12th Pune International Film Festival
9th-16th January 2014
9th-16th January 2014
PIFF 2011
For those of you who couldn’t be there, here’s a quick account of what you missed!
Where: E-Square, INOX, City Pride (R-Deccan & Kothrud), Fame, NFAI (Law College & Kothrud)
When: 7th to 13th January 2011
A few days before it all began, posters of Marilyn Monroe and Madhubala wearing the traditional Maharashtrian nath (nose-stud) had adorned various hoardings across the city. It was an apt indication of the things that lay in store for attendees of the 9th Pune International Film Festival, a.k.a. PIFF 2011. PIFF 2011 started off in its usual style, with the opening ceremony being held at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch. The pomp and glitter usually associated with the opening ceremony seemed slightly muted this year but the fervor was definitely not missing. The opening ceremony began with the traditional introduction by Dr. Jabbar Patel and welcoming the guests, judges and jury, after which, two stellar dance performances by Marathi actresses Sharvari Jamenis and Sonalee Kulkarni got the spirits of the crowd soaring.
Every year, PIFF focuses on a specific country to provide a wholesome taste of its culture to all participating delegates. This year the honor was bestowed upon Japan, a country with a century-old history of cinema. Padma Shri Shashikala-ji and Saira Bano (of which the latter couldn’t make it to the opening ceremony) were conferred the Lifetime Achievement Awards for their extensive contribution to the film industry. Khaiyyam sahab was honored with the S.D. Burman International Award for Creative Sound and Music Award, while Subhash ‘The Showman’ Ghai was given a Special Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema.
With that, PIFF 2011 was declared open and all the delegates present were invited to enjoy a week of Global Cinema at its finest!
An estimated 9000+ delegates reportedly attended the 9th Pune International Film Festival a.k.a PIFF 2011 over seven days, watching more than 300 films collectively on eleven different screens in seven different theatres. For those of you who couldn’t be there, here’s a quick account of what you missed!
Where: E-Square, INOX, City Pride (R-Deccan & Kothrud), Fame, NFAI (Law College & Kothrud)
When: 7th to 13th January 2011
A few days before it all began, posters of Marilyn Monroe and Madhubala wearing the traditional Maharashtrian nath (nose-stud) had adorned various hoardings across the city. It was an apt indication of the things that lay in store for attendees of the 9th Pune International Film Festival, a.k.a. PIFF 2011.
PIFF 2011 started off in its usual style, with the opening ceremony being held at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch. The pomp and glitter usually associated with the opening ceremony seemed slightly muted this year but the fervor was definitely not missing. The opening ceremony began with the traditional introduction by Dr. Jabbar Patel and welcoming the guests, judges and jury, after which, two stellar dance performances by Marathi actresses Sharvari Jamenis and Sonalee Kulkarni got the spirits of the crowd soaring.
Every year, PIFF focuses on a specific country to provide a wholesome taste of its culture to all participating delegates. This year the honor was bestowed upon Japan, a country with a century-old history of cinema.
Padma Shri Shashikala-ji and Saira Bano (of which the latter couldn’t make it to the opening ceremony) were conferred the Lifetime Achievement Awards for their extensive contribution to the film industry. Khaiyyam sa’ab was honored with the S.D. Burman International Award for Creative Sound and Music Award, while Subhash ‘The Showman’ Ghai was given a Special Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema.
With that, PIFF 2011 was declared open and all the delegates present were invited to enjoy a week of Global Cinema at its finest!
Divas Of Bollywood: Shashikala & Saira Banu
In the early days of Indian Cinema, we’ve had men performing female roles since cinema was considered taboo. Eventually, the glass ceiling was shattered and women began to assert their presence on the silver screen. Thus, it came as a pleasant revelation when both the Lifetime Achievement Awardees at PIFF this year turned out to be – Padma Shri Shashikala-ji and Saira Bano! In an era when the competition among leading ladies was pretty intense and there were more than a few pretty faces vying for the average cinema-goer’s mind-space, Shashikala carved a separate niche for herself as a ‘vamp’ – a role that is known as a ‘gray character,’ ‘negative shade’ or even ‘character artist’ in these times of political correctness. During the opening ceremony and in her subsequent interaction with members of the press, Shashikala mentioned that she did start her career as a leading lady but success and recognition from the audience came her way only with her first performance as a ‘vamp’ in Aarti.
Saira Bano’s debut performance with Shammi Kapoor in Junglee earned her a Filmfare Nomination, making her one of the few actresses in Bollywood to achieve the feat. Although, she might have broken a million hearts with her engagement (and subsequent marriage) to Dilip Kumar, she still managed to keep the audiences glued to their seats. Since she couldn’t attend the ceremony, Subhash Ghai received the award in her absence.
