If you are a movie buff, it’s your opportunity at the 7th
Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai, not to miss you on these ten films at the
Festival between 26 September – 2 October 2016
‘Road to Istanbul’ the Algerian film by RachidBouchareb
brings out the trauma of a western mother Elisabeth who cannot comprehend what
on earth has possessed her daughter to go and join a war in a far off country
that, as far as she can see, has nothing to do with Elodie’s life. Since no
official help is forthcoming, she sets off to make her own way across the
Turkish border into Syria to bring Elodie home. A masterly work from the
Director of ‘London River’, ‘Days of Glory’, ‘Cheb’, ‘West Beyroth’ and
‘Outside the Law’ is the opening film of the Festival. ( September 26, 2016 at
6.30 P.M.)
‘Sieranevada’ by CritsiPuiu, the internationally
acclaimed Romanian film that has created a lot of buzz globally due to its
sheer camera work, tight script and intense performances. The film traces the
story of Lary, a doctor in his forties is about to spend the Saturday at a
family gathering to commemorate the deceased, three days after the terrorist
attack on the offices of Parisian weekly Charlie Hebdo and forty days after the
death of his father. The occasion does not go according to expectations. Forced
to confront his fears and his past, to rethink the place he holds within the
family, Lary finds himself constrained to tell his version of the truth. The
film was part of the international competition in Cannes Film Festival this
year. (October 2, 2016 at 6.00 P.M.)
The First, The Last by Bouli Lanners won two awards at
the Berlin Film Festival this year. If you think you can figure out stories
quickly, here is your test. Esther and Willy are handicapped. And in love. And
on the run. Perhaps from Gilou and Colise, two burly, bearded snoopers in the
van who are trying to get a fix on Willy’s mobile phone? Or from the man who
calls himself Jesus and has the stigmata on his hands to prove it? Or from the
men from a nearby warehouse who are searching for the perpetrator who has
violated the wife of their boss? And who is the mummy in the sleeping bag? You
get the answers only in the end. Again a masterly film you can’t afford to miss
out on. (October 1, 2016 at 9.15 P.M.)
‘Mahana’ (The Patriarch) is a film about two Maori
families in 1960s, the Mahanas and the Poatas who make a living shearing sheep
on the east coast of New Zealand. The two clans, who are bitter enemies, face
each other as rivals at the annual sheep shearing competitions. Simeon is a
14-year-old scion of the Mahana clan. A courageous schoolboy, he rebels against
his authoritarian grandfather Tamihana and his traditional ways of thinking and
begins to unravel the reasons for the long-standing feud between the two
families. Does it remind you of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Just wait till you watch
it. (September 30, 2016 at 9.15 P.M.)
‘The Plants’ is a thriller from Chile. “Do you think
plants could have souls? That we might even be able to talk to them?” For a
whole summer, 17-year-old Florencia has to look after her brother, who is
trapped in a persistent vegetative state. She washes him, changes his nappies,
and cuddles up to him in bed. From time to time she reads to him from a comic
called Las Plantas, which is about plant souls that take control of human
bodies at full moon. At night, Florencia makes contact with men on the
internet. Images of her monotonous daily routine and a vibrant fantasy world
merge to create a fascinating tale of a young woman as she self-determines her
own sexual awakening. Winner of the Young Jury Award at the Berlin Film
Festival, this thriller will keep you hooked. (September 29, 2016 at 9.15 P.M.)
‘Hear the Silence’ by Ed Ehrenberg from Germany takes the
audience back to Year 1941 and present them with the story of the men and women
at the time of the German attack on Russia in 1941. A small, lost unit of
German soldiers is looking for shelter in a remote, snowy small village in the
Ukraine. They got separated from their company during battle and now they are
deep within enemy territory cut off from the German troops.
The soldiers have to make a stop in the village in order
to get provisions and transport so that they can join their troops again -
maybe a very dangerous thing to do. The film is a parable about the loss of
innocence during times of war that results in brutal preventive actions. People
get trapped in an unstoppable circle of violence, a not to be missed film.
(September 27, 2016 at 4.15 P.M.)
Chatô, the King of Brazli by GuilhermeFontes is a film at
a grand scale. A biopic ofAssis
Chateaubriand, also known as Chatô. He was the first magnate of communications
in Brazil, especially between the late 1930s and early 1960s has come to be
called the Brazilian Citizen Kane. Founder of the Daily Associates, TV Tupi and
the São Paulo Art Museum. He was a senator of the Republic and had a close
relationship and controversy with President Getulio Vargas. The film traces his
rise and fall in an extremely convincing manner. (October 1, 2016 at 7.15 P.M.)
‘Al Massira’, The Green March from Morocco by Youssef
Britel effectively delineates the grit and determination of the Moroccans to
re-conquer their land under Spanish occupation through a peaceful march. A
historical film ‘Al Massira, The Green March’ perhaps would turn out to be a
cult film presenting the intertwined fates of a handful of men and women,
sharing the same objective: to fight for the freedom of their colonized
territory. “The Green March” tells the story of a mother, Zhor, who risked her
life 40 years ago by joining to the march. Her objective was to give birth to
her child on her late husband’s land, the occupied Moroccan Sahara. (October 2,
2016 at 9.15 P.M.)
‘Madagascar’ (1994), the Cuban classic by Fernando Pérez
Valdés is another film that should not be missed by the movie buffs for the
simple reason that the film stands as a classic documentation of social change
in Cuba on the nineties. Narrated well, through the relationship of a mother
and daughter, the film won every single big award in its time, at almost every
film festival, it was screened at. (September 30, 2016 at 7.15 P.M.)
‘Dana Dana’(Pearl Pearl), a small film from war torn Iraq
is the story of a young Iraqi singer’s migration to Britain, people’s
perception of his nationality and religion and his struggle to overcome all
stereotyped impressions and succeed as a musician. (October 2, 2016 at 12.30
Noon)
Another touching film in the lineup is ‘World Cup’ from
Syria. Directed by Twin brothers called Malas, the film traces the passion for
the game running across the political spectrum, social strata and the warring
factions in the war torn Syria today. A brave attempt considering the turmoil
in the region, the film stands on its own drama and performances. (October 2,
2016 at 3.00 P.M.)
The list is already running too long but then there 50
more which are equally good and gripping. The details are available on the
Festival’s website.
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