Special Focus

“It is indeed an honour to bring to India the exciting work of German art and cinema,” said Dr Leopold-Theodor Heldman,Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany,as he inaugurated the Country Focus section of the 10th Pune International Film Festival on Friday. “Our country’s contribution to cinema has been immense and we have been able to bring a mix of old and new productions to this film festival,” he added.

This section of PIFF will screen 47 German films,carefully picked to showcase the milestones of German cinema. The inauguration ceremony,which was held at the National Film Archives of India (NFAI),Prabhat Road,was followed by an interesting and enlightening discussion on German cinema,its impact in the world and its similarities with Indian cinema. German directors,Heinz Badewitz who is also the director of the Hof Film Festival,and Johannes Nabber,Professor Indraneel Bhattacharya of the Film & Television Institute of India,and Michael Flucht,director of Max Mueller Bhavan Pune were also present. Badewitz traced his journey in the film world while young director Naber,representing the younger generation of German filmmakers,talked about his film – The Albanian – which has been entered into the World Competition Section. He also discussed the technical and technological similarities in Indian and German cinema,while drawing attention to the digital revolution in film-making and its changing dynamics.

Another highlight of the film festival on Friday was the inauguration of ‘Saluting the Stalwarts’,a poster exhibition at the hands of director Subhash Ghai and Gudmundur Eirikson,Ambassador of Iceland in India. More than 80 posters of films from the 60s to recent ones,like Awara,Guide,Amar Akbar Anthony,Kashmir Ki Kali,Virasat,Taal and so on will be on display throughout the Festival at NFAI. Special posters that pay tribute to those well-known personalities who passed away in 2011,like Dev Anand,Shammi Kapoor,Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,Satyadev Dubey,Bhupen Hazarika and others,are also exhibited to remind one about their contribution to their respective fields of work.