It is a phase of innovation and change in world cinema. These transformations are completely reflected in the films to be screened in the world cinema category of 17th IFFK. Love, separation, ethnic conflicts, clash of values, widening generation gap, changes in socio-political scenarios and strength of united people are some of the themes the films focus on. A total of 79 films from 39 nations, out of which 26 are from France and 12 from Germany, will be screened in this section. Movies of maestros like, Ken Loach, Kim Ki Duk, Yousry Nasrallah, Bohdan Slama, Aki Kaurismaki, Abbas Kiarostami, Deepa Mehta, Raoul Ruiz, Lars Von Trier, Walter Salles, Fatih Akin, Roberta Marquez, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Paolo Sorrentino, Annemarie Jacir, Nadine Labaki, Marco Bellocchio and Bernardo Bertolucci enrich the category.
The only film representing India is ‘Celluloid Man’ by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur and Deepa Mehta’s controversial Canadian film ‘Midnight’s Children’, based on Salman Rushdie’s book of the same title, will have its Indian premier in this section. Films of five women directors will be another highlight of this package.
An African boy arrives by a cargo ship in the port city of Le Havre; an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home. Later the relation between them deepens and the film ‘Le Havre’, the 93-minutes film directed by Aki Kaurismaki revolves around this plot. Abbas Kiarostami directed ‘Like Someone in Love’ has its storyline centered on the relationship between a young woman and an old man in Tokyo which unspools in 24 hours. This romantic drama was nominated for the best film in the Cannes and the best international feature in Chicago International Film Festival. This film is treated as one of the best romantic films in Japanese language.
The real story of the Egyptian revolution is the plot of ‘18 days’ directed by nine different directors. This masterpiece of reality turned into film has been the focus of many festivals around the world including the Cannes.
‘Amour’, the latest film by Yousry Nasrallah, is the story of an aged retired couple who were music teachers. The musical-drama- romance won the hearts of movie lovers all over the world and received award for the best film in the Cannes Film Festival. ‘Leos Carax’ directed Holy Motors is a sci-fic movie that deals with the life of Oscar, who plays many conflicting roles in his life. ‘On the Road’ by Walter Salles tells the provocative story of a young writer whose life is shaken and re-defined by the arrival of a westerner and his girl. ‘This Must be the Place’ directed by Paolo Sorrentino is on the life of Cheyenne (Sean Penn) who is a former rock star landing in US to find the person who humiliated his father years back.
Master Filmmaker Kim Ki Duk’s ‘Pieta’, is about a loan shark who is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother. The film won the Golden Lion and another three awards in the Venice Film Festival. ‘Midnights Children’ by Deepa Mehta, the most debated film of recent times, was nominated for the best film in the London Film Festival 2012.
Lars Von Trier, the director of the most controversial film ‘Antichrist’ which was screened in the IFFK, shows his presence this time with his latest film ‘Melancholia’. The sci-fic drama is on the planet Melancholia that is on the colliding path with earth and the impact it has on the life of Justine, who is having her wedding night. The film won a massive 31 awards including the best actress in the Cannes Film Festival for Kirsten Dunst.
‘7 Days in Havana’ directed by seven different directors is about a young American boy trying to break into the acting business and travels to Cuba during a film festival. The film is a gleaming adventure drama of a boy’s struggle to fulfill his dreams. The movie won a nomination in the Cannes Film Festival.
‘Celluloid Man’ is a 2012 documentary film directed by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur that explores the life and work of the legendary Indian archivist P K Nair, the founder of the National Film Archive of India, and the guardian of Indian cinema. He built the archive in a country where the archiving of cinema is considered unimportant. The film was cinematographed by 11 different cinematographers, had its premiere in the II Cinema Ritrovato in Italy, and had its Indian premiere at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival.
Brazilian filmmaker Roberta Marques latest film ‘Rania’, narrates the life of Rania, who is torn between the possibility to make money in the nightclub and the desire to become a ‘real dancer’. The film is on the life and situations a common Brazilian girl has to face. The film is on women, by women, starring women.
The films in this category are milestones in celluloid made in the past year. The festival gives its audience an excellent opportunity to experience and understand the vividness and richness of the world film fraternity.