Zoya Akhtar (The Archies), Fawzia Mirza (Queen of My Dreams), and Roshan Sethi (A Nice Indian Boy) are set to join the 1497 Features Lab as Mentors.
Returning for its fourth year, the nonprofit 1497’s annual Features Lab will once again offer robust mentorship, script development, and industry access to elevate and advance the careers of screenwriters of South Asian descent. After expanding the Lab to a fully in-person format last year, this year’s program will build on that success with an intensive Retreat and subsequent Pitch Day. The Lab Retreat will take place this October 23-28, 2024 in Malibu.
The 1497 Features Lab, their signature impact program, entails three rounds of rigorous evaluation by independent Selection Committees to ultimately discover three Mentees to invest in. Each Mentee is then paired with a pod of Mentors – comprised of an established filmmaker, producer, industry representative, and a 1497 Features Lab Alum – from whom they...
Returning for its fourth year, the nonprofit 1497’s annual Features Lab will once again offer robust mentorship, script development, and industry access to elevate and advance the careers of screenwriters of South Asian descent. After expanding the Lab to a fully in-person format last year, this year’s program will build on that success with an intensive Retreat and subsequent Pitch Day. The Lab Retreat will take place this October 23-28, 2024 in Malibu.
The 1497 Features Lab, their signature impact program, entails three rounds of rigorous evaluation by independent Selection Committees to ultimately discover three Mentees to invest in. Each Mentee is then paired with a pod of Mentors – comprised of an established filmmaker, producer, industry representative, and a 1497 Features Lab Alum – from whom they...
- 4/29/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Jio Studios, the content arm of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (Ril), is on a roll with several box office hits in a row.
Almost exactly a year ago, Jio Studios had launched a slate of 100 new films and TV shows. Those efforts have now come to fruition. 2023 saw Marathi-language “Baipan Bhaari Deva” and “Jhimma 2,” Bollywood films, Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dunki” and Vicky Kaushal’s “Zara Hatke Zara Bachke,” and Mithun Chakraborty-starring Bengali-language film “Kabuliwala” become major hits. 2024 has already delivered Bollywood hits “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya,” “Article 370” and “Shaitaan,” with Kiran Rao’s 2023 Toronto-playing feminist romp “Laapata Ladies” also scoring in its theatrical release.
“We are the only studio to have seven hits in a row. We hit a purple patch, like how [cricket Goat Sachin] Tendulkar was hitting his centuries,” Jyoti Deshpande, president, media and content business, Ril, told Variety. “We’ve always been champions of stories,...
Almost exactly a year ago, Jio Studios had launched a slate of 100 new films and TV shows. Those efforts have now come to fruition. 2023 saw Marathi-language “Baipan Bhaari Deva” and “Jhimma 2,” Bollywood films, Shah Rukh Khan’s “Dunki” and Vicky Kaushal’s “Zara Hatke Zara Bachke,” and Mithun Chakraborty-starring Bengali-language film “Kabuliwala” become major hits. 2024 has already delivered Bollywood hits “Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya,” “Article 370” and “Shaitaan,” with Kiran Rao’s 2023 Toronto-playing feminist romp “Laapata Ladies” also scoring in its theatrical release.
“We are the only studio to have seven hits in a row. We hit a purple patch, like how [cricket Goat Sachin] Tendulkar was hitting his centuries,” Jyoti Deshpande, president, media and content business, Ril, told Variety. “We’ve always been champions of stories,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Chandigarh, which is set to host its first international film festival Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) from March 27 to 31 is not just meant to expose the audiences in the region to around 80 of the finest international and Indian films, but will also boast of a Ciff/market to facilitate the business and craft of filmmaking.
The film festival will open with the Cannes Award-winning French film ‘The Taste of Things’ starring Juliette Binoche, and close with South Korea’s highest-grossing film of 2024 to date — the Horror-Mystery-Thriller ’Exhuma’ (Pamyo) which premiered at the 2024 Berlinale,
More than 15 curated projects by creators with a strong presence in the Indian film industry are being presented at Ciff/market. Ciff will also feature workshops, master classes and panel discussions for the benefit of festival and industry delegates.
“We are expecting a lot of potential producers and filmmakers to come face-to-face. There are also a lot...
The film festival will open with the Cannes Award-winning French film ‘The Taste of Things’ starring Juliette Binoche, and close with South Korea’s highest-grossing film of 2024 to date — the Horror-Mystery-Thriller ’Exhuma’ (Pamyo) which premiered at the 2024 Berlinale,
More than 15 curated projects by creators with a strong presence in the Indian film industry are being presented at Ciff/market. Ciff will also feature workshops, master classes and panel discussions for the benefit of festival and industry delegates.
“We are expecting a lot of potential producers and filmmakers to come face-to-face. There are also a lot...
- 3/12/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Sixteen fellows with a dozen projects will be headed to the mythic bunk beds and cabin life of Utah just prior to the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. Here their words on paper will be tested, tried and nurtured with valuable input from the likes of Michelle Satter, Ilyse McKimmie, Jessie Nelson and creative advisors Ritesh Batra, Linda Yvette Chávez, Scott Frank, Phil Hay, Marielle Heller, Walter Mosley, Nicole Perlman, Kemp Powers, Dee Rees, Howard Rodman, Dana Stevens, Joan Tewkesbury, Bill Wheeler, Tyger Williams, Virgil Williams, and Doug Wright. This year’s Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab folks include: Nikesh Shukla & Himesh Patel (Brown Baby), Kaitlin Fontana & Franchesca Ramsey (Cover Girl), Sylvia Khoury (Heather), Jane Casey Modderno (Here for the Weekend), Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (High Steel), Kristine Gerolaga (Lamok), Francesca Canepa & Miguel Ángel Papalini (La Otra Orilla), Diana Peralta (No Love Lost), Christian Moldes (Quince Kings), Hanna Gray Organschi (Rubber Hut), Sara Crow...
- 1/12/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Film lovers, filmmakers, industry insiders, actors, artists and more are expected to return en masse for the milestone festivities that will include a packed calendar of parties, panels, concerts, gatherings and networking opportunities, in addition to all the big-screen showings. Below is a roundup of all of the intel The Hollywood Reporter has gathered thus far, featuring events in Park City. All times listed are local and information for how to submit an event is at the end of the list.
Houses, Lodges and Activations
Acura House of Energy
Acura House of Energy, 550 Swede Alley, daily from Jan. 19-22 (with both public and private, invite-only hours)
Acura returns to Sundance for a 14th year as presenting sponsor and official vehicle of the festival by bringing new “energy” to its commitment to uplift independent artists and underrepresented through official Sundance programming and a reimagined, revamped space dubbed the Acura House of Energy.
Houses, Lodges and Activations
Acura House of Energy
Acura House of Energy, 550 Swede Alley, daily from Jan. 19-22 (with both public and private, invite-only hours)
Acura returns to Sundance for a 14th year as presenting sponsor and official vehicle of the festival by bringing new “energy” to its commitment to uplift independent artists and underrepresented through official Sundance programming and a reimagined, revamped space dubbed the Acura House of Energy.
- 1/12/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Sundance Film Festival will once again feature a physical space focused on South Asian filmmaking.
Returning for its second year, the 1497 South Asian Lodge will feature a tribute to The Lunchbox, the beloved Irrfan Khan starrer that screened at Sundance exactly a decade ago. Its writer-director, Ritesh Batra, will be in attendance to discuss the making of the film and its legacy. Other highlight programming of the lodge, which will run Jan. 20 and 21, includes a fireside chat with Mira Nair (whose breakthrough classic Mississippi Masala is getting a restoration screening at the festival this year) and panels on decolonization through film as well as the media’s influence on Islamophobia.
Speakers on the latter panel, presented by M Film Lab, include Pillars Foundation co-founder and president Kashif Shaikh, music executive Hiba Irshad, former Sundance Institute outreach and inclusion director and Muslim Futures creator Karim Ahmad and Doris Duke Foundation exec Zeyba Rahman.
