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Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
SRFTI alumnus only Indian among 24 emerging Asian filmmakers at Busan
A file photo of Arnab Laha KOLKATA: Arnab Laha has been officially selected as one of the 24 emerging filmmakers from across Asia, out of 40 countries, and will attend the prestigious Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The alumnus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) is the only talent from India to be selected for the festival's prestigious educational programme called CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy. Laha was selected among eight cinematographers from all over Asia and will be shooting one short film that will be screened at BIFF. The intensive 20-day programme will run from Sept 7 to Sept 26. For cine enthusiasts in Kolkata, BIFF is recognised as Asia's largest and most influential film festival and is regarded as one of the six top festivals in the world, alongside Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Rotterdam, and Toronto. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata This highly competitive fellowship programme is a platform for talented filmmakers to receive mentorship from global industry leaders, collaborate across cultures, and premiere their work on the international stage. The other fellows are from Iran, China, Nepal, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, Lebanon and Pakistan. According to Laha, this selection is a big step forward since it will allow him to deeply understand how filmmakers in South Korea operate—especially in the post-Bong Joon-ho era, when global storytelling standards have risen. 'I'll get to interact with experts, connect with renowned South Asian filmmakers, and gain insights into the Asian film market. This exposure will directly influence my next feature, as I aim to raise the bar for Bengali cinema to meet international standards. As part of BAFA, I'm attending the 'Bridge to Hollywood' workshop with the Motion Picture Association. It offers mentorship from a Hollywood producer and a pitching competition, with a chance to attend film events in the US and Australia,' Laha said. The fellowship will give Laha a 'chance to co-create'. He will be collaborating with an Iranian director to make a five-to-seven-minute short film for an international audience. 'It will premiere at BIFF, giving me a strong platform for global circulation and cultural exchange through cinema,' Laha added. Laha's journey began at St. Xavier's College with a foundation in multimedia and animation before he joined SRFTI's cinematography department. A landmark in his career was serving as the cinematographer for 'The Horse from Heaven', India's official entry to the 95th Academy Awards, Oscars in the Best Live Action Short Film category. His filmography includes 'The Strange Life of Dhrubo' (2025), 'Academy of Fine Arts' (2025), 'Colored Sweets' (2024), 'Horse From Heaven' (2022), and 'Termites' (2021). His cinematography in 'The Strange Life of Dhrubo', which won the Best Film award in the Bengali Panorama segment of KIFF, was lauded by many. Laha thanked his exposure and training at St. Xavier's and SRFTI for shaping him as a multi-disciplinary artist. 'Both institutions shaped me deeply. St Xavier's nurtured my roots in painting and graphic design, and being a topper there gave me the confidence and mentorship to pursue any creative direction. SRFTI provided rigorous training, a treasure of cinema books, and access to great minds like Anil Mehta, Anurag Kashyap, Aditya Vikram Sengupta, and Sudeep Chatterjee. Together, they helped me grow as a holistic artist, not just a technician,' he said.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Faridkot to the red carpet: Prateek Bagi's ‘Mother' set to open Venice film fest
Bathinda: A feature film based on the life of Mother Teresa and epnomo, has been selected as the opening film of the Orizzonti programme at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. Faridkot-based producer Prateek Bagi is the co-producer of the film, who filmed the Kolkata (India) portion of the film. Prateek, though belonging to Faridkot, settled in Kolkata for the last few years. Earlier, Prateek Bagi's film 'Kalkokkho' bagged the national award in the best Bengali film category at the 69th National Film Awards in October 2023. Prateek, who is an alumnus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, has been involved in film production for some years. 'Kalkokkho' highlights the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. "Mother", directed by Macedonian film director and screenwriter Teona Strugar Mitevska and co-produced by Prateek Bagi, is competing with 18 films in the Orizzonti programme, which will be held from August 27 to September 6. The Kolkata leg of the movie was filmed for 11 days across Howrah Bridge, Bara Bazaar, Kumartuli, Southern Avenue, Kalighat, Ahiritola, and at Loreto Convent and St Mary's School in Entally, where Mother Teresa once taught. