Indian films are driven by an urban market that transcends regional boundaries, has similar concerns and speaks the same language. And the English film "Manasarovar", screened at the festival here, seeks to reflect just this pan-Indian sensibility.
The 90-minute "Manasarovar" is directed by Anup Kurian and describes itself as a "lyrical tale" of two youngsters representing two Indias -- the urban elite and the rural innocent.
The film is about a working girl in Pune who meets up with a boy living in Kerala's resort town of Kumarakom. They meet through letters and get thrown apart by strange circumstances.
This film's title is taken from the sprawling lake in the misty Himalayas across the Tibetan plateau.
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Assam films make their presence
Two films from Assam are making news in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The first is from mechanical engineer and MBA turned director Sanjib Sabhapandit from Guwahati whose "Juye Poora Xoon" (The Self Triumphs) is a story about illegal migration.
The issue is one that is "mainly politically motivated under the camouflage of economic poverty", says Sabhapandit. The film also looks at perennial flooding and erosion which have become a way of life in Assam.
The other film from Assam is Jyoti Prasad Das' "The Green Warriors-Apatanis" in English. In the space of 28 minutes, the filmmaker looks at an unusual tribe and its age-old eco-friendly practices in agriculture.
Says Das: "I am not a filmmaker. Actually, I'm a painter. When we made this film, we had no budget. If I don't get my money back, at least I would have documented the life of a people and a tribe."
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Fund to help filmmakers
Making films is something beyond the reach of most people, despite digitisation and decreasing costs of technology. But the Hubert Bals Fund from Rotterdam has taken on the task of helping talented filmmakers from developing countries realise their dreams.
Part of the International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR), the Fund aims at helping filmmakers make "remarkable or urgent" feature films and creative documentaries.
The Fund has $750,000 at its disposal each year, and is able to make individual grants up to $30,000. Since being founded in 1988, it has financially supported over 470 projects in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America.
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Panaji revamp leaves many unmoved
Making the ongoing film festival an excuse, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar managed to give his constituency and the state capital Panaji a complete overhaul. But not many people are impressed with the efforts.
One of those debating the issue via the Internet put it thus: "I do hope we are spared the Mickey Mouse stuff (float parades, monkey tricks, snake charming, children's fancy dress, etc) in future episodes of IFFI, assuming Panaji continues as the permanent venue. All this seems to be meant as sops to locals."
--Indo-Asian News Service