1 June 2018
Hyderabad
THE OTTAWA INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS RETURNS FOR A 2nd YEAR WITH AN EXCITING PROGRAMME
Ottawa, May 31, 2018 — The Ottawa Indian Film Festival Awards (OIFFA) is excited to launch the rich and diverse programme of its 2nd edition. As previously announced, the Festival will open on June 13 with director Siddartha Jatla’s first feature film, Love and Shukla, launching 5 days of festivities centered around a strong competition of contemporary, independent Indian films. The Festival will take place from June 13 to 17, 2018, in the heart of Ottawa, at the Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne & VIP as well as Aberdeen Square across from the Cinemas. OIFFA is presented by MeraTango.com.
In Competition this year are 9 features (fiction), 2 documentaries and 5 shorts telling stories from over 9 cities or regions of India from the North to the South of the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Banaras and Rajasthan, as well as from the Indian diaspora in the United States. OIFFA’s Special Events section also includes two out-of-competition feature film presentations, including the inaugural Festival Centrepiece, a showcase dedicated to an event film. In total, the Festival is proud to welcome 2 world premieres, 7 Canadian premieres and 4 Ottawa premieres, both in the Competition and the two Special Events screenings. This is a unique, varied and eye-opening lineup made up of true discoveries, including no less than 10 first feature films (both fiction and documentary) as well as a remarkable number of female filmmakers, producers and artisans. Completing the programme are a variety of special events, including two new contests and the scintillating outdoor performance space that is OIFFA City. The Festival will again conclude with the OIFFA Closing Night Gala & Awards, which will take place this year on Sunday, June 17, at the Infinity Convention Centre.
Details about the whole programme follow.
OPENING AND CLOSING
As announced on May 23rd, the Festival’s Opening Film is Siddartha Jatla’s Love and Shukla, starring Bollywood star Saharsh Kumar Shukla (Raees, Rangoon, Highway and Ugly). Love and Shukla tells a story of sex, love and the search for privacy in a small, one-room Mumbai chawl. It comes to Ottawa riding a wave of worldwide acclaim. Asian Age wrote: “Arresting… moving, thought-provoking.” And Screen International calls it “cathartic… [with] disarming naturalism and charm.” The Festival’s Closing Film is Harish Vyas’ Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain, the story of a simple man, middle-aged Yashwant Batra, who suddenly finds the romance in his heart as he tries to conquer his estranged wife anew. Just released in India a couple of weeks ago, the Punjabi film takes places in Banaras (Varanasi) and is filled with music, a trademark of the film’s director, a true music lover. Both films are also included in the Festival’s Competition.
COMPETITION
Apart from the Opening and Closing Films, the Competition of OIFFA’s 2nd edition includes seven (7) other FEATURE FILMS: Nishil Sheth’s Bhasmasur, in which an absent father embarks on a journey on foot with his son to give away the latter’s most prized possession, his donkey, Bhasmasur; Manish Saini’s DHH, the heartwarming story of three friends and their journey towards realizing their true potential—with a little help from a Magician (Indian superstar Naseeruddin Shah); Garden of Desire (Aedan) by Sanju Surendran offers a kaleidoscope of characters creating visions of love and death, stories within stories, which unfold as two lonely friends play a game with the day’s obituaries; filmmaker Sandeep Modi brings us The Lottery (Chumbak), the coming-of-age story of 15-year-old Baalu, a Mumbai waiter-boy, who stands at a moral crossroads as he struggles with regret trying to scam a poor, mentally-challenged man from the countryside; with Three and a Half (Teen Aur Aadha), Ukraine-born Dar Gai proposes a feature film made of only three 43-minute sequence shots that tell the story of one single building over a period of 50 years; based on real-life events, Chezhiyan Ra’s To Let follows a young family desperately searching for new accommodations through the streets of Chennai, South India, after being evicted from their home by a greedy landlady eager to profit from the city’s booming IT industry; and finally, Vijay Yelakanti brings to us a socially-conscious thriller with W/O Ram, which tells the story of NGO worker Deeksha as she investigates the mysterious murder of her husband, pushing herself far out of her comfort zone to seek justice.
