Warner). Mired in guilt, the protagonist...
Check out a trailer above.
A Bit of Light unfolds as an intimate story about a recovering alcoholic named Ella (Paquin). A series of tough breaks forces Ella to move back in with her father Alan (Winstone), while her daughters are under the care of her ex-husband Joseph (Youssef Kerkour) and his new partner Bethan (Pippa Bennett-Warner). Mired in guilt, the protagonist...
- 2/21/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Jointly represents North American rights with The Gersh Agency.
Ddi has come on board for worldwide sales starting at EFM on Stephen Moyer’s drama A Bit Of Light starring Anna Paquin, Ray Winstone and Youssef Kerkour.
Moyer’s (True Blood) second directorial outing follows Ella (Paquin), nearly in her 40s, who moves back with her father Alan (Winstone) and tries to stay sober after ceding custody of her young daughters to her ex and his new partner.
A Bit Of Light filmed entirely on location in Suffolk and Scarborough in the UK. Phin Glynn and Axel Kuschevatzky produced through...
Ddi has come on board for worldwide sales starting at EFM on Stephen Moyer’s drama A Bit Of Light starring Anna Paquin, Ray Winstone and Youssef Kerkour.
Moyer’s (True Blood) second directorial outing follows Ella (Paquin), nearly in her 40s, who moves back with her father Alan (Winstone) and tries to stay sober after ceding custody of her young daughters to her ex and his new partner.
A Bit Of Light filmed entirely on location in Suffolk and Scarborough in the UK. Phin Glynn and Axel Kuschevatzky produced through...
- 2/3/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to the musical crime drama The Score, starring Will Poulter (Dopesick), Johnny Flynn (The Outfit), Naomi Ackie (Master of None) and Lydia Wilson (Flack). The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company plans to release the feature directorial debut of writer-director Malachi Smyth exclusively in theaters on June 3rd, with a release on VOD to follow on June 10th.
In the film from the producers of Danny Boyle’s Yesterday, two small-time crooks, Mike (Flynn) and Troy (Poulter), are on a mission—the ‘score’—that they both expect will transform their circumstances. As they wait for a rendezvous hand-over at a roadside café, Troy falls in love with the waitress, Gloria (Ackie), and begins to question his life choices…while the threat of real danger is driving to meet them.
The Score features songs by Flynn, who outside of his work as an actor, serves...
In the film from the producers of Danny Boyle’s Yesterday, two small-time crooks, Mike (Flynn) and Troy (Poulter), are on a mission—the ‘score’—that they both expect will transform their circumstances. As they wait for a rendezvous hand-over at a roadside café, Troy falls in love with the waitress, Gloria (Ackie), and begins to question his life choices…while the threat of real danger is driving to meet them.
The Score features songs by Flynn, who outside of his work as an actor, serves...
- 3/29/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscar winner Anna Paquin and International Emmy winner Ray Winstone are leading the cast of A Bit of Light, the sophomore feature from director Stephen Moyer, who is best known for playing vampire Bill Compton in HBO series True Blood.
Pippa Bennett-Warner (Gangs of London) and BAFTA nominee Youssef Kerkour (Home) are also starring in the movie, which is now shooting in the UK. Deadline can reveal a first image from the set above.
The film was written by Rebecca Callard, based on her own stage play. It follows Ella (Paquin), now living with her father Alan (Winstone) and newly sober having temporarily given up custody of her young daughters to her ex-husband Joseph (Kerkour) and his new partner Bethan (Bennett-Warner). She strikes up an unlikely friendship with a mysterious teenage boy (newcomer Luca Hogan) whose belief in her as a mother helps her rediscover her self-worth.
Moyer, who...
Pippa Bennett-Warner (Gangs of London) and BAFTA nominee Youssef Kerkour (Home) are also starring in the movie, which is now shooting in the UK. Deadline can reveal a first image from the set above.
The film was written by Rebecca Callard, based on her own stage play. It follows Ella (Paquin), now living with her father Alan (Winstone) and newly sober having temporarily given up custody of her young daughters to her ex-husband Joseph (Kerkour) and his new partner Bethan (Bennett-Warner). She strikes up an unlikely friendship with a mysterious teenage boy (newcomer Luca Hogan) whose belief in her as a mother helps her rediscover her self-worth.
Moyer, who...
- 10/12/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Monday, Dec. 14 Greenwich Acquires North American Rights to ‘Days of the Bagnold Summer’
Greenwich Entertainment has bought North American distribution rights to “Days of the Bagnold Summer,” the directorial debut of Simon Bird (star of “The Inbetweeners”), for a Feb. 19 release in theaters and on demand.
Bird’s comedy, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, contains a soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian and is based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart with a screenplay written by Lisa Owens. Starring Earl Cave, Monica Dolan and Rob Brydon, the film explores the wobbly relationship between a well-intentioned single librarian and her black-clad teenage son, who’d rather listen to Metallica than his mother.
“Days of the Bagnold Summer” was produced by Matthew James Wilkinson and co-produced by Isabelle Georgeaux with executive producers James Appleton, James Atherton, Reinhard Besser, Will Clarke, Walter Mair, Andy Mayson, Jan Pace, Mike Runagall and Pat Wintersgill.
Greenwich Entertainment has bought North American distribution rights to “Days of the Bagnold Summer,” the directorial debut of Simon Bird (star of “The Inbetweeners”), for a Feb. 19 release in theaters and on demand.
Bird’s comedy, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, contains a soundtrack by Belle & Sebastian and is based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart with a screenplay written by Lisa Owens. Starring Earl Cave, Monica Dolan and Rob Brydon, the film explores the wobbly relationship between a well-intentioned single librarian and her black-clad teenage son, who’d rather listen to Metallica than his mother.
“Days of the Bagnold Summer” was produced by Matthew James Wilkinson and co-produced by Isabelle Georgeaux with executive producers James Appleton, James Atherton, Reinhard Besser, Will Clarke, Walter Mair, Andy Mayson, Jan Pace, Mike Runagall and Pat Wintersgill.
- 12/15/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has picked up North American distribution rights to comedy feature Days of The Bagnold Summer, the directorial debut of The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird.
Bird’s film, starring Earl Cave (True History Of The Kelly Gang), Monica Dolan (Pride) and Rob Brydon (The Trip), premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and will open stateside in theaters, virtual cinemas, and on demand from February 19, 2021.
The movie charts the wobbly relationship between well-intentioned single librarian Sue Bagnold and her black-clad teenage son Daniel, who’d rather listen to Metallica than his mother. Daniel was meant to spend the summer in Florida visiting his dad, but is now stuck with mom following the trip’s cancellation.
