Bachchan ‘calls’ for more women in films – Election ‘nightmare’

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LOS ANGELES/KOLKATA, Nov 13, (RTRS): It was standing room only at the Netaji Indoor Stadium as 20,000 people thronged the 12,000 seat venue to catch a glimpse of their favorite Bollywood and Bengali stars at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival on Friday.

The raucous crowd cheered on a bevy of Bollywood stars including icon Amitabh Bachchan, actresses Kajol, Jaya Bachchan, Parineeti Chopra and actors Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt.

Delivering the keynote address, Amitabh Bachchan detailed the history of strong women characters in Indian cinema from “Acchut Kanya” (1936) through the cinema of Satyajit Ray to recent woman empowerment hit “Pink,” that features Bachchan in a starring role alongside Taapsee Pannu. Bachchan called for much greater representation of women in the male-dominated Indian film industry.

The loudest cheers were reserved for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan who is one of the owners of local Indian Premiere League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. Khan delivered a prepared speech in the local language Bengali that brought the house down.

Bengali cinema stars present at the ceremony included Dev, Rituparna Sengupta, Jisshu Sengupta and Paoli Dam.

In her concluding remarks, Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of the state of West Bengal, declared that Kolkata (previously known as Calcutta) is the “culture capital of the world” as it assimilates the film cultures of Bollywood, Hollywood and Tollywood (the nickname of the Bengali film industry).

The festival runs through Nov 18.

“Miss Sloane” is about powerful women in Washington D.C., fighting against an overwhelmingly male-dominated political system. Sound familiar?

At the film’s AFI red carpet premiere at the Chinese Theater on Friday night, the election and its uncanny synchronisation with “Miss Sloane” themes was on everybody’s mind.

Experience

“It’s a nightmare,” said the film’s lead actress Jessica Chastain of this week in politics. “Right here, talking about this right now, this week, it’s not the best experience, but it’s good when it’s a movie that has the message this movie does.”

Chastain, who plays the titular tough-as-nails lobbyist, admitted she wishes she had a little more time to prepare herself before discussing the film after the election. However, she said she feels that the message of female empowerment in the film is more important now than ever.

“I started doing my research and looked at the list of the most successful female lobbyists, and I met them all and asked about their personal lives, their work lives, what it’s like working in a political system that’s dominated by men. I looked at the way that they presented themselves to the world and so much of my character was based on my conversations with those women,” Chastain said.

Even though the mood of the event was somber because of the election, stars including Chastain, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and a pregnant Alison Pill lightened proceedings as they hugged in the middle of the carpet and posed for cameras, recreating the central trio of powerful women in the film.

The AFI Fest screening of “Flirting with Disaster” was presented by IndieWire and Miramax on Friday, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year along with the film.

While writer and director David O. Russell’s career has flourished since the film, starring Ben Stiller, Tea Leoni and Patricia Arquette, the filmmaker said that he still maintains the same work ethic and instills it in his crews.

“Be passionate or don’t be here,” said Russell during a Q & A session at the Chinese 6 Theatres.

“Watching the movie, I see myself as a beginning filmmaker and I’m just cringing,” he joked.

“Flirting with Disaster” tackles many issues that families and couples can relate to, according to Russell, and is something that hasn’t aged.

“It’s about identity and social norms and how bizarre and oppressive they are. The norm of marriage, what you’re family is supposed to be, etc. It’s playing with these social norms that people try to live with that are never perfect,” Russell added. “Everybody is trying to make things work socially but they really don’t work!”

Russell also made a connection between his movie and the outcome of this year’s election, outlining the subversiveness of his film and the irony of it all.

“We’re in the middle of an America that made gay marriage legal and now, who knows, let’s hope that stays,” he said.

Attend

Russell also shined a small spotlight on the Standing Rock Pipeline, as he took a moment to read a text sent to him from Arquette who was unable to attend the panel.

“I’m at Standing Rock and have been asked to provide compost toilets for the water protectors. Here we are working tirelessly to get this done,” she texted, and also expressed her love and gratitude for the director and was saddened she could not attend.

Barry Jenkins’ coming-of-age drama “Moonlight” has won the Golden Orchid Best Narrative Feature award at the Hawaii International Film Festival, Variety has learned exclusively.

The festival, now in its 36th year, announced the winners at private Awards Gala on Friday night in Honolulu. The Golden Orchid is bestowed upon the narrative and documentary films that best express artistic and technical excellence and promote cross-cultural understanding.

“Moonlight,” which premiered at Telluride, is a three-part character study of a black gay man from his troubled Miami childhood to maturity. The film stars Trevante Rhodes, Andre Holland, Janelle Monae, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali.

Jurors Marlene Booth, Beth-Ann Kozlovich and Konrad Ng said in a statement: “Spare language and cinematography with a documentary feel illuminate the possibilities of love, hope and healing in this American yet universal story. The authenticity of the acting and the attention paid to emotions of the characters let the audience see the world through Chiron’s big eyes and open heart, making ‘Moonlight’ accessible to viewers anywhere.”

The jury also announced a Special Mention (Acting) for “Apprentice,” directed by Boo Junfeng. “Knife in the Clear Water,” directed by Wan Xuebo, was also recognized with a Special Mention (Cinematography).

 

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