LONG ROAD AHEAD FOR AZERBAIJANI CINEMA

Mobbed by adoring crowds, Tahmina Rafaella the lead in ‘Inner City’ (2016), manages to make a crucial point that the film is also about the “inner city” of a person’s life. Rafaella, along with her parents, was present at the screening of the film, which she co-wrote and produced. The constant demands of selfies both inside and outside the IFFI multiplex did not stop Rafaella from opening up about Azherbhaijan, her country, and the films there. In a brief conversation with The Peacock, Rafaella gives a brief glimpse into the beautiful country of Azerbhaijan.

“It’s a very special film. I wanted to show the society how women can be different,” she asserts. The film uses the metaphor of a labyrinthine city (shot in the capital, Baku) to show the lives of women, against the backdrop of Azerbaijani society as well as the military conflict in the country. Rafaella, only 21 years old is leading her country’s film industry with her effort in ‘Inner City’. Besides ‘Inner City’, Rafaella has also worked in ‘The Blacklist’ (2013) and ‘Guilt’ (2016).

“It is a very European society,” she says of Azerbaijan, “in the sense that women can wear the clothes they like, even date guys. But underneath there are strong social pressures regarding expectations of marriage and profession.” For instance, the choice of getting into movies as a writer, director or actor – a choice that Rafaella herself made – is not very popular in Azerbaijan, she informs dejectedly.

Rafaella also gives a glimpse of the film industry in Azerbaijan. “They are trying to develop. We have no film with depth,” she states. Films in Azerbaijan are either “art house” films or made for the box office.

Cinema is not considered a “serious” business in Azerbaijan. It is not just women in cinema, but men too face social pressures, Rafaella emphasizes. Getting into professions such as medicine (which Arzu, the lead hopes to study), or working for an oil firm (also depicted in the film) are considered as conforming to the expectations of society. “Nobody makes money making films in Azerbhaijan,” she laughs.

The film as much as about inner struggles is also about “social pressures.” As a country Azerbaijan too faces certain pressures. Its bid to enter the European Union, and the challenges that it brings are reflected in the film. In an Orhan Pamuk-esque sense, Azerbaijan is trying to find a balance between European values and the country’s more traditional values. “They are trying to get into the European mold. They have the resources, such as money,” she informs. “But here is a long way to go,” she indicates hopefully. The film is also about negotiating the pulls of contrasting value systems. Indeed, the film switches between depicting Baku’s modern buildings and its old architecture.

What does this mean for the future of Azerbaijani cinema industry? “If the industry involves the right people and take risks, make more useful films, bring in a young point-of-view then there is a lot of potential,” she concludes on a hopeful note.

 (A version of this article was first published in The Peacock, 25 November, 2016)

“BEING INDEPENDENT IS EMPOWERING” MEENA LONGJAM

An engaged audience discussed a hot IFFI 2016 topic, ‘The Scope and Challenges for the Independent Film-Maker’ at the sprawling water-front Kala Academy complex on Nov 23rd. The session was hosted by Open Forum, now a popular annual fixture at India’s largest and most prestigious film festival. The series is organized by the Federation of Film Societies in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals and the Entertainment Society of Goa.

Yesterday’s panel included Rajeev Shinde, the filmmaker from Goa whose ‘K Sera Sera’ (2016) is the only Konkani film screened as part of the Indian Panorama 2016, Pierre Filmon, the French director of ‘Close Encounter with Vilmos Zsigmund’ (2016), the actor and Indian Panorama 2016 jury member Rama Vij, Hyderabad-based director of ‘Parampara’ (2014) Madhu Mahankali, and Meena Longjam, from Manipur, who made ‘Auto Driver’ (2015).

On a warm and balmy afternoon overlooking the slow-flowing Mandovi river, the panelists shared their experiences of being independent filmmakers, and the challenges faced in making and distributing their work. “Being independent is empowering,” said Longjam, “And I think with all the empowerment there are challenges. To me this is independent filmmaking.”

Despite financial difficulties that go along with independence, all the participants stressed how important passion becomes in the process of making an indie film.

Shinde believes the wide availability of talent and training means good films can be made with a small budget, “I am a teacher at the Goa College of Fine Arts. For my film the students have done the art direction, VFX, and such other things,” he says proudly. But “just being a story-teller is not enough,” he stressed, there is a need for skillful marketing, and the use of technology to “take your films to the public.”

Filmon underscored the importance of technology – like the internet – for independent filmmakers to reach out to their audiences. “You have to build a community that will help you. It doesn’t matter how, but connect with [other] people. Making the film is just the beginning.”

