#film festival 2023 india

[jiomami]

A Cinematic Extravaganza: Exploring Film Festivals in India

India’s love affair with cinema is legendary, and it comes as no surprise that the country hosts some of the most prestigious and culturally diverse film festivals in the world. From the grandeur of the Mumbai International Film Festival to the allure of short film festivals, India is a treasure trove for cinephiles seeking to immerse themselves in the magic of storytelling on the silver screen.

Mumbai International Film Festival: Where Cinema Meets Culture

The Mumbai International Film Festival, often affectionately known as MAMI, stands as a testament to India’s passion for cinema. Every year, filmmakers, actors, and movie buffs from around the globe flock to the bustling city of Mumbai to partake in this cinematic extravaganza.

A Global Platform for Filmmakers

MAMI serves as a global platform for filmmakers, both budding and established, to showcase their talent and creativity. It transcends geographical boundaries and celebrates cinematic diversity, offering a rich tapestry of films that span genres, languages, and cultures.

Film Festival 2023 India: A Glimpse into the Future of Cinema

Short Film Festivals in India: Compact Stories, Big Impact

While grand festivals like MAMI and Film Festival 2023 capture the imagination with feature-length films, India’s short film festivals offer a different kind of cinematic experience. These festivals celebrate the art of brevity, where filmmakers convey their messages in compact yet powerful formats.

Celebrating Creativity and Diversity

Short film festivals in India are a testament to the incredible diversity of stories that can be told in a limited time frame. From heartwarming dramas to socially relevant narratives, these festivals provide a platform for filmmakers to experiment with storytelling techniques while addressing pressing issues.

A Blend of Tradition and Innovation

What makes India’s short film festivals truly unique is their ability to blend tradition with innovation. Filmmakers often draw inspiration from India’s rich cultural heritage while infusing modern perspectives and techniques into their creations. This fusion of old and new creates a captivating cinematic experience.

In conclusion, India’s film festival scene is a testament to the country’s enduring love affair with cinema. Whether you’re exploring the grandeur of MAMI, looking forward to the excitement of Film Festival 2023 India, or immersing yourself in the world of short films, these festivals offer a rich tapestry of cinematic experiences that celebrate creativity, diversity, and innovation in storytelling. So, the next time you find yourself in India, make sure to include a visit to one of these film festivals in your itinerary for an unforgettable cinematic journey.

[sophs-style]

The Miu Miu Women's Tales dinner during the 2023 Venice International Film Festival on Sunday (3rd September) in Venice, Italy.

Sydney Sweeney, Lili Reinhart, Jenna Coleman, Sadie Sink, India Amarteifio, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Demi Singleton (all wearing Miu Miu).

[tdsci]

Cannes 2023: This Indian cricketing legend is attending film festival

The 76th Cannes Film Festival has kicked off with a star-studded lineup of celebrities from various fields. In addition to luminaries from the Indian film industry, renowned cricketers and politicians have graced the event with their presence. Among the attendees is former Indian spinner Anil Kumble, who shared a delightful picture with his wife, Chetana Kumble, from the French Riviera on his…

[films-lover]

The Impact Of Film Festivals On Independent Cinema And Emerging Filmmakers

Film festivals are the occasion when local filmmakers come together to share and present their yearly productions. Filmmakers get the chance and platform to present their storytelling and filmmaking talents at festivals. They employ it to explain to their listeners how they view the world and to introduce them to various viewpoints that will aid in improving their understanding of people and the human condition. 

The Jagran Film Festival is an annual event that celebrates cinematic creativity in India and around the world. This festival is organized by the Jagran Group, one of India's largest media conglomerates. It is noteworthy for recognizing emerging filmmakers and their work. By combining this with their passion for movies, JJF will rank among the Top Indian Film Festivals in 2023.

Independent films have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to network, gain recognition, receive comments, find distribution, and develop a presence at film festivals. In this blog post, we'll discuss the advantages of film festivals for indie movies.

The Advantages of Independent Film Festivals

For independent filmmakers, one of the main advantages of film festivals is the chance to show their work to a larger audience. In order to assist independent filmmakers in reaching a wider audience, film festivals bring together moviegoers, critics, and industry professionals from all over the world.

Exposure

Exposure is one of the biggest benefits of film festivals for independent films. Producers can display their work to a larger audience at film festivals. Independent filmmakers can obtain fame and develop a fan base for their work with the aid of this exposure. Numerous film festivals draw members of the film business, which might open up opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Networking

Filmmakers, producers, distributors, and other industry professionals from all over the world congregate at film festivals. Independent filmmakers can interact and network at these events with other professionals in the field. The contacts created at film festivals can result in new partnerships and endeavours and can assist independent filmmakers in navigating the challenging landscape of film distribution.

Comments and Criticism

Filmmakers might get helpful feedback on their work during Q&A sessions and panel discussions at film festivals. Independent filmmakers can develop their art and create better movies in the future with the support of this criticism. Additionally, film festivals frequently draw reviewers and critics who may offer insightful evaluations and analyses of indie films.

Prestige

An independent filmmaker and their work's visibility can be considerably increased by receiving recognition or by being chosen to screen at a prominent film festival. This acknowledgement may help bring in money, distribution, and new projects. Additionally, independent filmmakers can stand out in a competitive market because of the prestige attached to being chosen to screen at a significant film festival.

The Advantages Of Film Festivals For Emerging Filmmakers

Film festivals offer young filmmakers a chance to have their work viewed and recognised. At film festivals, there are also chances for instruction and mentoring, and many of them provide classes and workshops for prospective filmmakers. Attending film festivals may provide you with the opportunity to network with industry professionals and perhaps even secure funding for future endeavours. 

