PIFF 2011 Overview

1. Receiving the films
2. The Selection Committee
3. Selection of the International Jury
4. Theme for the Festival
5. The Venues
6. Venue Management
7. Delegate Management

1. Transport and Accomodation
2. Festival Catalogue
3. Opening Ceremony
4. Opening of Country Focus Japan
5. Press conferences at the Media Center
6. Workshops, Round-tables, Seminars
7. Closing Ceremony

The 9th Pune International Film Festival which was held from 6th to 13th January 2011 is organized by the Pune Film Foundation jointly with the Government of Maharashtra. This year the festival was again a great success, which was only possible thanks to the enormous support from various organizations and partners such as I&B Ministry, Air India, the Govt. of Maharashtra, Pune Municipal Corporation, Akhil Bhartia Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal, Japan Foundation, Max Mueller Bhavan, Alliance Francaise, Whistling Woods International, National Film Archive of India, FTII, Films Division, NFDC and Consulates and different Embassies all over India. The event commemorated 50 years of the creation of Maharashtra state and of the release of the epic historical “Mughal-e-Azam” as well as the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

All in all we screened 225 films from 60 countries on 11 screens in 7 venues. This year the number of delegates and invitees was around 9000; 3000 more than the previous year.

Receiving the films

As every year, we sent more than 2000 E-mails in call for participations for our World Cinema and other sections of the festival. In total we received 438 films from 60 countries. For the World Competition section we had 348 entries whereas for the Marathi Competition we received 36 films. Out of this huge number the selection committee short listed 14 World Competition and 7 Marathi Competition movies.

At the end of the festival the winner of the world Competition received the “Government of Maharashtra – Prabhat Best International Film Award” worth 10 lakh Rupees. The “Government of Maharashtra – Prabhat Best International Director Award” was worth 5 lakh Rupees.

The best Marathi film was awarded the “Government of Maharashtra - Sant Tukaram Best Film Award” of 5 lakh Rupees.

In the section Global Cinema 75 films were screened. We received a big number of contemporary films from embassies and international distributors. Mr. Santhanam was the appointed programmer and selected the films for the World Cinema category. Furthermore we had Mrs. Rosa Carrillo working for us by suggesting and providing Latin American films.

The Indian Cinema section contained 11 films that were screened with the great help of the Directorate of Film Festival India.

Furthermore the 9th PIFF had three Retrospectives (Kamal Hassan, Michael Cacoyannis and Rock Demers) containing 16 films. We received these films from the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, Greece (5 films) as well as from the Canadian Embassy, which has given us 6 films produced by Rock Demers. They also invited Mr. Demers as a jury member.

The Whistling Woods International Student Competition section was again conducted by Whistling Woods Mumbai. This year the number of entries received for the live action and Animation in this category from various international film schools was enormous. At the end we had 17 films in the section “Live Action” and 17 in the section “Animation”.

As the last years we were given a number of films from the Archive of the NFAI (25 films in various sections like historical films, tributes, marathi films and Tagore films).

A special treat for the audience during the 9th edition of PIFF was the category entitled “Dancing feet” in which we showcased 11 films depicting famous Indian dancers and their careers. We received these films from the Films Division. Furthermore we screened the short film competition section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI, Goa).

This year the exclusive country focus lay on Japan and the Consulate of Japan as well as the Japan Foundation showcased 24 feature films and 8 animation films during the festival.

Two special short film screenings as well as 4 movies in the category “Lifetime Achievement” completed the film selection of 9th PIFF. All in all we screened 225 films during the 7 days of the festival.

The Selection Committee

We have a well experienced selection committee that helped to select the films for the competition sections aswell as for other sections such as “Gems from NFAI”, “Indian Cinema”, “Historical Films” and the Tribute section. The member of this years’ selection committee were Mr. Samar Nakhate, Mr. Makarand Sathe and Mr. Satish Alekar. Their duty was to watch all the entries for the competition sections and to short-list 14 World Competition and 7 Marathi Competition movies.

Selection of the International Jury

The selection of the jury is mainly done by the Organising Committee. Potential jury members are recommended by embassies and personal contacts like directors, actors, production companies, film critics etc. The jury member should be an experienced person in the film industry and has to have enough knowledge about cinema to take up this job. Once the selection process had started the Organising Committee gives priority to renowned personalities from the film industry or to professionals who are involved in different foundations and educational academies as well as film critics. The Organising Committee offered them a Business Class air ticket as well as the 5-Star hospitality and the local transportation etc.