Returning for its second year, the 1497 South Asian Lodge will feature a tribute to The Lunchbox, the beloved Irrfan Khan starrer that screened at Sundance exactly a decade ago. Its writer-director, Ritesh Batra, will be in attendance to discuss the making of the film and its legacy. Other highlight programming of the lodge, which will run Jan. 20 and 21, includes a fireside chat with Mira Nair (whose breakthrough classic Mississippi Masala is getting a restoration screening at the festival this year) and panels on decolonization through film as well as the media’s influence on Islamophobia.
Speakers on the latter panel, presented by M Film Lab, include Pillars Foundation co-founder and president Kashif Shaikh, music executive Hiba Irshad, former Sundance Institute outreach and inclusion director and Muslim Futures creator Karim Ahmad and Doris Duke Foundation exec Zeyba Rahman.
- 1/5/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Irrfan Rejected Christopher Nolan For A Film Whose Oscar Snub Made Many Furious, But It Was A Smart Decision! ( Photo Credit – IMDb; Facebook )
How many actors do you know who have rejected Christopher Nolan’s one of the very best films in a film that will turn out to be a box office Blockbuster and made every single soul angry for not getting a shot at the Oscars? Well, you know by the title it’s Irrfan, and we believe he’s the only Indian actor who could even think to say no to one of the most loved directors across the globe.
Irrfan, back in 2011-12, agreed to shoot Ritesh Batra’s ‘festival film’ & people weren’t shocked at his casting because who better than him to play the typical Bandra uncle donning formals with a bag in his hand, doing the monotonous routine job from the past 35 years...
How many actors do you know who have rejected Christopher Nolan’s one of the very best films in a film that will turn out to be a box office Blockbuster and made every single soul angry for not getting a shot at the Oscars? Well, you know by the title it’s Irrfan, and we believe he’s the only Indian actor who could even think to say no to one of the most loved directors across the globe.
Irrfan, back in 2011-12, agreed to shoot Ritesh Batra’s ‘festival film’ & people weren’t shocked at his casting because who better than him to play the typical Bandra uncle donning formals with a bag in his hand, doing the monotonous routine job from the past 35 years...
- 1/2/2024
- by Umesh Punwani
- KoiMoi
Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was in Goa on Monday with her actor and husband Michael Douglas, revealed that her son loves the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Om Shanti Om’. Michael and Catherine attended the 54th edition of the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa where Michael will be conferred with the Satyajit Ray Excellence in Film Lifetime Award.
Talking to the media, Catherine said, “When my son, Dylan was really young, we showed him ‘Om Shanti Om’. And when his friends came over, he used to tell them, ‘Do you wanna see a movie from India?’.”
She then asked Dylan, who was sitting in the audience, “How many times have we seen that film?.”
He said, “I’ve seen that over 50 times, it’s one long movie, yeah.”
She then spoke about her favourite Indian movie — the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan-starrer ‘The Lunchbox’.
Talking about the film,...
Talking to the media, Catherine said, “When my son, Dylan was really young, we showed him ‘Om Shanti Om’. And when his friends came over, he used to tell them, ‘Do you wanna see a movie from India?’.”
She then asked Dylan, who was sitting in the audience, “How many times have we seen that film?.”
He said, “I’ve seen that over 50 times, it’s one long movie, yeah.”
She then spoke about her favourite Indian movie — the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan-starrer ‘The Lunchbox’.
Talking about the film,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Agency News Desk
Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was in Goa on Monday with her actor and husband Michael Douglas, revealed that her son loves the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Om Shanti Om’. Michael and Catherine attended the 54th edition of the ongoing International Film Festival of India in Goa where Michael will be conferred with the Satyajit Ray Excellence in Film Lifetime Award.
Talking to the media, Catherine said, “When my son, Dylan was really young, we showed him ‘Om Shanti Om’. And when his friends came over, he used to tell them, ‘Do you wanna see a movie from India?’.”
She then asked Dylan, who was sitting in the audience, “How many times have we seen that film?.”
He said, “I’ve seen that over 50 times, it’s one long movie, yeah.”
She then spoke about her favourite Indian movie — the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan-starrer ‘The Lunchbox’.
Talking about the film,...
Talking to the media, Catherine said, “When my son, Dylan was really young, we showed him ‘Om Shanti Om’. And when his friends came over, he used to tell them, ‘Do you wanna see a movie from India?’.”
She then asked Dylan, who was sitting in the audience, “How many times have we seen that film?.”
He said, “I’ve seen that over 50 times, it’s one long movie, yeah.”
She then spoke about her favourite Indian movie — the Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan-starrer ‘The Lunchbox’.
Talking about the film,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Eight projects of multiple genres, including magic realism, fantasy, horror/thriller, women’s empowerment, cross-border politics, Lgtbq+ issues, and mental illness, have been selected for the 16th edition of Nfdc Screenwriters’ Lab, an ongoing initiative to develop, nurture, and promote original voices from all over India. The eight screen writers, who also happen to be filmmakers of ad films, short films, documentaries, and feature films, have written the selected scripts in multiple languages, including Hindi, Marathi, English, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Odia, and Tibetan.
Two of the writers are National Award Winners for “Best Marathi Film” and “Best Cinematography.”
“We, at Nfdc, strongly feel that a well-written script forms the foundation of a compelling story, engaging characters, and meaningful dialogue, all of which are essential elements of a successful film.” said Mr. Prithul Kumar, Managing Director of Nfdc.
“We are at the forefront of not only training our writers to better develop their unique stories,...
Two of the writers are National Award Winners for “Best Marathi Film” and “Best Cinematography.”
“We, at Nfdc, strongly feel that a well-written script forms the foundation of a compelling story, engaging characters, and meaningful dialogue, all of which are essential elements of a successful film.” said Mr. Prithul Kumar, Managing Director of Nfdc.
“We are at the forefront of not only training our writers to better develop their unique stories,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Editorial Desk
- GlamSham
Eight projects of multiple genres, including magic realism, fantasy, horror/thriller, women’s empowerment, cross-border politics, Lgtbq+ issues, and mental illness, have been selected for the 16th edition of Nfdc Screenwriters’ Lab, an ongoing initiative to develop, nurture, and promote original voices from all over India. The eight screen writers, who also happen to be filmmakers of ad films, short films, documentaries, and feature films, have written the selected scripts in multiple languages, including Hindi, Marathi, English, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Odia, and Tibetan.
Two of the writers are National Award Winners for “Best Marathi Film” and “Best Cinematography.”
“We, at Nfdc, strongly feel that a well-written script forms the foundation of a compelling story, engaging characters, and meaningful dialogue, all of which are essential elements of a successful film.” said Mr. Prithul Kumar, Managing Director of Nfdc.
“We are at the forefront of not only training our writers to better develop their unique stories,...
Two of the writers are National Award Winners for “Best Marathi Film” and “Best Cinematography.”
“We, at Nfdc, strongly feel that a well-written script forms the foundation of a compelling story, engaging characters, and meaningful dialogue, all of which are essential elements of a successful film.” said Mr. Prithul Kumar, Managing Director of Nfdc.
“We are at the forefront of not only training our writers to better develop their unique stories,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Editorial Desk
Location, Location, Location
Entertainment, sports and brand licensing firms WildBrain Cplg and WildBrain Ltd. have brokered location-based entertainment (Lbe) deals on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide for “Peanuts,” “Teletubbies” and “In the Night Garden” with China’s Max-Matching Entertainments. These are expected to lead to the opening of family entertainment centers and IP-themed hotel rooms for each brand in Beijing, in Zhongshan City, Guangdong and a third city yet to be announced. These will roll out over the next five years.
The moves come at a time when WildBrain Cplg is expanding its Asia-focused teams. These include the Los Angeles-based veteran licensing executive, Kevin Suh who is former president of themed entertainment & consumer products at Paramount Pictures. Suh was also a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America and a lawyer in California. Shanghai-based Evi Sari joins as VP of Lbe in Apac and the Gcc. She was previously...
