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IFFI 52, 033: Siraj Syed article in the Marathi language newspaper, Gomantak, Goa published on 27 November 2021 f3m6m
IFFI 52, 033: Siraj Syed article in the Marathi language newspaper, Gomantak, Goa published on 27 November 2021. Translated from the English by Anant Salkar. ...
IFFI 52, 032: Heart-rending depiction of floods in No Ground Beneath Her Feet t523v
IFFI 52, 032: Heart-rending depiction of floods in No Ground Beneath Her Feet Ravaged by the torrent of flood-waters, a man’s family is torn to pieces by the soul-crushing agony of having to scramble for a piece of land to bury his dead father. Even as he is oblivious of the deluge of their inner trauma, he is having to venture a bone-tiring journey of moral decay, murder, deception and social bashing, just to reach his flood-affected village. No Ground Beneath the Feet, a Bangladesh...
IFFI 52, 031: World première of Goan short, Kumpacho Dareyo 6u266a
IFFI 52, 031: World première of Goan short, Kumpacho Dareyo Even as we stretch ourselves ceaselessly towards worlds of new opportunities, even as we fly high and touch the skies, we must always our origins, we must not forget to stay true to our roots. Set in the idyllic Goan countryside, the story of the last meeting between Maanvi and Joy, before the latter leaves Goa and heads off to Mumbai in search of “greener pastures”, seeks to touch and move film lovers, ge...
IFFI 52, 030: BRICS film festival held alongside IFFI 6h723q
IFFI 52, 030: BRICS film festival held alongside IFFI “We are all from different cultures, different backgrounds and different thought processes; coming together on the same page to pick out a best film for this competition unanimously is quite an achievement”, said Rahul Rawail, noted Indian film director, editor and Jury Chairperson of the BRICS Film Festival, at a press conference at the 52nd International Film Festival today in Goa. For the first time, the BRICS Film Festival...
IFFI 52, 029: Kalkokkho is a phantasmagorical movie 133s33
IFFI 52, 029: Kalkokkho is a phantasmagorical movie Amidst the paranoia and dread inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, an apathetic but adept doctor is taken hostage by a young woman. Captive in an almost desolate house with three women – the paranoid young woman along with an amnesic old woman and a lonely young girl – the doctor discovers that forces beyond his comprehension are at play and he might be trapped not only in space but also in time. The film explores the sense of dre...
IFFI 52, 028: Bodo language film Sijou unveils brutal feudal system 4d2p9
IFFI 52, 028: Bodo language film Sijou unveils brutal feudal system Hitherto unknown and unexplored, Sijou, a Bodo language film, unveils the inhuman brutality of the feudal land tenure system, prevalent across the Indo-Bhutan border, until 1958. The film, screened at the 52nd IFFI under the Indian Panorama Feature film section, revolves around a young boy, Sijou, of Saikhong Guri village, near the Indo-Bhutan border, in Assam. His life takes an unfortunate turn when he becomes a victim of t...
IFFI 52, 027: Identity of world’s largest democracy addressed in Bharat, Prakriti ka Balak 3a5q4u
IFFI 52, 027: Identity of world’s largest democracy addressed in Bharat, Prakriti ka Balak What is the essence of Bharat, our country? What is the meaning underlying this idea? How did it come into existence? What is its culture, traditions and geography? Bharat, Prakriti Ka Balak (India, Child of Nature), a Hindi documentary film, directed tly by Dr. Deepika Kothari and Shri Ramji Om, was screened in the Indian Panorama Non Feature Film section of the 52nd International Film Festiv...
IFFI 52, 026: Garhwali film Sunpat addresses the migration crisis 2k594a
IFFI 52, 026: Garhwali film Sunpat addresses the migration crisis ‘Sunpat’ is a story of love and friendship set in the backdrop of migration driven crisis in the villages of Uttarakhand, a state in North India. The word Sunpat denotes the loneliness felt by us, and even the nature and mountains, when everyone around leaves. It is the emptiness at a festival ground when crowds desert the place after the celebrations are over. In his Garhwali language film Sunpat, director Rahul R...
IFFI 52, 025: Ruben Sainz and Alvaro Turrion talk about their film, Maogoado 6c676e
IFFI 52, 025: Ruben Sainz and Alvaro Turrion talk about their film, Maogoado 'Magoado' is the emotional drama of a man who is not ready to take responsibility of a father: Music Composer Alvaro Turrion at IFFI 52 Clueless about being a parent, nor interested in being one, Peio is shaken from his secretive life spent in hiding when his adolescent son makes a sudden and unexpected appearance into his life. The forced challenge of parenthood that is thrust upon him leaves him with a cho...