This year we invited Mr. Shaji N Karun (chairman of the jury) for the World Competition. In his panel Mrs. Lia Boysen, actress from Sweden, Mr. Makhaola Siyanda Ndebele, actor from South Africa, Mrs. Selvaggia Velo, festival Director (River to River Festival, Itlay) and Mr. James Mimikos from Greece were present as jury members.

For the Marathi Film Competition and “Live Action” student short film section Mr. Rock Demers (chairman) and his panel Mr. Marco Amenta, film director from Italy, Mr. Mayank Shekhar, film critic from India and Mr. Diego Fried, film director from Argentina judged the 7 Marathi films and the student films. The jury of the Whistling Wood Student Competition for the animation section was headed by Frank Foster, president at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Kireet Khurana, film director from India as well as Nishith Takia, director of the animation studio “Krayon Pictures Private Limited” completed the jury.

Theme for the Festival

The 9th PIFF was dedicated to two great women of the film industry: Marilyn Monroe and Madhubala. The theme for the 9th edition of PIFF was the “nath”, the nose ring, which Indian sophisticated women wear for special occasions like marriages, festivals and other festiva occasions. Putting this “nath” on the noses of different icons of film industry such as Marilyn Monroe and Madhubala is our way to celebrate the eternal beauty and inner strength of women in life and in cinema. The “nath” symbolizes beauty and pride, two attributes that apply to the two icons chosen for the theme. A second dimension to the “nath” theme is the fusion of the past and the present as well as the Indian and the Western lifestyle: the “nath” as the traditional accessory of Indian women and the image of Marilyn Monroe as the symbol of the western film world. PIFF also combines national and international as well as classical and contemporary films.

The Venues

This year PIFF was associated with 7 different venue partners, where the in total 225 national and international films were shown on 11 screens. These venues were INOX, E-Square, Citypride Kothrud and Citypride R Deccan, Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, Fame, NFAI (Kothrud and Law College Road).

E-square: This Multiplex cinema attracts mainly the young crowd as it has a lot of facilities apart from the screens. Besides a big food court it has a lot of shopping possibilities as well as some games available. All that creates a very enjoyable atmosphere that is designed for young people. That is why mostly students and young professionals like to come here. For PIFF we used 3 screens: one with 500 seats capacity and two with 200 seats capacity, which makes it the main venue for the festival. All the World Competition movies as well as the Whistling Wood Student Competition Section were screened here.

Furthermore E-square has all the technical possibilities that we need for PIFF: 33 mm, Digibeta and DVD films can be screened here. Our venue in charge Mr. Jai Sharma and his team have handled the management of E-square as well as the delegate registration counter in a very professional and elaborate way.

City Pride (Kothrud): Another Multiplex, which is situated rather in the suburb of Pune city. Its success has been growing for the last 4 years as it is a very convenient place for people living in this area, but also for senior citizens. As all the screens are on one floor, they are easily accessible by the latter. Furthermore the venue is equipped with a big parking area and a food court. Two screens were being used during PIFF and City Pride turned out to be the place to be for all the Marathi film lovers as many of the Marathi movies were screened there.

Our venue in charge Ms. Shwetali Jagdhane and her team have handled the management of Citypride Kothrud as well as the delegate registration counter in a very professional and elaborate way.

INOX: This Multiplex is popular among the cosmopolitan crowd of Pune and those working in corporate companies and organizations. For PIFF we were using one screen where we mainly showcased Indian and World Cinema movies. Our venue in charge Mr. Yashwant Mehud and his team have handled the management of INOX as well as the delegate registration counter in a very professional and elaborate way.

NFAI (National Film Archive of India): This is our traditional place to showcase theme-based films. This year we showcased all of the historical movies at NFAI as well as most of the Tagore films and all the films that were provided by NFAI. As these films are not permitted to be shown anywhere else, it is a great fortune for us to be associated with NFAI in order to give our audience this unique opportunity of watching rare, classical and historical films mainly from India but also from other parts in the world.

Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmach: This is the largest auditorium available in the state of Maharashtra with a capacity of 2500 seats. A large number of people can enjoy watching films under one roof. It also has Asia’s largest projector throw, that means the distance between the projector and the screen is nowhere this large. In addition to that Ganesh Kala is equipped with a Dolby Digital System and has all the facilities for stage performances such as green rooms, V.I.P. rooms etc. The opening and closing ceremonies were taking place here.