The contribution of film festivals to increasing diversity in the film industry

Film festivals have also helped to greater diversity in the film industry. Many forthcoming film festivals in India are striving to feature films that encourage diversity and boost social consciousness. To enhance diversity in the film industry, film festivals undertake the following. 

Promoting Creativity and Innovation

Film festivals also foster innovation and originality by allowing filmmakers the latitude to try out various storytelling modalities. Filmmakers from marginalized communities now have more opportunities to explore their cultural identities and share their experiences in fresh and original ways. This could lead to more diverse and accurate representations of underprivileged communities on television and in movies.

With a Wide Range of Films

Various movies that might not be accessible through conventional distribution means can be screened at film festivals. Film festivals give minority filmmakers a venue to share their thoughts and experiences by showing movies from various points of view. This encourages inclusion, equity, and diversity in the film industry.

The screening of films from different cultures and backgrounds, LGBTQ+ film categories, and Women in Film programmers are just a few of the initiatives that many film festivals have put in place to encourage diversity and inclusion.

Community and network building

The development of networks and communities within the film business is another important function of film festivals. Film festivals offer chances for networking and collaboration by bringing together creators, experts in the business, and viewers from various backgrounds. This may result in new collaborations and initiatives that support inclusion and diversity in the film industry.

Educating the General Public

Finally, film festivals can be an effective instrument for educating audiences about diverse cultures, points of view, and experiences. Viewing varied films and participating in Q&A sessions with the directors can help audiences learn more about and acquire a stronger appreciation for various groups and cultures. This can help to refute stereotypes and build understanding and empathy.

Film Festival Criticism

Film festivals do have drawbacks, despite all of their advantages. The industry's exclusivity and elitism are frequently criticized. Smaller independent films have fewer prospects for exposure because many festivals give preference to movies with significant budgets and renowned directors.

Another major issue is how film festivals have become commercialized. Some contend that sponsors and businesses now control which films are chosen and how they are presented at festivals, which have become overly reliant on marketing and money.

The absence of participation and inclusion for marginalized groups like women, people of colour, and the LGBTQ+ community is another point of contention. Many film festivals still struggle to promote diversity and inclusion in their programming, despite recent improvements.

Conclusion

In conclusion, independent cinema and up-and-coming filmmakers have benefited greatly from film festivals. They give filmmakers a place to display their work, get noticed, and establish connections with other professionals. Additionally, encouraging diversity and inclusion in cinema has been made possible via film festivals. 

Nevertheless, there are certain criticisms of the industry, such as its exclusivity, commercialization, and lack of representation. Despite these challenges, film festivals remain an important part of the film industry and will continue to be so in the future. 

It is always a good idea to check out the upcoming film festivals in India in 2023 so you can see for yourself how the film festivals are trying to change the film industry. 

[srbachchan]

DAY 5612

Jalsa, Mumbai                  June 29/30,  2023                  Thu/Fri  2:51 AM

🪔 .. June 29 .. on this auspicious day of two auspicious occasions Eid Aldha and Ashadi Ekadashi  .. our greetings and birthday wishes to .. Ef Rakhi Oberoi Malik from Texas .. Ef Jani Pradeep (urf Jani Bhai) .. Ef Nabarun Ghosh .. and Ef Rima Sukhadia .. keep well and happy .. with love and prayers from your Ef Family always .. ✨

And .. to dear Ef Dr. Jayshree Sharad .. her 28th wedding anniversary on June 30 .. our greetings and love ..

 Eid  celebrated in India .. June 29 .. and .. occasion of Ashadi Ekadashi or Shayani Ekadashi .. the festival of Lord Vitthal .. from Pandharpur, who is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Krishna ..

tongue not in cheek .. out of it .. awkward wonky step .. but the music was such .. so the crossed footsteps ..

getting the lines right .. an embarrassment when they go wrong .. so GET IT RIGHT CRITTER .. !! 

in contemplation again and again and again ..

off to work for the day .. ad., shoot .. and six yes 6 films done within the course of the day .. work liberates .. were such words written on the gates of some of the most horrific incidents of the World  .. I visited one such .. and still dream of its horror .. 

but the most rewarding for the day was the visit to the temple for the Ashadi Ekadashi aarti at my friend’s temple in town .. there is liberation here .. in each breath in each movement .. if I write at 3:30 am now on the 30th of the June , it is because the religiosity of the moment prevails long after it is over  .. 

may there be rest and recovery for all after the festivities ..

Love 

Amitabh Bachchan

[fancyschmancyopinions]

INDIA AMARTEIFIO at the 2023 British Independent Film Festival on December 3rd 2023 in London wearing ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

[ndcgalitzine]

June 24, 2023 spotted in front of the Dior shop in Paris during the Paris Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 Fashion Week

June 23, 2023 attending the Dior Homme Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show during Paris Fashion Week

June 22, 2023 at the airport carrying the Dior CD Diamond Lingot 50 duffle bag

June 23, 2023 wearing the Ralph Lauren Spring 2023 collection

June 12, 2023 wearing the Dior Fall 2023 Menswear collection

June 9, 2023 wearing the Dior CD Diamond zipped blouson and Hit The Road bag

May 8, 2023 wearing a cream and white ensemble at Wat Bowonniwetwiharn Ratchaworawiharn

April 25, 2023 posing in a denim on denim outfit in Bangkok

April 28 rocking an all-black leather outfit in Tokyo, Japan

April 15, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand

March 30, 2023 attending the Christian Dior Womenswear Fall 2023 show at the Gateway of India in Mumbai