Entertainment, sports and brand licensing firms WildBrain Cplg and WildBrain Ltd. have brokered location-based entertainment (Lbe) deals on behalf of Peanuts Worldwide for “Peanuts,” “Teletubbies” and “In the Night Garden” with China’s Max-Matching Entertainments. These are expected to lead to the opening of family entertainment centers and IP-themed hotel rooms for each brand in Beijing, in Zhongshan City, Guangdong and a third city yet to be announced. These will roll out over the next five years.
The moves come at a time when WildBrain Cplg is expanding its Asia-focused teams. These include the Los Angeles-based veteran licensing executive, Kevin Suh who is former president of themed entertainment & consumer products at Paramount Pictures. Suh was also a senior executive at the Motion Picture Association of America and a lawyer in California. Shanghai-based Evi Sari joins as VP of Lbe in Apac and the Gcc. She was previously...
- 9/7/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions has entered into a strategic content partnership with fellow Indian production house, Sikhya Entertainment, founded by Guneet Monga.
The two companies will work together to produce multiple projects across feature films and digital formats. While no projects were announced under the deal, the partners said they would start to reveal details in two to three months.
The deal brings together one of mainstream Bollywood’s biggest production companies with an outfit better known internationally for independent and festival fare.
Dharma’s credits span 1990s Bollywood classics such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, to recent releases such as Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva, a big-budget fantasy action film co-produced with Disney and released last year, and Selfiee, an action comedy starring Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi, released this year.
Sikhya has been a producer or co-producer on festival hits such as The Lunchbox,...
The two companies will work together to produce multiple projects across feature films and digital formats. While no projects were announced under the deal, the partners said they would start to reveal details in two to three months.
The deal brings together one of mainstream Bollywood’s biggest production companies with an outfit better known internationally for independent and festival fare.
Dharma’s credits span 1990s Bollywood classics such as Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, to recent releases such as Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva, a big-budget fantasy action film co-produced with Disney and released last year, and Selfiee, an action comedy starring Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi, released this year.
Sikhya has been a producer or co-producer on festival hits such as The Lunchbox,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has named the participants and projects set for the 2023 editions of a pair of its flagship programs: the Screenwriters Lab and Screenwriters Intensive.
Lab participants will include Joseph Sackett (Cross Pollination), Sean Wang (Dìdi (弟弟)), Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Gabriela Ortega (Huella), Walter Thompson-Hernández (If I Go Will They Miss Me), Hadas Ayalon (In a Minute You’ll Be Gone), Bernardo Cubría, John Hibey & Joshua Penn Soskin (Kill Yr Idols), Dania Bdeir & Bane Fakih (Pigeon Wars), Rashad Frett & Lin Que Ayoung (Ricky), Farida Zahran (The Leftover Ladies), Masami Kawai (Valley of the Tall Grass) and Audrey Rosenberg (Wild Animals).
Those set for the Intensive are Keisha Rae Witherspoon & Jason Fitzroy Jeffers (Arc), Shireen Alihaji (Blue Veil), Spencer Cook & Parker Smith (Lame), Jesahel Newton-Bernal (Leche), Cynthia Lowen (Light Mass Energy), Rebin Zangana (Qareen), David Liu (Santa Anita), Urvashi Pathania (Skin), Ciara Leina`ala Lacy (Untitled...
Lab participants will include Joseph Sackett (Cross Pollination), Sean Wang (Dìdi (弟弟)), Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Gabriela Ortega (Huella), Walter Thompson-Hernández (If I Go Will They Miss Me), Hadas Ayalon (In a Minute You’ll Be Gone), Bernardo Cubría, John Hibey & Joshua Penn Soskin (Kill Yr Idols), Dania Bdeir & Bane Fakih (Pigeon Wars), Rashad Frett & Lin Que Ayoung (Ricky), Farida Zahran (The Leftover Ladies), Masami Kawai (Valley of the Tall Grass) and Audrey Rosenberg (Wild Animals).
Those set for the Intensive are Keisha Rae Witherspoon & Jason Fitzroy Jeffers (Arc), Shireen Alihaji (Blue Veil), Spencer Cook & Parker Smith (Lame), Jesahel Newton-Bernal (Leche), Cynthia Lowen (Light Mass Energy), Rebin Zangana (Qareen), David Liu (Santa Anita), Urvashi Pathania (Skin), Ciara Leina`ala Lacy (Untitled...
- 1/13/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: London-based Lark is one of the buzziest new boutique film and TV agencies in Europe.
The company was quietly set up by former Troika Director Harriet Pennington Legh in 2020 but gained momentum this year with the addition of former Casarotto and 42 rep Sophie Dolan and longtime Independent Talent agent Roxana Adle. Exiting bigger agencies usually comes with some bumps and bruises (and temporary no-press gags) but the trio took the plunge and are now reaping the rewards.
Together, the three UK agenting dynamos now lead Lark and join a new wave of vibrant UK rep businesses that launched a decade ago with 42 and most recently spawned B-Side Management, which opened shop last year.
Lark’s list is curated and cerebral but also fresh and increasingly acclaimed. The stable of global writers and filmmakers includes Sebastián Lelio, Joanna Hogg, Ritesh Batra, Karim Aïnouz, Shannon Murphy, Maria Schrader, Oliver Hermanus, Ali Abbasi,...
The company was quietly set up by former Troika Director Harriet Pennington Legh in 2020 but gained momentum this year with the addition of former Casarotto and 42 rep Sophie Dolan and longtime Independent Talent agent Roxana Adle. Exiting bigger agencies usually comes with some bumps and bruises (and temporary no-press gags) but the trio took the plunge and are now reaping the rewards.
Together, the three UK agenting dynamos now lead Lark and join a new wave of vibrant UK rep businesses that launched a decade ago with 42 and most recently spawned B-Side Management, which opened shop last year.
Lark’s list is curated and cerebral but also fresh and increasingly acclaimed. The stable of global writers and filmmakers includes Sebastián Lelio, Joanna Hogg, Ritesh Batra, Karim Aïnouz, Shannon Murphy, Maria Schrader, Oliver Hermanus, Ali Abbasi,...
- 12/8/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
As the epistolary-romance film ‘The Lunchbox’ completes nine years of its release on Tuesday, actress Nimrat Kaur, who played the role of Ila in the film, looked back at the journey and the atmosphere around the release of the film back in 2013.
She said in a statement: “‘The Lunchbox’ will forever be a film that is close to my heart. It was my first film in a leading role and there were hoardings all over. There was a well-known brand that did one of their signature takes on the film and that was extremely special for me.”
Walking down the memory lane, she added: “I remember we had organised a special screening of the film in Delhi where it was just me, Irrfan, Ritesh Batra and our close family and friends and it is crazy to look back and see how things have changed.”
‘The Lunchbox’, which starred late Irrfan Khan,...
She said in a statement: “‘The Lunchbox’ will forever be a film that is close to my heart. It was my first film in a leading role and there were hoardings all over. There was a well-known brand that did one of their signature takes on the film and that was extremely special for me.”
Walking down the memory lane, she added: “I remember we had organised a special screening of the film in Delhi where it was just me, Irrfan, Ritesh Batra and our close family and friends and it is crazy to look back and see how things have changed.”
‘The Lunchbox’, which starred late Irrfan Khan,...
- 9/20/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
India has always been a popular destination for international productions, hosting everything from European independent films and British series, most recently ITV’s Beecham House and Netflix/BBC’s A Suitable Boy, to studio movies like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Netflix’s Chris Hemsworth-starrer Extraction.
In addition to the country’s oft-touted attractions – a skilled workforce, low costs, stunning landscapes and historical monuments – it also boasts a rich canon of English-language, India-set literature that the story-hungry streamers have been plundering in recent years. Netflix’s A Suitable Boy and The White Tiger, Apple TV+’s Shantaram and HBO’s upcoming seven-part series A Fine Balance, are all based on India-themed novels.
But the country has been pretty much off limits during the pandemic. It had a disruptive although mostly manageable first wave of Covid in 2020, which nonetheless deterred some international shoots, before shocking the world with a devastating...