With a soundtrack by indie band Belle & Sebastian, the film is based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart with a screenplay written by Lisa Owens.
The North American deal was negotiated by Greenwich...
Bird’s film, starring Earl Cave (True History Of The Kelly Gang), Monica Dolan (Pride) and Rob Brydon (The Trip), premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and will open stateside in theaters, virtual cinemas, and on demand from February 19, 2021.
The movie charts the wobbly relationship between well-intentioned single librarian Sue Bagnold and her black-clad teenage son Daniel, who’d rather listen to Metallica than his mother. Daniel was meant to spend the summer in Florida visiting his dad, but is now stuck with mom following the trip’s cancellation.
With a soundtrack by indie band Belle & Sebastian, the film is based on the graphic novel by Joff Winterhart with a screenplay written by Lisa Owens.
The North American deal was negotiated by Greenwich...
- 12/14/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Johnny Flynn-fronted heist musical “The Score” has wrapped production in the U.K., joining a handful of films that have started and completed filming during the pandemic.
The directorial debut of U.K. filmmaker Malachi Smyth finished production on Friday (Oct. 2) after two months of filming between Luton Hoo and the Royal Gunpowder Mills in England. The feature joins the ranks of Akshay Kumar’s “Bellbottom,” which also shot in its entirety during the pandemic.
The film, which is sold internationally by WestEnd Films, technically started production on March 16, but shot for just one day before being forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Filming resumed on Aug. 31.
“From March until Aug. 31, that whole time was spent monitoring the Covid-19 situation, figuring out how to go back to work, figuring out the insurance situation, making sure cast and agents were comfortable, and plotting what a return to...
The directorial debut of U.K. filmmaker Malachi Smyth finished production on Friday (Oct. 2) after two months of filming between Luton Hoo and the Royal Gunpowder Mills in England. The feature joins the ranks of Akshay Kumar’s “Bellbottom,” which also shot in its entirety during the pandemic.
The film, which is sold internationally by WestEnd Films, technically started production on March 16, but shot for just one day before being forced to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Filming resumed on Aug. 31.
“From March until Aug. 31, that whole time was spent monitoring the Covid-19 situation, figuring out how to go back to work, figuring out the insurance situation, making sure cast and agents were comfortable, and plotting what a return to...
- 10/5/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Seven upcoming UK films and immersive works will be presented to buyers and festival programmers.
The BFI London Film Festival is to introduce a new works-in-progress showcase and has selected seven projects for the inaugural edition.
Scroll down for full list of projects
The platform will form part of the Lff’s industry programme and will introduce upcoming UK films, TV series, and immersive projects to international buyers and festival programmers. The first edition will take place entirely online on October 9 and is intended to become an annual event.
Clips will be screened from each of the selected projects – which are all in production,...
The BFI London Film Festival is to introduce a new works-in-progress showcase and has selected seven projects for the inaugural edition.
Scroll down for full list of projects
The platform will form part of the Lff’s industry programme and will introduce upcoming UK films, TV series, and immersive projects to international buyers and festival programmers. The first edition will take place entirely online on October 9 and is intended to become an annual event.
Clips will be screened from each of the selected projects – which are all in production,...
- 9/22/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The BFI London Film Festival has added a new, annual works-in-progress showcase as part of its industry program, and has invited seven projects to participate, including two featuring “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker” and “The End of the F***ing World” actor Naomie Ackie and “ZeroZeroZero” actor Andrea Riseborough.
The showcase features works made for cinema, television and immersive platforms by U.K. emerging talent and will be presented to an invited audience of international buyers and festival programmers.
The projects include psychological thriller “Here Before” by Stacey Gregg (“Little Birds”), produced by Sophie Vickers (“Surge”) and Julia Godzinskaya (“The Other Lamb”), starring Riseborough, Martin McCann (“Wildfire”) and Jonjo O’Neill (“Pennyworth”); and heist film “The Score,” directed by Malachi Smyth (“Nocturne”), produced by Matthew James Wilkinson (“Yesterday”), Ben Pullen (“Light of the World), alongside co-producer Isabelle Georgeaux (“Calibre”), starring Johnny Flynn (“Stardust”), Ackie and Will Poulter (“Midsommar”).
Experimental filmmaker Baff Akoto,...
The showcase features works made for cinema, television and immersive platforms by U.K. emerging talent and will be presented to an invited audience of international buyers and festival programmers.
The projects include psychological thriller “Here Before” by Stacey Gregg (“Little Birds”), produced by Sophie Vickers (“Surge”) and Julia Godzinskaya (“The Other Lamb”), starring Riseborough, Martin McCann (“Wildfire”) and Jonjo O’Neill (“Pennyworth”); and heist film “The Score,” directed by Malachi Smyth (“Nocturne”), produced by Matthew James Wilkinson (“Yesterday”), Ben Pullen (“Light of the World), alongside co-producer Isabelle Georgeaux (“Calibre”), starring Johnny Flynn (“Stardust”), Ackie and Will Poulter (“Midsommar”).
Experimental filmmaker Baff Akoto,...
- 9/22/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The heist musical began shooting in the UK last month.
Screen can reveal an exclusive first look at Naomi Ackie, Johnny Flynn, and Will Poulter in heist musical The Score, Malachi Smyth’s feature debut.
Flynn and Poulter play Mike and Troy, small-time crooks on a job that will change their circumstances. Troy falls for waitress Gloria (Ackie) and begins to question his life choices - not knowing that real danger is on its way to meet them.
It began shooting in the UK on August 31, having been delayed the day before production was supposed to start on March 17 due...
Screen can reveal an exclusive first look at Naomi Ackie, Johnny Flynn, and Will Poulter in heist musical The Score, Malachi Smyth’s feature debut.
Flynn and Poulter play Mike and Troy, small-time crooks on a job that will change their circumstances. Troy falls for waitress Gloria (Ackie) and begins to question his life choices - not knowing that real danger is on its way to meet them.
It began shooting in the UK on August 31, having been delayed the day before production was supposed to start on March 17 due...
- 9/11/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Lydia Wilson joins Flynn, Naomi Ackie and Will Poulter in the cast.
Malachi Smyth’s feature debut The Score, starring Johnny Flynn, Naomi Ackie and Will Poulter, will restart shooting in the UK on August 31, after production was halted in March due to the pandemic.
Lydia Wilson, whose credits include Star Trek Beyond, About Time, Ripper Street and Requiem, has also joined the cast.
