L’tribute to Bimal Roy, cult director of Indian cinematography, recognized as the master of realist cinema of his country; the participation of the award-winning director Anurag Kashyap, considered the most influential contemporary author of the Subcontinent, known to Western audiences for the Netflix series “Sacred Games” and the celebrations for the twentieth anniversary of the superkolossal “Devdas” by Sanjay Leela Bhansal, an epic love story and cornerstone of Bollywood cinema.
These are some of the appointments on the 22nd River River to River Florence Indian Film Festivalin program from 6 to 11 December at the La Compagnia cinema in Florence (via Cavour 50/R) and online on the Più Compagnia platform in collaboration with MYmovies (www.mymovies.it/ondemand/river-to-river).
There will be 34 screenings in the programme, including feature films, docs, shorts, series and artists’ films in Italian and European premieres. Among the proposals there is also a dense program of side initiatives including talks, exhibitions, gastronomic explorations, fashion shows and fashion projects for a 360° “India experience” (info: www.rivertoriver.it). Of note is the story of world cricket champion Mitali Raj, played by superstar Taapsee Pannu, in “Shabaash Mithu” by Srijit Mukheriji (9/12 at 20.30); the slum of Dharavi – the largest in all of Asia – and the iconic ghats of Calcutta – the stairways that slope down into the waters of the river – narrated in the documentaries, “Let’s Talk about Dharavi” by Sanjay Ranade (8/12 at 19.00) and “The Dying Ghats of Calcutta” by Poulomee Auddy and Atreyee Basak (9/12 at 6.30pm). And then the section dedicated to video art in collaboration with the Kochi-Muzuris Biennial (9/12 at 19.00) and, on the centenary of Pasolini’s birth, a performance to celebrate his relationship with India (11/12 at 11.00) .
“We are happy to be able to return to the hall with the guests who will meet the public live”, says Selvaggia Velo. “This year’s program is varied, with intense and profound themes and stories, which touch different chords, continues the director. The family, love, women: all essential elements for the existence of each of us, demonstrating therefore to be eager to penetrate the heart of things”
GUEST STAR – ANURAG KASHYAP
The guest of honor of this edition is the director Anurag Kashyap, defined as the Indian Quentin Tarantino for authorial depth, narrative style and extreme characters. Awarded four times at the Filmfare Awards, the highest accolade for Hindi-language cinema. Master in portraying the darkest India, beyond the glamor of Bollywood, it is to him that the English director Danny Boyle was inspired for the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”. Kashyap will be in Florence together with the actor Karan Mehta to present the European premiere of his latest film “Almost Pyaar” (11/12 at 20.30) and one of his most recent works: the supernatural thriller “Dobaaraa” (10/12 20.30).
TRIBUTE TO DIRECTOR BIMAL ROY, GIANT OF INDIAN CINEMA
The master of Indian neorealism Bimal Roy will be the protagonist of a tribute with the screening of two of his most celebrated works. It starts with “Do Bigha Zamin” (Two hectares of land) the first Indian film to win the International Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1954: the story is that of the Bengali farmer Shambhu, forced to abandon his land to return it to its intended owner to build a factory. To be able to redeem it he has only three months of time, during which he will have to raise enough money to pay off his debts (10/12 at 16.00). It continues with “Bandini” (1963), Roy’s latest work, winner of six Filmfare Awards, the most prestigious film award in India, which recounts the sacrifice of a woman – the icon of Hindi cinema Nutan – during the fight for the independence of India (8/12 at 16.00).
DEVDAS – 20 YEARS OF THE BOLLYWOOD KOLOSSAL
Space for Bollywood sequins, songs and choreography: to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Sanjay Leela Bhansal’s super blockbuster “Devdas”, the festival will bring back to the big screen and for the first time at River to River, the epic love story of Devdas and Paro and the legendary music and dances that accompany it. Presented at the 55th Cannes Film Festival, the film follows the story of young Devdas: having just returned to India after 10 years of study in Europe, the boy hopes to marry the childhood companion he has always been in love with, but the rich his family opposes it. Convinced that Paro, descended from generations of dancers, belongs to a lower caste than theirs, they will distance her from her son until she marries another man, plunging Devdas into a maelstrom of self-destruction (11/12 at 15.00).
TRIBUTE TO PIER PAOLO PASOLINI
River to River in collaboration with the literary festival La Città dei Lettori signs the co-production in homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini on the 100th anniversary of his birth. For the occasion, the Murmuris theater company will bring “Azioni Corsare” to the festival: performative moments with readings from two texts by the great writer, director and poet: “L’odore dell’India” and “Scritti corsari”. This will be followed by a matinee with a screening of “Notes for a film on India”, a work in which Pasolini documents the city of Mumbai in its extreme and very poor suburbs, filming its inhabitants and conversing with the local intellectuals ( 11/12 at 11.00).