In addition to the country’s oft-touted attractions – a skilled workforce, low costs, stunning landscapes and historical monuments – it also boasts a rich canon of English-language, India-set literature that the story-hungry streamers have been plundering in recent years. Netflix’s A Suitable Boy and The White Tiger, Apple TV+’s Shantaram and HBO’s upcoming seven-part series A Fine Balance, are all based on India-themed novels.
But the country has been pretty much off limits during the pandemic. It had a disruptive although mostly manageable first wave of Covid in 2020, which nonetheless deterred some international shoots, before shocking the world with a devastating...
- 8/9/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Toronto-based filmmaker Deepa Mehta has been making films since the 1970s, including the Oscar-nominated “Water,” part of her elements trilogy; “Bollywood/Hollywood” and “Funny Boy.” Her TV credits include “Yellowjackets,” “Little America” and “Leila.”
As an immigrant to Canada from India, I felt “seen” twice in my life. And both those moments, ironically, were diametrically antithetical to each other.
It was my first foray into North America as a young newlywed documentary filmmaker. I missed my home and family, had no work, couldn’t get the fuss about ice hockey and was frankly surprised at the general questions thrown my way by well-meaning, educated young and old white folk. One lot expressed wonderment at my grasp of the English language. “Where did you learn such good English?” My answer usually was, “on the flight from Delhi to Toronto.” While the other lot expressed complete pity that I came from such an impoverished country,...
As an immigrant to Canada from India, I felt “seen” twice in my life. And both those moments, ironically, were diametrically antithetical to each other.
It was my first foray into North America as a young newlywed documentary filmmaker. I missed my home and family, had no work, couldn’t get the fuss about ice hockey and was frankly surprised at the general questions thrown my way by well-meaning, educated young and old white folk. One lot expressed wonderment at my grasp of the English language. “Where did you learn such good English?” My answer usually was, “on the flight from Delhi to Toronto.” While the other lot expressed complete pity that I came from such an impoverished country,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Deepa Mehta
- Variety Film + TV
HBO is developing a long-awaited adaptation of Rohinton Mistry’s critically acclaimed, award-winning novel “A Fine Balance,” Variety can reveal.
The seven-part series is being produced by “A Very British Scandal” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” producer Blueprint Pictures and “Anne With an E” outfit Northwood Entertainment. Ritesh Batra, who directed the late Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur in “The Lunchbox,” is attached to both write and direct.
The show would look to shoot in India from early June through November.
First published by Canada’s McLelland and Stewart in 1995, “A Fine Balance” went on to win the 1995 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize.
The story — which centers on a rich widow, two tailors and a young student from vastly different parts of Indian society whose lives intersect in a tiny apartment — traverses the political landscape in India from the country’s independence in 1947 through to...
The seven-part series is being produced by “A Very British Scandal” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” producer Blueprint Pictures and “Anne With an E” outfit Northwood Entertainment. Ritesh Batra, who directed the late Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur in “The Lunchbox,” is attached to both write and direct.
The show would look to shoot in India from early June through November.
First published by Canada’s McLelland and Stewart in 1995, “A Fine Balance” went on to win the 1995 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the 1996 Booker Prize.
The story — which centers on a rich widow, two tailors and a young student from vastly different parts of Indian society whose lives intersect in a tiny apartment — traverses the political landscape in India from the country’s independence in 1947 through to...
- 3/21/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Award-winning filmmaker Lydia Dean Pilcher has signed with Echo Lake Entertainment for management—also announcing today that she has acquired the rights to Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism, a bestselling memoir from Dawn Prince-Hughes that she plans to adapt into a feature, as both director and producer.
In the true story, published by Random House in 2004, Dawn Prince is on the brink of survival as a homeless gay teenager from the wilderness of Montana, searching for connection on the streets of 1980s Seattle. When she escapes to the zoo for the oxygen of nature, she unexpectedly makes a primal connection with the Silverback gorilla, Congo.
Dawn gets a job at the zoo and begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns from Congo how to love, how to see herself in the gorillas, and ultimately in other human people.
In the true story, published by Random House in 2004, Dawn Prince is on the brink of survival as a homeless gay teenager from the wilderness of Montana, searching for connection on the streets of 1980s Seattle. When she escapes to the zoo for the oxygen of nature, she unexpectedly makes a primal connection with the Silverback gorilla, Congo.
Dawn gets a job at the zoo and begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns from Congo how to love, how to see herself in the gorillas, and ultimately in other human people.
- 3/3/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“The Lunchbox” casting director and producer Seher Aly Latif died in Mumbai on Monday of a renal failure. She was in her early 40s.
Latif was one of the most sought-after casting directors for international projects set in India or with a significant India component. Her casting director credits include “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and its sequel “Million Dollar Arm,” as well as recent Bollywood films such as “Shakuntala Devi” and “Durgamati: The Myth.”
Latif’s credits for casting in India include “Eat Pray Love,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “McMafia,” “Sense8,” “Furious 7” and “The Hundred-Foot Journey.”
Along with her associate Shivani Saran, Latif founded Mutant Films in 2016. The company produced Netflix film “Maska,” Netflix series “Bhaag Beanie Bhaag” and also co-produced the sports drama “Gold,” starring Akshay Kumar.
Nimrat Kaur, one of the leads of “The Lunchbox,” tweeted: “One of the kindest, most loving people Mumbai gifted my life with.
Latif was one of the most sought-after casting directors for international projects set in India or with a significant India component. Her casting director credits include “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and its sequel “Million Dollar Arm,” as well as recent Bollywood films such as “Shakuntala Devi” and “Durgamati: The Myth.”
Latif’s credits for casting in India include “Eat Pray Love,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “McMafia,” “Sense8,” “Furious 7” and “The Hundred-Foot Journey.”
Along with her associate Shivani Saran, Latif founded Mutant Films in 2016. The company produced Netflix film “Maska,” Netflix series “Bhaag Beanie Bhaag” and also co-produced the sports drama “Gold,” starring Akshay Kumar.
Nimrat Kaur, one of the leads of “The Lunchbox,” tweeted: “One of the kindest, most loving people Mumbai gifted my life with.
- 6/7/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
With most of the main Cannes Film Festival lineup now confirmed, it’s now time for the sidebars to be unveiled. First up is the lineup for the Critics Week aka Semaine de la Critique. A spotlight on new filmmakers, in recent years they’ve featured works by Julia Ducournau (who now has a film in competition this year with Titane), Hlynur Pálmason, Oliver Laxe, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Jonas Carpignano, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ritesh Batra, and more.
This year’s slate is full of a new class of emerging filmmakers, with the opening selection, Constance Meyer’s Robuste starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena, the Adèle Exarchopoulos-led Zero Fucks Given by Julie Lecoustre & Emmanuel Marre, and more. The jury this year is headed by Cristian Mungiu.
Check out the lineup below and see more about each film at the links here.
Opening Film
“Robuste,” Constance Meyer
Special Screenings
“Anaïs in Love,...
This year’s slate is full of a new class of emerging filmmakers, with the opening selection, Constance Meyer’s Robuste starring Gérard Depardieu and Déborah Lukumuena, the Adèle Exarchopoulos-led Zero Fucks Given by Julie Lecoustre & Emmanuel Marre, and more. The jury this year is headed by Cristian Mungiu.
Check out the lineup below and see more about each film at the links here.
Opening Film
“Robuste,” Constance Meyer
Special Screenings
“Anaïs in Love,...
- 6/7/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Bollywood couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal have recently turned producers and started their own creators lab. The work on their first project has commenced. While Fazal has been the lead in the Hollywood film Victoria and Abdul alongside Dame Judi Dench and will be seen in Kenneth Branagh's magnum opus Death on the Nile later this year. He is also a member of the Academy. Richa Chadha too has traveled with her films to Cannes and been on the jury of international film festivals at Marrakech and Nara, Japan.
Their newly christened company Pushing Buttons Studios aims to tell stories rooted in the Indian ethos for a global audience. The first script to be green-lit under their banner is titled 'Girls Will Be Girls' and is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati. 'Girls Will Be Girls' is the only Indian script invited to the prestigious...