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Lamper Lor: Unsold Sofas May Be at Bargain Prices (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo Grandson of freedom fighter Ram Prasad Bagi from Faridkot and son of Satish Bagi and Bindu Bagi, Prateek produced films Kalkokkho (2021), Mon Pontogo (2024), and Srishti (2025) as a producer with production house Raging Films. "We are elated over the film Mother, co-produced by Prateek, being selected for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. Hope it makes it big in the festival," said proud father Satish Bagi, who runs a laboratory in Faridkot. MSID:: 122907749 413 |
Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Mother, co-produced by Faridkot based Prateek Bagi selected for Orizzonti programme at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival
BATHINDA: Mother, a feature film on the life of 'Mother Teresa' has been selected as the opening film of the Orizzonti programme at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. Faridkot based producer Prateek Bagi is co-producer of the film, who filmed the Kolkata (India) portion of the film. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Prateek though belongs to Faridkot but settled in Kolkata for the last some years. Earlier Parteek Bagi' film 'Kalkokkho' had bagged the national award in the best Bengali film category at the 69th National Film Awards in October 2023. Prateek, who is an alumnus of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, is into film production for some years. 'Kalkokkho' highlights the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. "Mother", which has been directed by Macedonian film director and screenwriter Teona Strugar Mitevska has been co-produced by Prateek Bagi, is competing with 18 films in the Orizzonti programme which will be held from August 27 to September 6. The Kolkata leg of the movie was filmed for 11 days across Howrah Bridge, Bara Bazaar, Kumartuli, Southern Avenue, Kalighat, Ahiritola, and at Loreto Convent and St Mary's School in Entally where Mother Teresa once taught. Grandson of freedom fighter Ram Prasad Bagi from Faridkot and son of Satish Bagi and Bindu Bagi, Prateek produced films Kalkokkho (2021), Mon Pontogo (2024) and Srishti (2025) Kalkokkho (21) as producer with production house Raging Films. 'We are elated over the film Mother, co-produced by Prateek selected for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. Hope it makes it big in the festival', said proud father Satish Bagi, who runs a laboratory at Faridkot.
Economic Times
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
A lonely footballer breathes life into clay
News of cross-cultural exchanges and transnational cooperation in the arts have become oxygen for my determined optimism in an increasingly divided world. The Oscars earlier this year delivered tankfuls of hope with the Iranian auteur-in-exile Mohammad Rasoulof's Farsi film, The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Daane-ye anjeer-e ma'abed), in the fray as Germany's entry in the Best International Feature race, while Britain entered a Hindi language production - British Indian director Sandhya Suri's Santosh - in that category. Both were premiered last summer at the Cannes Film Festival, an event that routinely throws up instances of blurring borders. One such heartening collaboration at the just-concluded Cannes 2025 bears a stamp of India. A Doll Made Up of Clay - part of the official selection for the students' competition at the fest - is written and directed by Kokob Gebrehaweria Tesfay, an Ethiopian student of Kolkata's Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), and recipient of the ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) African Scholarship. Produced by a fellow student, Sahil Manoj Ingle, this 23-min short features a multiracial, multinational team, including a Bangladeshi editor, Mahmud Abu Naser. It blends Yoruba and Bengali dialogues, and is about a Nigerian footballer in Kolkata, played by Ibrahim Ahmed -- a Nigerian footballer in Kolkata. It is, as Kokob told me in an interview on the eve of his Cannes premiere, 'a collective effort' and a truly international creation. In the film, Ibrahim plays Oluwaseyi, a youngster stranded in India after an injury stalled his dream of building a career in football. Battling loneliness, depression, financial deprivation and racism, Oluwaseyi finds solace in the arms of a woman (played by Geeta Doshi), who is haunted by her past. Kokob, grandson of a priest from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, brings his awareness of Christian imagery and African folklore to the film, in addition to his observations of Hindu iconography. Oluwaseyi