My Introduction to South Asian Film

December 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

My film education was provided by British television back in the 1970s. The BBC ran seasons of classic movies; in the early evenings I discovered Capra, Hawks, Preston Sturges; late nights meant world cinema and Truffaut, Renoir and Bunuel. One night whist the rest of my family slept, my 17 year old self stumbled upon Pather Panchali. India up to that point meant for me either the commodification by The Beatles or objectification through news of famine and corruption. Here for first time for me was an Indian story told by Indians – personal, intimate, beautiful, enlightening.

Finally I heard Ravi Shankar’s music in a truly Indian context, and the wondrous cinematography of Subrata Mitra seduced me with beautiful enchanted forests and great cinematic moments. Above all I discovered the powerful story telling of Satyajit Ray. As one writer observed, it is a rare blend of intellect and emotions. Stories that seem so simple and direct, yet revealing of fundamental emotional truths, deepening our understanding of the human condition, and especially for a Westerner like me, Indian culture. So a new world opened up to me.

It was almost 30 years later that I found myself invited to the first time to the film school that bears Ray’s name in Kolkata. As a tv commissioner at DocEdge, the original pitching forum for Indian documentary, I got to meet some amazing people and hear their fantastic stories. I saw the huge potential but endless frustration of Indian documentary makers. Working as an independent in India has never been easy, but for doc film-makers looking to tell stories of their home country, just as Ray had done, it was proving almost impossible.

So now I am involved with a new team at The Indian Documentary Foundation to try and help support an industry and develop a wider culture of Indian documentary making, for films that will both speak to international audiences and have real impact at home. It’s important to develop a documentary viewing culture in India, and this December the Foundation is partnering with the Kerala International Film Festival to launch Trigger Pitch, to try and bring important documentary films to a wider Indian audience by partnering with media outlets, NGOs and other interested parties.

We hope that Indian documentaries can make the kind of impact that Satyajit Ray’s cinema did on people like me all those years ago, and bring ever wider audiences to the richness and diversity of Indian culture and society.

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SAFF Board Member Talks IIFA Vancouver 2013

November 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Better Bollywood links could help boost B.C. film business

Hosting “Bollywood’s Oscars” in Vancouver could help sell India on filming in this province.

Picture of Mel D'Souza of Silo Entertainment Inc.

Mel D'Souza, owner and executive director of Silo Entertainment: there's just so much money in [the Indian film] market

BC’s bid to host “Bollywood’s Oscars” in Vancouver in 2013 could increase Indian film shoots – and capital – coming to B.C., according to Mel D’Souza, a Vancouver-based film producer with ethnic and business links to India.

D’Souza, owner and executive producer of Silo Entertainment Inc., said he’s likely one of the only Vancouverites to have produced a Bollywood hit (2003’s Boom) – a feat he pulled off during an eight-year stint living in India.

He added that he was “the only one waving the India film flag” a few years ago when he sat on an Asian advisory panel for BC Film – now BC Film + Media.

D’Souza said B.C.’s recently announced plan to bid on the three-day 2013 International Indian Film Academy (IIFAA) awards could help raise India’s awareness of B.C. – and, more broadly, Canada. He said that while Indian film companies are increasingly filming in countries such as England and Australia, they tend to view Canada as being “on the other side of the planet.”

“If [the awards] did come here, it might alleviate that distance thing that seems to be one of the hurdles to more Indian films coming to shoot in Canada,” he said. “And I think it does allow for further link ages, further networking between that side and this side because it will bring in some of the biggest names and people involved in the industry to Vancouver as it did to Toronto this year.”

B.C. Film Commissioner Susan Croome said that few Indian filmmakers currently shoot in B.C. but that hosting the awards could help change that. And she said the payoff could be significant.

“[Indian film producers] are doing bigger, more expensive productions, and they do a tremendous amount of shows,” she said. “It would be lovely to get a piece of that.”

For B.C.’s cash-strapped local film producers, D’Souza said building links with the Indian film industry could help them access a robust source of project financing. “There’s just so much money in that market.”

D’Souza pointed out that he has tentative pre-sales agreements with Indian broadcasters for two film projects that Silo has in final development.

But D’Souza said that while hosting the IIFA awards is a good step for B.C., a one-off event won’t create B.C.-India film links overnight.