Their newly christened company Pushing Buttons Studios aims to tell stories rooted in the Indian ethos for a global audience. The first script to be green-lit under their banner is titled 'Girls Will Be Girls' and is written and will be directed by debutant Shuchi Talati. 'Girls Will Be Girls' is the only Indian script invited to the prestigious...
- 3/4/2021
- by Glamsham Editorial
- GlamSham
After his two attempts at the international glory with English-language movies “The Sense of an Ending” (2014) and “Our Souls at Night” (2017), Ritesh Batra is back to the territory he is most familiar with, the heart-warming Indian romance he created with his feature debut “The Lunchbox” (2013) which became a huge festival hit. His newest film, “Photograph” (2019) walks pretty much the same ground, content-, execution-, and festival distribution-wise. After its world premiere at Sundance last year and European premiere at Berlinale, it went on an extended, seemingly never-ending festival tour, parallel with the wide cinema release. Better late than never, could be said for its screening at this year’s online edition of Zagreb Film Festival and the review here.
Our man Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is a forty-something street photographer whose pitch to the tourists at The Gateway of India is that the photograph is an all-senses memory experience: once they see the photograph,...
Our man Rafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is a forty-something street photographer whose pitch to the tourists at The Gateway of India is that the photograph is an all-senses memory experience: once they see the photograph,...
- 11/18/2020
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Actress Carrie Coon joins Josh and Joe to discuss the Best of what she’s been watching during the pandemic.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Nest (2020)
Gone Girl (2014)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Sabrina (1954)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Opening Night (1977)
Husbands (1971)
Too Late Blues (1961)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Faces (1968)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Gloria (1980)
Mephisto (1981)
The Cremator (1969)
Zama (2017)
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017)
Wanda (1970)
Blue Collar (1978)
The Lunchbox (2013)
63 Up (2019)
To Sleep With Anger (1990)
Killer of Sheep (1978)
The Glass Shield (1994)
My Brother’s Wedding (1983)
Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)
Cutter’s Way (1981)
Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
The Magician (1958)
The Silence (1963)
The Magic Flute (1975)
The Last House on the Left (1972)
The Virgin Spring (1963)
Summer with Monika (1953)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Wings of Desire (1987)
Black Girl (1966)
Fat Girl (2001)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Parasite (2019)
Jesus of Montreal (1989)
Other Notable Items...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Nest (2020)
Gone Girl (2014)
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Sabrina (1954)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Opening Night (1977)
Husbands (1971)
Too Late Blues (1961)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Faces (1968)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Gloria (1980)
Mephisto (1981)
The Cremator (1969)
Zama (2017)
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017)
Wanda (1970)
Blue Collar (1978)
The Lunchbox (2013)
63 Up (2019)
To Sleep With Anger (1990)
Killer of Sheep (1978)
The Glass Shield (1994)
My Brother’s Wedding (1983)
Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1987)
Rio Bravo (1959)
Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979)
Cutter’s Way (1981)
Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
The Magician (1958)
The Silence (1963)
The Magic Flute (1975)
The Last House on the Left (1972)
The Virgin Spring (1963)
Summer with Monika (1953)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Wings of Desire (1987)
Black Girl (1966)
Fat Girl (2001)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Parasite (2019)
Jesus of Montreal (1989)
Other Notable Items...
- 11/17/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Exclusive: This year’s Oxbelly Labs has set creative advisors including directors Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann), Mati Diop (Atlantics), Ulrich Köhler (In My Room) and Lulu Wang (The Farewell), as well as producer-seller Michael Weber, founder of The Match Factory.
The Lab is designer to offer promising international filmmakers the opportunity to work on their first or second feature script, as well as workshop and direct one scene from it, with guidance from industry mentors.
Led by Oxbelly’s artistic director and Greek filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg), the Lab is being hosted online this year.
Returning creative advisors include Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread), Michael Almereyda (Tesla), Ritesh Batra (Photograph), Lisa Cholodenko (Olive Kitteridge), Willem Dafoe (Tommaso), Naomi Foner (Running On Empty), Nick Kroll (Big Mouth), Jeff Nichols (Loving), Olivier Père and Eva Stefani (Manuscript).
The Labs were established...
The Lab is designer to offer promising international filmmakers the opportunity to work on their first or second feature script, as well as workshop and direct one scene from it, with guidance from industry mentors.
Led by Oxbelly’s artistic director and Greek filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg), the Lab is being hosted online this year.
Returning creative advisors include Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread), Michael Almereyda (Tesla), Ritesh Batra (Photograph), Lisa Cholodenko (Olive Kitteridge), Willem Dafoe (Tommaso), Naomi Foner (Running On Empty), Nick Kroll (Big Mouth), Jeff Nichols (Loving), Olivier Père and Eva Stefani (Manuscript).
The Labs were established...
- 11/12/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance Institute on Monday appointed seven new members to its Board of Trustees, bringing it to a 32-person board that is evenly split between men and women and features 10 who identify as people of color, including six who identify as Black.
The newest members are Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ann Lewnes and Wonya Lucas, who join the board alongside Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen, all of whom joined over the last year. While the Sundance Institute board typically includes 24-28 members, it expanded this year to add new members and to replace three members whose terms had expired.
The new trustees will work closely with Board chair Pat Mitchell and executive director Keri Putnam in shaping the business, cultural and philanthropic goals of the organization in an advisory capacity.
They join current members on the Institute’s Board: Robert Redford, president & founder; Pat Mitchell, chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher,...
The newest members are Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ann Lewnes and Wonya Lucas, who join the board alongside Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen, all of whom joined over the last year. While the Sundance Institute board typically includes 24-28 members, it expanded this year to add new members and to replace three members whose terms had expired.
The new trustees will work closely with Board chair Pat Mitchell and executive director Keri Putnam in shaping the business, cultural and philanthropic goals of the organization in an advisory capacity.
They join current members on the Institute’s Board: Robert Redford, president & founder; Pat Mitchell, chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher,...
- 10/26/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Sundance Institute has added prominent Civil Rights attorney Kimberlé Crenshaw, Crown Media Family Networks executive Wonya Lucas and Adobe executive Ann Lewnes to its board of trustees.
The institute also announced Monday that Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen have joined the board over the last year.
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” said chair Pat Mitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The trustees announced in August that the 2021 Sundance Film Festival would be shortened from 11 to seven days, running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.
Crenshaw...
The institute also announced Monday that Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger and Junaid Sarieddeen have joined the board over the last year.
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” said chair Pat Mitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The trustees announced in August that the 2021 Sundance Film Festival would be shortened from 11 to seven days, running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.
Crenshaw...
- 10/26/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ann Lewnes, Wonya Lucas have joined the Sundance Institute Board of Trustees alongside Uzodinma Iweala, Amanda Kelso, William Plapinger, and Junaid Sarieddeen who joined over the last year. The group will work closely with Board Chair Pat Mitchell and Executive Director Keri Putnam.
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill, and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” saidMitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The new members join the Institute’s board comprised of Robert Redford, President & Founder; Pat Mitchell, Chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Vice Chair; Ebs Burnough, Vice Chair; Sean Bailey, Ritesh Batra, Jason Blum,...
“We are so grateful to welcome the expertise and unique perspectives of Kimberlé, Uzodinma, Amanda, Ann, Bill, and Junaid to Sundance as we move forward in this challenging time,” saidMitchell. “Our board possesses the right skills, a broad range of talents and a high level of commitment to our founding values and ethics to guide the organization’s mission oriented work in supporting emerging artists around the world and connecting audiences to their stories.”
The new members join the Institute’s board comprised of Robert Redford, President & Founder; Pat Mitchell, Chair; Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Vice Chair; Ebs Burnough, Vice Chair; Sean Bailey, Ritesh Batra, Jason Blum,...
- 10/26/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The 51st Edition of the International Film Festival of India, scheduled to be held at Goa from Nov. 20-28, 2020, has been postponed to Jan. 16-24, 2021.
India’s minister of information & broadcasting Prakash Javadekar discussed the matter with Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant. Together they arrived at the postponement decision.
Like many festivals around the world these days, the festival will take place as a hybrid combining in person and virtual.
