Cinema Paradiso director Giuseppe Tornatore to honour India's top two projectionists

Giuseppe Tornatore will also host master class with film students. Pic/AFP

Cinephiles will tell you that true magic happens on a theatre's big screen. Filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore showed us that there is as much magic in the projection booth too, as his Cinema Paradiso (1988) told the story of a boy whose friendship with a projectionist leads to his fascination with movies. Naturally, when it comes to honouring projectionists, who better than the famed Italian director? The Oscar-winning director is slated to visit India on September 27 to headline Film Heritage Foundation's (FHF) festival, Cinema Italian Style - Celebrating Tornatore and the Masters of Italian Cinema. As part of the fest, he will present the FHF Lifetime Achievement Award for Cinema Projection to two Indian projectionists.

A still from Cinema Paradiso

Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, President, FHF, says the recognition is a part of his effort to bring the men, who get lost behind cinema's lustre, to the forefront. "Projectionists are the back-end. When you go to see a film, you don't care who is projecting it. But they are working tirelessly. Last year, Naseeruddin Shah gave away the awards. This time, who better than Tornatore to honour them?"

Dungarpur

The two awardees have been selected from six projectionists across the country, on the basis of their experience and range of work. Dungarpur adds, "Two came from Kolkata, and one each from Meerut, Raipur, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. A lot of research goes into shortlisting the projectionists."

The three-day festival - running from September 27 to 29 - will screen iconic Italian films, including Tornatore's Cinema Paradiso and Malèna (2000), at Regal Cinema.