March 10, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand

February 28, 2023 wearing a Dior Pink Gardener's Jacket and Pants from the Dior Men's Summer 2023 Collection and carrying the Dior Lock Case

February 19, 2023 wearing a grey Dior Bar Jacket and Gardener Pants from the Dior Men's Summer 2023 collection and carrying the Dior Saddle in mental Cannage in Paris

January 20, 2023 outside the Dior Menswear Fall/Winter 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week

December 15, 2022 attending GQ Thailand 's GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2022 where he won the GQ Breakthrough Actors Of The Year Award 2022

December 04, 2022 attending the "Al Khallat" and "Dirty Difficult Dangerous" screening at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

September 22, 2022 attending the Vogue Gala 2022 hosted by Vogue Thailand at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok

August 29, 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand

May 17, 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand

[rooneyredcarpet]

India Amarteifio at the Venice Film Festival Miu Miu Women’s Tales Dinner (2023)

[jiomami]

As a hub for creative innovation and cultural diversity, India's Film Festival 2023 will bring together filmmakers, actors, and cinephiles from across the globe. Explore a diverse range of films, from thought-provoking narratives to captivating documentaries, all while immersing yourself in the rich tapestry of India's cinematic heritage. Don't miss this exceptional opportunity to be part of a cinematic extravaganza that will leave you spellbound.

[brookston]

Holidays 12.30

Holidays

Cleaning Day (Haiti)

Falling Needles Family Fest Day

Feast of the Holy Family

Festival of Enormous Changes at the Last Minute

Flail Day French Republic)

Freedom Day (Scientology)

Incwala Day (Eswatini, f.k.a. Swaziland)

International Day of Indian Cinema

Kodachrome Day

Let's Make A Deal Day

Lhosar (Gurung People, Nepal)

National Cheryl Day

National Resolution Planning Day

New Year’s Eve Eve

Rizal Day (Philippines)

Smart Highway Day

Take a Walk Show

Tamu Lochar (Sikkim, India)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bacon Day [also 8.31]

Baking Soda Day

Coffee Day (Hawaii)

Drink With a Straw Day

International Day of the Donut

Kona Coffee Day

National Bicarbonate of Soda Day

5th & Last Saturday in December

Evergreen Tree Day [Last Saturday]

Last Saturday of the Year [Last Saturday]

Independence Days

Day of the Declaration of Slovakia as an Independent Ecclesiastic Province

Midget Nation-in-Exile (Declared; 2009) [unrecognized]

Northern Federation of Occidental Republics (Declared; 2012) [unrecognized]

USSR (Established, 1922)

Xenlandia (Declared; 2021) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Abraham the Writer (Christian; Saint)

Anysia of Salonika (Christian; Saint)

Boxing the Jesuit Day (Church of the SubGenius)

The Clam (Muppetism)

Ecgwine of Worcester (Christian; Saint)

Egwin of Evesham (Christian; Saint)

Felix I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Frances Joseph-Gaudet (Episcopal Church)

Gall (Positivist; Saint)

Get Drunk Early for Hogmanay Day (Pastafarian)

Kwanzaa, Day 5: Nia (Purpose)

Liberius of Ravenna (Christian; Saint)

Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée (Artology)

Maximus (Christian; Saint)

Obatala’s Day (Pagan)

Ralph of Vaucelles (Christian; Saint)

Roger (a.k.a. Ruggero) of Cannae (Christian; Saint)

Sabinus, Bishop of Assisi, and his companions (Christian; Martyrs)

Sixth Day of Christmas (a.k.a. Bringing in the Boar)

Twelve Holy Days #5 (Leo, the heart; Esoteric Christianity)

Twelvetide, Day #6 (a.k.a. the Twelve Days of Christmas or Christmastide) [until 1.5]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Premieres

Alice, Darling (Film; 2022)

Aqua Teen Hunger Force (TV Cartoon Series; 2000)

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (Film; 1925)

Born to Die, by Lana Del Rey (Song; 2011)

The Curious Puppy (WB MM Cartoon; 1939)

Dallas (Film; 1950)

The Gallopin’ Gaucho (Disney Cartoon; 1928)

Kiss Me, Kate (Broadway Musical; 1948)

Let’s Make a Deal (TV game Show; 1963)

A Man Called Otto (Film; 2022)

The Merry Widow, by Franz Lehár (Operetta; 1905)

My Way, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1968)

Nelly’s Folly (WB MM Cartoon; 1961)

No Man of Her Own (Film; 1932)

Rob Roy, by Walter Scott (Novel; 1817)

The Roy Rogers Show (TV Series; 1951)

Some Came Running, by James Jones (Novel; 1957)

Sounder, by William H. Armstrong (Novel; 1969)

Tainted Dreams (TV Soap Opera; 2013)

Tangled Up In Blue, recorded by Bob Dylan (Song; 1974)

Tin Yop (Pixar Cartoon; 1988)

Two’s a Crowd (WB MM Cartoon; 1950)

Why Him? (Film; 2016)

Today’s Name Days

Felix, Lothar (Austria)

Feliks, Rajner, Srećko (Croatia)

David (Czech Republic)

David (Denmark)

Taave, Taavet, Taavi, Taavo, Tavo (Estonia)

Daavid, Taavetti, Taavi (Finland)

Roger (France)

Herma, Hermine, Minna (Germany)

Anisios, Filetairos, Gideon, Josef (Greece)

Dávid (Hungary)

Eugenio (Italy)

Dāvids, Dāvis (Latvia)

