16TH PIFF'..DRAWBACKS & FLAWS CONTINUED!
- Manoj Kulkarni
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| 'PIFF's Best Film
Award' (!) winner Chinese film 'Free and Easy's satire! |
'16th Pune International Film Festival' is over with same drawbacks
& flaws mainly in contents by it's so called Creatives (!). This
time also most of the films (psycho-thrillers & fantasy dramas) in
world cinema competition and (mainstream commercial & dramatic) in
Marathi cinema competition disappointed! With this global cinema was
also not up to the international standard..And homages, (notable)
tributes & retrospectives were lacking!
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| Award losing Marathi film 'Ziprya'! |
Since it's beginning I
have been attending & observing 'PIFF'..which is becoming
monotonous year by year and disappointing by it's contents. Only because
of same films selection committee in which seems two persons (creative
director & creative head) dominating and choosing what they want!
So lack of appropriate contents still there!..At least such so called
creatives should know history of our Indian cinema and take note of
happenings in world cinema!
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| Romantic scene from Polish film 'The Art of Loving'! |
They forgot the main homages to
recently passed away film personalities..Bengali cinematographer
Ramananda Sengupta (died at 101) who worked for real pioneer of Indian
neo-realistic cinema Ritwk Ghatak's 'Nagorik' (1952) and renowned French
filmmaker Jean Renoir's film 'River' (1951). Then Hindi actress
Shakeela and Assamese legendary actor Biju Phukan! Like last year they
did not pay homage to late French cinematographer Raoul Coutard, this
time they forgot French actress Jean Moreau..both were legends of French
New Wave! In addition to this they did not take note of late Australian
filmmaker Paul Cox!
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| After cinematographer Raoul Coutard..'PIFF' forgot actress Jean Moreau! |
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They were also not aware of the important
occasions in the history of cinema..First world talkie 'The Jazz Singer'
(1927) completed 90 years. 'Warners Bros.' produced (with it's
Vitaphone sound-on-disc system) this American musical film was directed
by Alan Crosland. That was the first feature-length motion picture with
lip-synchronous singing & speech in several sequences! And there was
a 101st Birth Anniversary of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck! They took
the retrospective of renowned Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman on the
occasion of his Birth Centenary..but without his masterpieces 'Summer
Interlude' (1951), 'Wild Strawberries' (1957) & 'The Virgin Spring'
(1960).
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| Incomplete retrospective of Swedish master..Ingmar Bergman! |
Then there was a Death Centenary of Pioneer of Indian
continent's cinema..Hiralal Sen! And our first indigenously colour film
'Kisan Kanya' (1937) completed 80 years. (Before this in 1933
'Prabhat's V. Shantaram made film 'Sairandhri' in colour but was
processed & printed in Germany.) 'Kisan Kanya' was a Hindi
Cinecolour feature film produced by 'Imperial Pictures' Ardeshir Irani
& directed by Moti B. Gidwani! Apart from this there was a 110th
Birth Anniversary of our legendary actor-director Gajanan Jahagirdar and
101st Birth Anniversary of beautiful actress of early golden era Naseem
Banu! And landmark film 'Mother India' (1957) completed 60 years. In
Mehboob Khan's this film Nargis portraited her character greatly and
this was our India's first entry for 'Oscar's Best Foreign Language
Film!
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| Youth..Theme of '16th PIFF'..with lack of youth subjects! |
Theme of this '16th PIFF' was Youth..and they missed the
main subjects attract to young generation! First is 'teenage love'..and
that is superbly came on screen in the popular film adaptation of
Shakespeare's romantic play 'Romeo and Juliet'..which made by renowned
filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli and pretty gorgeous Olivia Hussey portraited
Juliet with handsome Leonard Whiting as Romeo in it! This film made in
1968 and completed 50 years now! Same thing about two actresses of
'Sound of Music' (1965)..Charmian Carr & Heather Menzies who no
more..And most famous teenage love song of this film "I am sixteen going
on seventeen.." was picturized on Charmian Carr & Daniel Truhitte!
So both the films were expected in this festival! In addition to this
James Bond fame Roger Moore also passed away but they did not take note!
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| Balasubrahmanyan, R.Prasad, Sippy, minister Mungantiwar & Kapoor brothers! |
This time there was special section of 'Raj Kapoor Retrospective' as an
empathy & tribute to 'R.K. Studio' because of it's recent loss to
fire. (I already wrote an article on 'RK Films' that time here.) So
three artists sons of RK..Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor & Rajeev
Kapoor were present in festival for this occasion! But for romantic
legend (and quality filmmaker) Shashi Kapoor who passed away
recently..there was only one film of he acted 'New Delhi Times' as a
tribute to him!..And to tribute actor Vinod Khanna they screened 'Mera
Gaon Mera Desh'..not his notable 'Imtihan'!
In the opening
ceremony 'Sholay' fame bollywood's popular filmmaker Ramesh Sippy and
'Prasad Studio's head Ramesh Prasad honoured with 'PIFF Distinguished
Award'..And famous South Indian singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam with the
'S. D. Burman Award'! We were expecting beautiful actress of golden
era..Mala Sinha who is 81 now..to be felicitate! If that happen her
admirers will happy..not only from our India but also from (her origin)
Nepal!
