Press Releases

4TH BENGALURU INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The 4th BIFFES hereby announces the Awards, selected by the respective juries:

1. INTERNATIONAL CINEMA SECTION:
   International jury confers Government of Karnataka Award to:
   
   1. Best film: LUCKY (South Africa / 2011 / Dir: Avie Luthra)
      Producer: Christopher Wilmot.
      Golden Berunda and a Cash prize of Rs.10, 00,000/-
      
      
   2. Best Direction: WHEN WE LEAVE (Germany /2010)
      Directed by Feo Aladag
      Silver Berunda and a cash prize of Rs.5, 00,000/-
      
      
   3. Jury Special Mention: No.89 SHIMEN ROAD (China/2011)
      Directed by Haolum Shu.


2. ASIAN CINEMA SECTION
   Netpac jury confers NETPAC AWARD
   in the name of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce to the film:
   
   FLYING FISH (Sri Lanka /2011)
   Directed by Sanjeewa Pushpa kumara,
   Certificate and a Cash prize of Rs 2,00,000/-
   Presented by Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce.
   
   
3. CHITRABHARATI (INDIAN CINEMA SECTION)
   Film Critics Jury confers Suchitra Sanman award to
   
   NOBEL CHOR (Bengali / 2011)
   Directed by Suman Ghosh
   Certificate and Cash Prize of Rs 2,00,000/-
   Presented by Suchitra Film Society
   
   
4. KANNADA CINEMA SECTION
   Film Society Jury confers Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Award
   Jointly to:
   
   GANDHI SMILES
   Directed by Krish Joshi
   
   and
   
   PUTTAKKANA HIGHWAY
   Directed by B.Suresha
   
   Jury Special Mention for the film:
   CHINTU SCHOOL
   Directed by Sheshagiri Yelameli
   (For realizing the first feature length animation film)
   (Presented by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy)

BIFFES Delegate Registration To Begin November 20
Counters Set at Suchitra, GM Rejoyz, Film Chamber & Info Dept.

Bangalore, November 18, 2011: Delegate registration for the 4th Bengaluru International Film Festival will be launched at 11 AM on Sunday, November 20,2011 at the Information Department on Infantry Road. A counter for registration will be opened during the curtain-raiser seminar for the 4th BIFFES on the theme ‘Kannada Cinema in the Global Context.’ The counter will continue till the end of the festival on Dec 22, 2011.

“Three more counters will be opened for delegate registration from Monday at different parts of the city to facilitate easy access,” said Suchitra Film Society secretary N Vidyashankar. The delegate registration process for the festival has been entrusted to Suchitra. Arrangements are being made for online registration too and will be notified shortly, he added.

The three other counters in the city are: Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) premises, Crescent Road, High grounds; GM Rejoyz Theater Complex, 8th Cross, Malleswaram and Suchitra premises on 9th Main, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bangalore.

Delegate registration fees will be Rs 500 for the general public, Rs 200 for KFCC and film society members and Rs 100 for students. Media accreditation for the 4th BIFFES shall also be provided at the Information Department counter from December 1, 2011. The festival is featuring about 175 films from 40 countries across nine screens in the city and includes four categories in the competition section.

BIFFES Shortlists Films for World Competition
Selects Retrospectives, Focus Films, Classics In Political Genre

Bangalore, November 18, 2011: The 4th BIFFES selection panel has short-listed the titles for the international competition section Bengaluru International Film Festival to be held in December (15 – 22) at four screens in Fame Lido and five other venues in different parts of the city.

“Though this is the first time that BIFFES has announced a competition section, about 40 films were submitted for entry into the international category. Most of the films received are on contemporary themes, made in 2010 and 2011, and have been highly acclaimed in top international festivals,” said BIFFES artistic director HN Narahari Rao. The Indian and Kannada entry into the international competition section will be announced later.

“This is only the beginning,” said festival director and chairman of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy TS Nagabharana. “With the quality of films that will be featured in the competition section this year, we are confident that Bengaluru will become an important international festival venue in the years to come,” he added.