Picture from International Indian Film Academy Awards - Toronto

Indian ovations: the International Indian Film Academy awards drew 40,000 visitors to Toronto during the event this summer in the Ontario city

“You need to spend time; you have to have face-time in a market to prove that you’re really serious with it,” he said. “One event happening in Vancouver does not prove that. It really is the Asianmindset of building relationship before any business is done.”

For example, D’Souza said the deals Silo has lined up with Indian broadcasters resulted from his contacts in India and the time he has invested there.

“[Indian film producers] are doing bigger, more expensive productions … it would be lovely to get a piece of that” –Susan Croome, commissioner, BC Film

“All of those linkages and contacts have been playing a crucial part of what I’ve been doing with Silo.”

Canada and India have long discussed but have yet to sign a film co-production treaty. But D’Souza said he doesn’t think that completing such a treaty is the fastest way to advance film links between the countries – at least on the Indian end.

He said that while B.C.’s producers are keen on co-production treaties as a way to draw on tax credits in different jurisdictions, fast-moving Indian capital tends to view treaty requirements as new constraints and delays with few benefits.

More effective than a treaty, said D’Souza, will be relationship building. As an example, he pointed to a trade mission of Ontario film and television producers in India this month to build links in Bollywood in the wake of Toronto’s IIFA awards.

“That’s what it’s going to take,” D’Souza said. “It’s going to take that sort of individual effort or combined effort, maybe a B.C.-led delegation focused on media heading over to India and spending some time [there].”

Premier Christy Clark announced the plan to bid on the 2013 IIFA Awards this month while she was in India on a trade mission.

The province estimated that the awards would attract 40,000 visitors – the same number Toronto drew when it hosted the awards this past summer at a cost of approximately $12 million.

Article By Jenny Wagler
jwagler@biv.com
Source: Business in Vancouver November 29 – December 5, 2011

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Documentary Films in India

November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Growing Up with Documentaries…

When I was asked to write about the documentary scenario in India, I wondered how to best describe a subliminal existence, like a baby who can’t be ignored, but needs a helping hand to stand up and walk.

India started off with documentary films being made by the government agencies, and we kind of grew up with being forced to watch these “ugh” films before all the regular fiction film shows. I have amusing memories of a collective groan going up the moment these films started, and walking out of the theatre for a cigarette break. It did create a mind block difficult to unlearn.

Much later, when I was approached by a friend of mine to work with her on documentary films, I was at first aghast and then burst out laughing. The laughter lasted till she convinced me to watch a film about conserving energy….It was gripping, humorous, educative, eclectic, aesthetically beautiful, and cinematically superb! An entertaining conundrum simplistically put of what matters so much.

God, I was hooked. Suddenly I took the bait, hook, line and sinker. It kind of shook me up totally. There are these films, which we know nothing about, about subjects which matter so much and are so close to our heart. And 90% or probably more, of our vast population has no inkling about them. Ignorance is no excuse for a blissful existence. I was seized by an ardent desire to make these films accessible to people, make them aware, meet the film-makers and find out more about them, about the issues raised by them, about the people living with those issues.

It’s such a fascinating world, the real reel, grips and squeezes your heart and soul, so to say. And they have the power to make a difference. “Nero’s Guest” by Deepa Bhatia, forced the government to amend policies for farmer subsidies in Gujarat; Please Don’t Beat Me, Sir! By Shashwati Talukdar about a community being branded as thieves-and how they are trying to change that through the medium of theatre; a pestering journey by K.R.Manoj is a heart wrenching doc on the indiscriminate use of certain pesticides; Mariam Chandy’s “Rat Race”. Born and bred in India, I had no idea that there was a profession of “Rat Catchers”! It’s intriguing, to say the least.

Today, documentary films have become a part of my DNA.

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Family and South Asian Film

November 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

Like many other South Asian children, I was brought up watching Bollywood movies. I remember specifically the time Hum (1991) was released on video, my whole family (and by family I mean my uncles and aunts too!) came together to watch our hero Amitabh Bachchan play the role of Tiger. We were all sprawled out on opened settees so more could squeeze on. That’s my first memory of watching a movie with my family. A thrilling and exciting experience!

Maine Pyar Kiya was released earlier in 1989, this time my siblings and I were mesmerized by the love story between Prem and Suman. And we thought, for our generation, that no other love story will top this one, we were wrong of course, because six years later we would see Raj and Simran in Diwali Dulahniya Le Jayenge.

