Samenvatting
40th International Film Festival Rotterdam January 26 – February 6, 2011 PRESS RELEASE January 18, 2011 South Asian feature and short films selected for IFFR 2011 During its 40th edition, the International Film Festival Rotterdam presents a strong selection of feature films from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Among these, two films are screened in the festival’s Tiger Awards Competition. Both Tiger Award nominated films were supported by the IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. Furthermore, the IFFR presents a remarkable focus on South Asian short films, with experimental works, world premieres of documentaries about Vrindavan and Ladakh and compilations of works by upcoming talents from film academies in India. Competition films For the first time, the Tiger Awards Competition includes a film from India: CHITRA SUTRAM (THE IMAGE THREADS), feature film debut of young film maker Vipin Vijay. With his previous one-hour film VIDEO GAME, a Tiger Award for Short Film-winner in 2007, Vijay had already given an example of his unique cinematic language. THE IMAGE THREADS received script and development support from IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. The second South Asian film in the Tiger Awards Competition is from Sri Lanka: IGILLENA MALUWO (FLYING FISH), the compelling feature debut by Sanjeewa Pushpakumara. This film deals in a very daring manner with the mental state of people living with war. Also FLYING FISH was supported by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. Upcoming talents in Bright Future section Bright Future, IFFR’s main section for first or second feature films, includes three Indian films. LAADLI LAILA (VIRGIN GOAT) is the new film by Murali Nair, the South Indian director that was discovered at the Cannes festival some years ago. Debut film maker Sidhart Srinivasan presents his PAIRON TALLE (SOUL OF A SAND), supported by the Hubert Bals Fund. Kashmiri born actor (known from LIKE A WEDNESDAY, FROZEN or SPLIT WIDE OPEN) Aamir Bashir is making his impressive debut as director with HARUD (AUTUMN), a beautifully made, sensitive story of hope and despair of the youth growing up in political turmoil. Also AUTUMN has been supported by the festival’s Hubert Bals Fund. Within the same Bright Future program, the IFFR further presents Amit Dutta’s poetic essayistic film NAINSUKH. Dutta is one of the most exciting experimental film makers of today. NAINSUKH is a visually superb, meditative biopic of a miniature painter. Finally, also in Bright Future, Sri Lankan feature film KARMA by Prasanna Jayakody, a poetic meditation on universal notions of devotion, love and passion. Focus on South Asian Short Films Titled ‘South Asian Shorts’, four compilations of short films will be screened during the first five days of the IFFR (January 27th – 31th) at the new LantarenVenster festival venue. The compilation ‘Inhabited Spaces’ shows six strong experimental short films from India and Bangladesh, the compilation ‘Real and Surreal’ brings world premieres of two documentaries (Rajeesh Jala’s AT THE STAIRS about the widows of Vrindavan and Samreen Faroqui’s Out of Thin Air about a thriving film industry in Ladakh, Tibet) and two compilations of recent works by upcoming filmmakers and graduates from film schools through Southern Asia and SRTFI Kolkata (Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute), the famous Indian film school from Bengal, Kolkata, that carries the name of the Oscar winning director. The filmmakers from the South Asian Shorts programs that will be present in Rotterdam are: Priyanka Chhabra (THE FURNISHED ROOM, India), Natasha Mendonca (JAN VILLA, India/US), Ishtiaque Zico (720 DEGREES, Bangladesh), Ravulpalli Srinath (POCHA APEL, India), Angsuman Barkakoty (WINDOWS 4:3, DOCTOR, NURSE & PATIENT, India), Abhay Kumar (…JUST THAT SORT OF A DAY, India), Chaitanya Tamhane (SIX STRANDS, India), Iram Parveen Bilal (POSHAK, Pakistan), Pradeepan Raveendran (SHADOWS OF SILENCE, Sri Lanka), Shabani Hassanwalia & Samreen Farooqui (OUT OF THIN AIR, India). Also present: Nilotpal Majumdar (Dean of SRFTI Kolkata). The 40th International Film Festival Rotterdam runs January 26 – February 6. All programme and ticket information may be found on www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com. (End of press release) Note to the Editor, not for publication: Press information IFFR: IFFR Press Office, Bert-Jan Zoet or Nancy van Oorschot [email protected], +31 10 8909090