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Enjoyed Black, White & Gray? You Must Watch This Dark Crime Thriller On Ott (Photo Credit – Sony Liv)

When the six-part crime thriller Black, White & Gray: Love Kills was released earlier this month on SonyLIV, it received a fantastic response from critics and the streaming audience. If you have seen the series and enjoyed it (or even haven’t watched it yet), we recommend checking out an underappreciated, dark crime thriller on Ott. We are talking about the 2021 show Tabbar (a Punjabi word which means family). Read on to know more about the series and where you can stream it.

Tabbar – Plot & Cast

The eight-episode family drama thriller revolves around a retired cop, Omkar Singh (played by Pavan Malhotra), who lives with his family in Jalandhar, Punjab. When Omkar’s elder son mistakenly brings home an identical bag, the bag owner tracks him and arrives at his home to take it back.

The Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) is set to return for its second edition in Chandigarh, India, from March 20-23, 2025. With an extensive lineup of international and regional films, as well as an expanded industry platform, the festival aims to solidify its place on the global cinema calendar.

French director Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” an Oscar-winning film, will be among the headliners of the World Canvas section, alongside Magnus von Horn’s Oscar-nominated Danish drama “The Girl with the Needle.” The festival opens with the Indian premiere of “A Normal Family,” the Korean drama by Hur Jin-ho that made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. The opening night will also include a special screening of the Punjabi short “The Cycle” by Arpita Mukherjee.

Ciff’s World Canvas section will showcase 15 international features, while the India Unveiled category will highlight 17 homegrown titles. Special screenings and student films will complement the festival’s programming.

The second edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) has unveiled its CinéV-chd Market lineup featuring 22 diverse projects from established and emerging filmmakers, with more than half being women-oriented ventures.

The curated selection, which will run alongside the festival from March 20-23, in Chandigarh, spotlights creative forces who have made significant contributions to Indian cinema, spanning languages including Chinese, English, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Urdu, Gujarati, Telugu, Bengali, and Kannada.

“Sister Midnight” actor Radhika Apte steps into the director’s chair for “Koyta” (Sickle), produced by acclaimed filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane (“Black Warrant”). The Hindi/Marathi action-fantasy follows a young migrant sugarcane cutter who gains superpowers after a forced medical procedure and uses them to free her family from debt.

Veteran director Hansal Mehta, known for “Shahid” and “Scam 1992,” produces “Hanere De Panchi” (Birds in the Dark), a drama in the Punjabi, Urdu and Kashmiri languages, from emerging director Shashank Walia,...

Steffi Niederzoll’s Berlin, Cph: Dox and El Gouna-winning documentary “Seven Winters in Tehran” added another award to its collection with the best international film honor at India’s inaugural Cinevesture International Festival (Ciff).

Anmol Sidhu’s Asia Pacific Screen Awards nominee “Jaggi” won best Indian film and Elham Ehsas’ BAFTA and Clermont-Ferrand nominee “Yellow” was named as best short.

The festival took place March 27-31 in Chandigarh, northern India. A three-day phone filmmaking workshop hosted by Chitkara International School and produced by Cinevesture saw students from five schools participating with Ritisha Sinha’s film “Unveiled” from Mount Carmel School winning an award.

Former Cannes film market director Jerome Paillard, Indian actor and producer Rana Daggubati (“Baahubali”) and Nicole Guillemet, who was co-director of the Sundance Film Festival, and Indian filmmaker Ajitpal Singh (Sundance title “Fire in the Mountains”) are on the festival advisory board.

The festival had an accompanying...

Festival, Market

The first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival and market will feature a range of masterclasses and panels headlined by a range of luminaries including filmmakers Shekhar Kapur (“What’s Love Got to Do with It?”) and Karan Johar (“Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani”).

The lineup also includes actors Jaideep Ahlawat (“Paatal Lok”), Roshan Mathew (“Paradise”), Suvinder Vicky (“Kohrra”), Rajshri Deshpande (“Trial by Fire”), Boman Irani (“Dunki”), Rasika Dugal (“Mirzapur”), Abhay Deol (“Trial by Fire”), actor-producers Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal (“Girls Will be Girls”), filmmakers Tahira Kashyap (“Sharmajee Ki Beti”), Sudhir Mishra (“Tanaav”), Ajitpal Singh (“Tabbar”), Anurag Singh (“Kesri”) and Saugata Mukherjee, head of content at streamer SonyLiv.

As previously announced, the India premieres of France’s “The Taste of Things” and Korea’s “Exhuma” will open and close the festival. Former Cannes film market director Jerome Paillard, Indian actor and producer Rana Daggubati and...