The Competition also includes two (2) DOCUMENTARIES: Akanksha Sood Singh’s The Death Feast (Mrityubhoj), a fly-on-the-wall account of a man organizing a death feast for his father, a remembrance ritual that has become a lavish status symbol for families—and a heavy burden on the poor; and Vrinda Samartha’s Limitless explores the lives of eight long-distance runners, all female, who rediscovered themselves through running, using it as a form of resistance against the patriarchal structures and a celebration of multifaceted notions of freedom.
Finally, five (5) SHORT FILMS are also included in the Competition: Ranjan Chandel’s Beloved (Jaan Jigar), a story of first love set in Northern India; Priyanka Mattoo’s The Homestay, a comedy about an Indian couple visiting their son in the U.S.; Tarun Jain’s Mother (Amma, Meri), a drama about a struggling farmer trying to solve his problems by getting his hands on his mother’s money; Kartikye Gupta’s Please Don’t Call the Cops, a dramedy about an arranged marriage that becomes the biggest—and craziest—adventure of a lifetime; and Aditya Kelgaonkar’s Sound Proof, a cinematic allegory about a young divorced woman caught in a maze of peculiar occurrences.
A jury of three professionals will give the Festival’s various awards, including Best Film and Best Director. The awards will be announced at the Closing Night Gala and the Best Film winner will receive a trophy specially created for OIFFA.
SPECIAL EVENTS
OIFFA’s first Festival Centrepiece is Dipesh Jain’s first feature film, critically-acclaimed In the Shadows (Gali Guliyaan), which is currently enjoying a spectacular international career on the festival circuit. Shown in Busan, Mumbai and Chicago, the film received widespread accolades everywhere it went, buoyed by the prestigious Grand Jury Award received in Mumbai upon its world premiere. OIFFA is especially excited to host the Ottawa premiere of this exceptional psychological drama. Taking place in Old Delhi, In the Shadows tells the story of a man trapped within the walls of an old city and his own mind, who attempts to break free and find a human connection. The film stars one of India’s most cherished character actors, Manoj Bajpayee, a recipient of two National Film Awards, India’s most prestigious honour, whose performances have been called “mesmeric,” “authentic” and “exceptional” by the press throughout his career. Dipesh Jain, a graduate of the prestigious USC Film School, has crafted a stunning first feature, steeped in a singularly hypnotic atmosphere, talking about real, deeply affecting people. The Festival is proud to call In the Shadows its first Festival Centrepiece. The film is presented Friday, June 15, at 4 pm, at the Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne & VIP.
As part of its Special Events, OIFFA is also happy to present a Special Screening of acclaimed Canadian documentary With This Ring from filmmakers Ameesha Joshi and Anna Sarkissian, both graduates of Montreal’s Concordia University. A labour of love 10 years in the making, With This Ring follows the meteoric rise of three Indian women—Mary Kom, Chhoto Loura and Sarita Devi—who sidestep traditional roles to become world champion boxers. With its OIFFA Special Screening, the film comes—at last!—to Ottawa, crowning a world tour of over 15 festivals that started at the Mumbai International Film Festival in 2016. The film is presented on Thursday, June 14, at 6:50 pm, at the Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne & VIP.
In 2018, OIFFA is also launching two new special activities. The 1st Bollywood Poster Competition for Youths proposes OIFFA’s first family-oriented activity. This drawing competition is open to children, tweens and teenagers aged from 7 to 16. Participants will compete in two separate age groups. Group 1 (Ages 7 to 11) is asked to draw a poster of how they imagine a Bollywood film OR how they imagine OIFFA as an Indian film festival taking place in Ottawa. Group 2 (Ages 12 to 16) will have to draw a poster for one of the most famous Bollywood films ever, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, aka DDLJ. The FREE event takes at OIFFA City, the Festival space in Aberdeen Square (opposite the Cineplex Cinemas), in the OIFFA tent, on Saturday, June 16, at 2:30 pm. A jury of professionals will choose the winning poster in each age group. The winners will receive a cash prize of $200 each.
The second special activity, the 1st official 48-Hour Short Film Challenge, takes place the weekend preceding the Festival’s Opening, from Friday, June 8, at 8 PM, to Sunday, June 10, at 8 PM. Registered filmmakers will be required to produce a short film (write, shoot, edit and deliver) in exactly 48 hours, following three parameters—a theme, a specific length and a specific cultural reference—that will be provided to the participants at the last minute. All the films produced during the Challenge will be presented during the Festival on a big screen at the Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne & VIP, on Saturday, June 16, at 10 am. A jury of professionals will award one $2,000 top prize to the best film and name a runner-up, who will receive $500 in cash. All the winners of both activities will be invited to attend the Closing Night Gala & Awards.