“All Covid related protocols will be strictly enforced as per the festivals convened recently in the International Film Festival circuit,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement.
It was earlier announced that the annual Film Bazaar, South Asia’s leading co-production and project market and works in progress showcase that is held concurrently with the film festival, would go fully online this year between Nov. 20-24. Organized by India’s National Film Development Corporation, the event sees...
India’s minister of information & broadcasting Prakash Javadekar discussed the matter with Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant. Together they arrived at the postponement decision.
Like many festivals around the world these days, the festival will take place as a hybrid combining in person and virtual.
“All Covid related protocols will be strictly enforced as per the festivals convened recently in the International Film Festival circuit,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement.
It was earlier announced that the annual Film Bazaar, South Asia’s leading co-production and project market and works in progress showcase that is held concurrently with the film festival, would go fully online this year between Nov. 20-24. Organized by India’s National Film Development Corporation, the event sees...
- 9/24/2020
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Open letter has already received more than 4,200 signatures of support.
The UK film and TV industry has been challenged to tackle “systemic racism” across the sector in an open letter from Black, Brown and Asian creatives.
More than 4,200 producers, writers and directors have already put their name to the letter, including actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba and David Oyelowo alongside filmmakers Amma Asante, Asif Kapadia and Ritesh Batra.
It calls for “active engagement” to tackle “structural and systemic racism in our industry, in the UK and around the world”.
The letter also recognises hopeful messages condemning racism on the likes...
The UK film and TV industry has been challenged to tackle “systemic racism” across the sector in an open letter from Black, Brown and Asian creatives.
More than 4,200 producers, writers and directors have already put their name to the letter, including actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba and David Oyelowo alongside filmmakers Amma Asante, Asif Kapadia and Ritesh Batra.
It calls for “active engagement” to tackle “structural and systemic racism in our industry, in the UK and around the world”.
The letter also recognises hopeful messages condemning racism on the likes...
- 6/22/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
“Did you eat yet?”
It’s an all-too-common question — a greeting, a worry, a substitute for the words “I love you.” Food is incredibly personal. On one hand, it’s a sign of affection, of family, of community; on the other, it sets apart cliques, the poor, the exotic. From lunch breaks to late-night snacks, food proves time and time again that it is more than just sustenance. It structures our very lives.
So we too welcome you to sit down and take a breather from your day-to-day. Nourish yourself. Feast your eyes. Today’s menu includes ramen westerns and fried chicken ponzi schemes, irresistible dosa and roast duck wars. Just make sure to grab a bite first… you’ll thank us later after you get through this mouthwatering list!
1. Tampopo
“Tampopo” is a very entertaining film about the necessity of enjoyment in our lives, a celebration of the art...
It’s an all-too-common question — a greeting, a worry, a substitute for the words “I love you.” Food is incredibly personal. On one hand, it’s a sign of affection, of family, of community; on the other, it sets apart cliques, the poor, the exotic. From lunch breaks to late-night snacks, food proves time and time again that it is more than just sustenance. It structures our very lives.
So we too welcome you to sit down and take a breather from your day-to-day. Nourish yourself. Feast your eyes. Today’s menu includes ramen westerns and fried chicken ponzi schemes, irresistible dosa and roast duck wars. Just make sure to grab a bite first… you’ll thank us later after you get through this mouthwatering list!
1. Tampopo
“Tampopo” is a very entertaining film about the necessity of enjoyment in our lives, a celebration of the art...
- 5/28/2020
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Flix FlashbackWho else could turn a curmudgeonly middle-aged Bandra widower into the romantic lead?Nikhita VenugopalFacebookThere’s a wonderful quote by Tom Hanks that’s making its way around the internet. In it, he’s talking about actor Irrfan Khan, with whom he co-starred in the 2016 film Inferno: “I’m going to steal from you everything I possibly can. I’m going to start speaking very quietly in films. I’m going to wear very nice suits. And I will draw out the last sound of every sentence I say. And by doing that, I will be doing a very pale imitation of the coolest guy in the room.” Rewatching 2013’s The Lunchbox, written and directed by Ritesh Batra, Irrfan as Mr Fernandes is neither wearing very nice suits, nor is he the coolest guy in the room. But as he unfolds a secret note placed inside the tiffin box,...
- 4/30/2020
- by Nikhita Venugopal
- The News Minute
Flix FlashbackWho else could turn a curmudgeonly middle-aged Bandra widower into the romantic lead?Nikhita VenugopalFacebookThere’s a wonderful quote by Tom Hanks that’s making its way around the internet. In it, he’s talking about actor Irrfan Khan, with whom he co-starred in the 2016 film Inferno: “I’m going to steal from you everything I possibly can. I’m going to start speaking very quietly in films. I’m going to wear very nice suits. And I will draw out the last sound of every sentence I say. And by doing that, I will be doing a very pale imitation of the coolest guy in the room.” Rewatching 2013’s The Lunchbox, written and directed by Ritesh Batra, Irrfan as Mr Fernandes is neither wearing very nice suits, nor is he the coolest guy in the room. But as he unfolds a secret note placed inside the tiffin box,...
- 4/30/2020
- by Nikhita Venugopal
- The News Minute
Irrfan Khan, the Indian actor who became a Bollywood and Hollywood star with credits including “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Life of Pi,” has died at the age of 53. Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in March 2018 and passed away in the early morning of April 29 after checking into a hospital in Mumbai, India earlier this week for a colon infection. Khan continued to act in the two years between his diagnosis and death.
Khan made his acting debut with a supporting role in Mira Nair’s 1988 breakthrough “Salaam Bombay!” before achieving dominant success in India with films such as “Haasil” (2003), “Maqbool” (2004), and “Paan Singh Tomar” (2011), which won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. The actor achieved crossover success in the U.S. by starring in Nair’s “The Namesake” (2006) and Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox” (2013), which resulted in memorable supporting roles in Hollywood tentpoles such as “The Amazing Spider-Man,...
Khan made his acting debut with a supporting role in Mira Nair’s 1988 breakthrough “Salaam Bombay!” before achieving dominant success in India with films such as “Haasil” (2003), “Maqbool” (2004), and “Paan Singh Tomar” (2011), which won him the National Film Award for Best Actor. The actor achieved crossover success in the U.S. by starring in Nair’s “The Namesake” (2006) and Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox” (2013), which resulted in memorable supporting roles in Hollywood tentpoles such as “The Amazing Spider-Man,...
- 4/29/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
A never ending mission to save the world featuring Ron Perlman, Peter Ramsey, James Adomian, Will Menaker, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Nobody’s Fool (1994)
The Hustler (1961)
Elmer Gantry (1960)
Mean Dog Blues (1978)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Mona Lisa (1986)
The Crying Game (1992)
The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)
Ridicule (1996)
Man on the Train (2002)
The Girl on the Bridge (1999)
Pale Flower (1964)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Lunchbox (2013)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Last Boy Scout (1991)
Raw Deal (1986)
Commando (1985)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers...
- 4/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Growing up in Mumbai, India, one of the busiest and most-populated cities on earth has made Indian director Ritesh Batra a keen observer of the city, its people and its overall structure. Before his feature film debut “The Lunchbox”, Batra had made several short films about the everyday-routines as well as the underlying connection with a modern metropolis and incidentally came upon the famous Lunchbox delivery system. Upon following the delivery men, known as “dabbawala” in India, he eventually learned a lot more about their jobs, especially when they told him stories about their clients, their differences and what the time and effort spent on a meal for lunchtime says about a relationship.
“The Lunchbox” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival – Winter Showcase 2020
The family of Ila (Nimrat Kaur) lives in a crowded apartment building and with her husband mostly gone working during the day, she spends her...
“The Lunchbox” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival – Winter Showcase 2020
The family of Ila (Nimrat Kaur) lives in a crowded apartment building and with her husband mostly gone working during the day, she spends her...
- 2/20/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Julien Razafindranaly joins from The Match Factory.
Julien Razafindranaly, formerly senior sales executive at The Match Factory, has joined Berlin-based Films Boutique as head of sales. He replaces Louis Balsan who has left the company.
