Indian entries in this year’s Sydney Film Festival

From Wednesday 3 June to Sunday 14 June, 2015, the 62^nd Sydney Film Festival offers Sydneysiders another exciting season of cinema amidst a whirlwind of premieres, red-carpet openings, panel discussions, international guests and more.

Each year the Festival programming team curates 12 days of cinema sourced from world-famous film festivals, including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto and the Berlinale; as well as Australia’s finest local productions.

The Festival tells incredible Australian and international stories; and celebrates world cinema, filmmakers, our city and lovers of film everywhere.

The Festival takes place at the State Theatre, Dendy Opera Quays, Art Gallery of NSW, Event Cinemas George Street, the Festival Hub at Sydney Town Hall and the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Cremorne. New venues, soon to be announced, guarantee greater expansion of the Festival’s footprint with 280 screenings happening across Sydney in both CBD and suburban locations.

This year the festival is screening around 200 films from over 50 countries. There are some interesting Indian films in SFF, make sure you see them:

Court

In this memorable feature-film debut, which won the Orizzonti Prize at Venice, the Indian justice system and society at large is subject to the intelligent gaze of director Chaitanya Tamhane. When a sewage worker’s body is found inside a manhole in Mumbai, an ageing singer is arrested and accused of performing an inflammatory protest song, which may have incited the worker to commit suicide. As the case plays out, the absurdity of the charge, and the labyrinthine Indian judicial system, come into sharp focus, and we are taken into the lives of the protagonists beyond the courtroom. With a cast made up mostly of nonactors, Tamhane weaves a stirring story of class politics, bureaucracy and justice in this superbly written and shot film.

The Crow’s Egg Kaakkaamuttai

AT 6 JUN 10:30 AM EV9 CTC SAT 6 JUN 6:00 PM CREMORNE SUN 7 JUN 2:00 PM CASULA TUE 9 JUN 8:35 PM EV8 India | 2014 | 99 mins | In Tamil with English subtitles Director, Screenwriter: M. Manikandan | Producers: Dhanush Kastooriraja, Vetri Maaran | Cast: Ramesh, Ramesh Thilaganathan, Vignesh | Distributor: Transmission Films

Dubbed the next Slumdog Millionaire, this funny and charming film from South India is a crowd pleaser for young and old alike. Two mischievous and resourceful brothers live in poverty in a Chennai slum but find joy in each other and their family and friends. When the brothers see an advertisement for pizza, which coincides with the opening of a nearby pizza shop, they are determined to taste this magical food for the very first time. So begins a great adventure, with triumphs and setbacks, as the industrious brothers try to raise the cash to fund their wish. With delightful performances and a vibrant energy, The Crow’s Egg is both a simple fable and a poignant reflection on globalisation and aspiration.

Filmmaker guest: M. Manikandan

Tigers

FRI 12 JUN 10:00 AM STATE 18+ SUN 14 JUN 3:15 PM DOQ2 India, France, UK | 2014 | 90 mins | In English and Urdu with English subtitles | Australian Premiere Director: Danis Tanovic | Screenwriters: Danis Tanovic, Andy Paterson | Producers: Prashita Chaudhary, Kshitij Chaudhary, Guneet Monga, Anurag Kashyap, Cedomir Kolar, Marc Baschet, Andy Paterson, Cat Villiers Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Geetanjali, Danny Huston | World Sales: The Match Factory

Oscar-winner Danis Tanovic directs this insightful true story chronicling the bravery of a Pakistani man who stood up against corporate bribery and greed. Aamir (Emraan Hashmi) is a pharmaceutical salesman living in Pakistan who sells baby formula for a multinational company. After discovering that what he sells to hospitals is causing children’s deaths, Aamir teams up with the World Health Organisation to take down the corporation and challenge the system. This alienates him from home and family and forces him to share his experience with filmmakers who question the legitimacy of his story. Tanovic directs with a gritty force worthy of the film’s story, which exposes greed and exploitation by one of the world’s leading food companies.

Sunrise

A psychological thriller set in Mumbai, Partho Sen-Gupta’s first dramatic feature in a decade is a showcase of captivating performances and a mesmerising Lynchian style. Sunrise follows Joshi, a police inspector played by Adil Hussain (Life of Pi), in search of his kidnapped six year-old daughter. This captivating noir shifts between dream and reality, as Joshi is haunted by visions of an elusive spectre and a creepy nightclub called Paradise. Behind the curtains of Paradise, we also follow a group of young girls, who by day are held hostage in a dingy apartment, and by night entertain large groups of seedy men. Although all but a few minutes are set in storms and torrential rain, Sunrise manages to shed light on the grim reality of child trafficking in India, while offering a haunting exposÃ© of parental grief.

Filmmaker guests: Partho Sen-Gupta, Adil Hussain

Meet the Patels

A real life romantic comedy. Pair of first-generation Indian-American siblings document the attempt to find a wife through t4raditional Indian means. The film offers a sharp, often riotously funny take on the conflicts and compromises that all culturally nebulous families must navigate; directed by Geeta Patel and Ravi Patel. Won Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Songs of Lahore

Only Pakistani entry. Film follows several Pakistani musicians, and asks if there is still room for them in a society roiled by conflict. Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Andy Schocken

Sydney Film Festival also presents an Official Competition of 12 films that vie for the Sydney Film Prize, a highly respected honour that awards a $60,000 cash prize based on the decision of a jury of international and Australian filmmakers and industry professionals. Previous Sydney Film Festival Official Competition winners include: Two Days, One Night (2014); Only God Forgives (2013); Alps(2012); A Separation (2011), which went on to win an Academy Award;Heartbeats (2010); and Bronson (2009).

The 62nd Sydney Film Festival is supported by the NSW Government through Screen NSW, the Federal Government through Screen Australia and the City of Sydney. The Festival’s Strategic Partner is the NSW Government through Destination NSW.

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