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The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2004 began in Goa with the celebrated film Vanity Fair directed by Mira Nair. Organised jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the festival is a mix of contemporary world fare as well as films made in the country. The 35th edition of IFFI include Cinema of the World, Country in Focus, the Indian Panorama, Foreign Retrospectives, the Asian Competition and mainstream Indian cinema.
Easily the most important segment of any international film festival, the highlight of IFFI too, is its Cinema of the World section. Apart from regulars like France (which is participating this year with eight entries), Canada (which has about five films), Russia, Argentina and Brazil, the section is focusing on films from non-prolific cinema nations such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, Peru, Israel and Uruguay.
Vanity Fair, the opening film, which has been doing the festival rounds is based on William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel of the same name and stars the famed Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon, who was nominated for the Golden Globe for her performance in Legally Blonde. In her conference post-screening the director, Mira Nair mentioned that she has been fascinated by the character of Sharp since she was 16, and that the story is "contemporary in tone. Not only that the character of someone like Scarlett O’Hara comes out of Becky Sharp. She is the wily, imaginative woman who will do anything to succeed socially, the one who will make clothes out of curtains and look better than those she aspires to be like."
Another film to watch out for in the international section is the Canadian film Book Of Senses by Claude Fournier. Made in 2003, the film stars Michel Forget and Noerie Godin-Veneau, and is about a writer who has run out of inspiration. And then he gets to meet this young woman is full of imagination. It is a love story with a twist. Though Fournier’s earlier attempt Book Of Eve met with lukewarm response, this one has fared better.
Though far fewer in number as compared to the earlier years, the Iranian entries promise to be a big draw for the delegates at Goa. The package includes Abbas Rafei’s Butterfly in the Wind. The film is the story of Ayda who has spent 10 years in prison. Oppressed by her husband her sole hope to continue living is her daughter. She decides to go and look for her child. In one of Iran-Pakistan border cities, she does find some traces, but she is forced to take the help of a local guide. And as they set out on their mission, the two find that their relation is likely to go far beyond the professional given the problems they face together. The film which has participated in the international film festivals at Mannheim, Oslo and Fajr is one of the rare entries this year that hasn’t won an award.
The other Iranian entry to watch out for Dreams of Dust which has made the rounds at Rotterdam and the World Film Festival at Montreal. Almost spiritual in tone the film is an inward journey of the characters in the film. Ousta is a middle-aged driver. And along with him is Omid a ten-year-old boy and Maliheh. Their three lives seem to be linked together with a chance past. Directed by Sepideh Farsi who was born in Teheran left for Paris in 1984. This is her first full-length feature film.
The original version of the highly successful Hollywood film, Scent Of A Woman, which starred Al Pacino, the Italian film was made in 1992. Left blind and belligerent following the war, an army captain tours Italy with his much put-upon aide using his enhanced sense of smell to pick out women. The Al Pacino version had been nominated for the Academy Awards in the categories of Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Foreign Film. The Original which has the same name is directed by Dino Risi and the Screenplay is by Giovanni Arpino and Ruggero Maccari.
That Bollywood is fast becoming the buzzword at IFFI, which in the past has been known to shy away from anything remotely resembling mainstream Hindi cinema, was evident from the fact that Subhash Ghai (which is as mainstream as one can get) addressed a packed press conference on his upcoming film, Kisna yesterday. The director of blockbusters like Taal, Saudagar and Kalicharan arrived with his heroine Isha Sharvani (who stole the limelight with her dance on the inaugural function), music director Ismail Darbar (of Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam fame, who shares the credits with A R Rahman) and Javed Akhtar and scenarist Farukh Dhondy in tow. Kisna – The Warrior Poet is set in pre-Independence era and stars Vivek Oberoi as Kisna, along with Antonia Barneth a UK actress and Isha Sharvani as Luxmi. Told through the eyes of Antonia who is now old, the film plays in flashback and seeks to give a different perspective on the relations between Indians and Britishers. While the music given jointly by Rahman and Darbar has been appreciated (even though it is reminiscent of Lagaan in certain places) the highlight of the film promises to be Isha’s dance numbers. She is choreographer Daksha Seth’s daughter and has been trained in Kathak and Chhau by her.
The first phase of the festival has yet to take off fully, though the State governmentand DFF have not spared any efforts to keep the viewers happy. The theatres are all within walking distances and the Goan hospitality is par excellence. What’s complementing the festival further is the inclusion of non-film activities like the plays, musical programmes and late evening boat cruises. Goa has proved to be a great venue for the annual event, though the audiences are yet to catch up with the films. A reason for that could be the strict security measures that have been taken to prevent any untoward incidents.
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