New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The 2023 edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will witness a heavy presence of Indian films, including the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer “Joram” and writer Varun Grover’s directorial debut “All India Rank”.
Films in various Indian languages feature in diverse segments of the festival, being held in the port city of the Netherlands for the past 52 years. This year, the film gala will run from January 25 to February 5.
Manoj Bajpayee’s “Joram” will be screened as part of Big Screen Competition, which aims to bridge the gap between popular, classic and art house cinema.
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“Joram”, which reunites Bajpayee and filmmaker Devashish Makhija after the success of their 2019 movie “Bhonsle”, is a survival-thriller about a displaced indigenous man. “Bhonsle” was also screened at the festival back in 2019.
“The film ‘Joram’ is a riveting story of a man torn between his past and present. I loved playing the intricate character, Darsu, whose past and present have a significant contrast. On the outside he looks like an ordinary man that people may not even notice, but in no way is he a common man! A brilliant story with such impactful characters,” the actor said in a statement.
Grover’s “All India Rank”, part of Bright Future segment that showcases feature-length debuts, is a semi-autobiographical tale, centers on a middle class boy named Vivek, enrolled in coaching classes for the notoriously competitive entrance exams of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
The film, produced by Matchbox Shots, will serve as the closing film of the festival.
“Vivek’s father, who sees an IIT degree as a moral certificate, ships his only son off to a residential preparatory school in Kota, the Mecca for IIT coaching. Over two years, Vivek goes through the motions of Indian adolescence, but it is his parents who do the growing up,” the official plotline read.
Taking to Twitter, Grover said he is beyond thrilled with the world premiere of his debut feature at the IFFR.
“Beyond thrilled to know that my debut feature ALL INDIA RANK (Produced by @MatchboxShots) will have its World Premiere at @IFFR as the Closing Film. Congratulations and gratitude to our entire team (comprising of so many debutantes)! (sic)” he tweeted.
“All India Rank” is joined by Vignesh Kumulai’s “Karparaa” in the Bright Future segment.
Two short films — “Dear Me” by Suchana Saha and “A Flower In A Foglight” by Gaurav Puri — will be screened as part of the Short & Mid-length programme, which is a showcase of films under 63 minutes.
Santosh Sivan’s “Moha”, starring Jaaved Jaffrey and Shaylee Krishen, along with two Malayalam movies — Senna Hegde’s “1744 White Alto” and “Family” by Don Palathara — will be screened in the Harbour segment. The section features a range of contemporary cinema that the festival champions.
“Very happy to share that ‘1744 White Alto’ has been selected to be a part of the prestigious “Harbour” programme at International Film Festival of Rotterdam (@IFFR). #1744WhiteAlto” tweeted Hegde.
Ladakhi-language movie “Last Days of Summer”, directed by Stenzin Tankong, will be competing in the Ammodo Tiger Short Competition. The segment also includes “Night and Fear”, an Odia movie directed by Lipika Singh Darai.
The film gala will also celebrate filmmaker Manmohan Desai’s 1977 multi-starrer classic “Amar Akbar Anthony” in its Cinema Regained programme.
The segment offers restored classics, documentaries on film culture, and explorations of cinema’s heritage. It will also screen a 10-minute documentary “Blueprint of a Pleasure Machine”, directed by Amit Dutta.
The IFFR has also dedicated a segment on India, titled “Focus: The Shape of Things to Come?”.
“In 2022, India celebrated the 75th anniversary of independence. But is really all well in the ‘world’s largest democracy’? Both documentaries and fictional narratives reflect on the socio-political development of the past 30 years – and ask: Is the institutional success of right-wing Hindu-nationalist groups and the persecution of dissenting voices a sign for the shape of things to come – and not only in India?” the official description of the programme read.
It features a line-up films and documentaries, including Kabir Khan’s 2015 directorial “Bajrangi Bhaijaan”, starring Salman Khan, Anand Patwardhan’s celebrated documentary “In the Name of God” (“Ram Ke Naam”), “Kali of Emergency”, “Election Diary – Phulpur”, “Encountered on Saffron Agenda?”, and “Final Solution”.