Citypride R Deccan: This venue came in newly this year as a festival venue, which is prominently located in Deccan Gymkhana and well equipped with all the technologies needed for screening all types of formats. It has only a small capacity, which only adds to its charm. Our venue in charge … and his team have handled the management of Citypride R Deccan as well as the delegate registration counter in a very professional and elaborate way.

Fame: Fame is a rather small venue located in Solapur Road near Big Bazaar in Fatima Nager. Its capacity is more than 300 seats and it’s a very convenient cinema for people living in the eastern part of Pune. Our venue in charge … and his team have handled the management of Fame as well as the delegate registration counter in a very professional and elaborate way.

Venue Management

Each venue had one venue coordinator who was responsible for the logistics, the day-to-day screenings, the delegate registration counter and the distribution of the catalogues as well as the daily bulletins. The venue coordinator had to ensure that the print traffic with other venues was going smoothly and with no confusions.

Furthermore his job was to manage the team of 10 to 15 volunteers at the spot, who were taking care of the delegate registration and the distribution of catalogues, bags, delegation cards etc. Being the responsible for all problems that may occur the venue coordinator is well trained and has to coordinate with the associate director in case of emergency decisions to be taken. Other tasks to be covered by the venue coordinator and his team were:

accommodation of the delegates in the auditorium, give an introduction before the film, felicitation of the representatives of the film (if present), decoration of the venue, coordination with other departments like “Branding, Designing”, “Marketing”, “Print”, “Transport” etc.

This year we are proud to say that all our venue coordinators have done a great job.

Delegate Management

The delegate management is a big task that needs a lot of manpower to be handled. One in charge was assigned to coordinate all the activities whereas 5 venue in charges, 5 supervisors and 35 volunteers were handling the delegate registration system.

In the forefront of the festival we had put up an online delegate registration system where the delegates had to fill up a form giving all the details required for the registration. They received a reference number which they had to show at the registration counters in order to collect their accreditation for the festival given by our trained volunteers. To facilitate this procedure of checking the reference number and the personal information of the delegate there were 3 to 4 counters available at every venue.

All those who had no possibility to register online (f.e. senior citizens) could get their accreditation on the spot at the counters.

Once the registration was done the delegate received his printed delegate pass in a laminated pouch as well as a carry bag and the catalogue (from first day of the festival onwards). The charges for the delegate card and the catalogue were 500 rupees in the open category and 300 rupees for students, senior citizens and film club members.

Concerning marketing actions that were taken to attract the maximum number of delegates we had the following approaches: publishing advertisement in print media, broadcast TV advertisements and promotions as well as theatre promotions and radio jingles. Furthermore we installed hoardings, balloons, posters at colleges, banners, boards and gantries with advertisements. We gave handouts and sent bulk E-mails and sms.

During the festival the delegates received the festival catalogue, the schedule for the seven days, a carry bag, special discounts at the multiplexes (food court, parking) and up-to-date information through the daily bulletin. They were furthermore allowed to attend the opening and closing functions as well as the workshops, seminars and exhibitions.

This year Mrs. Nishi Mathur handled the delegate management. We opened the online delegate registration from 21st December 2010 and the delegate registration counters at INOX, E-Square, Citypride Kothrud, Fame and Marathon Bhavan from 25th December 2010.

The paid delegate number of this year increased compared to last year.

Transport and Accomodation

The transport and the accommodation of all guests, jury members and invitees were managed and supervised by the Organising Committee of PIFF.

Transportation: Concerning the transportation the Organising Committee of PIFF provided transportation facilities to three major groups of people:

1. Transportation for office work purposes and for the office staff: two months before the start of the festival a sharing transport system was installed in order to help the volunteers working for the festival coming to and going from the office.
2. Transportation for the print unit in order to take the prints to the different venues for and other executive work outside the office.
3. Transportation for international guests and invitees of the festival: local transport was provided according to the task of the person.

For the jury as well as for attending directors, producers, actors etc. the transportation facility was available throughout the festival.

- International film critics, festivals directors and other film personalities were provided with transportation to and from the airport as well as to and from the hotel

- Guests who came from Mumbai to Pune and those who were landing at Mumbai International Airport were picked up.