OPENING AND CLOSING FILM
The inauguration of the event is entrusted to “Godavari”, an ensemble film set on the banks of the homonymous river signed by the director Nikhil Mahajan, who will meet the audience in the hall together with the actor Jitendra Joshi. In the city of Nashik, one of the oldest in India, a family tries to cope with two deaths: one they know about and one they are not prepared for. It deals with the relationships between parents and children, husbands and wives, and the concept of tradition in the Indian family system, on the thread of the combination of old and new, life and death, religion and spirituality (6/12 at 20.30). The festival will greet the public with the European premiere of “Almost Pyaar”, in the presence of director and actor Karan Mehta, the latest masterpiece by director Anurag Kashyap, a love story between India and London which, with its soundtrack amazing (11/12 at 20.30).
FEATURE FILMS IN COMPETITION
The feature films in competition for the Audience Award will range from women’s stories, horror stories and major sports events. After the opening with “Godavari” (6/12 at 20.30) we continue with “Powai” by Kuldip Patel, in the European premiere three female lives that intertwine in the Mumbai district of the same name, in a work that immerses the viewer in rhythm of one of the most unique cities in the world (7/12 at 20.30). Again: the Italian premiere of “#Homecoming”, a film signed by director Soumyajit Majumdar, present at the festival, who observes the reunion between a group of theater actors, reunited after seven years in what had been their rehearsal space, now destined to make way for a hotel: in just one night memories of the past, new lives and old loves will meet (8/12 at 20.30). Mithali Raj, captain of the Indian women’s national cricket team from 2004 to 2022, a mythical figure considered one of the greatest players of all time, will star in Srijit Mukheriji’s Bollywood biopic “Shabaash Mithu” for the first time in a European cinema (9/ 12 at 20.30), while space for suspense with “Dobaaraa”, a skilful mix of thriller and science fiction signed by Anurag Kashyap, present at the screening, which tells the story of a woman who is presented with the possibility of saving a boy who died twenty years earlier , communicating with him through a bizarre TV channel (10/12 at 20.30). Conclusion again with Anurag Kashyap, together with Karan Mehta for “Almost Pyaar” (11/12 at 20.30).
DOCUMENTARIES IN COMPETITION
Spotlight on documentaries, which will take the public from Mumbai to Bangalore via Calcutta, all premieres for Europe: “Neither a Girl nor a Woman” by Anjali Patil, an investigation into what it means to be a woman in today’s India (7/12 at 17.00); “Let’s Talk about Dharavi”, a journey through one of the largest slums in the world which sees its own inhabitants at the center as told by the director Sanjay Ranade (8/12 at 7.00pm); “The Dying Ghats of Calcutta”, by Poulomee Auddy and Atreyee Basak a look at the ghats of Calcutta, the typical lodges and stairways built along the Ganges river, between stories, lives and traditions (9/12 at 18.00); “Life in a Bowl – Bangalore”, with which the director Purandar Chaudhuri leads the spectators among the scents, flavours, views and secrets of the city: a full immersion of the senses in the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka (11/12 at 18.30 ).
SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION
Like every year, River to River offers a selection of the best short films produced in India and unreleased in Italy, the result of the work of young emerging directors. To open the screenings stories of conflicts with traditions, censorship and justice: “Bena” by Vrushali Telang, a woman is unjustly accused of theft of jewels, but she is certain of her honesty; “I still don’t know” by Maaria Sayed, an Indian girl in Italy is torn between her home world at home and life outside her with Italian peers; “Those Seven Steps” by Pavitra Verma, Meghna is forced into an arranged marriage, but perhaps she will be able to overcome the sense of guilt towards her mother and escape; “Kiss” by Varun Grover, a director waits outside a cinema for the verdict of the censorship commission, but something will happen for which the commission will remain banned (7/12 at 18.30). It continues with male stories between dream and reality: “Adventures of Faisal Rehman” by Mir Ijlal Shaani, inspired by “Gli amori difficile” by Italo Calvino; “The Astronaut and his Parrot” by Arati Kadav, an astronaut is stranded on the moon and will be able to communicate with his daughter in a unique way; “Mein, Mehmood” by Prataya Saha (present in the room), the hard life of Mehmood, an emigrated travel agent who tries to survive in a world of competition; “Line of Duty” by Mayank Malhotra (present in the room), a young recruit on the border with Pakistan has to choose whether to behave as a soldier or as a human being (10/12 at 18.30).
WEB SERIES
Not only films at River to River: “Modern Love Mumbai” arrives at the cinema, the six-episode miniseries set in the Indian megalopolis that explores the most diverse forms of human connection: from romantic love to platonic relationships, passing from family affection to erotic attraction (8/12, 5/12, 10/12 and 11/12 at 18.00).
VIDEO ART – KOCHI MUZIRIS BIENNALE
The synergy, inaugurated last year, continues with the prestigious Kochi-Muziris Biennial, the largest art exhibition in India and the largest contemporary art festival in Asia. Exclusively in Italy, three works by the Pakistani artist Bani Abidi, born in Karachi and currently living in Berlin, will be screened. For Adibi, video is a powerful and often subversive tool that allows her to investigate the theme of nationalism – especially the one concerning the Indo-Pakistani conflict – and its representation by the media, but above all the way this reflects on life people’s daily. The titles on the bill will be “The Distance From Here”, “An Unforseen Situation” and “The Song” (9/12 at 19.00).
Program and information about www.rivertoriver.it.