Dovydas, Gedrimė, Gražvilas, Irmina, Sabinas (Lithuania)

David, Diana, Dina (Norway)

Dawid, Dawida, Dionizy, Eugeniusz, Irmina, Katarzyna, Łazarz, Rainer, Sabin, Sewer, Uniedrog (Poland)

Anisia (Romania)

Dávid (Slovakia)

Judit, Judith, Raúl (Spain)

Abel, Set (Sweden)

Ainsley, Kelsa, Kelsey, Kelsi, Kelsie, Mason (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 364 of 2024; 1 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 52 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Beth (Birch) [Day 5 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 18 (Ren-Xu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 18 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 17 Jumada II 1445

J Cal: 4 Fest; Foursday [4 of 5]

Julian: 17 December 2023

Moon: 87%: Warning Gibbous

Positivist: 28 Bichat (13th Month) [Gall]

Runic Half Month: Eihwaz or Eoh (Yew Tree) [Day 5 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 10 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 9 of 31)

[salmankhanholics]

★ Salman Khan says Tiger 3 is 'as big as it can get'; reflects on completing 35 years in Bollywood!

Salman Khan is gearing up for the release of the action thriller Tiger 3, in which he reprises the role of RAW agent Avinash Singh Rathore

October 3, 2023

Salman Khan talks about Tiger 3 and completing 35 years in showbiz

Salman Khan made his acting debut in 1988 with Biwi Ho To Aisi and he completed 35 years in Bollywood recently. The superstar opened up about it and said, “People who have loved me since my debut, made me realise on social media that I have completed 35 years in cinema! It is a very special moment for me, filled with nostalgia, love, so much joy and also the pain when things didn’t go as per plan. But I have loved every minute of my journey in the Hindi film industry.”

Khan also spoke about celebrating the occasion with Tiger 3. "I’m glad to celebrate this personal milestone with the release of Tiger 3! I know that my fans love to see me doing action and I hope Tiger 3 is the perfect gift that they have been waiting for!", he added. The actor also said, "I love doing big action spectacles and Tiger 3 is as big as it can get."

Salman Khan is declared a traitor in 'Tiger ka message'

Last week, the makers of Tiger 3 released a video titled 'Tiger Ka Message' in which Salman's character opens up about his situation. He says that he has been labeled as a traitor to India after two decades of selfless service. In order to clear his family and save his reputation, Tiger will embark on a dangerous mission.

Tiger 3 is directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Aditya Chopra. Starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, it is a part of the YRF spy universe. The film is slated to be released theatrically on November 10, coinciding with Diwali festival. The first film in the franchise, Ek Tha Tiger, was released in 2012. It was followed by a sequel titled Tiger Zinda Hai which was released in 2017.

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Lion (2016, Garth Davis)

20/11/2023

Lion is a 2016 film directed by Garth Davis.

Based on the memoir A Long Way Home, the film tells the true story of Saroo Brierley who is played by Dev Patel. The cast also includes Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman. The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, taking 2nd place in the Audience Award.

Khandwa, central India, 1986 - Saroo, five years old, second son of a very poor family, who survives with his older brother Guddu by collecting waste metals, asks the other to be able to work at night in a station near their home village. In search of his brother, the child mistakenly boards a deserted train that leaves and does not stop, taking him to Calcutta, about 1600 kilometers away.

Lost in the chaotic metropolis, not speaking the local Bengali language, Saroo survives on the streets. Hosted by people of ill repute, he manages to escape, only to be noticed by a young employee who speaks his Hindi language and who takes him to a police station so that, by publishing his photo in the newspapers, someone can recognize him. Saroo leaves for Hobart in Tasmania, where he grows up and becomes an adult.

At the age of 27, Saroo is a university student in Melbourne, with numerous Indian friends and loved ones, but he has not forgotten his roots and his family, for which he feels a sense of guilt due to his disappearance. At his girlfriend's insistence, the young man begins researching through Google Earth, desperately searching for his home village based on his fading memories, until he recognizes from a satellite image what appears to be the starting station.

Filming began in January 2015 in Calcutta, India, and continued in mid-April, in Australia, in the cities of Melbourne and Hobart.

The film had its world premiere on 10 September 2016 at the Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently at the London Film Festival and the Rome Film Festival. It was released in US cinemas on 25 November 2016 by The Weinstein Company, while distribution began in Australia on 19 January 2017, and in Italy it was released on 22 December 2016.

For the film Sia composed the song Never Give Up, released as a promotional single.

The score was composed by Dustin O'Happellon and Hauschka and was nominated for Best Original Score at the 2017 Oscars.

[tilbageidanmark]

998 Movies in 2023...

In 2021 I saw 885 movies...

In 2022 I saw 954 movies...

And in 2023 I saw 998 movies.

Yes, I've seen nearly 3 movies every single day for the last three years. Yes, I have no life, Etc. But I like it, and it works for me. So if anybody have an issue with that, they are cordially invited to fuck off. This solitary habit had evolved into an ongoing writing project, where I jog down every night a paragraph or two about each movie, and that fills me up with a sense of a minor achievement, sufficient enough to keep me going.

Most of the movies (like everything else in life) were mediocre, but about 150 were stand-outs, so on average, every two days I experienced some sort of an emotional release, a catharsis, if you will, which had made the whole project worthwhile for me.

Here are some stats, and a few random discoveries that I really enjoyed.

First of all, I made it a point to see more movies directed by women – 156 in total. I'm going to concentrate even more on female movie-making.

I also continued to explore the vast and interesting world of “foreign” cinema, (i.e. “Not from the USA”): 520 films in 2023 [52% of the total]. I plan on increasing this percentage much more next year.