Women Focus
Of the 300+ films screened at PIFF this year, a vast majority of them were women-centric with Eastern Europe, in particular, being a major contributor. Contemporary topics such as motherhood among different strata of women in Eastern Europe – from the homemaker to the career-woman – were explored sensitively. Films like ‘Some Other Stories,’ ‘Cherry Orchard,’ and ‘A Day in Orange’ portrayed the tumultuous way of life in the continent that was ravaged by two wars and a collapsing country. From bearing the worst brunt of it all, to making an emphatic statement, feminism in Eastern Europe has certainly come a long way!The South American continent chimed in with films like ‘Biutiful,’ ‘Rompecabezas’ and ‘Taita Boves’ – films that were highly appreciated by the audience. The Middle Eastern way of life was depicted through films such as ‘Copie Conforme,’ ‘Shahada’ and ‘Bist.’ Indian cinema had its share of feminist glory with films like ‘Iti Mirnalini,’ ‘Antardaah,’ ‘Aaghat,’ ‘Teen Kanya’ and ‘Chokher Bali’ to name a few.
Each of these films may have been set in a different place, and sometimes a different time but every one of them spoke the same language – the language of a woman. All these films carried the undertone of a woman, who is constantly striving to break the various glass ceilings she’s made to face when she tries to break out of the surly bonds that bind her. Be it Tagore’s ‘Iti Mirnalini,’ or Michael Cacoyannis’ ‘Cherry Orchard,’ the sentiments of the female characters in each of these movies were strikingly familiar. It could all be summed up with the following quote found inside the PIFF catalogue, which dedicated the 9th PIFF to Madhubala and Marilyn Monroe:
“WE HAVE CHOSEN TWO ICONIC WOMEN, ONE REFLECTING THE INDIAN WOMAN, ONE (REFLECTING THE) INTERNATIONAL WOMAN. BOTH HAVE GONE THROUGH A TURBULENT LIFE AND YET HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RISE ABOVE THEIR CONFLICTS TO CHARM THE WORLD...”
Country Focus: Japan
With 31 Japanese films being screened at the 9th PIFF, Japan was clearly the country in focus. A gala opening was held at E-Square to kick-off a week-long celebration of the culture and cinema of Japan. The inaugural ceremony began resoundingly with a traditional display of Taiko drums, called Wadaiko, followed by the Soranboshi, a song sung by the fishermen of Hokkaido province while waiting for a catch – the Japanese equivalent of the Marathi koli-geet. Sensei Rajesh Thakkar and his students performed a set of Karate Katas and then the Consul-General Shinichi Iida surprised everyone with his laido (Japanese sword-play) skills. The Bollywood angle to PIFF was also evident with the Japanese kids shaking a leg to contemporary Hindi dance numbers.For the duration of the festival, the Japanese delegation also put up an exhibition at E-Square, portraying the culture of Japan. The sushi counters at the exhibition venue also (quite literally) gave a taste of Japan to delegates who visited the exhibition!
What We Saw
Stalwarts from different corners of the world came through to make the experience of the film festival worth remembering and experiencing. Movies by renowned Producers & Directors such as Roch Demers, Michael Caccoyanis, Alejandro Gonzalez, V.K. Prakash and such others were well-received by the audience. The subsequent press-conferences provided a platform for the directors to interact with the press and the keen audience. Since the spectrum of genres of movies was diverse and languages immense, the press conferences made the film watching experiences complete.Interestingly, directors who accompanied their movies to the film festival were very happy with the response their movies garnered and the audience approach to film appreciation. “The audience in Pune is much evolved when it comes to watching a movie. They experience the movie in its totality and come back with encouraging feedback”, quoted Diego Fried, director and actor of ‘Wine’.
‘Bardsongs’, ‘Biutiful’, ‘Medal of Honor’, ‘Some Other Stories’, ‘Cherry Orchard’, ‘Sweet Evil’, ‘Silent Souls’, ‘Jodha Akbar’, ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, ‘The Rowan Waltz’, ‘Hitler in Hollywood’ and ‘Wine’ were some movies that got rave reviews.
The 9th PIFF also went beyond movies, treating its delegates to interesting workshops conducted by the likes of Ashutosh Gowarikar, Suresh Chandvarkar, Luc Didon, Ujjwal Nirgudkar that focused on diverse aspects of film-making, sensibilities of understanding movies, copyrights, film formats, teaching a foreign language through films and historical cinema in the Indian film industry.
With so much on the platter, the delegates at the ninth edition of the Pune International Film Festival were truly spoilt for choice. It was an experience that was truly breath-taking and satisfying at the same time – an experience that left us wanting for more.
Yes 10th PIFF, we’re looking at you!
