24 September,2014 12:35 PM IST | | Shakti Shetty
Day two of the fifth edition of Jagran Film Festival saw curiosity get the better of cine-lovers
Actors Veena Jamkar and Nandu Madhav from the Marathi film, Tapaal at the fifth Jagran Film Festival. Pic/Shadab Khan
On the second day of the fifth edition of Jagran Film Festival, the variety of films on offer was too tempting to ignore. This was reflected in the rise in footfall.
Audience at the fifth Jagran Film Festival at PVR, City Mall. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Throughout the day, cine-buffs continued to throng the halls to catch as many films as possible. With three Asian premieres and some regional Indian films, there was plenty to keep film lovers hooked. This apart, aspiring filmmakers too were in attendance since the engaging lineup of films was accompanied by master classes and workshops.
Actors Veena Jamkar and Nandu Madhav from the Marathi film, Tapaal at the fifth Jagran Film Festival. Pic/Shahdab Khan
The day commenced with the Asian premiere of director Taishi Shiode's hauntingly beautiful Japanese film, Death & Tanya. Another international film that had its Asian premiere was Supernova and its screening attracted an encouraging response. Among the Indian films that were showcased, Pannaiyarum Padminiyum managed to draw in a good mix of crowd. This Tamil feature is expected to garner accolades on the film fest circuit.
Gulaab Gang director Soumik Sen
For those who missed the opening film, Austrian war drama The Woods Are Still Green, a repeat screening was held for the audiences. Following this, Spanish film, To Kill a Man, was shown and this film too earned applause from audiences.
Taking forward Jagran's tradition of showcasing short films through a unique platform, a special collection of Spanish short films was presented, including Lander Camarero's 11 minute short film, A Political Story, Aritz Moreno's seven minute film, Colera, BorjaCobeaga's 11-minute short film, Democracia, Izibene Onederra's five-minute short film Hotzanak, You're Your Own Safety, and director Raul De La Fuente's 27-minute film, Minerita.
Bollywood lovers indulged themselves at the screening of Soumik Sen's Gulaab Gang in the evening.
A wide reach
In keeping with the tradition of holding master classes, PVR Andheri saw a series of sessions and workshops hosted by film experts. The Embassy of Cyprus showcased a wide range of filming locations in Cyprus in a session, titled Locations. The film helped shed light on the need to explore cheaper but more exotic locales for shooting films. This presentation saw technicians as well as film students in attendance.
A special panel discussion, titled Coffee Table, brought together who's who from world cinema, including renowned cinematographer Madhu Ambat, National Award-winning director Kavita Lankesh and actor Mikhael Kristof (from the film, The Woods are Still Green).
To add to this, an exclusive Meet the Directors session gave fans and aspiring filmmakers a chance to meet talented film director Dibakar Bannerjee, who shared his insights and spoke about his vast body of work.
Regional and Hindi fare
Director Laxman Utekar's Marathi film, Tapaal, was warmly received while the old-is-gold mantra seems to have clearly worked at the screening of Woh Saat Din. Shyam Benegal's much-talked about 2005 biopic Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero, too was well appreciated.
Vijay Raaz's Kya Dilli Kya Lahore saw hordes of movie lovers turn up. World cinema lovers too weren't disappointed had as day two saw the screening of Jean Renoir's black and white French film, Grand Illusion (1937).