To handle this department we appointed one in charge, Mr. Dinesh Chinna, who handled all the tasks for the allotment of transportation and the air ticket bookings.

Accommodation

Concerning accommodation the Organising Committee of PIFF provided the following facilities to the guests:

1. 5 star facilities were provided to the life time achievement awardees, chief guests and international Jury members for the total duration of the festival.
2. A 3 days stay during the festival in a 3 star hotel was provided to the visiting international directors.
3. Festival directors, film critics and other guests received local hospitality for 3 days in a 2 star hotel.

In total we required 50 hotel rooms during the festival.

Festival Catalogue

The creation of the festival catalogue started in November when a Microsoft Access database was built up in order to collect all the necessary information about the films to be screened. Besides technical information about the film like crew and Production Company the synopsis as well as the directors biography and filmography was needed. The following months were used to gather all this information and design the appearance of the catalogue from outside and inside.

The appointed editor was responsible for the final editing and the image of the catalogue. Once all the films were fixed and all the complimentary information (jury, life time achievement awards, acknowledgement etc.) was collected the pages were sent to the printer who assembled the final product, our festival catalogue. With 264 pages this year’s catalogue was the largest printed for PIFF so far.

We printed approximately 3000 exemplars for the festival this year. The PIFF 2011 catalogue was edited by Kristin Piesker and Kshama Bangera and their team.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony was held on 6th January at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch. Our chief guest was the Minister for Environment and Cultural Affairs Mr. Sanjay Deotale. Other guests of honour were the mayor of Pune Mr. Mohansingh Rajpal, the director general of the Japan Foundation Mr. Nao Endo and the Japanese Consul General Mr. Shinichi lida.

The warm welcome of all esteemed guests was done by Mr. Tukaram Dhithankr who played Shani Wadan, a traditional Indian instrument and the Prabhat bross band. At the entrance traditionally dressed woman welcomed everyone and gifted special shawls (“dupatta”) to them.

For the first time in PIFF history we had two masters of ceremony, speaking to the audience in Marathi and English. The Marathi part was done by Mr. Sudhir Gadgil while the English speaking part was covered by Mrs. Durya. To start this inauguration function popular Marathi actress Sonali Kulkarni and her troupe performed a Lavani dance while noted Kathak dancer Sharvari Jamenis and her troupe “Payal Vrunda” gave a glimpse of their skills and mesmerized the audience. This dance was choreographed by Nikita Moghe.

Festival Director Dr. Jabbar Patel introduced all the international jury members as well as the honoured guests to the audience while Mrs. Meera Kalmadi and Mr. Ravi Gupta welcomed and felicitated them.

“PIFF 2011 Life Time Achievement Award” was presented to renowned actresses Shashikala and Saira Banu. Before the felicitation we showcased audio-visuals on both actresses in order to review their career and achievements in film industry. The award was made in silver and was presented together with a traditional Puneri sari and the “nath”.

The “Sachin Dev Burman International Award for Creative Music and Sound” went to music composer Khayyamsahab.

Producer-director Subhash Ghai was felicitated with a special award for his invaluable contribution to Indian film industry.

At this occasion the festival catalogue was released by the director general of the Japan Foundation Mr. Nao Endo.

Opening of Country Focus Japan

On the morning of 7th January the Country Focus of this year’s PIFF which was on Japanese cinema was inaugurated at E-Square. The ceremony showcased the talents of young Japanese students of the Bombay Japanese School who gave the audience an insight in traditional drumming and dancing from Japan. This was followed by a martial arts performance in which karate Katas were performed by students of Sensei Rajesh Thakkar. The Consul of Japan, Mr. Shinichi lida himself gave a small demonstration of laido, a form of Japanese sword play. At the end the students from Mumbai performed a Bollywood dance on Hindisongs that amazed the audience.

The Country Focus on Japan included the screening of 32 films, an exhibition at E-square displaying Origami exhibits, Japanese Dolls and Samurai swords and a life sushi counter where the audience could taste the traditional Japanese food.

Press conferences at the Media Center

] Every day during the festival one press conference was held at the Media Center at Hotel Deccan Rendezvous on Apte Road.

The two guests at the press conference on the first day were Khayyam and Shashikala (7th January).

On Sunday, 9th January two press conferences were held at the veranda of Deccan Rendezvous: First the team of “Aarambh” came together for a meeting with the journalists, secondly the director of “Antardaah” Pitambar Kale as well as his crew talked about their project.