Described as a heist musical and featuring original music from actor-musician Flynn, The Score centres on two small-time crooks who are on a job at a roadside café when one falls in love with the waitress...
Malachi Smyth’s feature debut The Score, starring Johnny Flynn, Naomi Ackie and Will Poulter, will restart shooting in the UK on August 31, after production was halted in March due to the pandemic.
Lydia Wilson, whose credits include Star Trek Beyond, About Time, Ripper Street and Requiem, has also joined the cast.
Described as a heist musical and featuring original music from actor-musician Flynn, The Score centres on two small-time crooks who are on a job at a roadside café when one falls in love with the waitress...
- 8/26/2020
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
World sales agency WestEnd Films has boarded “The Score,” a heist musical starring Johnny Flynn, Will Poulter (“The Revenant”), Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) and Antonia Thomas (Netflix’s “Lovesick”), from one of the producers of Beatles music themed hit “Yesterday,” which grossed $154 million worldwide.
“The Score” combines a heist thriller suspense with offbeat romance. Two small-time crooks, Mike (Flynn) and Troy (Poulter), are on a mission – the “score” – that they both expect will transform their circumstances. At a roadside café, as they wait for the handover, Troy falls in love with the waitress, Gloria (Ackie), and begins to question his life choices. But it may be too late to change because, unbeknownst to him, Mike has brought him here to kill him.
“The Score” is written and directed by Malachi Smyth (“Gateway 6”), and produced by Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films, and Ben Pullen of...
“The Score” combines a heist thriller suspense with offbeat romance. Two small-time crooks, Mike (Flynn) and Troy (Poulter), are on a mission – the “score” – that they both expect will transform their circumstances. At a roadside café, as they wait for the handover, Troy falls in love with the waitress, Gloria (Ackie), and begins to question his life choices. But it may be too late to change because, unbeknownst to him, Mike has brought him here to kill him.
“The Score” is written and directed by Malachi Smyth (“Gateway 6”), and produced by Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films, and Ben Pullen of...
- 2/21/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian will score Simon Bird’s (The Inbetweeners) feature directorial debut Days Of The Bagnold Summer, which wrapped shoot last Friday.
Here’s a first look image of protagonists Monica Dolan (Eye In The Sky) and Earl Cave (The True History Of The Kelly Gang) in the coming-of-age comedy about a heavy metal-loving 15 year-old (Cave) whose Florida summer holiday is cancelled last minute meaning he must spend six weeks at home instead with the person who annoys him most in the world: his long-suffering, single mum (Dolan). Novelist Lisa Owens adapted from Joff Winterhart’s cult graphic novel of the same name.
Also starring are Rob Brydon (The Trip), Tamsin Greig (Second Best Marigold Hotel), Alice Lowe (Prevenge) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle). Altitude will be selling the movie at the Afm and will release in the UK next year.
Bird, star of hit comedy franchise The Inbetweeners,...
Here’s a first look image of protagonists Monica Dolan (Eye In The Sky) and Earl Cave (The True History Of The Kelly Gang) in the coming-of-age comedy about a heavy metal-loving 15 year-old (Cave) whose Florida summer holiday is cancelled last minute meaning he must spend six weeks at home instead with the person who annoys him most in the world: his long-suffering, single mum (Dolan). Novelist Lisa Owens adapted from Joff Winterhart’s cult graphic novel of the same name.
Also starring are Rob Brydon (The Trip), Tamsin Greig (Second Best Marigold Hotel), Alice Lowe (Prevenge) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle). Altitude will be selling the movie at the Afm and will release in the UK next year.
Bird, star of hit comedy franchise The Inbetweeners,...
- 10/9/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the feature directorial debut from The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird, has signed several key cast ahead of an autumn shoot.
Monica Dolan (Pride), Rob Brydon (The Trip) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers) have joined the project, an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name.
Tamsin Greig (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Earl Cave (The End Of The F***ing World) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) are also amongst the cast.
Altitude has boarded the project for international sales and UK and Ireland distribution.
Monica Dolan (Pride), Rob Brydon (The Trip) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers) have joined the project, an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name.
Tamsin Greig (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Earl Cave (The End Of The F***ing World) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) are also amongst the cast.
Altitude has boarded the project for international sales and UK and Ireland distribution.
- 6/26/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Altitude boards international sales and UK and Ireland distribution.
Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the feature directorial debut from The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird, has signed several key cast ahead of an autumn shoot.
Monica Dolan (Pride), Rob Brydon (The Trip) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers) have joined the project, an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name.
Tamsin Greig (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Earl Cave (The End Of The F***ing World) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) are also amongst the cast.
Altitude has boarded the project for international sales and UK and Ireland distribution.
Days Of The Bagnold Summer, the feature directorial debut from The Inbetweeners star Simon Bird, has signed several key cast ahead of an autumn shoot.
Monica Dolan (Pride), Rob Brydon (The Trip) and Alice Lowe (Sightseers) have joined the project, an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s graphic novel of the same name.
Tamsin Greig (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Earl Cave (The End Of The F***ing World) and Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) are also amongst the cast.
Altitude has boarded the project for international sales and UK and Ireland distribution.
- 6/26/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Simon Bird, star of hit UK comedy franchise The Inbetweeners, has set cast for his feature directorial debut Days Of The Bagnold Summer.
Monica Dolan (Eye in the Sky), Rob Brydon (The Trip), Tamsin Greig (Second Best Marigold Hotel), Alice Lowe (Prevenge), Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) and Earl Cave (The True History Of The Kelly Gang) will star in the coming-of-age comedy about a heavy metal-loving 15 year-old (Cave) whose Florida summer holiday is cancelled last minute meaning he must spend six weeks at home instead with the person who annoys him most in the world: his long-suffering, single mum (Dolan).
Altitude has boarded international sales and UK distribution on the film, which is an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s cult graphic novel of the same name.
Bird will direct from a screenplay by author Lisa Owens. Producer is Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films, producer of Danny Boyle’s upcoming movie with Richard Curtis,...
Monica Dolan (Eye in the Sky), Rob Brydon (The Trip), Tamsin Greig (Second Best Marigold Hotel), Alice Lowe (Prevenge), Elliot Speller-Gillot (Uncle) and Earl Cave (The True History Of The Kelly Gang) will star in the coming-of-age comedy about a heavy metal-loving 15 year-old (Cave) whose Florida summer holiday is cancelled last minute meaning he must spend six weeks at home instead with the person who annoys him most in the world: his long-suffering, single mum (Dolan).