The countries from which I saw the largest number were France (100), UK (70), Denmark (30), Italy and Japan (24 each), Germany and Spain (19 each), Iceland (14), Canada and Finland (13), Sweden (12), Ireland, Poland and Scotland (11). The other films were from Chile, Argentina, China, India, Mexico, Australia, Norway, Belgium, Iran, Korea, Hungary, Portugal, Brazil, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Greece, The Netherlands, Armenia, Austria, Bolivia, Colombia, Hong Kong, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mauritania, Mongolia, New Zealand, Palestine, Polynesia, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Uruguay, Yugoslavia. There was even one movie in ancient Babylonian!

I don't keep track of the genres, and I sample nearly everything. I love to cry 'and laugh and cry all again', so I mostly seek stories with “real” personal emotions. Obviously, many are dramas, art-house fair. I still have never seen any superheroes movie in my life. And I usually refuse to watch any horror, space operas, franchise, most blockbusters, supernatural, sci-fi, fantasy, and not too much 'action’.

Recently, I started picking up movies from this Wikipedia List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as lists of winners and contenders from various European film festivals.

Of the 998 movies, 103 were documentaries, 119 were films I've seen before, 150 were shorts, (and 26 were so bad I couldn't finish them).

For their age, I only saw 35 silent movies, but a whopping 111 movies from 2023. The rest are spread in between.

I did discover many new directors I fell in love with with, too many to list here. If anybody is interested in reading my personal opinions, they can re-visit the tag 'Movies' here. I post about 20 reviews every Monday.

So here are just a few of my off-beat favorite 2023 discoveries:

'The Mill and the cross' (2011) by Polish poet Lech Majewski: A literal recreation of Bruegel’s 1564 painting ‘The Procession to Calvary’, done in Newport Beach’s ‘Pageant of the Masters’ style. With a minimal narrative and nearly no dialog, it transports a masterpiece from one medium into another.

'The organizer' (1963) by Mario Monicelli, with Marcello Mastroianni. A unionist trying to organize workers laboring in inhuman conditions at a late 19th Century textile factory in Turin. A Neo-realistic and unsentimental look at the eternal struggle for control of the means of production.

'Close' (2022), innocent lost, by Belgian Lukas Dhont. Movingly and tenderly it details an intimate friendship - love, rather - between two 13-year-old boys.

The documentary 'Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb' (2022), about the relationship between two remarkable men: The LBJ biographer and his lifelong editor.

'The Maid' by Chilean director Sebastián Silva, a perfectly simple drama about the life of a live-in housekeeper. It was one of a dozen movies I saw about 'Domestics', an emerging sub-genre, mostly from South America and South-east Asia.

'Timbuktu' from Mauritania (2014), by Malian film director Abderrahmane Sissako. A heart-breaking tragedy about terror in the barren Sahara desert. Senseless religious laws imposed by a patriarchal and fanatic group on simple villagers.

'Spring Blossom' (2020), a gentle drama of a shy 16 year old girl who falls in love with a 35 man she sees outside a local theater. [Like Quinn Shephard’s ‘Blame’], it’s twice as impressive, because it was written by the talented Suzanne Lindon when she was only 15, and she directed it and starred in it before she was 20.

The earlier films of Irish director John Michael McDonagh, 'The Guard' and 'Calvary', both with Brendan Gleeson. (But not 'War on everyone' which was awful).

All of Lynne Ramsay's Glasgow-based dramas, especially 'Gasman', her first short, and 'Ratcatcher', her debut feature. Heartbreaking, transformative masterpieces. The same goes for Ken Loach's 1969 'Kes' and 'I, Daniel Blake' from 2016.

Re-watch: Nils Malmros's 1981 'The tree of knowledge'. It has always been my favorite Danish movie, and also one of my general All-time Top-Five favorites - Ever. Together with Truffault’s ‘Small Change’, it’s also the best movie about children, the pains of puberty and the joys of adolescence.

'The Ballad of the Weeping Spring' is a “different” (and hard-to find!) Israeli cult film from 2012. An homage to Kurosawa’s Samurai films, and to Sergio Leone’s Westerns, it’s a mystical pilgrimage into the origins of “Oriental / Mediterranean Music”. After inadvertently killing his two friends and living off the grid for 20 years, the mythical band leader of the defunct “Turkish Ensemble” is recruited to “put the band together”, and is looking for 9 other musicians to play for his dying ex-partner.

Jody Foster's documentary 'Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché' (2018). Alice Guy-Blaché was the first ever female filmmaker, and history’s first director of narrative cinema. An enormously important figure, who was erased and forgotten until her recent resurgence. Like ‘The Méliès Mystery’ documentary, these two biographies are a must-see for any film lover.

'The house is black' (1963), by another female pioneer, Iranian avant-garde poet Forugh Farrokhzad. A harrowing documentary about a real leper colony.

Werner Herzog, Radical dreamer, a 2022 German documentary about the greatest living filmmaker, one of the greatest of all time.

And not to be accused for being an elitist, I've re-watched (some as many as FOUR times this year!) many of my all time 'guilty pleasures': 'In the loop', 'Long Shot' with Charlize Theron, The Icelandic 'Echo', 'Office Space', 'After the wedding', 'Hot Fuzz', 'A simple favor', 'Cold war', 'Margin call', 'Belle de Jour', 'Chinatown', 'The conversation', 'Game night', 'To kill a mockingbird', 'world of tomorrow', 'Midnight run', 'Burn after reading', Etc., etc.