He will work closely with Valeska Neu, who works across all rights and TV sales, and Sophia Baumgärtner Perez who is responsible for sales and marketing.
Razafindranaly worked on the release of films including Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and Lukas Dhont’s Girl while at The Match Factory.
“Film sales are currently changing and...
Julien Razafindranaly, formerly senior sales executive at The Match Factory, has joined Berlin-based Films Boutique as head of sales. He replaces Louis Balsan who has left the company.
He will work closely with Valeska Neu, who works across all rights and TV sales, and Sophia Baumgärtner Perez who is responsible for sales and marketing.
Razafindranaly worked on the release of films including Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and Lukas Dhont’s Girl while at The Match Factory.
“Film sales are currently changing and...
- 1/28/2020
- by 88¦Louise Tutt¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Blockchain-powered VOD platform myNK was launched in 2019 through India and Singapore-based MinersInc.
Director, actor and entrepreneur Anurag Kashyap (Gangs Of Wasseypur) told the Reality Check: Originality conference at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) this weekend how he set up blockchain-powered VOD platform myNK, which aims to bring global arthouse titles to Indian audiences.
Kashyap was speaking on a panel on Reaching Audiences in New Ways moderated by producer Lorna Tee, and was joined by Gavin Humphries, managing editor of global online arts and culture video platform, Nowness.
In 2007, Kashyap had directed Black Friday, a film about the 1993 Bombay bombings...
Director, actor and entrepreneur Anurag Kashyap (Gangs Of Wasseypur) told the Reality Check: Originality conference at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) this weekend how he set up blockchain-powered VOD platform myNK, which aims to bring global arthouse titles to Indian audiences.
Kashyap was speaking on a panel on Reaching Audiences in New Ways moderated by producer Lorna Tee, and was joined by Gavin Humphries, managing editor of global online arts and culture video platform, Nowness.
In 2007, Kashyap had directed Black Friday, a film about the 1993 Bombay bombings...
- 1/27/2020
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
Sundance Institute has announced the 15 screenwriters who have been chosen for the January 2020 Screenwriters Lab, which will go from the 17th-22nd. Those selected will have the opportunity to develop their independent projects by immersing themselves in the creative process and working with the mentorship of Creative Advisors.
Creative Advisors are Artistic Director Scott Frank, Michael Arndt, Suha Arraf, Ritesh Batra, Andrea Berloff, D.V. DeVincentis, Gonzalo Maza, Doug McGrath, Walter Mosley, Nicole Perlman, Howard Rodman, Susan Shilliday, Zach Sklar, Dana Stevens, Joan Tewkesbury, Bill Wheeler, and Tyger Williams.
“We’re so excited to welcome this singular and bold group of artists to our January Screenwriters Lab,” said Michelle Satter, the feature film program founding director. “Our program provides a safe and protected space for writers to be rigorous in their creative process as they develop new work that’s a true reflection of their unique voice and power as storytellers.
Creative Advisors are Artistic Director Scott Frank, Michael Arndt, Suha Arraf, Ritesh Batra, Andrea Berloff, D.V. DeVincentis, Gonzalo Maza, Doug McGrath, Walter Mosley, Nicole Perlman, Howard Rodman, Susan Shilliday, Zach Sklar, Dana Stevens, Joan Tewkesbury, Bill Wheeler, and Tyger Williams.
“We’re so excited to welcome this singular and bold group of artists to our January Screenwriters Lab,” said Michelle Satter, the feature film program founding director. “Our program provides a safe and protected space for writers to be rigorous in their creative process as they develop new work that’s a true reflection of their unique voice and power as storytellers.
- 12/17/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
A prequel to Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 Academy Award-winning crime drama “Training Day” is now in the works at Warner Bros. According to Collider’s Jeff Sneider, the prequel penned by Black List scribe Nick Yarborough will take place in Los Angeles in 1992 just two days before the Rodney King verdict, in which Lapd officers were acquitted of charges of the brutal beating of King, rocked the city and divided its citizens. This would set the film just on the eve of the La Riots that followed. The riots, which turned Los Angeles into a fiery war zone that left nearly no neighborhood unscathed, lasted nearly a week — and changed the face of the city forever. No word yet on any additional cast or crew attached to the upcoming “Training Day” prequel.
According to Sneider, the prequel will center on a younger version of Alonzo Harris, the shady, off-the-books narcotics detective...
According to Sneider, the prequel will center on a younger version of Alonzo Harris, the shady, off-the-books narcotics detective...
- 10/10/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
One of the versatile actors of Bollywood, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is all back again with his new movie. In?his upcoming movie we would rather see him in a hilarious role who is all set to search for a bride,
A short video was posted in which we see him with a garland on his hand and finding for the right 'Dulhan' (Bride). Also, we see a matrimonial site that lists down a set of traits a groom would like us for a perfect bride.
Viacom 18 Studios took to their social media feed in which it read, "Miliye humare maude se, hai inhe apni maudi ka besabri se intezaar! Shaadi ka laddoo khane ke liye hai bekaraar! #MotichoorChaknachoor trailer coming soon! @Nawazuddin_S @theathiyashetty @MotichoorMovie #WoodpeckerMovies ?@AndhareAjit #RajeshBhatia #KiranBhatia @ZeeMusicCompany""
Speaking on Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the actor shot to fame with his movie Gangs of Wasseypur franchise. Currently, the actor was...
A short video was posted in which we see him with a garland on his hand and finding for the right 'Dulhan' (Bride). Also, we see a matrimonial site that lists down a set of traits a groom would like us for a perfect bride.
Viacom 18 Studios took to their social media feed in which it read, "Miliye humare maude se, hai inhe apni maudi ka besabri se intezaar! Shaadi ka laddoo khane ke liye hai bekaraar! #MotichoorChaknachoor trailer coming soon! @Nawazuddin_S @theathiyashetty @MotichoorMovie #WoodpeckerMovies ?@AndhareAjit #RajeshBhatia #KiranBhatia @ZeeMusicCompany""
Speaking on Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the actor shot to fame with his movie Gangs of Wasseypur franchise. Currently, the actor was...
- 10/10/2019
- GlamSham
The Disney animal adventure has been top for 24 consecutive days.
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.21
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Aug 9-11) Total gross to date Week 1 The Lion King (Disney) £4.4m £59.9m 4 2 Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (Universal) £2.9m £12.8m 2 3 Toy Story 4 (Disney) £1.9m £58.7m 8 4 Blinded By The Light (eOne) £855,042 £964,612 1 5 Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony Pictures) £720,000 £34.5m 6 Disney
The Lion King topped the UK box office chart for a fourth consecutive week, setting a 2019 record of 24 consecutive days in the number one spot.
It dropped just 16% on its previous weekend, grossing £4.4m across the three days to hit...
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.21
Rank Film (Distributor) Three-day gross (Aug 9-11) Total gross to date Week 1 The Lion King (Disney) £4.4m £59.9m 4 2 Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (Universal) £2.9m £12.8m 2 3 Toy Story 4 (Disney) £1.9m £58.7m 8 4 Blinded By The Light (eOne) £855,042 £964,612 1 5 Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony Pictures) £720,000 £34.5m 6 Disney
The Lion King topped the UK box office chart for a fourth consecutive week, setting a 2019 record of 24 consecutive days in the number one spot.
It dropped just 16% on its previous weekend, grossing £4.4m across the three days to hit...
- 8/12/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Netflix may get most of the attention, but it’s hardly a one-stop shop for cinephiles who are looking to stream essential classic and contemporary films. Each of the prominent streaming platforms — and there are more of them all the time — caters to its own niche of film obsessives.
From chilling horror fare on Shudder, to the boundless wonders of the Criterion Channel, and esoteric (but unmissable) festival hits on Film Movement Plus and Ovid.tv, IndieWire’s monthly guide will highlight the best of what’s coming to every major streaming site, with an eye towards exclusive titles that may help readers decide which of these services is right for them.
Here’s the best of the best for August 2019.