Altitude has boarded international sales and UK distribution on the film, which is an adaptation of Joff Winterhart’s cult graphic novel of the same name.
Bird will direct from a screenplay by author Lisa Owens. Producer is Matthew James Wilkinson of Stigma Films, producer of Danny Boyle’s upcoming movie with Richard Curtis,...
- 6/26/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Thriller directed by Trance writer Joe Ahearne and co-stars Tom Bateman and Sean Teale.
London-based distributor Peccadillo Pictures has picked up UK and Ireland rights to Joe Ahearne’s thriller B&B.
Paul McGann (Withnail & I), Tom Bateman (Jekyll & Hyde) and Sean Teale (Reign) star in the story of a gay couple who return to bait the owner of a remote B&B one year after they successfully sued him for not allowing them to share a bed.
However, events take a deadly turn when a guest with even more sinister intentions arrives.
The film premiered at the London Independent Film Festival in April, where it won best Lgbt film. It has also played at the Ecu Independent Film Festival in Paris.
Jayne Chard produced for her banner Hummingbird Films. The project had backing from Creative England, Ffilm Cymru Wales and Pont Neuf Productions. Jon Finn, Ricky Margolis and Simon Graham-Clare were executive producers, Isabelle Georgeaux was a co-producer...
London-based distributor Peccadillo Pictures has picked up UK and Ireland rights to Joe Ahearne’s thriller B&B.
Paul McGann (Withnail & I), Tom Bateman (Jekyll & Hyde) and Sean Teale (Reign) star in the story of a gay couple who return to bait the owner of a remote B&B one year after they successfully sued him for not allowing them to share a bed.
However, events take a deadly turn when a guest with even more sinister intentions arrives.
The film premiered at the London Independent Film Festival in April, where it won best Lgbt film. It has also played at the Ecu Independent Film Festival in Paris.
Jayne Chard produced for her banner Hummingbird Films. The project had backing from Creative England, Ffilm Cymru Wales and Pont Neuf Productions. Jon Finn, Ricky Margolis and Simon Graham-Clare were executive producers, Isabelle Georgeaux was a co-producer...
- 4/27/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Creative England backs feature about gay couple who plot revenge against a conservative B&B owner.
UK production outfit Hummingbird Films has begun shooting in Bristol on thriller B&B, the directorial debut of Trance co-writer Joe Ahearne.
Paul McGann (Withnail & I), Tom Bateman (Jekyll & Hyde) and Sean Teale (Reign) star in the story of a gay couple who return to bait the owner of a remote B&B one year after they successfully sued him for not allowing them to share a bed.
However, events take a deadly turn when a guest with even more sinister intentions arrives.
B&B is backed by Creative England, Ffilm Cymru Wales and Isabelle Georgeaux of Pont Neuf Productions. 4SquareFilms handles international sales.
Joe Ahearne writes and directs the feature, which is produced by Jayne Chard (Dartmoor Killing) of Hummingbird Films. Ahearne, creator of BBC TV series The Secret Of Crickley Hall and Apparitions, was also a...
UK production outfit Hummingbird Films has begun shooting in Bristol on thriller B&B, the directorial debut of Trance co-writer Joe Ahearne.
Paul McGann (Withnail & I), Tom Bateman (Jekyll & Hyde) and Sean Teale (Reign) star in the story of a gay couple who return to bait the owner of a remote B&B one year after they successfully sued him for not allowing them to share a bed.
However, events take a deadly turn when a guest with even more sinister intentions arrives.
B&B is backed by Creative England, Ffilm Cymru Wales and Isabelle Georgeaux of Pont Neuf Productions. 4SquareFilms handles international sales.
Joe Ahearne writes and directs the feature, which is produced by Jayne Chard (Dartmoor Killing) of Hummingbird Films. Ahearne, creator of BBC TV series The Secret Of Crickley Hall and Apparitions, was also a...
- 1/26/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: UK, Australia, Japan also among key pacts for sci-fi starring Max Deacon.
Altitude Film Sales has secured distribution deals in a number of key territories for Charles Barker’s debut feature The Call Up.
Vertical Entertainment has picked up Us rights with Mongrel Media taking Canada. Deals were also finalised with Altitude Film Distribution for the UK, Nikkatsu for Japan, Defiant for Australia/New Zealand, Betta Pictures for Spain and Gate 23 for Airlines.
The Call Up follows a group of online gamers who are invited to trial a state-of-the-art virtual reality game, but what starts out like a dream encounter with cutting edge video technology – a perfect representation of soldiers in a warzone – takes a turn for the sinister when the stakes are raised to fatal.
Max Deacon (Into The Storm) plays the lead role alongside Morfydd Clark (Pride And Prejudice and Zombies), Ali Cook (Kilo Two Bravo), Parker Sawyers (Southside With You), Tom Benedict Knight ([link...
Altitude Film Sales has secured distribution deals in a number of key territories for Charles Barker’s debut feature The Call Up.
Vertical Entertainment has picked up Us rights with Mongrel Media taking Canada. Deals were also finalised with Altitude Film Distribution for the UK, Nikkatsu for Japan, Defiant for Australia/New Zealand, Betta Pictures for Spain and Gate 23 for Airlines.
The Call Up follows a group of online gamers who are invited to trial a state-of-the-art virtual reality game, but what starts out like a dream encounter with cutting edge video technology – a perfect representation of soldiers in a warzone – takes a turn for the sinister when the stakes are raised to fatal.
Max Deacon (Into The Storm) plays the lead role alongside Morfydd Clark (Pride And Prejudice and Zombies), Ali Cook (Kilo Two Bravo), Parker Sawyers (Southside With You), Tom Benedict Knight ([link...
- 1/13/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Brit List action-sci-fi to get underway on November 10; Max Deacon to star.
Principal photography is due to get underway on November 10 in Birmingham, UK, on Charles Barker’s action-sci-fi The Call Up.
Max Deacon (Into the Storm, Hatfields & McCoys) takes the lead role and is joined by a cast of up-and-comers including Morfydd Clark (Madame Bovary), Ali Cook (The Anomaly), Parker Sawyers (Monsters: Dark Continent), Tom Benedict Knight (Dracula Untold), Boris Ler (In the Land of Blood and Honey), and newcomers Douggie McMeekin and Adriana Randall.
The Call Up follows a group of online gamers who are invited to trial a state-of-the-art virtual reality game, but what starts out like a dream encounter with cutting edge video technology – a perfect representation of soldiers in a warzone – takes a turn for the sinister when the stakes are raised to fatal.