[Photo Above: I didn't realize, and didn't find it mentioned anywhere, but Buñuel gave himself a little cameo in 'Belle De Jour'!]

So what does it all mean? Nothing, really. Except of food, air, and some minimal travel, I don't consume much of anything any more. I don't have a TV, cars, streaming services, any belongings, or attachments. But I recognize that this obsessive viewing is also some form of unhealthy consumption. Anyway, for the time being, I'll just keep doing it.

[And to answer a question that may come up, I view 100% of these movies on “free” streamers. I'm not ashamed of it, on the contrary!]

So far, in 2024 I only saw 2 movies, both of which I've seen before: René Laloux's 'Fantastic Planet', and one of my most precious films from last year, Celine Song's 'Past Lives'. 10/10 for both - will watch again!

Adios, mothers'.

[This is copy from my r/truefilm post]

[hrk4]

The year that was...

“Slippery slope. I carry a spare shirt, pretty soon I’m carrying spare pants. Then I’d need a suitcase. Next thing I know, I’ve got a house and a car and a savings plan and I’m filling out all kinds of forms.” —Jack Reacher (in Lee Child’s 2007 novel Bad Luck and Trouble)

For close to a year, I have been fortunate to be part of the Saturday morning conversazione that takes place in the office of Dr. S R Ramaswamy (SRR), who is more than a mentor to me. In one of the early meetings of 2023, SRR gave me his personal copies of two Jack Reacher novels (by James Dover Grant, who writes under the pseudonym Lee Child) and added with a smile, "I must warn you, these are addictive!"

A few days after that, I was going to be on a long train to Pune and had taken the novel with me. Even before we crossed the Karnataka border, I had finished reading the novel and cursed myself for not having brought the other one too (which was a result of my underestimation of my own reading speed). As soon as I came back to Bangalore, I raced through the other novel. When I returned the two novels to SRR, he gave me more. It had been years since I had read fiction and given that my day job involves reading, writing, design, and publication, I had forgotten the art of reading for pleasure. This gesture on SRR's part rekindled that spark. The flipside was that I started finding films and web series tiresome!

I mostly read Jack Reacher novels this year and what fascinated me the most (besides the intricate plots, value conflicts, and the edge-of-the-seat twists and turns) was the universal appeal of a character like Reacher who lives like a monk and fights like a tiger; even in the materialistic West the allure of a man who is detached and driven by a strong sense of dharma is irresistible. And that gives me hope.

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Soon I will hit forty. Probably my best years are behind me but I like to believe that they are yet to come. To augment this belief, I lay out my plans for 2024 before getting into my recollections of 2023.

I have three short-term goals, which I wish to complete in the next six months: i. Organise my library ii. Simplify my wardrobe iii. Consolidate my finances and four lifestyle goals that I wish to continue through the year: 1. Exercise daily 2. Read more, and more varied books 3. Play the violin more 4. Avoid sugar and fried foods at all costs

Some of the books in the pipeline for this year are: A R Krishnasastri’s Kathāmṛta, a new edition of Bhāsa’s Svapna-vāsavadatta, D V Gundappa’s Jīvana-dharma-yoga translated by Raghavendra Hebbalalu and Sreelalitha Rupanagudi, Volumes VII and VIII of DVG’s Art Gallery of Memories, S R Ramaswamy’s Silhouettes of Excellence, Sripriya Srinivasan’s book on Pallava history for high school students, minor poems of Nīlakaṇṭha-dīkṣita, and Jayadeva’s Gīta-govindam, among others.

I'm also working on a few exciting projects with cousin Dr. Chandra Shekhar (a short stories anthology), my college classmate Sudarshan K A (on financial wisdom), and with my friends Ganesh Bhat Koppalatota and Neelakanth Kulkarni (curating the best of Kannada literature), and I hope that at least a few of these see completion by end of the year.

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I was lucky to have a front row seat as the following books unfolded through the course of the year: Three volumes of DVG's Kannada writings in translation (Contemporaries of Vidyaranya, his writings on the two epics of India, and an anthology of his essays on poetics), Vols. V and VI of the Art Gallery of Memories by DVG, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh's Kṣāttra: The Tradition of Valour in India, and Dr. L Subramaniam's Festival Beyond Borders, among others.

I was able to facilitate the publication of three books by family members: my mother's booklet of life-lessons titled Song of my Soul, my father's monograph on The Amazing Human Mind, and my great-uncle (Late) Sri S Rangarajan's mammoth 648-page memoirs titled It Happens as Ordained.

The highlight, however, was a little book that I co-wrote with Dr. Ganesh titled The Essential Sanatana Dharma.

In addition to working on a few books in 2023, I was also invited to give lectures on a variety of topics, some of which were at the insistence of Dr. Arathi V B who has often magnanimously offered me opportunities that are far beyond my ken. If my calculations are right, I must have given no less than eighteen lectures this year. Friends like Madhulika Srivatsa, Sagar Mehta, and Vani Anur invited me to their homes to give lectures to their family and friends, which were highly rewarding.

I had the singular fortune of addressing a large number of school children, teachers, young parents, devout Hindus, et al. on topics as varied as life skills to the essentials of Sanātana-dharma; from the importance of history and heritage to world musical genres (at an elders' enrichment centre); from Indian Knowledge Systems to the Art Gallery of Memories (series of lectures at the Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs); and on the Artha-śāstra, Mahābhārata, Bhagavad-gītā, and Śrīkṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta.