Present for a second year in Aberdeen Square opposite the Cineplex Cinemas, the Festival’s outdoor space is inaugurating its official name in 2018! OIFFA City will welcome festival-goers on Friday and Saturday evenings for an Indian extravaganza. Bollywood music and dance performances will entertain the crowds and Indian food will be available for purchase. The festivities start at 6:30 pm on Friday and 5:30 pm on Saturday, closing at 10 pm each night. On Saturday, at 6:30, OIFFA City will also host the Festival’s Meet and Greet with Festival Guests, including popular Canadian-Indian YouTuber Rupan Bal. Born in India and raised in Brampton, Ontario, Bal is of Punjabi ancestry. He gained fame by starring as a stereotypical angry Punjabi mother in fellow comic and YouTuber JusReign’s videos. He now works mostly as an actor and producer in Punjabi films.
The OIFFA Closing Night Gala & Awards will take place on Sunday, June 17, at the Infinity Convention Centre. Guests will be treated to a prestigious evening, starting with a cocktail reception, followed by a lavish Indian feast, dominated by the Award Ceremony and punctuated by various dance performances.
TICKETS AND TICKET INFORMATION
OIFFA’s schedule and information on all the films, including trailers, are available online NOW at oiffa.com. The entire programme will be available soon.
Tickets and passes for the event can be purchased on the Festival’s website at oiffa.com/ticket-terms/.
The Delhi Pass is a 4-film package for $35; the Bombay Pass, a 6-film package for $50. Offered at $265, the OIFFA VIP Pass gives access to all Festival screenings or activities (including Opening and Closing Films and Closing Night Gala & Awards).
Single tickets will also be available at the Box Office on Festival days, from June 13 to 17 (the Box Office will open one hour before the first screening of the day).
All screenings will take place at Cineplex Cinemas Lansdowne & VIP, at Lansdowne Park (325 Marché Way, Unit 107, Ottawa).
OIFFA City activities are FREE. Festival-goers simply need to register on the Festival’s website at oiffa.com to get their free tickets.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
OIFFA is presented by MeraTango and made possible through the support of its many partners. The Festival wishes to thank its sponsors, media partners and community partners, all of whom can be found at oiffa.com on the homepage. OIFFA would also like to thank all its collaborators, suppliers and volunteers as well as all participating filmmakers and artisans for their precious contribution to the success of this 2nd edition of the Festival.
ABOUT OIFFA
OIFFA is the National Capital’s and Eastern Canada’s preeminent festival dedicated to Indian cinema. Now in its second year, the event is dedicated to cultivating an audience for Indian cinema and Indian culture in Ottawa. It showcases Indian films, supports Indian filmmakers and promotes the diverse perspectives of the Indian diaspora. A five-day competitive showcase of multi-genre Indian films, the Festival hosts a number of participating filmmakers as well as a roster of events, which include special screenings, contests and a Meet and Greet session as well as an Indian extravaganza with Indian food, music and dance hosted in the popular Festival space OIFFA City.