IFFI 52, 024: Niraye Thathakalulla Maram kindles kindness, care and comion 251b6x
IFFI 52, 024: Niraye Thathakalulla Maram kindles kindness, care and comion “We are losing our ability to empathise, to show kindness and care” said Jayaraj, director of Niraye Thathakalulla Maram (Tree Full of Parrots), a Malayalam language film shown at IFFI Goa 52, in the Indian Panorama Feature Film Category of the festival. The selfless care and wholesome concern a young boy shows toward a visually challenged old man, who has lost his way and most of his memory form the ...
Chandigrah Kare Aashiqui, Review: Engendered species 3i2b35
Chandigrah Kare Aashiqui, Review: Engendered species A film that takes a taboo subject head-on, but takes its own time to get there, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui is handicapped by its own title. Running on three, or rather, three-and-a-half parallel tracks, the film has nothing to justify Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, except that it is set in the north Indian city of Chandigarh. Its lead pair turns in largely convincing performances, and when it comes to using language that is brazen and bold, to it ...
Velle, Review: R4=Raw, rash, rant, rabble 2b5c6f
Velle, Review: R4=Raw, rash, rant, rabble When you have to wait for an hour to see a film like Velle, it is like rubbing salt into wounds that have yet to be inflicted. That it lasts a mere two hours and five minutes is among the saving graces of the film. Touting a poster that says ‘phasey’ (meaning ‘phansey’ or trapped) and a middle finger ri, you should probably be able to guess what the film might be like. After seeing the film, you will still not have any i...
IFFI 52, 023: Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, with Sweet Biryani 6x2010
IFFI 52, 023: Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, with Sweet Biryani “There is a famous quote, which says, ‘Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.’ I think this film will disturb those comfortable people of the society who gets comfort through caste, class and other authoritative parameters. This is what K. Jeyachandra Hashmi, director of Indian Panorama non-feature film, Sweet Biryani, said at a Press Conference held on the sidelines of...
IFFI 52, 022: Pregnant, harassed-to-hell woman, or suicide bomber? 1n322z
IFFI 52, 022: Pregnant, harassed-to-hell woman, or suicide bomber? Governments exist to serve the people, but often, the common citizen has to struggle, knock one door after another, in order to avail of the services he or she rightfully deserves. ACT-1978, a 2020 Kannada film by Director Manjunatha S., brings into sharp relief this torturous and tormenting ordeal, an experience not too alien to many hapless ordinary citizens. “I want to dedicate my movie to every common man and woma...
IFFI 52, 020: Covid and a crow 1u6qc
IFFI 52, 020: Covid and a crow IFFI 52 Indian Panorama Film Teen Adhyay seeks to light a candle of hope in the darkness, following COVID-19. It is based on the optimistic dictum: “However deep the night, there will always be a new dawn.” “During the COVID-19 lockdown, I saw a crow making its nest by my window; this scene made me forget everything else happening around me.” This singular focus which followed what may otherwise have been dismissed as an inconsequential ...
IFFI 52, 021: Sainbari massacres missing from history books 47c6
IFFI 52, 021: Sainbari massacres missing from history books Why is the battle of Sainbari not in our history books, where 15,000 people were killed in just one night, was the question posed by the director of IFFI 52 Indian Panorama Non Feature Film Sainbari to Sandeshkhali. “If Jallianwala Bagh, Battle of Panipat and Battle of Buxar appear in our history books, why not Battle of Sainbari?” This is the rather incontestable question raised by Sanghamitra Chaudhuri, director of th...
IFFI 52, 019: Life in post-Soviet Union Ukraine 542a3u
IFFI 52, 019: Life in post-Soviet Union Ukraine “My film, Rhino, is very violent and tough. I wanted to show the life in Post-Soviet Ukraine during the ‘wild’ 1990s through this film,” said director of IFFI 52 World Panorama film, Rhino, Oleh Sentsov. He was addressing a media interaction at the 52nd International Film Festival of India. “I am a self-taught person and moved to film-making late. Life is short and I want to keep making films,” said Oleh Se...
IFFI 52, 018: Charlotte is about an Argentinian actress in search of an aspirational future 626359
IFFI 52, 018: Charlotte is about an Argentinian actress in search of an aspirational future She shared a memorable past with the director who launched her into the world of cinema. Upon the serendipitous discovery that her mentor of yore who made her famous is filming his last film in Paraguay, the now-forgotten Argentanian actress Charlotte sets out on an extraordinary journey in search of something more than just obtaining the opportunity to play the leading role which she believes rightful...
