Journalism of Courage
The ninth edi tion of PIFF,which will screen over 200 films,will also see veteran actors Saira Banu and Shashikala being felicitated
Every new year brings with it a time of rejoicing for city film buffs. The ninth edition of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) will unfold on January 6,and screens will light up with carefully chosen reel wonders. Jabbar Patel,director,PIFF,says,This year we received 348 entries for the world cinema section of which 14 have been shortlisted for the festival. The fact that over 60 countries will be participating in the festival showcases the growing popularity of the festival.
The Sachin Dev Burman International Award for Creative Music and Sound will be given to music director Khayyam,and the special award will also be given to director and founder of the Whistling Woods,Subhash Ghai.
This year,over 200 films will be screened during the festival, Patel adds. The retrospective section will feature films by Greek director Michael Cacoyannis,Canadian producer Rock Demers and actor-director Kamal Hassan.
The event will also see a showcase of films to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Some of the movies based on Tagore’s life which will be screened during the festival include Kabuliwallah,Chokher Bali and Teen Kanya. Eleven films will be screened under the India cinema section and seven under the Marathi cinema section. In addition the country focus will see films from Japan.
For film and media students,the excitement will be upped by several notches with the Whistling Woods International Students Film Awards. Over 400 entries have been received for the competition and a selection of the best student films will be screened before the jury on January 8 and 9. The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony for various categories,including Best Film,Best Director,Best Screenplay,Best Cinematography,Best Audiography,Best Indian Animation Film and Best International Animation Film.
This film festival will keep the city in a flurry of activities till January 13. When asked whether Suresh Kalmadi would be present for its inauguration,Patel avoided the issue by saying that it would be left for later!
(The venues for PIFF are E-Square,Inox,R-Deccan (Screen 1),City Pride Kothrud,Fame Fatimanagar,NFAI,Ganesh Kala Krida)