Films bring families together, they give us hope, they make laugh, they make us cry, and they initiate dialogues and discussions. We start to find similarities between the movie narratives and the narratives of our lives. We sometimes use movies as a reference to explain a point about some family dilemma. Like for instance, Hum Saath Saath Hain, one of those movies that speaks to the culture and traditions of South Asian families. Though the movie has all the ingredients of a typical Bollywood film, love jealously, power, status, class, family disputes, the bad guy, mixed with an abundance of songs and dancing, people will and so relate. I mean, sometimes we’re embarrassed by the several outfit changes, but we love it deep down. We can’t get enough of the dancing in the woods! Now we look back at those movies and may find ourselves cringing. However, movies are made to entertain and sometimes forget about the concerns of daily lives. They become part of our everyday life.

SAFF

I am extremely happy to be part of the South Asian Film Festival. This will be the first ever festival that captures the diversity of film making across the world, connecting us all. There will be master classes; public forums and workshops. Screenwriters and film makers will be here! It’s simply going to be an engaging experience.

I’ve always been in awe of the mechanics of film making; I love watching movies and like many others, I can’t imagine a life without them. I often find myself thinking about the whole film making process, from the spot men to the director, it takes a team and I salute that body of people who bring us such amazing movies and leave a mark. I’m definitely looking forward to meeting these maestros.

I am most looking forward to the amalgamation of the different countries that are all unique in their filmmaking styles. I’m eager to watch more movies from the South Asian countries and see the similarities and differences in the choice of narratives.

I hope to see you there!

Alvida – Until next time!

Raji Heer

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More TIFF…

September 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Every time I attend a festival of this size and complexity, I get frustrated and worry about everything I am missing. It is of course impossible to see everything, or come close to dealing with everything that needs to be handled. We all do the best we can.

I have found that sometimes the best way to cope is to simply give up running from cinema to cinema, and do everything possible to book space in the video screening room. The problem there of course is that not all the good films are submitted to this facility, so that is often a disappointment.

Yesterday, I saw Azhargarsamy’s Horse, the Tamil film that is playing at TIFF, and I was disappointed. It is very old fashioned filmmaking, and the selection of this film in the program surprised me. The South Indian industry is huge, vibrant, ever growing, and I quite simply do not understand why this film, out of hundreds, was suggested. The actors were fine, but the story development, shooting style, the post production quality, and certainly the direction all felt very old fashioned and dated to me.

Today, Monday, September 11 will once again be hectic. I will attend the International Film Financing Forum lunch at noon. I helped the organizers select and invite some excellent Indian participants for this three day program. Specifically, Bobby Bedi from New Delhi has been invited as one of the Executives, and producer/writer Jahnu Barua from Mumbai (and Orissa) is in Toronto with his wonderful script, Homing Pigeon. Jahnu wants to shoot a portion of this project in Ontario, so I am doing everything possible to help him find a producer friend in Toronto in order to expedite this project.

Then, back to the Bell Light Box for the Mavericks program. Today at 2:00 pm is the Deepa Mehta, Salman Rushdie discussion, moderated by Cameron Bailey; an event not to be missed for sure. After that, I will see Mushrooms, the film by Vimujkthi Jayasundara. I believe I met him last year in Kolkata, saw him again in Cannes, and here he is in Toronto with his film set in my beloved Kolkata. Then, ticket pickup at the special industry pick up place, a meeting with two producers from Sri Lanka, and a gala screening at Roy Thompson Hall tonight. I will see The Lady directed by Luc Besson. The film is his homage to the marvelous Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma.

I have admired her for many years, so I am particularly looking forward to this film.

Oh yes, sometime today, I have a meeting with the Off Plus Camera Festival of Indie Cinema of Krakow, Poland, a lovely event I have been involved with for three years. I am helping find jury members for the festival during TIFF, and have had some fascinating meetings with prospective directors who are intrigued by Poland.

Every day there are receptions to attend, and gatherings, and sometimes they are useful, sometimes they are simply exhausting exercises to go through. I think networking is a state of mind; when you are up for it, the gatherings can be superb. When you do not really feel like it, it would be better to engage in one on one quiet suggestions. And speaking of which, during the European Film Promotion reception, I met an old friend from the Dubai Film Festival who had some excellent suggestions for SAFF.

More to come.