Directed by Charles Barker from his own Brit List screenplay, the film is produced by Matthew James Wilkinson (Stigma...
Principal photography is due to get underway on November 10 in Birmingham, UK, on Charles Barker’s action-sci-fi The Call Up.
Max Deacon (Into the Storm, Hatfields & McCoys) takes the lead role and is joined by a cast of up-and-comers including Morfydd Clark (Madame Bovary), Ali Cook (The Anomaly), Parker Sawyers (Monsters: Dark Continent), Tom Benedict Knight (Dracula Untold), Boris Ler (In the Land of Blood and Honey), and newcomers Douggie McMeekin and Adriana Randall.
The Call Up follows a group of online gamers who are invited to trial a state-of-the-art virtual reality game, but what starts out like a dream encounter with cutting edge video technology – a perfect representation of soldiers in a warzone – takes a turn for the sinister when the stakes are raised to fatal.
Directed by Charles Barker from his own Brit List screenplay, the film is produced by Matthew James Wilkinson (Stigma...
- 10/28/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: UK sales outfit boards psychological thriller ahead of Toronto.
London-based sales outfit Parkland Pictures has boarded world rights to Steve Reeves’s thriller, Keeping Rosy, which will play at Dinard Film Festival (Oct 8-12).
Parkland will introduce the film to international buyers at Toronto.
Maxine Peake stars as a career-driven woman who is passed over for a long-expected promotion, leading to frustration which boils over with dire consequences.
The film also stars The Inbetweeners’ Blake Harrison and was produced by Richard Holmes (Eden Lake, Waking Ned), his third collaboration with French producer Isabelle Georgeaux after Jadoo and Resistance.
It marks Reeves’ first feature film, accompanied by DoP Roger Pratt (Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Chocolat) and composer Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love, Billy Elliot).
The deal was negotiated by John Cairns and Pierre-Louis Manes-Murphy for Parkland Pictures and by Richard Holmes and Isabelle Georgeaux on behalf of Redemption Films.
London-based sales outfit Parkland Pictures has boarded world rights to Steve Reeves’s thriller, Keeping Rosy, which will play at Dinard Film Festival (Oct 8-12).
Parkland will introduce the film to international buyers at Toronto.
Maxine Peake stars as a career-driven woman who is passed over for a long-expected promotion, leading to frustration which boils over with dire consequences.
The film also stars The Inbetweeners’ Blake Harrison and was produced by Richard Holmes (Eden Lake, Waking Ned), his third collaboration with French producer Isabelle Georgeaux after Jadoo and Resistance.
It marks Reeves’ first feature film, accompanied by DoP Roger Pratt (Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, Chocolat) and composer Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love, Billy Elliot).
The deal was negotiated by John Cairns and Pierre-Louis Manes-Murphy for Parkland Pictures and by Richard Holmes and Isabelle Georgeaux on behalf of Redemption Films.
- 8/20/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
★★☆☆☆ The feature debut from commercials director Steve Reeves and produced by Isabelle Georgeaux and Richard Holmes - the pair behind Amit Gupta's Resistance (2011) -Keeping Rosy (2014) is a compact and modest low budget drama that nevertheless showcases the clear talent of its first-time helmer. Maxine Peake, last seen in cinemas with Steph Green's superior Run & Jump (2013), stars as a hard-nosed careerist forced to embrace her maternal side after a tragic altercation involving her Eastern European cleaner. Though largely unremarkable, solid performances from Peake and Christine Bottomley (The Arbor) as her straight-talking sister help to lift the occasionally uninspiring material.
- 6/28/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This year the 12th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) includes a lineup of narrative and documentary features and short films. The impressive program reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema, as well as the future of Indian filmmaking, with cutting-edge filmmakers and emerging voices bringing their acclaimed films to Los Angeles.
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
The festival is widely recognized as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema globally. Iffla will run April 8-13 at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception. Jadoo, an exploration of family bonds amidst two feuding brothers’ restaurants in England, will screen as the festival’s Closing Night Gala. The film is written and directed by Iffla alum Amit Gupta, and first premiered at the 2013 Berlinale. It features a wonderful ensemble cast that includes Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, and Madhur Jaffrey. As previously announced, Iffla will open with Jeffrey D. Brown’s Sold, produced by Jane Charles and executive produced by Emma Thompson.
Iffla 2014 wil l present more than 33 films, including three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
“I'm thrilled and proud that Iffla's line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora,” said Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani. "We would like to thank our Programming Advisor in India, Uma Da Cunha, for helping our programming team source some of these exceptional films."
Program highlights include: the North American premiere of Anurag Kashyap’s latest, Ugly an intense, masterfully directed psychological thriller that premiered in the 2013 Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes; Liar's Dice, the remarkable directorial debut of South Indian actress Geetu Mohandas that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival; Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, starring Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire), winner of Netpac Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and Dioraphte Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival Hank and Asha , an exploratory, romantic look at two people bonding in the digital age by newcomer James E. Duff; Nagraj Manjule’s Fandry, a highly praised debut feature for its multilayered emotion and realism on the subject of caste discrimination; Brahmin Bulls starring Roshan Seth (Gandhi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Mississippi Masala) and Sendhil Ramamurthy (Beauty and the Beast, Heroes) as an estranged father and son unexpectedly brought together to confront the family’s past; and Siddharth, a nuanced look at a family whose son goes missing, by lauded Canadian director and Iffla alum Richie Mehta (Amal).
The festival's feature documentary competition includes an eclectic mix of films from established and upcoming filmmakers that consider India's unique traditions and dynamic future. The films include: the world premiere of
The Auction House , an intimate and funny look at two brothers trying to keep their anachronistic family business going in the digital age; festival favorite Powerless, which depicts intense struggles over electricity in a mid-size Indian city; Faith Connections, Iffla alum Pan Nalin's beautiful and rare look at the Kumbh Mela; and the National Award-winning Shepherds of Paradise, about an arduous, mountainous trek through an animal drive in the Kashmiri winter.
The Bollywood by Night series returns this year with Bombay Talkies and Monsoon Shootout. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bombay Talkies is a quartet of short films that celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema. The omnibus film features work by four of India’s most exciting contemporary directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, and Anurag Kashyap, as well as a stellar cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, and Katrina Kaif. Monsoon Shoutout is a thrilling debut by Iffla alum writer/director Amit Kumar about how a split-second decision made by a rookie police officer has rippling effects in his life and the lives of those around him.
