CURTAINS DOWN ON IFFI-2006
CHINESE FILM ‘THE OLD BARBER’ BAGS THE GOLDEN PEACOCK
ABU SAYEED OF BANGLADESH GETS THE SPECIAL JURY AWARD
Curtains came down on the 37th International Film Festival of India today with the screening of American film ‘Babel’, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.
‘The Old Barber’ from China directed by Hasi Chaolu bagged the best film award with the Golden Peacock and a cash award of 10 lakhs for a beautifully realized story that makes people ponder over themselves, their friends and family members and how to live in this changing world. The most promising director award went to Ms. Kyung Lee, AN for the Korean film ‘A Short Life’ with the Silver Peacock and a cash award of Rs. 5 lakhs. The Jury mentioned that this story of the dark place of the heart showed a new director with strong cinematic vision and deep human compassion. Film Director Abu Sayeed of Bangladesh won the Special Jury Award for the film ‘Forever Flows’ with Silver Peacock and a cash award of Rs. 5 lakhs for writing and directing a strong drama about the ambiguities of relationships in a middle class family.
The five-member jury headed by Australian film director Rolf De Heer includes Mr. Oliver Assayas, Director from France, Mr. Jahnu Barua, Director from India, Ms. Grazyna Szapolowska, Actress from Poland and Ms. Leticia Bredice-Actress/Director from Argentina.
Addressing the gathering the Chief Guest Ms. Aparna Sen described IFFI as a special event, which brought together a galaxy of film fraternity united by a common love for films. She said that the USP of IFFI, as the only festival which celebrates the ‘many cinemas of India’ was reflected this year as well. In his address, Shri S. K. Arora, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting observed that IFFI showcased the latest art that people from all over the world presented. In his welcome address, Shri V. B. Pyarelal, Director of Film Festivals, thanked one and all for successfully organizing the event. Also present on the occasion were Shri Pratap Singh Rane, chief Minister of Goa and Shri J. P. Singh, Chief Secretary of Goa Government.
During the 10-day extravaganza, which began on November 23, 2006 with the screening of Spanish film ‘Volver’ directed by Pedro Almodovar, 297 screenings of 188 films from 46 countries were held. Of these, 231 screenings were for the delegates and the media and 56 for the general public.
‘Cinema of the World’ Section featured 52 films, including this year’s best international movies like Marie Antoinette, Borat, All The King’s Men, En Soap, Beerfest, Selon Charlie, Man From The Embassy, C.R.A.Z.Y, Three Mothers and When Do The Girls Show Up. Country focus during this year’s Festival was Argentina, wherein five films from Argentina were screened. Chairman Rolf De Heer and Spanish actor Javier Bardem’s films were screened in the Foreign Retrospectives Section. “Yugoslavia Aftermath” provided a flavour of films from Slovak countries as a Special Retrospective.
In a new initiative this year, a Technical Retrospective was started. This section covered topics on Digital Editing including a film ‘Cutting Edge’ followed by a Presentation by the famous Editor Steven Cohen, while special Presentations on Film Restoration and Digital Animation will be made by the technicians from Italy.
A new section ‘NFDC Down The Ages’ featuring six films including, ‘Gandhi’ recognized the contribution of NFDC. Tributes were paid to two greats of Indian Cinema – Prithiviraj Kapoor and Sachin Deb Burman, by screening their masterpieces Mughal-e-Azam and Jewel Thief. The Festival also paid homage to 11 personalities who passed away last year. Under the Indian Retrospective, five films of the great Malayalam filmmaker Govindan Aravindan were screened.
During the course of the Festival besides film shows, a host of films-related events like Film Bazaar, Meet the Director etc. were also held to facilitate interaction and business meets in this sector. About six thousand delegates from home & abroad took part in the Festival, which was noted by the presence of a galaxy of world-renowned film personalities as well as those from Bollywood and Indian regional cinema. Noted film personalities interacted with the media in over 60 Press Conferences at the state of the art Media Centre. Beach Screenings, Open Fora and special entertainment events on a daily basis were the other highlights of IFFI- 2006.
SS/AS
(Release ID :22734)