The first edition of the Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) to be held in Chandigarh from March 27 to 31 will boast of a host of masterclasses and panel discussions, including one with filmmaker Karan Johar, which film critic Namrata Joshi will moderate.

The 20 masterclasses and panel discussions to be held at Taj Chandigarh will feature Shekhar Kapur, Jaideep Ahlawat, Tahira Kashyap, Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal, Roshan Mathew, Abhay Deol, Sudhir Mishra, ‘Kohrra’ star Suvinder Vicky, Boman Irani, Rasika Dugal, Rajshri Deshpande, Ajitpal Singh, Anurag Singh, Sudhir Mishra and Saugata Mukherjee, Head of Content, SonyLiv, Sony Pictures Network India, etc.

The opening film of the festival is the Cannes award-winning French film ‘The Taste of Things’ starring Juliette Binoche while the closing one is South Korea’s highest-grossing film of 2024 till date — the horror-mystery-thriller ‘Exhuma’ (‘Pamyo’), which premiered at the 2024 Berlinale.

The festival advisory board includes Rana Daggubati, former Head of Cannes Film Market Jerome Paillard,...

The first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival (Ciff) has revealed 20 projects that will participate in its accompanying market.

Comprising 17 features and three series, several of the projects are by creators who have found acclaim both internationally and in South Asia.

From Bangladeshi auteur Mostofa Sarwar Farooki (Busan title “Something Like an Autobiography”) comes Hindi and English-language unconventional romance “To Hell With Love.” Alankrita Srivasttava (Tokyo winner “Lipstick Under My Burkha”) has English and Hindi-language drama “Girls of Orlem,” an adaptation of Lindsay Pereira’s bestselling novel “Gods and Ends.” Gurvinder Singh is prepping Hindi, Punjabi and English-language historical thriller series “The Trial.”

“#Jack” is a thriller film from Bhaskar Hazarika (Tribeca selection “Aamis”), while “Chhaal” (“The Skin”) by Don Palathara (Rotterdam title “Family”) is a folk thriller adapted from a story by Vijayan Detha. “Encounter” by Anurag Singh (the Jatt and Juliet franchise) is a drama-thriller in...

India premieres of France’s “The Taste of Things” and Korea’s “Exhuma” will open and close respectively the first edition of India’s Cinevesture International Film Festival.

Tran Anh Hung won best director at Cannes 2023 for “The Taste of Things,” which was subsequently submitted as France’s official entry to the Oscars’ international feature category. Jang Jae-hyun’s “Exhuma” is Korea’s biggest box office hit of 2024.

International highlights of the program include Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning “The Zone of Interest,” Kore-eda Hirokazu’s “Monster,” Darren Aronivsky’s “The Whale,” starring Brendan Fraser, Steffi Niederzoll’s Berlinale winner “Seven Winters in Tehran,” Anthony Chen’s Singapore Oscar entry “Breaking Ice” and Prasanna Vithanage’s Busan-winning “Paradise.”

Indian films include Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s Toronto winner “Sthal,” Karan Tejpal’s Venice title “Stolen,” Rima Das’ Toronto title “Tora’s Husband,” Gurvinder Singh’s Rotterdam film “Adh Chanani Raat,” Lijo Jose Pellissery...

Former Cannes film market director Jerome Paillard, Indian actor and producer Rana Daggubati and Nicole Guillemet who was co-director of the Sundance Film Festival have joined the advisory board of the inaugural Cinevesture International Film Festival in India.

The advisory board also includes Indian filmmaker Ajitpal Singh, Bangladeshi director Nuhash Humayun and “Make Money Screenwriting” series author Julian Friedmann.

The festival will take place in Chandigarh, northern India, March 27-31. Bina Paul, who was artistic director at the International Film Festival of Kerala for more than a decade, will fulfil that role at the Chandigarh event. Film critic Namrata Joshi serves as market curator.

The festival is the brainchild of Nina Lath Gupta, who previously headed Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest co-production market, from 2006 to 2018. Cinevesture’s focus is on building the business of film and addressing the needs of a producer at various stages of filmmaking.

“There is...

After the impressive success of the BAFTA Breakthrough India programme in 2021 and 2022, BAFTA is once again launching the scheme for a third year. Applications open today until 5 July, and the programme is open to creatives from across the film, games and television industries nationally, as well as those working in the UK and the US.

This year also marks Netflix’s third year supporting BAFTA Breakthrough in India and its fourth year in the UK and US.

BAFTA Breakthrough aims to identify and nurture emerging talent from around the world and equip them with the resources they need to develop their skills and progress in their chosen field. First launched in the UK ten years ago, BAFTA Breakthrough is one of the arts charity’s flagship talent schemes, with over 200 careers developed and accelerated to-date.