The shorts competition showcases a diverse selection of 15 films that include narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated works. Highlights of this year’s program include Academy Award® shortlisted Kush; Sundance award winner Love.Love.Love.; and the world premiere of acclaimed director Umesh Kulkarni’s The Fly.
Festival Passes and Gala tickets are currently on sale at the festival's website.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.indianfilmfestival.org.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ indianfilmfestival
Twitter: https://twitter.com /iffla
Tumblr: http://indianfilmfestival.tumblr.com/
About Iffla
Now in its 12th year, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) is a nonprofit organization devoted to a greater appreciation of Indian cinema and culture by showcasing films, honoring entertainment industry business executives, and promoting the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora.
Opening Night Gala
Sold
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2014/97min
Director: Jeffrey D. Brown
Producer: Jane Charles
Executive Producer: Emma Thompson
Screenwriters: Joseph Kwong, Jeffrey D. Brown
Composer: John McDowell, Sammy Chand, Salim & Sulaiman Merchant
Cast: Susmita Mukherjee, Seema Biswas, Tillotama Shome, Niyar Saikia, Priyanka Bose, Ankur Vikal, Parambrata Chatterjee, Gillian Anderson, David Arquette
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Jeffrey D. Brown adapts Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold – a National Book Award finalist – into a vivid, harrowing and inspiring story of a young girl’s resilience in the face of unspeakable cruelty.
Closing Night
Jadoo
Los Angeles Premiere
UK/2013/84 mins
Director: Amit Gupta
Producers: Amanda Faber, Isabelle Georgeaux, Richard Holmes, Nikki Parrott
Screenwriter: Amit Gupta
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Cast: Kulvinder Ghir, Amara Karan, Harish Patel, Tom Mison, Madhur Jaffrey
Set in Leicester, England, Amit Gupta’s culinary comedy charts the chaos that ensues when young Shalini gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Mark. The fact that Mark is not Indian is the least of Shalini’s concerns. Her father Raja and uncle Jagi have been at war for years. After a legendary falling out that caused them to close their family restaurant, each man opened his own establishment – directly across the street from one another! Shalini’s dream wedding would see both men put aside their differences and prepare the feast together, but resentment runs deep and neither man can hear mention of the other’s name without a spike in blood pressure. Both the prospect of disappointing their beloved Shalini and the threat of a new, hip restaurant opening in the area force Raja and Jagi to work together – but for how long? In this uproariously funny and heartfelt exploration of family bonds, shared history and gastronomic perfection, Gupta’s cast is endlessly appealing. Plus, there’s enough mouth-watering Indian food on display to have your stomach growling before the credits roll.
Feature Films
Before My Eyes (Ankhon Dekhi)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/107min
Director: Rajat Kapoor Producer: Manish Mundra
Screenwriter: Rajat Kapoor
Cast: Sanjay Sanjay Mishra, Seema Pahwa, Rajat Kapoor, Taranjeet, Maya Sarao
Celebrated writer, director, and actor Rajat Kapoor (Midnight’s Children, Monsoon Wedding, Mixed Doubles, Mithya) paints an offbeat yet thought-provoking portrait of domestic life in modern day Delhi when an incident prompts head of the family Bauji to reject anything he himself has not experienced, much to the exasperation of his extended family but to the delight of his newfound philosopher disciples. Balancing the comical and the existential, both Bauji and the film ask the basic question, ‘Can you know truth without true experience?’
Brahmin Bulls
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/96min/2013
Director: Mahesh Pailoor
Producer: Yoshinobu Tsuji
Screenwriters: Anu Pradhan, Mahesh Pailoor
Cast: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Roshan Seth, Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, Cassidy Freeman, Monica Raymund, Michael Lerner
Mahesh Pailoor's tender, funny, and touching debut tells the story of estranged father and son Ashok and Sid, who reunite at Sid's Los Angeles home when Ashok arrives unexpectedly. Each man is keeping secrets from one another, and when the truth is revealed, parent and child must work even harder to close the rift between them.
Fandry
North American Premiere
India/2013/103min
Director: Nagraj Manjule
Producers: Vivek Kajaria, Nilesh Navalakha
Screenwriter: Nagraj Manjule
Cast: Kishor Kadam, Chhaya Kadam, Somnath Awghade, Suraj Pawar, Rajshree Kharat, Sakshi Vyavhare, Aishvarya Shinde, Nagraj Manjule
Marathi poet Nagraj Manjule's impressive debut feature tells the story of Jabya, a Dalit boy, and his family's struggle against daily prejudice in their Maharashtra village. Jabya's carefree childhood desires and antics are soon stifled by his family's "untouchable" status, and the film's gradual transformation into an insightful and damning look at caste discrimination builds from a murmur to a defiant roar. Refusing to reduce his Dalit characters to victims – most explicitly at the film's explosive conclusion - Manjule's socially reflective film has received critical acclaim in India.
Hank and Asha
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/73min
Director: James E. Duff
Producers: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Screenwriters: James E. Duff, Julia Morrison
Cast: Mahira Kakkar, Andrew Pastides
James E. Duff's feature directorial debut, the Audience Award winner at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, is an endearing tale of a long-distance connection in the digital age. Hank and Asha, two aspiring filmmakers separated by an ocean, connect with one another through video messages and quickly find themselves heading towards romance. That is, until Asha reveals some surprising news. Duff has created a captivating ode to the new possibilities open to us now that the world's gotten smaller.
Liar's Dice
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/104min
Director: Geetu Mohandas
Producers: Alan McAlex, Ajay G. Rai
Screenwriter: Geetu Mohandas
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Geetanjali Thapa, Manya Gupta
Established actress Geetu Mohandas steps behind the lens for her bracing directorial debut. A woman named Kamala and her daughter journey from their remote Himalayan village to Delhi in search of Kamala's missing husband. They find a guide in an unfriendly wanderer whose interest may lie more in his personal gain than in any help he can offer them. Beautifully shot by Rajeev Ravi (Gangs of Wasseypur), Mohandas' film evokes a hazardous world where answers may never be clear and a helping hand always comes at a price.
Phoring
North American Premiere
India/2013/128min
Director: Indranil Roychowdhury
Producers: Anasua Roychowdury, Sugata Bal
Screenwriters: Indranil Roychowdhury, Sugata Sinha
Cast: Akash Adhikary, Sohini Sarkar, Sourav Basak, Ritwick Charaborty, Shankar Debnath, Senjuti Roymukherjee
Indranil Roychowdhury's stunning feature debut is an evocative, unpredictable tale of confused adolescence in a struggling North Bengal town. Phoring, an imaginative adolescent boy, and his beautiful new teacher Doel form a close friendship that soon arouses doubt and suspicion when Doel's presence in the town is revealed to have less-than-noble origins. Roychowdhury accomplishes a tricky feat with his first film by luring us with the promise of an inspirational teacher-student story before ultimately delivering a much more complex and truthful account of the joys and pains of growing up.
Qissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost (2013)
Los Angeles Premiere Germany-India-Netherlands/2013/109min
Director: Anup Singh
Producers: Bero Beyer, Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper, Thierry Lenouvel
Screenwriter: Anup Singh, Madhuja Mukherjee
Cast: Irrfan Khan, Tisca Chopra, Tillotama Shome, Rasika Dugal
Set in 1940s Punjab, Anup Singh’s latest feature Qissa details the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistan Partition through the experiences of one Sikh family, headed by Umber (Irrfan Khan). Following the family’s forceful displacement from their village, Umber’s desire for a male heir is stronger than ever. When his wife gives birth to their fourth daughter, Kanwar, Umber makes the fateful decision to raise her as a boy. This tragic choice ends up dividing the family in violent ways, and provokes a series of increasingly unsettling situations for Kanwar as she grows up. While in a sense a ghost story, the source of pain and suffering is all too real.
Siddharth
Los Angeles Premiere
Canada-India/2013/96min
Director: Richie Mehta
Producers: David Miller, Steven N. Bray
Screenwriter: Richie Mehta
Cast: Rajesh Tailang, Tannishtha Chatterjee
A celebrated Iffla alum, Canadian director Richie Mehta returns to the festival with a heartbreaking story of parents Mahendra and Suman, whose son goes missing after being sent to work 200 miles north of Delhi. Carried by powerful yet restrained performances from Rajesh Tailang and Tannishtha Chatterjee as the parents, Mehta and cast capture the dignity of those facing the unthinkable. Mehta's chance encounter with a man searching for his lost son alerted him to the underreported plight of the families of 44,000 children estimated missing in India every year.
Ugly
North American Premiere
India/2013/128mins/Dcp
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Writer: Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Vikas Bahl, Madhu Mantena, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari
Cast: Rahul Bhatt, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Anshika Shrivastava
When ten-year-old Kali disappears from her father Rahul's car on the busy streets of Mumbai, the events that follow quickly spiral out of control and plunge into a morass of corruption and violence. Rahul and Kali's mother, Shalini, are divorced. Shalini is now married to Shoumik, the local police chief. When Shoumik learns that his stepdaughter is missing, he and Rahul clash in a breathless race to find the girl. With intricate plotting and vivid characterizations, Iffla alum Anurag Kashyap fashions a story that's sure to keep the heart racing.
Writers (Sulemani Keeda)
North American Premiere
India/2013/90min
Director: Amit V Masurkar
Writer: Amit V Masurkar
Producer: Datta Dave
Cast: Naveen Kasturia, Mayank Tewari, Aditi Vasudev and Karan Mirchandani
Writing partners Dulal and Mainak dream of shaking up Bollywood in director Amit Masurkar's slacker comedy. The two young men take a job from the wealthy, oddball son of a famous B-movie producer, but soon fear they're on the path to selling out. Masurkar's film captures the creative spirit of Andheri West, a Mumbai suburb where writers, directors, and actors come from all over India with the dream of working in the film industry, and is a sweet taste of things to come from the new "hindie" cinema.
Documentary Features
The Auction House: A Tale of Two Brothers
World Premiere
UK/2014/85min
Director: Ed Owles
Producers: Ed Owles, Giovanna Stopponi
The auction houses of Kolkata used to be where the rich and famous found the right high-end objects to decorate their homes. Today, the family-owned Russell Exchange is the last, and oldest, one to remain in India. Director Ed Owles follows two brothers, with the older brother moving back to Kolkata from London with hopes of using his Western business acumen to bring the Exchange into the 21st century. However, in a country radically transformed by technology and a rising youth culture, it may already be too late.
Faith Connections
Los Angeles Premiere
France-India/2013/115min/Dcp
Director: Pan Nalin
Producers: Raphaël Berdugo, Gaurav Dhingra, Pan Nalin, Virginie Lacombe
Every three years, Hindus gather at one of four rotating sites for Kumbh Mela, a religious celebration of faith and devotion marked by bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges. With 100 million people at the 2013 Kumbh Mela, the pilgrimage is said to be the largest gathering on the planet. Iffla alum Pan Nalin crafts a moving and unique view of the mass gathering and presents unique stories of how individuals came to be there to share in the belief of the divine.
Powerless (Katiyabaaz)
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/82min
Director: Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar
Producers: Fahad Mustafa, Deepti Kakkar, Judy Tam, Leopold Koegler
Screenwriter: Fahad Mustafa
In Kanpur, a city of three million that has seen better days, one of the only ways for many residents to get electricity is to steal it. Co-directors Fahad Mustafa and Deepti Kakkar focus their attention on the likes of pirate engineers like Loha Singh and first female CEO at the local power authority Ritu Maheshwari. Coupled with beautiful photography of the intricately tied together powerlines of the city and a pulsating original score, they present a unique documentary about current-day India and its future battles over limited resources.
Shepherds of Paradise
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/50min
Director/Producer/Screenwriter/Cinematographer/Editor: Raja Shabir Khan
Composer: Bilal Iran
Nomadic herder Gafoor has to lead his large flock of goats, sheep, cows and horses across Jammu all the way to Kashmir so they can graze. Director Raja Shabir Khan presents lives few have ever seen, let alone lived, with simple beauty and real terror in a film that has won major National Awards in India. A cinematic wonder that must be seen to truly understand, Shepherds of Paradise is a testament of the power of film to transport us to other lands and experiences.
Bollywood By Night
Bombay Talkies
North American Premiere
India/117min/2013
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Guneet Monga
Screenwriters: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan , Rani Mukerji, Katrina Kaif, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
A quartet of short films directed by four of India’s most exciting contemporary filmmakers celebrates 100 years of Indian cinema in this omnibus film. Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Anurag Kashyap crafts a tale of ordinary people whose love of movies profoundly alters the course of their lives. Each story beautifully captures how lovers of cinema can’t help but carry that fascination into their day-to-day life. Haven’t we all wished, at one time or another, that our lives were more like a film?
