DEUTSCH
Winner 2011
German Star of India for Director Vikramaditya Motwane
‘Udaan’ convinces Jury in Stuttgart
Winners of the Indian Film Festival ‚Bollywood and beyond’
Vikramaditya Motwane’s drama ‘Udaan’ was awarded with the German Star of India in the category Feature Film at the end of the 8th Indian Film Festival ‘Bollywood and beyond. During the five days of the festival, more than 10 000 visitors experienced a cinematic journey through contemporary Indian cinema. The programme of Europe’s biggest Indian Film Festival featured a total of 40 new productions. In its festival programme, the Filmbüro Baden-Württemberg focused on committed films about strong women in India.
‘Udaan’ is the name of the Festival’s big winner. The ‘German Star of India’, endowed with 4,000 Euros and donated by the festival’s main sponsor Honorary Consul Andreas Lapp, honours a film that deals with the uneasy relationship between a father and his adolescent son. The word Udaan, means a flight of imagination. It is this that motivates the son, an aspiring poet and which infuriates the widowed father who would have him follow in his footsteps as an engineer. The film looks at an industrial part of India rarely seen in the cinema and yet communicates in a way that is universal, the Jury stated.
“Made by a first time director, it has a confidence and subtlety of which someone much more mature would be justly proud”, the Jury, who were pleased to find themselves in unanimous agreement, announced.
Shlok Sharma’s Film ‘Tubelight ka Chaand’ about a little boy’s dream won the German Star of India in the category Short Film, endowed with 1000 Euros. This moving appeal for the power of dreams tells the magical story of a lonesome little boy, living on the streets of Kolkata, who falls in love with the moon and tries to reach it. “The camera’s play with light and darkness, fast cuts, and the use of documentary-like sound design serve to contrast imagination and reality of the boy”, the Jury praised.
‘It’s Cricket, No?’ won the German Star of India, endowed with 1000 Euros in the category Documentary. Sudhir Aggarwal’s film accompanies India’s blind national cricket team. Without any governmental or societal support, the team make their way to Great Britain to beat their English counterparts. “The player’s enthusiasm and positivity transpose the audience into a world where cricket is more than just a sport. It’s passion. It’s love”, the Jury highlighted.
They went on to state that Aggarwal’s skilful depiction of how the game differs from mainstream cricket along with the beautiful interplay of sound design and cinematography gave a funny and
24th Juli 2011moving first-hand account of this sport through the eyes of a blind person. Aggarwal’s aesthetic sense of storytelling, continuous respect for his characters and a love for the sport made this film poetic. “The players’ dedication, compounded with pride and tongue-in-cheek humour inspire hope, trust and motivation – never pity” they concluded.
The Director’s Vision Award for directors who take an ambitious look at a social or cultural plight goes to ‘Arranged Happiness’ by Daniela Dar-Creutz for its depiction of a traditional form of arranged marriage in India. The Jury stated that the film humanised this practice as a collective family responsibilty striving to find the best bridegroom within a restricted society. „The film’s impact increases with the director being an intimate participant in the narrative, both emotionally and professionally“, they explain.
‘Bollywood and beyond’ in Stuttgart has firmliy established itself as a platform for the Indian film industry. The film event in the state capital of Baden-Württemberg brought films to the screen you would not usually expect from India: arthouse films from all regions of the subcontinent as well as three typical Bollywood pictures enriched the programme. ‘Fairy-tale India and the real India enchanted and impressed the audience’ Festival Director Oliver Mahn said, taking stock of this year’s event. Together with Curators Uma da Cunha from Mumbai and Therese Hayes from Los Angeles, Head of Programme, Elisa Melzer chose 40 films from about 150 submissions to create a top class festival programme. The Juries for the categories Short Film, Feature Film, and Documentary were not given easy choices. Among the famous Jury members were James Bond director Roger Spottiswoode and Bollywood producer Sunil Doshi.
An integral part of the cultural connection between Mumbai and Stuttgart are the traditional ‘Tea Talks’. This year, experts talked about Urban Development, Multilingualism in India, and the Relationship of Bollywood and Europe.
At the Forum on ‘Environment and Renewable Energies’, Minister of Environment Franz Untersteller announced for the first time, that Baden-Württemberg wants to support the training of scholarship holders at the Mithradam Centre for Renewable Energies in the Indian state of Kerala. The project was initiated by the Society for the Promotion of Development Oriented Projects e.V. (VeV) in Stuttgart. For 10 years now, the educational centre has been promoting the key technology photovoltaic in India. The minister praised the centre as a true model concept and congratulated Rosemarie Zaiser, co- founder and first chairperson of the VeV on her pioneer work. The Stuttgart entrepreneur Andreas Lapp and Würth-Solar support the Mithradam Centre in Kerala.
Filmbüro Baden-Württemberg also tackled the issue of energy and environment in a ‘Tea Talk’ on ‘Commitment to Climate Protection’. Students and teachers of Friedrich-Schiller-Gymnasium Marbach informed the audience about their partnership with an Indian school and their regular Global Village Action Weeks in Mithradam. A student’s day brought the winner film ‘Udaan’ on the class schedule. Many visitors used the free bus shuttle that connected the SI-Centrum with the city centre to experience Indian culinary delights and colourful dance performances. In several workshops, willing participants were able to learn the dance moves of big Bollywood stars or perfect the art of henna painting.
Main sponsor Andreas Lapp held a German-Indian round table, a discussion forum for commerce, industry, and business. The accounting firm KPMG, in cooperation with CMS Hasche Sigle organized an Indo-German Businessforum on chances and challenges of medium-sized businesses in India.