On Monday, 10th January a press conference was held by Diego Fried, Argentinean director of the movie “Wine” followed by Marco Amenta’s press conference (director from Italy), where he talked about his movie “The Sicilian Girl”.

The next press conference of that day featured the guest Dipak Sharma, director of the film “Aidu Ondla Aidu”. Two more press conferences were held in the afternoon at 4 pm: Vikram Gokhale and Kiran Kumar (“Aaghaat”) and Rajesh Pinjani (“Babu Band Baja”) were present to have a conversation with the press and talk about insights of their films.

The 11th January (Tuesday) started with the press conference by Rajendra Talak, director of “O Maria” followed by Rock Demers’ talk to the press about his career in film industry. Director Alejandra Szeplak and producer Daniel Jerozolimski were the next to hold their press conference talking about their movie “A Day in Orange” screened at the festival. Girish Kasarwale, director of the movie “Kanasemba Kudureyaneri”, was the guest of the next press conference of that day.

Three more guests were present for their talk with the press in the afternoon: Kiran Yadnyopavit (Director of “Taryainche Bait”), Ananth Narayan Mahadevan (Director of “Me Sindhutai Sapkal”) and finally Avinash Narkar (Director of “Champions”).

The morning of the 12th January was dedicated to the press conference held by James Mimikos, the representative of the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation which provided the films for the retrospective of Michael Cacoyannis to PIFF.

Workshops, Round-tables, Seminars

This year PIFF saw not only a tremendous amount of quality films being screened but also a lot of activities organized around the screenings. Thus almost every day the delegates could attend different workshops on film-related themes. All these activities proved to be a great success as many delegates seized the opportunity to get to know more about films in this way. All the workshops and round-tables were organized at the Media Center in the Hotel Deccan Rendezvous.

The first workshop (in the morning) was on the delicate matter of Copyright and took place on the second day of the festival (8th Jan.). The Workshop leader was Ms. Gowree Gokhale, who introduced the participants to copyright issues in film business.

The second workshop (in the afternoon) was organized by Mr. Ujjwal Nirgudkar, Mr. A.S. Kanal and Mrs. Ranjani Ratnaparkhi and had the theme “Choose your format – film or digital”.

On the fifth day of the festival (11th Jan.), Luc Didon, Director of “Alliance Francaise” in Pune, held a workshop on “Cinema in Teaching Language”, where he explained how films can be used to teach a foreign language.

The sixth day of the festival (12th Jan.) saw a workshop on the “Music of Mughal-E-Azam” by Suresh Chandwarkar, where he discussed the usage of music in films with the participants.

In the afternoon a round-table discussion on the theme of “Historical Cinema” was organized and held by Vikram Gaikwad, Nachiket Patwardhan, Jayu Patwardhan and Ashutosh Gowariker.

Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony and award presentation was held on 13th January at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch.

The same warm welcome as for the opening ceremony was given to the guests by Mr. Tukaram Dhithankr who again played the traditional instrument Shani Wadan. The chief guest of the function, Minister of State for Culture Faujia Khan Chief, the international jury and many well-known national and international film personalities were present.

On stage Mr. Vijay Chavan and his troupe gave an outstanding performance of traditional Marathi music performance played with folk instruments of Maharashtra.

Dr. Jabbar Patel welcomed all the dignitaries while the Selection Committee members Mr. Samar Nakhate, Mr. Makarand Sathe and Mr. Satish Alekar felicitated the international jury with the Puneri Pagadi, a traditional hat and a shawl. The two female international jury members were felicitated with a “nath” and a shawl.

Then the result of the Whistling Woods Student Competition in the section “Animation” was declared by Mr. Nishith Takia and the award was given by Mr. Ravi Gupta, CEO Whistling Woods International.

Mr. Rock Demers, chairman of the Whistling Woods International Student Competition jury for “Live Action”, declared the winner of this section as well as the result for the “Best Marathi Film” and other awards in the Marathi section which were given by Akihil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal. Mr. Shaji Karun, chairman of the World Competition jury, announced the winner for the awards “Best International Film” and “Best International Director”. All the awards were given by the chief guest and the other dignitaries present.

At last Dr. Jabbar Patel made the announcement that next year PIFF will have another competition section which will be “Indian Cinema”.