Monsoon Shootout
Los Angeles Premiere
India-uk-Netherlands/2013/88min
Director: Amit Kumar
Producers: Trevor Ingman, Guneet Monga, Martijn De Grunt
Screenwriter: Amit Kumar
Cast: Vijay Varma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Geetanjali Thapa
A split-second decision made by a rookie police officer propels writer/director Amit Kumar’s debut feature, which fascinatingly splinters into three separate, equally pulse-pounding scenarios. In a secluded alley drenched in the pouring rain, principled cop Adi aims his gun at Shiva, a vicious gangster on the run. What Adi decides to do next will reverberate throughout his personal and professional life in ways he could never imagine. Kumar thus explores the ripple effect our choices have, and how we unknowingly alter the lives of those around us.
Shorts
Aarti
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
USA/2013/4min
Director: David Walter Lech
Producer: Terrie Samundra
A hypnotic look into the nightly “ceremony of light” ritual in a Hindu temple in Sheikhupur, Punjab.
Alchemy
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/5min
Directors: Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat, Janmeet Singh
Producer: Pritesh Varia
A bold and vibrant song to the intricate fabric of modern day India, a kaleidoscope of voices, colors and traditions.
Bhiwani Junction
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
USA/2013/18min
Director: Abhi Singh
Producer: Abhi Singh
A poignant documentary portrait of Himanshu, a 12-year old boxer, whose formidable commitment to the sport makes his lofty dreams to become an Olympic champion appear well within reach.
Black Rock (Kaatal)
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/22min
Director: Vikrant Pawar
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Two young lovers spend one last afternoon together. A beautiful meditation on the ephemeral nature of young love that has won three of India’s National Film Awards.
The Fly (Makhi)
Shorts Program 2
World Premiere
India/2013/31min
Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
Producer: Film and Television Institute of India
Employed as a Fly Killer in an upscale restaurant, Pipal must ensure a fly-free environment by smacking dead the flies that buzz over the patrons’ heads. When a nearby drainage is closed and the source of the fly infestation eradicated, Pipal must find a way to produce enough live flies to save his job, in this delightfully absurdist commentary on urban India’s emerging work culture.
Beloved (Humsafar)
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors/Writers: Swapnil Awate, Laura Erbacher
Producer: Dsk Supinfocom
A sweeping single shot takes us on the breathtaking animated journey of two lovers and their eternal pursuit of harmony.
Jaya
Shorts Program 2
USA/2013/19min
Director: Puja Maewal
Producer: Puja Maewal
Young Jaya is able to survive the gruesome gang life in the unforgiving streets of Mumbai by posing as a boy. When she meets a wealthy businessman who looks like he could be the father who abandoned her, she sets out to reclaim her identity, in this engrossing drama that was shortlisted for a Student Academy Award®.
Kush
Shorts Program 1
India/2013/25min
Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani
Producer: Shubhashish Bhutiani
A bus full of schoolchildren boisterously makes its way back from a field trip when the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards breaks. As violence quickly erupts across the country, Kush, the only Sikh student in the class, must find a way to escape the unquenchable fury of retribution, in this gripping drama that was shortlisted for an Academy Award®.
Little Gypsy (Kachho Gadulo)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2012/6min
Directors: Saptesh Chaubal, Pranay Patwardhan, Shivangi Ranawat
Producer: D.S.K. Supinfocom
Inspired by the folk traditions of various parts of India, this stunning animated film sweeps us into a mythical journey that celebrates the power of play and imagination.
Love.Love.Love.
Shorts Program 2
Los Angeles Premiere
Russian Federation/2013/12min
Director: Sandhya Daisy Sundaram
Producers: Tanya Petrik, Guillaume Protsenko
An intimate ode to the wondrous force of love, as it takes new shapes and forms through the endless Russian winters. Love. Love.Love. won the Short Film Special Jury Award for Non-Fiction at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
Outpost
Shorts Program 1
U.S. Premiere
India-usa/2013/17min
Director: Shiva Shankar Bajpai
Producer: Aditi Anand
In the barren desert of the India-Pakistan border, two lone army guards on the opposite sides of the line yearn for booze, mosquito repellent and some human contact, in this humorous glimpse into the absurdity of rigid immaterial divides.
Presence
Shorts Program 2
U.S. Premiere
India/2012/17min
Directors: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Producers: Ekta Mittal, Yashaswini Raghunandan
Long days and nights spent within the bellies of the rising structural beasts that rapidly transform the city of Bangalore bring on visions of ghosts that speak of the construction workers’ memories, longings and fears, in this haunting meditation on the migrant experience.
Skin Deep
Screens with Writers
U.S. Premiere
India/2013/20min
Director: Hardik Mehta
Producers: Devang Bhavsar, Niraj Kothari
Sanjay and Sushma plan to elope to escape a looming arranged marriage. They are in love and their future together shines bright and perfect and filled with possibility--that is, as long as an extra piece of skin that complicates their sex life gets fixed in what should be a routine medical procedure. But Mumbai’s electricity gods have other plans in store for them.
Small Yellow Field (Tau Seru)
Shorts Program 1
Los Angeles Premiere
Australia-India/2013/8min
Director: Rodd Rathjen
Producer: Rodd Rathjen
In the remote vastness of the Himalayas, a young nomad's curiosity lies beyond the horizon. This stunningly photographed film made its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week.
The Puppet (Tamaash)
Screens with Shepherds Of Paradise
Los Angeles Premiere
India/2013/32min
Directors: Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
Producers: Datta Dave, Chaitanya Hegde, Omar Nissar Paul, Devanshu Singh, Satyanshu Singh
A mysterious puppet offers young Anzar the chance to escape his father’s relentless punishments over his poor school grades by granting him the power to inflict misfortune on his nemesis, his brilliant classmate, Sadat. However, his newfound peace is short-lived as Sadat falls severely ill and Anzar comes to realize that the puppet’s powers are spiraling out of his control...
- 4/8/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
From April 8th to the 11th, Indian films will once again be showcased in the Us at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla). In its 12th year, Iffla boasts an incredible lineup of fabulous films that reflects the rich diversity of Indian cinema. Iffla’s Artistic Director Jasmine Jaisinghani says, “I’m thrilled and proud that Iffla’s line-up this year includes an especially diverse range of cinematic experiences, covering many regions of India and the diaspora.”
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
Iffla 2014 presents 33 films that include feature films, documentaries and shorts. The festival will have three world premieres, six North American premieres, six U.S. premieres, and 16 Los Angeles premieres. The films feature 10 different languages, from Hindi to Marathi, to Russian to Bengali. Additionally, Iffla supports American, Australian, British, Canadian, and European diaspora filmmakers from nine different countries telling their stories.
Bollywood will be well represented with three outstanding films all showing during the festival’s run.
- 3/21/2014
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
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