ప్రతిష్టాత్మక ‘‘ఒట్టావా ఇండియన్ ఫిిలిం ఫెస్టివల్’’ కు ఎంపికైన ‘‘వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్’’
మంచు లక్ష్మి ప్రధాన పాత్రలో రూపొందిన సినిమా వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్. ఈ సినిమా ఈ నెలలోనే విడుదల కాబోతోంది. విడుదలకు ముందే ఓ అరుదైన గౌరవాన్ని అందుకుంది వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్. ‘ఒట్టావా ఇండియన్ ఫిలిమ్ ఫెస్టివల్’లో అఫీషియల్ స్క్రీనింగ్ కు వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్ ఎంపికయింది. కెనడాలోని ఒట్టావాలో ఈ నెల 13నుంచి 17వరకూ జరగబోయే ఈ ఇండియన్ ఫిలిమ్ ఫెస్టివల్ లో ఫిక్షన్ విభాగం నుంచి 9 చిత్రాలు.రెండు డాక్యుమెంటరీలు, 5 షార్ట్ ఫిలిమ్స్ ను సెలెక్ట్ చేసింది జ్యూరీ. వీటిని ఇండియాలోని 9 ప్రధాన నగరాల నుంచి సెలెక్ట్ చేశారు. వీటిలో హైదరాబాద్ నుంచి మంచు లక్ష్మి ‘వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్’ కు అఫీషియల్ ఎంట్రీ దక్కడం విశేషం. ఈ మొత్తం చిత్రాల్లో ఆల్రెడీ రిలీజ్ అయినవే ఉన్నాయి. కానీ రిలీజ్ కు ముందే సెలెక్ట్ అయిన చిత్రంగా వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్ కు అరుదైన గౌరవం దక్కింది.విజయ్ యెలకంటి దర్శకత్వంలో రూపొందిన ‘‘వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్’’ ప్రేక్షకులకు పూర్తిగా కొత్త అనుభూతినిచ్చే చిత్రంగా పేర్కొంది ఒట్టావా ఫిలిమ్ ఫెస్టివల్ ఆఫ్ ఇండియా.
ఓ NGO లో పనిచేసే దీక్ష అనే యువతి చుట్టూ తిరిగే కథ ఇది. ఆమె భర్తను ఎవరో హత్య చేస్తారు. ఆ రహస్యాన్ని ఛేదించే క్రమంలో ఆ యువతి ఎదుర్కొన్ని వింత, భయానక పరిస్థితులేంటీ అనేది కథ. ఈ చిత్రాన్ని ఒట్టావా ఫిలిమ్ ఫెస్టివల్ ‘సోషియల్లీ కాన్సియస్ థ్రిల్లర్’గా పేర్కొనడం విశేషం.
వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్ దర్శకుడు విజయ్ ఈ నెల 10న ఒట్టావా వెళ్లనున్నాడు. ఈ చిత్రానికి సంబంధించిన స్క్రీనింగ్ అయిపోయేంత వరకూ అతను అక్కడే ఉండి అన్ని అన్ని పనులు చూసుకోబోతున్నాడు. ఈ ఫెస్టివల్ లో ఇండియాలోని వివిధ ప్రాంతాల నుంచి వచ్చిన దర్శకులతో పాటు విదేశీ దర్శకులను కూడా విజయ్ కలుసుకోనున్నారు. ఒట్టావా ఫిలిమ్ ఫెస్టివల్ ఆఫ్ ఇండియాకు ఎంపికైన తొలి చిత్రం కూడా వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్ ఘనత దక్కించుకుంది. ఆ ఘనతను హైదరాబాద్ కు తీసుకువచ్చిన దర్శకుడు విజయ్ యెలకంటితో పాటు నటి నిర్మాణ భాగస్వామి మంచు లక్ష్మిని అభినిందించాల్సిందే.
కృతి ప్రసాద్, విద్యా నిర్వాణ మంచు, ఆనంద్ సమర్పిస్తోన్న ఈ చిత్రాన్ని పీపుల్ మీడియా ఫ్యాక్టరీ, మంచు ఎంటర్టైన్మెంట్స్ సంయుక్తంగా నిర్మిస్తున్నాయి. మంచు లక్ష్మి టైటిల్ పాత్రలో నటిస్తోన్న ‘వైఫ్ ఆఫ్ రామ్’లో సామ్రాట్ రెడ్డి, ఆదర్శ్ బాలకృష్ణ,ప్రియదర్శి, శ్రీకాంత్ అయ్యర్ ఇతర పాత్రల్లో నటిస్తున్నారు.. సాంకేతిక నిపుణులు పీ.ఆర్.వో : జి.ఎస్.కె మీడియా, ఎడిటర్ : తమ్మిరాజు, డైరెక్టర్ ఆఫ్ ఫోటోగ్రఫీ : సామల భార్గవ్, సంగీతం : రఘు దీక్షిత్, మాటలు : సందీప్ గుంటా, ప్రొడక్షన్ డిజైనర్ : దీప్, నిర్మాణం : పీపుల్స్ మీడియా ఫ్యాక్టరీ, మంచు ఎంటర్టైన్మెంట్స్, రచన, దర్శకత్వం : విజయ్ యెలకంటి.