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For more than two decades I have been attending the Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival (LGMF) organised by my guru Dr. L Subramaniam (along with his wife, Smt. Kavita Krishnamurti, who is the director of the festival); for some years, I was also active in the organising committee of the festival. Each edition of the LGMF has been a historic event and 2023 was no different. The upcoming tour is no less exciting with a remarkable orchestra from Kazakhstan visiting India.

Some of the other memorable events that I attended in 2023 include the third edition of Madanotsava organised by my good friends Nirupama and Rajendra, the eightieth birthday celebrations of Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam organised by Drishti Arts Centre, the fifth World Coffee Conference (thanks to my friend Ananth Bhatt), and a lovely eighty-fifth birthday celebration of my great-uncle Sri R Vasudevan that included a superb concert by the musician-surgeon of our family, Dr. Mukund Jagannathan.

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Despite some challenges, the home situation was stable. My mother and my grandmother moved to an apartment next to my place and my father and brother regularly visit. I became one of the Trustees of our family trust and that means greater opportunity to help the community. I have also been involved in some consolidation of my finances so that I won't have to worry about money after 2024. I echo the sentiments of Jack Reacher in Gone Tomorrow (2009) — “I'm a rich man. To have everything you need is the definition of affluence.”

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There are times when our family and friends perform an unexpected act of kindness that leaves us fumbling for words. My grandmother's younger sister, Smt. Shanti Rangarajan, aged 89, made a trip all the way from Chennai to Bangalore (with her daughter Deepta) to spend time with my mother on her 66th birthday, given that she was just recovering from her surgery and was home-bound.

When I was in Mumbai earlier this year, I happened to ping my BMS College classmate Anshuman Borah, who emigrated to UK some years ago. He immediately wrote back saying that he was in Pune to sell his flat. I had been in Pune that very morning; distraught at having missed catching up with him, I called him up to berate him for not telling me earlier. He immediately said, "I'll come to Mumbai tomorrow. Just send me your location and I'll be there to pick you up." Sure enough, the next morning he took a taxi from Pune all the way to Mumbai just to meet me. We had a nice lunch and spent five or six hours before he took a taxi back to Pune. (And there were times in college when we have shared a jhal mudi costing Rs. 10 because we had run out of cash!)

Anu and Chandra (technically my mother's generation but more like friends/cousins to me) generously offered me a carte blanche to pursue whatever projects I wish to, without fretting about the monetary implications. Their gesture has inspired me to work even more towards a larger cause, especially in the fields of culture, literature, music, and education, which are of common interest to us.

Prof. L V Shanthakumari has been a mentor-guru-adopted grandmother to me and many other friends. Earlier this year, she was visiting her younger son Sri Niranjana who lives across the town from her, in faraway Marathahalli. Our ancestral house in Halasuru is almost the mid-point between her house and her son's house, so I requested LVS madam to consider visiting us for lunch. She graciously agreed and visited us with Niranjana, who incidentally lived in the same neighbourhood many years earlier! My family and I were thrilled to host LVS madam and we spent a lovely afternoon together.

My cousin Arun was slated to visit India in August along with my aunt and uncle. I was planning to borrow my father's car so that I could take Arun around. Right at that time, my good friend Chandrashekhar told me, "I just bought a new car and there's the old one languishing in my place. Just take it and use it for as long as you want." Thanks to Chandru, I was able to drive around Arun and later had reliable transportation for myself, especially during some of the busy months of the year. After relying on public transport for more than a year, this came as a real boon.

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My good friend Arjun Bharadwaj always teases me of excessively indulging in what he playfully dubs "Eating-Outing-Meeting." While I am an introvert by temperament, I often step out for these E-O-Ms for a dose of enrichment. Outside of my books and my music, I find nothing more enjoyable than a meaningful conversation with friends and savants.

It has been my great fortune to have come in contact with so many greats of our time—and in some cases, even dine with them and travel with them.

One of our Saturday morning meet-ups took place on Church Street with SRR taking us (Vighneshwar Bhat, Sandeep Balakrishna, Arjun Bharadwaj, and me) to Select Book Shop, which was started by a friend of his. Later he took us out to lunch and simply refused to let any of us pay.

Ambi (my uncle, Dr. Koti Sreekrishna) visited India earlier this year and even stayed with me for a few days. I had a great time with him, discussing everything from the ridiculous to the sublime—often through the course of a meal in a nearby restaurant. I also had the chance to drag two of my friends (Arjun and GS) to meet Ambi and his elder brother Kanna (my uncle, Sri K Srinivas) at their ancestral house. The conversations, mostly revolving around the the great epics of India, were memorable (with some of it secretly captured on video and clandestinely posted on Facebook by Ambi).

My cousin Arun visited India in August and stayed with me. It had been years since we had met and there was so much to talk about. It was really inspiring to see his focus and his ability to grasp new ideas. I introduced him to a bunch of my friends and we all had a memorable time. Cousin Anita could not visit and was sorely missed, but she had just had a baby (my second nephew, Jayanth).

Arjun and I visited Mysore to meet Dr. S L Bhyrappa, who graciously invited us to lunch with him. Following that, we proceeded to Pandavapura to meet Mr. Anke Gowda, who has the largest personal collection of books that I have seen (over 1 million books). We were thrilled to visit his library as he enthusiastically showed us around. He has been collecting books for some seven decades with his meagre salary, driven by intense passion and devotion to literature.

Through the course of the year, in addition to the regular meet-ups with my friends, gurus, and family, I had the opportunity to meet a host of interesting people: Sri Prafulla Ketkar (Chief Editor, Organiser), Sri Shivaswami (Bhagavad-gītā scholar), Dr. Manohar Shinde (Founder, Dharma Civilization Foundation), Dr. Shekhar Borgaonkar (my father's college classmate and old friend), Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran (musician-composer-educator), and the dedicated people who run Rashtrotthana Vidya Kendra at Hagaribommanahalli, among others.