Mahankali explained “if you are competing with the mainstream films you are in for a struggle.” He recommends theatres with reasonably priced tickets which could gamble on independent films, saying “in this age it is very important for independent funding houses to help out”.

Vij, primarily an actor, agreed with the panel of directors that passion should come first. “If you want to tell a story just plunge into it. I think we should be courageous enough to just do it.”

(A version of this article was first published in The Peacock, 24 November, 2016) 

“OLLI HIMSELF SAID THAT IT WAS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF HIS LIFE” J. P. PASSI

Though shot in black and white, the Finnish film ‘The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki’ (2016) is full of sparkle and color. Its cinematographer, J. P. Passi told an amused screening audience at IFFI 2016, “though your Bollywood has much color and dance, this film of ours has very little dance, and no color!”

Passi is based in Riihimäki, 70 kilometers from Helsinki. In conversation with The Peacock about his biopic featuring little-known Finnish boxer, Olli Mäki and his wife Raija, he said “they are lovely people. Olli was very polite and always acted like a gentlemen towards his opponents. He never wanted to knock them out.” Now the real-life Olli and Raija have become big fans of the movie (in which they make a brief appearance on screen), “they go to watch it every time they get an opportunity.”

Though Mäki lost a much-hyped bout to the American Davey Moore in 1962, you have to watch the film to find out why he doesn’t regret it. “Olli himself said that it was the happiest day of his life,” Passi explains.

92 minutes long, the black and white feast has generated an unlikely global interest in Finnish films.

“Our industry is small,” says Passi, “particularly compared to India. We have about 20 premieres to your 2000 every year.” It is not surprising, therefore, that “nobody gets rich” in Finland making movies. Even within Europe, Passi admits that Finland – and therefore Finnish cinema – is marginal, “we are a small country and a bit isolated.” But that also has advantages, as political turmoil in Europe doesn’t have much direct impact. “I don’t know about the future,” he declares, “that’s the great thing about the future.”

Passi isn’t a big fan of the Finnish film industry. “I am not that interested in Finnish films. Most of them suck,” he says, “I have to be honest, many of them are childish.” According to him, most films in Finland are blatantly commercial, “I feel that I am not a part of the Finnish industry”. This means freedom from formula, so that ‘The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki’ could focus “on the most humiliating part of Olli’s career. We felt that this was the most interesting part.”

(A version of this article was first published in The Peacock, 23 November, 2016) 

VIRTUAL REALITY, AZADI, AND CINEMA POSTERS

“Azadi 70 Saal, Yaad Karo Qurbani” (70 Years of Independence, Remember the Sacrifices) is the focus of National Film Archives of India’s (NFAI) exhibition at IFFI 2016. Last year NFAI introduced multimedia to complement their annual exhibition of film posters. This year, Virtual Reality technology has been introduced to provide a virtual tour of the NFAI headquartered in Pune, the facilities made available there, the type of archival and restoration work the organization undertakes, and how some of the most valuable films on celluloid are stored.

The present exhibition has a range of posters from various languages paired with film clips, along with the virtual reality. One can browse through the art work of such posters like Seva Sadan (Tamil, 1938), Vande Mataram (Telugu, 1939) under the category “Social Films with Political Overtones”. The category “National Leaders and Freedom Struggle” features Hum Dono (Hindi, 1961), Haqeeqat (Hindi, 1964). The artwork of films like 1857 (Hindi, 1946), Ek Kadam (Hindi, 1947), and Shaheed (Hindi, 1948) are also displayed. Visitors can also watch old propaganda and news films, all of which have been preserved at NFAI. Old black-and-white films like “Attack: The Battle for New Britain” or newsreel clips from Indian News Parade on how Indian nationalist leaders reacted to the viceroy’s decisions or the geopolitical situation off the coast of Japan are also quite interesting.

The virtual reality section of the NFAI exhibition has two parts: the first consists of the tour of NFAI and their activities; the second is more interactive, comprising a virtual exhibition of film posters. The viewer can take a virtual walk around a gallery, and read the brief note under each of the posters.It’s a positive addition to the overall experience of this annual IFFI fixture.

Director of NFAI,Prakash Magdum told The Peacock the selection of posters was done in consonance with the theme, seeking to highlight the institution’s collection of archival material on the sacrifices of freedom-fighters, social evils and developmental issues, as well as the contribution of the nation’s armed forces.