The list of films in the international competition category are:

1. When We Leave, Dir:Feo Aladag (Germany/119/2010)
2. Invisible, Dir:Michal Aviad (Israel/90/2011)
3. 89 Shiwen Road, Dir:Haolum Shu (China/85/2010)
4. Beyond, Dir:Pernilla August (Sweden/99/2010)
5. Busong, Dir:Auraeus Solito (Philipines/93/2011)
6. Ogul (the Son) , Dir:Atilla Cengiz (Turkey/97/2011)
7. Apartment in Athens, Dir:Ruggero Dipaola (Italy/90 mins/2010)
8. In the Name of Devil, Dir:Barbara Sass (Poland/112/2011)
9. The Colors Of The Mountain, Dir:Carlos Cesar Arbelaez (Colombia)
10. Lovely Man, Dir:Teddy Soeriaatmadja (Indonesia/75/2011)
11. King of the Devil’s Island, Dir: Marius Holst (Norway/120/2010)
12. Lucky, Dir:Avie Luthra (South Africa/100/2011)

The South African entry Lucky features the city’s own star actor and Rajya Sabha MP B Jayashree in a leading role for which she recently won the top acting honours at the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival.

The festival organizers also announced the selections for the retrospective and focus sessions at the 4th BIFFES. They are: director Michael Cacoyannis Retrospective (Greece), featuring Our Last Spring (90m/1960), The Trojan Woman, (109m/1971), Iphigenia (127m/1977), The Cherry Orchard (141m/1999) and Sweet Country (143m/1987).

The Theodoros Angelopoulos Retrospective (also Greece) comprises Landscape in the Mist (127m/1988), Eternity and a Day (137m/1998) and The Weeping Meadow (185m/2004).

A special retrospective of the cinema of Iran’s Dariush Mehrjui, who is the guest of honour at the festival, includes The Cow (105m/1969), The Lodgers (110m/1986), Sara (102m/1993), The Pear Tree (96m/1998) and The Music Man (106m/2007).

Taiwanese director Hsiao-hsien Hou’s Retrospective comprises Cafe Lumiere (103m/2003), Goodbye South Goodbye (124m/1996), Good Men Good Women (108m/1195), A Summer at Grandpa (93m/1986) and Daughter of the Nile (91m/1987)

The G Aravindan Retrospective has Thanmpu (129m/1978), Esthappan (94m/1980), Kumatty (90m/1979), Vastuhaara (103m/1991) and Chidambaram (103m/1985). And, the last in the section, Kannada’s legendary Puttanna Kanagal’s Retrospective has Nagarahaavu (184m/1972), Ranganayaki (196m/1981), Sharapanjara (180m/1971), Belli Moda (163m/1966) and Gejje Pooje (162m/1969).

In the Focus sections are films from Poland: Joanna (Dir: Feliks Falk /105m/2010), Flying Pig (Dir: Anna Kazejak/99m/2010), Venice (Dir: Jan Jakub Kolski/110m/2010), Little Rose (Dir: Jan Kidawa-Blonski/118m/2010) and The Rite of Passage (Dir: Janusz Majewski/108m/2010). The other country in focus, Egypt, is showcased with Helipolis (Dir: Ahmad Abdalla/96m/2009), Microphone (Dir: Ahmad Abdalla/120m/2010), 678 (Dir:Mohamed Diab/100m/2010), Hawi (Dir: Ibrahim El-Batout/112m/2010) and Two Girls from Egypt (Dir: Mohammed Amin/120m/2010).

A special attraction at the 4th BIFFES will be a special genre of political cinema featuring Z (Dir: Costa Gavras/France/127m/1969), Interrogation (Dir: Ryszard Bugajski/Poland/118m/1989), Lemon Tree (Dir: Eran Riklis/ Israel/106m/2008), Downfall (Dir: Oliver Hirschbiegel/Germany/156m/2004), The Whistle Blower (Dir: Larysa Kondracki/Canada/121m/2010), a special documentary Air India 182 (Dir: Sturla Gunnarsson/Canada/97m/2008), Mao's Last Dancer (Dir: Bruce Beresford/Australia/117m/2009) and Thanneer Thaneer (Dir: K Balachander/India/143/1981).