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SAFF Networking at TIFF, Hannah Fisher in Toronto

August 10, 2011 By 1 Comment

I always find TIFF even more intense than the Cannes Film Festival, if that is possible.

The line-up is superb, as always, but there is something special and magical in the air this year. It is really staggering to go through the catalogue and see such an amazing, superbly curated line up. I say that – and it is true! Still, in truth, I have already walked out of two films that I found dark, oppressive, and fraught with emotional dysfunction.

As I am focusing on Asian/South Asian work and there will not be that much product, I have given myself the permission to sample films from all the other program streams. I saw a dazzling Moroccan film today (FREE MEN), by French/Moroccan filmmakers Ishmael Ferroukhi. We had his 2004 film, LE GRAND VOYAGE in Dubai, and it is thrilling to witness his growth as an artist and as a consummate story teller.

Let me start at the beginning. Davis Guggenheim is without a doubt one of American’s finest documentarians. His Oscar winning film, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH set the bar for a radical new approach to issues of global warming. His latest film, FROM THE SKY DOWN presents a searing and soul baring expose of U2, at a time when the band was closer to breaking up than any of them care to admit. I confess that I do not like the music. I did appreciate the honesty, the authenticity, and their on-going struggle to maintain truth in every song, in every moment of their music. It is unusual to kick off a major festival event with a documentary, even more so when the “stars” gracing the stage are world renowned musicians. Irish no less. It was a very raucous beginning.

The struggle for me at a festival is not unique. How do you balance the passion for film, with the need to attend gatherings, lunches, and networking opportunities. I am grateful to have been invited again to the annual Christie lunch (I think this is my 33rd invitation from George), and there are other superb events for networking: the Canadian Film Center’s Sunday Barbecue; the European Film Promotion party, the Ontario Media Development Corporation Party, the reception of the Australian Film Commission, the New Zealand Party, and new this year, the Doha Film Institute luncheon. I will of course attend all of them, exchange our beautiful new SAFF Canada card – and initiate new collaborations.

There were wonderful reunions today during the Sales and Industry Happy Hour. I met an old friend who is now the President of FIPRESCI, the International Critics Association. He lives in Paris, and offered to approach UNESCO and other UN agencies in Paris who are connected to the various SAARC countries. I asked if he thought that UNESCO would sponsor a small program; he simply shrugged? InshAllah! We will find a way of approaching not only the UN contacts he has developed, but as well, the cadre of international film critics over which he presides as President of FIPRESCI.

Another friend has asked me to collaborate with her on a major Bollywood program for an Eastern European Film Festival. And finally, a friend I have not seen for at least 6 years – last sighted during a shared festival viewing blitz in Jakarta-is now running an Indian Festival in NYC. They were all thrilled by the idea of the SAARC event, and their contacts and experience in the field can only benefit what we are attempting to do in British Columbia.

Of all the 300+ films booked in the festival, I am most anxious to see TRISHNA, directed by Michael Winterbottom, produced by Mumbai boy-wonder, Anurag Kasyrup, and starring Freida Pinto. TRISHNA is Winterbottom’s adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, set in contemporary India. I would walk on coals to see anything directed by Michael Winterbottom, but a Winterbottom/Kasyrup/Pinto troika is unbeatable. Kasyrup, himself an acclaimed director, and guru of indie Indian cinema also has at the festival MICHAEL produced by his company, directed by debut director, Ribhu Dasgupta, and starring the splendid Naseeruddin Shah.

There are of course other Indian and South Asian films. I am certainly looking forward to MAUSAM, directed by veteran actor Pankaj Kapur, and starring his son, Shahid Kapoor. Produced by Cinergy, and distributed by Eros, this film event will certainly burn out the searchlights in Toronto. And not to be forgotten, AZHAGARSAMY’s HORSE, a Tamil film based on an old village story.

And in the dazzling Mavericks program, a dialogue, a conversation with Deepa Mehta, Salman Rushdie and Cameron Bailey, Co-Director of TIFF. An event that will inspire, challenge and delight. What could be better than listening to two internationally acclaimed artists at the top of their game? Nothing! Full stop!

TIFF is a marathon and delicious because of the cinematic gems. What we are trying to do at SAFF – which is decidedly unique – is to scout out, discover, encourage, nurture those filmmakers from the family of SAARC – those countries that certainly have not yet developed the cinematic history and depth that India, and Sir Lanka as an example, can proudly boast. We are embarking on a remarkable journey.

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