While the effort is commendable, this viewer was left feeling there could have been more archival material made available, and it could have been presented in a better way, especially since the audio-visual component can be stimulating and generate more interest in the exhibition. Magdum told The Peacock there were some practical and logistical difficulties in adding more material to the exhibition.

“The thing is that a theme-based focus is needed,” he says, citing the sheer size of the archive which holds more than 25,000 posters. The equipment needed and the requirement to keep the virtual reality clip short to accommodate as many persons as possible in a limited time frame means that there are also constraints on using such technology in the exhibition. Bearing in mind these factors, he says, “we have tried our best.”

While the theme of “70 Years of Independence…” draws on history, one needs to be sure of being objective and representative. “We have tried to take the (archival) material from all possible languages,” Magdum explains.

Considering the value of the irreplaceable NFAI archives to lay and serious cinephiles alike, one would be interested to know of the institution’s future plans. Apart from efforts to make the archival material available as much as possible to the public through social media, Mr. Magdum says “I can promise you that there will be a very interesting theme (for next year’s) exhibition.”

(A version of this article was first published in The Peacock, 22 November, 2016) 

KOREAN MOVIES ARE ABOUT THE “STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE”

Many in India have spent countless hours watching Korean films on YouTube – or at least have spent an excruciating amount of time ‘buffering’ Korean films. These films can be said to have a cult following in India; youth in the northeastern states of India thrive on Korean films and music. Therefore, a Korean director being honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the 47th IFFI, 2016 is an opportunity for many to get to know the people behind this prolific film industry, which has churned out classics like My Sassy Girl (2001), Old Boy (2003), and The Classic (2003) amongst others.

Im Kwon-Taek, the octogenarian who has directed over a hundred films has been awarded the IFFI Lifetime Achievement Award this year. Kwon-Taek is considered in South Korea as the “Father of Korean Cinema.” The global popularity and fan-following of Korean cinema owes its existence to the “New Korean Cinema” or “New Korean Wave” that produced commercially-driven films. Kwon-Taek is credited, along with a couple other directors, with founding this movement.

Kwon-Taek received critical acclaim in the 1980s, though he was making films even earlier. Films like Mandala (1981), The General’s Son I, II, & III (1990, 1991, 1992), and Soepyeonje (1993) are some of his well received films.

His influence cannot be denied. The tag of “Father of Korean Cinema” is very true, confirms Jong-Soo Kim, the New Delhi correspondent of Korean Broadcasting System, a media company. But for a man who has worked so much all his life and who is such an influential figure in Korean cinema, Kwon-Taek appears to be an unassuming man. He was kind enough to jot down the names of Indian movies like 3 Idiots and (and the not-so Indian) Slumdog Millionaire to respond to the obvious questions by reporters. He repeated several times that he is ashamed and embarrassed about some of the “immature” films he has made – especially during his formative “immature” days. The lifetime award is an indication, he says, to make more movies.

While the commercially-driven Korean New Wave movement has reached a global audience, boosting the Korean economy and tourism along the way, one is curious as to what these films can tell us about Korean culture. One of the most defining features of Korean films is the ‘twist’ to the story; the unexpected and unimaginable ‘twist’ that Korean filmmakers have been able to add to even the most simple of love stories, for instance. Is this ‘twist’ connected in any way to Korean culture?

Jong-Soo Kim explains, “There is an old Korean saying, ‘You have to listen till the end of the story’.” There seems to be a cultural requirement that the stories Koreans tell – even the most mundane ones – should have a twist at the end. “No twists, no fun,” Jong-Soo Kim states very simply. Korean people want their stories to be ‘fun’ and the ‘twists’ make their stories fun.

What makes Korean films (including K-POP music) so popular? Jong-Soo Kim explains that the films and music is made in a uniquely Korean style that he calls ‘Korean Dynamic Style’. It is the way the Korean artists dress, dance, and generally perform. Korean Dynamic Style is also the manner in which the sets and settings are composed in the Korean movies, he elaborates.

But Korean films are also a serious engagement with the culture and history of Korea. Many of Kwon-Taek’s films are about depicting the traditional culture; a culture that the Korean youth are rapidly moving away from. “You can learn about politics, sociology, or why our youngsters struggle in South Korea today from our films,” says Jong-Soo Kim.

Ultimately Korean films are about how Koreans “struggle to survive” in the world. This is how Jong-Soo Kim sums up the spirit of one of the largest filmmaking industries in the world, which earns over 50 million dollars annually from its domestic films.

(A version of this article was first published in The Peacock, 21 November, 2016)