is Christian. A painting of Jesus' mother, Mary, is given prominence, while the rosary is a constant presence. In his desperation to repair mind and body, Oluwaseyi turns to a healing tradition from his homeland, amalgamating it with a belief articulated by an elderly local who sculpts Durga idols - the common factor in both is faith in the power and divinity of clay. Indian filmmakers have often been guilty of stereotyping and exoticising people of Africa, on rare occasions when they have been represented on screen here. Sudani from Nigeria, a 2018 Malayalam hit directed by Zakariya Mohammed, is an uncommon example of Indian cinema featuring an important African character portrayed with empathy. That film was charming, but it steered clear of the racism prevalent in India. In A Doll Made Up of Clay, Kokob boldly addresses this truth despite his fondness for Kolkata, which he now calls 'my second home', and India, which he describes as 'the home of cinema'. He is conscious of the difference between his own experience of the country, as a light-complexioned African, in contrast with Ibrahim, whose black skin and Muslim name have made him the target of prejudice. His film, Kokob said, 'is 80% Ibrahim's story, and 20% fiction'. The overlap between the pain of an actual person and a scripted version of him is mirrored by cinematographer Vinod Kumar's frames capturing a desolate, muddied Kolkata, and the poignance conveyed by sound designer Soham Pal, along with music composer Himangshu Saikia. The film urges us to introspect, even while being a cause for celebration since it showcases SRFTI's - and India's - laudable effort to nurture and partner with global talent. 'At this time full of conflict,' Kokob told me, 'it's an awesome feeling that as people from four different countries, we have come together for art. The world is going through a hard time, but we have become one for cinema.' (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. What's slowing Indian IT's AI deals? The answer is hidden in just two words. Jolt to Çelebi could turn a big gain for this Indian firm that once had deep Turkish ties Nestlé India's outgoing CEO Narayanan weathered the Maggi storm; Tiwary must tackle slowing growth Uncle Sam vs. Microsoft: Which is a safer bet to park money? ONGC squandered its future once. Can it be different this time? Will revised economic capital framework lead to higher RBI dividend to govt? These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 30% return in 1 year, according to analysts Buy, Sell or Hold: Emkay Global upgrades SAIL to buy; YES Securities sees 13% upside in VA Tech Wabag Railways stocks: Time to be contrarian; will bearish analysts go wrong again? 6 stocks, 2 with buy recos, 4 with sell recos
New Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Why filmmakers can't do without Cannes
I first met independent Assamese filmmaker Rima Das in 2017 at the Marché du Film or Cannes Film Market, when her second feature, Village Rockstars, was featured in the 'HAF Goes To Cannes' initiative. Having been part of the Work In Progress Lab of Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), it had made its way to the market's prestigious platform which provided Das the opportunity to look for post-production funds and pitch to sales agents and other festivals. Goes To Cannes, one of the tailor-made official programmes at the Cannes Film Market, aims to discover promising, new-generation talents through their works-in-progress, selected and curated by partner festivals like the HAF. Thanks to it, not only did Das get a great mentor in the famous editor, Jacques Comets, who guided her with the first cut of Village Rockstars, but found the world opening its door for her modest indie. About a free-spirited and rebellious 10-year-old village girl Dhunu who dreams of owning a guitar and makes herself Styrofoam one till she gets a real one, the film played at hundreds of international festivals thanks to the initial exposure at Cannes. At Toronto and San Sebastian, it was the first film from Northeast India to be featured in the official selection. It won the National Award for the best film in 2018 and went on to represent India at the Oscars. This year, the debut feature of Tribeny Rai—a Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute graduate—Shape of Momo was showcased under the same section. Rai is from Sikkim and her Nepali-language film is set in her home state. She was looking for gap-financing, post-production funds and interactions with sales agents and festival programmers. Whether Shape of Momo will also follow the same trajectory of success as Das's film can't quite be predicted. But what's amply clear is the significance of the market for independent Indian filmmakers trying to strike their own course in the international arena, away from the claptrap and constraints of commercial Indian cinema.