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Filipino actress Mercedes Cabral & Danish actor Mikkel Boe in film 'Rosita'!
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Festival opened with Bosnian film 'Man Don't Cry'. Alen
Drljevic directed this was like a docudrama in which former combatants
recollects memories of Yugoslav wars! Then there were films like
Netherlands's 'The Longing' a satire on battle for recognition through
other author's book and Czech 'The Quartette' focusing band people
struggle..in world cinema competition. In Kaleidoscope there were so so
films like 9th century martial arts story base Taiwanese 'The Assassin'
and father-son's same (Asian) female interest showing Danish 'Rosita'!
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| Pretty Mila Mihova in Bulgarian film 'Three Quarter'! |
In Global Cinema section disappointed some films like Philippe Bober
directed Swedish 'The Square'. But there were few (early east European)
films with sensible treatment like..Calin Peter Netzer directed Romanian
'Ana, Mon Amour' which focused on rise & fall of the tumultuous
& passionate romance of couple..And Bulgarian 'Three Quarter' a
portrait of family with music loving girl's ambition. Pretty Mila Mihova
acted nicely in it! Then Maria Sadowska directed Polish film 'The Art
of Loving' handled the biopic of Michalina Wislocka who achieved the
impossible task of writing book on revolutionise sexual life of people!
And Ildiko Enyedi directed Hungarian film 'On Body and Soul' was the
story of middle age man & young woman who find love in dreams and
try to fulfil in reality!
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| Abir Chatterjee & Bangladeshi actress Joya Ahsan in Bengali film 'Bisorjan'! |
In Indian cinema section there were two
films notable. One was Bengali 'Bisorjan' a love story between
Bangladeshi widow and Indian businessman which naturally portrayed by
Bangladeshi beautiful actress Joya Ahsan with Indian actor Abir
Chatterjee. Film was writtten-directed by Kaushik Ganguly who also
played negative role in it! Then there was Harikumar directed sensitive
Malayalam film 'Clint' based on the real life story of little boy Edmund
Thomas Clint who left the world at the age of seven leaving behind
around 25 thousand drawings & paintings. This role sensibly
portraited by Master Alok. Actually I saw the documentary made on this
earlier!
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| Rima Kallingal, Unni Mukundan & Master Alok in film 'Clint'! |
This '16th PIFF's 'Prabhat Best International Film
Award' went to Chinese film 'Free and Easy' produced by Wang Xuebo, Wang
Zijian & Wu Leilei! Handling the demoralised society in satiric way
this film is directed by Jun Geng! Then it's 'Best Film Director Award'
won by Lucrecia Martel for Argentinean film 'Zama' which is a
historical fiction based on the novel by Antonio Di Benedetto!
With these 'Special Jury Award' gained by Serbian film
'Rekvijemzagospodu J.' ('Requiem for Mrs. J'). In this director Bojan
Vuletica sensibly handled the family problems in a country which is
going through social transition! Artists Mirjana Karanovic, Danica
Nedeljkovic, Vucic Perovic & pretty Jovana Gavrilovic played their
characters naturally in it. In competition this film was comparatively
better!.But audience award winner Finnish film 'Euthanizer' was just
horrible as they mentioned 'violent noir'..Is that a taste which
festival want to develope?
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| Serbian film 'Rekvijemzagospodu J.' ('Requiem for Mrs. J'). |
In this 'Sant Tukaram Best
International Marathi Film' award won by Supriya Sunil Phadtare produced
movie 'Pimpal'. 'Akhil Bharatiy Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal's Best
Marathi Screenplay & Director awards also went to it's maker
Gajendra Ahire! Interaction between old culture & new global
(Internet) world is a main theme of this film in which Dilip
Prabhavalkar did grandfather's character emotionally with Priya Bapat!
Then film 'Mhorkya' won three awards including by audience! In this
section Kedar Vaidya directed (based on Arun Sadhu's story) 'Ziprya' was
also notable. Chinmay Kambali played this role and Amruta Subhash acted
naturally in it!
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| Dilip Prabhavalkar in Gajendra Ahire's Marathi film 'Pimpal'! |
There were less venues for '16th PIFF' this
time..and audience faced projection problems & some time films
without subtitles! While entering & find seats in auditoriums
there.. person incharge of volunteers always talks rudely & insults
media persons also! Observed that he motivate students or young crowd in
auditorium to shout in joy when creative director comes for the
felicitation on stage!.Such politics also happens every year there in
it's closing ceremony which is harmful for the culture & growth of
film festival!
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| Veteran Marathi filmmaker Rajdutt honoured in closing ceremony! |
'PIFF' trying to increase it's activities like
Open Forum on big ground (now centred at fixed multiplex) and expanding
in other cities but still there are many areas to improve..especially
in contents & quality of films! Even Catalogue not came out properly
and what branding? 'PIFF' officials (with proper knowledge of cinema)
seriously think about the comprehensive development..not quantitative
but qualitative and without the monopoly of so called creatives!
Regards for the future of 'PIFF'!!
- Manoj Kulkarni
['Chitrasrushti', Pune, India]