IFFI 52, 017: Rafaela actress Judith Rodriguez found IFFI magical and inspiring 422x2r
IFFI 52, 017: Rafaela actress Judith Rodriguez found IFFI magical and inspiring “Watching the world premiere of our movie with viewers yesterday was an awe inspiring experience which will remain etched in our hearts forever. It was our first time watching the film with an audience and it was amazing to see that they loved the movie.” Rafaela film Actor Judith Rodriguez was thrilled as she shared her experience on her film that was premiered at the 52nd International Film Fest...
IFFI 52, 016: FTII professor Ganga Mukhi on Satyajit Ray 4r5553
IFFI 52, 016: FTII professor Ganga Mukhi on Satyajit Ray “Satyajit Ray believed that our cinema must have a language of its own. Through his self-study, he created his own style of film-making. Ray’s films are a must-watch for all film lovers, students and film-makers. His films connect with everyone in spite of geographical and language barriers.” Associate Professor, Department of Direction and Screenplay Writing, Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Ms. Gan...
IFFI 52, 015: In Conversation with The Family Man, aka India’s James Bond rf54
IFFI 52, 015: In Conversation with The Family Man, aka India’s James Bond “I never try to make the character larger than life. I always try to live in the reality and make the character a representative of the masses.” This is what noted actor Manoj Bajpayee said at an ‘In-conversation session’ on the ‘Creating Cult Icons: India’s own James Bond with the family man’, held on the sidelines of the 52nd International Film Festival of India in Goa. ...
IFFI 52, 014: ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ youngest winner is only 16 1l5q65
IFFI 52, 014: ‘75 Creative Minds of Tomorrow’ youngest winner is only 16 As the country is celebrating the 75th year of its hard-earned freedom with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (75 years of Independence Grand Celebration), 75 young aspiring film makers and film artists were been handpicked from across the country, to participate in the 52nd International Film Festival of India 2021. Under this competition, IFFI 52 provided a platform for tomorrow’s leaders in the f...
IFFI 52, 013: Rest of the best 591u73
IFFI 52, 013: Rest of the best Here are the details of all the winners at IFFI 52. The main prizes were covered in an earlier posting. Indian Marathi language actor Jitendra Bhikulal Joshi received a Silver Peacock as Best Actor (Male), for portraying late Marathi actor and film-maker Nishikant Kamat, in Godavari. In their citation, the jury said “…his brilliant performance made it flow like a river, from his rage to tears.” The film summons viewers to joi...
IFFI 52, 012: What I saw and what I couldn’t bear to see 5w4n
IFFI 52, 012: What I saw and what I couldn’t bear to see Having given Carlos Saura’s The King of All the World, the inaugural film, a miss, I was hoping my viewing experiences would begin with a bang on the day after the inauguration. No such luck. Charlotte was a huge disappointment and prompted a walk-out. That its lead actress won the best actress prize was rubbing salt into my wounds. Here is the list of films I managed to see, after allowing for four parties that cost us a to...
IFFI 52, 011: Japan’s Ring Wandering bags Golden Peacock, Czech Director Václav Kadrnka gets Silver as Best Director, for Saving 1i5uk
IFFI 52, 011: Japan’s Ring Wandering bags Golden Peacock, Czech Director Václav Kadrnka gets Silver as Best Director, for Saving One Who is Dead A fantasy, or a reincarnation tale, look at it any which way, Ring Wandering is beautifully crafted. A day labourer and aspiring manga artist in search of bones, which he believes will help him complete his piece of art, ends up unearthing forgotten war-time memories buried deep under the collective consciousness of the nation an...
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About Siraj Syed 2b312x
 Syed Siraj
(Siraj Associates)
Siraj Syed is a film-critic since 1970 and a Former President of the Freelance Film Journalists' Combine of India. 6h282g
He is the India Correspondent of FilmFestivals.com and a member of FIPRESCI, the international Federation of Film Critics, Munich, 4y1467
Siraj Syed has contributed over 1,015 articles on cinema, international film festivals, conventions, exhibitions, etc., most recently, at IFFI (Goa), MIFF (Mumbai), MFF/MAMI (Mumbai) and CommunicAsia (Singapore). He often edits film festival daily bulletins. 5x5d5m
He is also an actor and a dubbing artiste. Further, he has been teaching media, acting and dubbing at over 30 institutes in India and Singapore, since 1984. 5d2f62
Bandra West, Mumbai
Send me a message
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