Amazon Prime
There are some big new movies coming to Amazon Prime this month, but most of these recent Hollywood titles will also be available to stream on Hulu and/or Netflix.
From chilling horror fare on Shudder, to the boundless wonders of the Criterion Channel, and esoteric (but unmissable) festival hits on Film Movement Plus and Ovid.tv, IndieWire’s monthly guide will highlight the best of what’s coming to every major streaming site, with an eye towards exclusive titles that may help readers decide which of these services is right for them.
Here’s the best of the best for August 2019.
Amazon Prime
There are some big new movies coming to Amazon Prime this month, but most of these recent Hollywood titles will also be available to stream on Hulu and/or Netflix.
- 8/9/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
’Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw’ posts middling opening for the franchise.
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.22
RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (Aug 2-4)Total gross to date Week 1 The Lion King (Disney) £5.2m £50.7m 3 2 Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (Universal) £4.9m £6.4m 1 3 Toy Story 4 (Disney) £1.4m £55.4m 7 4 Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony Pictures) £853,000 £32.9m 5 5 Angry Birds 2 (Sony Pictures) £700,000 £700,000 1 Disney
The Lion King was down 52% this weekend, adding £5.2m for a cume of £50.7m to date. The film remained top of the weekend chart, though Universal’s Hobbs & Shaw took more including previews.
The Lion King has become...
Today’s Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.22
RankFilm (Distributor)Three-day gross (Aug 2-4)Total gross to date Week 1 The Lion King (Disney) £5.2m £50.7m 3 2 Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (Universal) £4.9m £6.4m 1 3 Toy Story 4 (Disney) £1.4m £55.4m 7 4 Spider-Man: Far From Home (Sony Pictures) £853,000 £32.9m 5 5 Angry Birds 2 (Sony Pictures) £700,000 £700,000 1 Disney
The Lion King was down 52% this weekend, adding £5.2m for a cume of £50.7m to date. The film remained top of the weekend chart, though Universal’s Hobbs & Shaw took more including previews.
The Lion King has become...
- 8/5/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Other openers include ‘Animals’ and ‘Holiday’.
Franchise titles Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw and The Angry Birds Movie 2 are aiming for different audiences in their opening weekends at the UK box office, with The Lion King looking to hold its top spot for a third week.
Universal’s Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw is a spin-off from the Fast & Furious franchise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as a special agent and mercenary who team up to stop a genetically-enhanced villain played by Idris Elba.
As the below chart shows, the franchise has steadily grown since...
Franchise titles Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw and The Angry Birds Movie 2 are aiming for different audiences in their opening weekends at the UK box office, with The Lion King looking to hold its top spot for a third week.
Universal’s Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw is a spin-off from the Fast & Furious franchise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham as a special agent and mercenary who team up to stop a genetically-enhanced villain played by Idris Elba.
As the below chart shows, the franchise has steadily grown since...
- 8/2/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Rafi Photo: Joe D'Souza. © 2018 Tiwari's Ghost, LLC. All Rights Reserved
The Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra - who now lives in New York and has recently directed English language films The Sense Of An Ending and Our Souls At Night - returns to his home country to use the bustling streets of Mumbai as the backdrop for Photograph, a romantic drama that crosses the class divide.
It stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui - who was also in The Lunchbox - as Rafi, a street photographer who strikes up an unlikely friendship with younger middle-class Miloni (Sanya Malhotra) he snaps one day. Using her photograph in a bid to convince his gran (Farrukh Jaffar) he has a girlfriend, he soon finds himself begging the younger woman to join his charade when his gran decides to visit. Soon, the faux romance begins to show signs of blossoming into the real thing.
Sanya...
The Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra - who now lives in New York and has recently directed English language films The Sense Of An Ending and Our Souls At Night - returns to his home country to use the bustling streets of Mumbai as the backdrop for Photograph, a romantic drama that crosses the class divide.
It stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui - who was also in The Lunchbox - as Rafi, a street photographer who strikes up an unlikely friendship with younger middle-class Miloni (Sanya Malhotra) he snaps one day. Using her photograph in a bid to convince his gran (Farrukh Jaffar) he has a girlfriend, he soon finds himself begging the younger woman to join his charade when his gran decides to visit. Soon, the faux romance begins to show signs of blossoming into the real thing.
Sanya...
- 7/31/2019
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
"Young Sheldon" star Iain Armitage says he wants to come to India to explore its culture.
"I would love to come to India. I would love to explore and walk around because I have seen so many pictures and read so many books (about it)," Armitage said during a Skype interaction with Indian media.
Also Read:?Why Jim Parsons walked away from 'Big Bang Theory'
Iain Armitage?started as a theatre critic but found his big ticket to fame with "Big Little Lies" as Ziggy, son of actress Shailene Woodley's character Jane.
The son of actor-singer Euan Morton and Lee Armitage has also featured in Indian filmmaker Ritesh Batra's directorial Our Souls At Night?and is seen as young Sheldon Cooper in "Young Sheldon" -- "The Big Bang Theory" spin-off which focuses on Sheldon's life while growing up.
"The Big Bang Theory" universe originated with the story of...
"I would love to come to India. I would love to explore and walk around because I have seen so many pictures and read so many books (about it)," Armitage said during a Skype interaction with Indian media.
Also Read:?Why Jim Parsons walked away from 'Big Bang Theory'
Iain Armitage?started as a theatre critic but found his big ticket to fame with "Big Little Lies" as Ziggy, son of actress Shailene Woodley's character Jane.
The son of actor-singer Euan Morton and Lee Armitage has also featured in Indian filmmaker Ritesh Batra's directorial Our Souls At Night?and is seen as young Sheldon Cooper in "Young Sheldon" -- "The Big Bang Theory" spin-off which focuses on Sheldon's life while growing up.
"The Big Bang Theory" universe originated with the story of...
- 7/7/2019
- GlamSham
The 5th anniversary of Birmingham Indian Film Festival opened with Director Anubhav Sinha walking the red carpet at Cineworld, Broad Street for his hard-hitting thriller Article 15 (out now on global general release) and ended this week with a sold-out screening of Ritesh Batra’s Photograph at Mac Birmingham. The Festival was part of the Bagri London Indian Film Festival which together is the UK and Europe’s largest South Asian Film Festival.
Eleven days of 16 screenings and events took place in five venues across Birmingham and showcased a number of high profile and emerging women film-makers films, Q&a’s with Directors as well as a rarely seen documentary and special screenings of Lgbtq+ shorts attended by a diverse audience. The Festival’s first Screen Talk took place at The Mockingbird Cinema with India’s leading cult director Anurag Kashyap who took home a Liff Icon award.
Other guests at...
Eleven days of 16 screenings and events took place in five venues across Birmingham and showcased a number of high profile and emerging women film-makers films, Q&a’s with Directors as well as a rarely seen documentary and special screenings of Lgbtq+ shorts attended by a diverse audience. The Festival’s first Screen Talk took place at The Mockingbird Cinema with India’s leading cult director Anurag Kashyap who took home a Liff Icon award.
Other guests at...
- 7/4/2019
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Total of 842 people from 59 countries invited by AMPAS.
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited 842 people from 59 countries to join its membership.
The strong cohort of international film names includes two producers of Cold War, the directors of Dogman, Stan & Ollie, and I Am Not A Witch, and various executives from different facets of the industry.
International executives invited include Eric Lagesse of French sales and distribution outfit Pyramide Films, London-based Netflix development and acquisitions executive Funa Maduka, Michele Halberstadt of French distribution and sales outfit Arp Selection, Lebanese producer and distributor Georges Schoucair of Abbout Productions,...
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited 842 people from 59 countries to join its membership.
The strong cohort of international film names includes two producers of Cold War, the directors of Dogman, Stan & Ollie, and I Am Not A Witch, and various executives from different facets of the industry.
International executives invited include Eric Lagesse of French sales and distribution outfit Pyramide Films, London-based Netflix development and acquisitions executive Funa Maduka, Michele Halberstadt of French distribution and sales outfit Arp Selection, Lebanese producer and distributor Georges Schoucair of Abbout Productions,...
- 7/3/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
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