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It is a co-incidence that the year began with a trip to Ellora and just as 2023 came to an end, during the course of our Madhya Pradesh road-trip, the first destination was Ellora. It was wonderful to visit that puṇya-kṣetra twice in a calendar year.

In addition to visiting Solapur, Sambhajinagar, Pune, Mumbai, Karwar, and Chennai, I went to Valparai (Tamil Nadu) for our annual boys' trip, with more friends joining the fray:

I spent the last days of the year on the road: traversing 3,800+ kilometres (Bangalore-Ellora-Maheshwar-Indore-Ujjain-Vidisha/Sanchi-Udayapur-Khajuraho-Bedaghat-Bangalore) in nine days with five of my friends and a shoe-string budget.

Among the many highlights of the trip was visiting Ahalyabai Holkar Smarak at Maheshwar.

To see her humble dwelling and to contrast that with her unparalleled achievements was an inspiration. These are the real heroes of our land and it is a sin to forget them.

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Sri C R Sathya, the grandson of Prof. A R Krishnasastri and a remarkable space scientist (and writer) in his own right died earlier this year. He had been a great support during the time I co-translated The Essential Mahabharata. Not many people know that the gentleman on the right side of this iconic photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson is C R Sathya:

A few other greats who breathed their last in 2023 include Sri Siddeshwar Swamiji; the great gamaki Sri Chandrashekar Kedilaya; Wayne Shorter, the legendary jazz saxophonist; Sri B K S Varma, the painter par excellence; and iconic filmmaker Sri K Viswanath. I had the great fortune of meeting and interacting with both B K S Varma and K Viswanath some years ago.

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The changes around us end up affecting us in some way, directly or indirectly, unless of course we are really cut off and have isolated ourselves from society. In this vein, it might be instructive to broadly look at some of the events from 2023.

India has marched forward under the visionary leadership of Sri Narendra Modi, who has never failed to impress with his tireless striving for a better future.

India is now the most populous country with a host of internal problems, largely fuelled by predatory ideologies, be it the clashes between the Kuki and the Meitei or the Nuh violence or even the denigration of Sanātana-dharma, which is the most inclusive religio-philosophical system in the world. Despite this and some of the self-inflicted wounds to the economy, the country witnessed the manner in which challenges were masterfully met, be it the organisation of the spectacular G20 or the rescue of 41 miners trapped in the Uttarakashi tunnel, be it seamlessly shifting to the new parliament building or sending Chandrayaan III to the moon.

After the demonic attack that took place on October 7th, 2023, the world is slowly realising the danger of the bloodthirsty death cult masquerading as a religion. More and more countries are rejecting the pseudo-liberal ideologies of the left and are instead moving far right, which is also dangerous in its own way. Coupled with this, we are unsure of the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the future of humans. And somewhere amidst all this chaos, unknown men are quietly doing their work. And that brings me a great deal of peace.

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Thanks for reading this far, and with this I wish you and your family a wonderful new year! I hope it will be filled with joy, good health, prosperity, and moments to cherish. May your dreams come true!

— Appendix

I wish to share some of the fantastic accomplishments of a few people in my circle. It is, as always, an ad hoc list that I have prepared on the spur of the moment. I might have missed out some but those that I have listed are certainly notable:

Brahmin Genocide is an important topic researched by Sri Balaji Mahalingam (who writes under the pseudonym Asi) that brings to the fore an injustice that has pervaded our society in the last couple of centuries and must be immediately rectified if Hinduism is to survive. The first edition of the book was sold out in just a few months and he is now working on the second edition.

The seventh century CE Sanskrit play Bhagavad-ajjukam was documented by Nirupama and Rajendra with support from Sudha Murty, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Praveen D Rao, Arjun Bharadwaj, et al.—see the Introduction and the complete play (with subtitles).

Bhāratīya Kṣāttra Paramparā (Hindi translation by Prof. Dharmaraj Singh Vaghela) Earlier this year, when the book Kṣāttra was released, I gave a copy of the book to my uncle Prof. Vaghela. The very next day, he called me and said that it is an important book which must reach the Hindi heartland and offered to translate it into Hindi. Dr. Ganesh immediately gave his consent. In a matter of months, he finished the translation, which is now appearing on www.prekshaa.in as a series and will soon be published in book form.

My good friend and former colleague Arjun Bharadwaj has come out with two remarkable books this year: the first, titled Nayana-Savana (co-written with Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh), which is a creative appreciation of some of the major productions of the legendary Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam and the second, titled Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics, which is worthy of a D.Litt. no less.

S R Ramaswamy's latest work titled Sāhitya Sānnihitya is an anthology of book reviews and writings on literature.

Saṃskṛti is a reprint of a charming little book on culture with essays by littérateurs including Devudu Narasimha Shastri, A N Murthy Rao, A N Krishna Rao, Masti Venkatesha Iyengar, and C K Venkataramayya.

Prekshaa Pratishtana has brought out a lovely introductory video that summarises its vision and objectives. They continue to publish many books every year and maintain an ad-free online journal (www.prekshaa.in) with authentic content on Indian heritage for one and all.

My cousin Arun Prasad continues to do remarkable work with Ambuda, the online digital library for Sanskrit.

The best of Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh's writings in Kannada have been compiled in two volumes with the title Rāga-bhāratī.

Dr. G Sudesh Kumar, a close family friend, recently authored a coffee-table book titled History of Sri Parakala Mutt.