Through this initiative, BAFTA Breakthrough India will once again identify and celebrate Indian talent by...

From being also-rans at major events for decades, the Indian women’s team qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which were held in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and virtually overshadowed the men’s team that went on to end a four-decade-long medal drought at the Olympics by winning a historic bronze.

The women’s team did not win a medal in Tokyo, but still captured the imagination of the entire country as it made a sensational run to reach its maiden semifinals, missing the bronze medal by a whisker, losing to Great Britain in the playoff match.

However, the brilliant comeback by the team after losing a couple of matches in the preliminary league phase and finishing fourth in their group, their memorable win against two-time gold medallists Australia in the quarterfinals, and the fight it put up in the 1-2 defeat to Argentina in the semis and 3-...

Rourkela, Jan 10 (Ians) All set to play his fourth World Cup for India, experienced goalkeeper PR Sreejesh emphasised that it’s the results that matter more than the number of times a player turns up for a marquee event like the World Cup.

While he admits it’s a huge honour to turn up for his fourth World Cup, Sreejesh knows very well that this is a great opportunity to change India’s fortunes at the ultimate tournament for hockey, in which India awaits to finish on the podium since 1975 triumph when the illustrious Ajit Pal Singh-led team won the tournament beating Pakistan in the Final.

“It is a great honour for me to play my fourth World Cup for our country and the special part is, this is my third World Cup on home soil. I don’t think any player has had this privilege of playing three World Cups at home,...

New Delhi, Jan 9 (Ians) Hockey has once again captured the pulse of the nation as the Fih Men’s World Cup 2023 is all set to kick-start in Odisha on January 13.

The sport has made impressive improvements in the country in recent years. However, it is disheartening to say that a nation that ruled the world once, is now trying hard to earn the lost glory! But as it is said “something is better than nothing”.

In 2021, the Indian men’s hockey team managed to end a 41-year-long drought to claim a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games. For the record, India’s hockey team is the most successful team in the Olympics, having won a total of eight gold medals.

Now the Men in Blue face a bigger challenge of ending another longer drought — the wait for the Men’s Hockey World Cup which has stretched to 47 years.

Since...

Chandigarh, Dec 15 (Ians) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday vowed to make all-out efforts for restoring the glory of hockey in the state.

The Chief Minister, who received the trophy of Men’s Hockey World Cup here at his residence, said Punjabis have always excelled in the field of hockey and have brought several laurels for the state.

As a part of its countrywide tour, the trophy of Men’s Hockey World Cup, which is scheduled to commence in Odisha from January 13, 2023, arrived in Amritsar (Punjab) on Wednesday.

He said that it was a matter of honour and pride that in the Indian hockey squad that won a medal in the Olympics after 41 years during the sports event in Tokyo, 11 players, including captain Manpreet Singh, belonged to the state.

Mann said likewise the Indian contingent that won the lone world cup for the country in 1975 was also led by Punjab’s son,...

New Delhi, Dec 8 (Ians) With less than 40 days to go for the Fih Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar – Rourkela 2023, the anticipation to witness the world’s best hockey players in Odisha is only increasing by each passing day.

While the Indian team carries out their preparations to end the medal drought in the prestigious event, it’s time for hockey fans to relive the memories from India’s historic World Cup campaigns through Hockey India’s Flashback Series – World Cup Special.

Through these Series of articles leading up to the marquee event in Odisha, Hockey India will bring you thoughts, anecdotes and trivia from Indian Hockey Legends who ruled the world with their wizardry and panache.

Winner of the Bronze and Silver Medal at the 1986 and 1990 Asian Games, respectively, and a member of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team that played the 1990 World Cup in Pakistan, the legendary...

“Agra” by Kanu Behl, “Joram” by Devashish Makhija and “Sultana’s Dream” by Isabel Herguera (San Sebastian selection “Kalebegiak”) are among the selections at India’s Film Bazaar Recommends (Fbr) strand.

The strand is a part of Film Bazaar, the South Asia film project market operated by India’s National Film Development Corporation. The Fbr selections, comprising 20 features, two mid-length films and eight shorts are chosen from 247 films in the market’s Viewing Room that presents films from India and South Asia, which are recently completed or still in post-production. The films are available for film festival selection, world sales, distribution partners or finishing funds. All the selections are awaiting their world premieres.

The 30 selected films will have the opportunity to pitch to Bazaar delegates during the market.

The Bazaar has also chosen five projects for its Work-In-Progress Lab, which provides the selected filmmakers an opportunity to screen the rough...

A plethora of films from across the world will be screened at the upcoming 11th edition of the Dharamshala International Film Festival (Diff), which is set to be held from November 3 to November 6 at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (Tipa) in McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala.

The festival will host a lineup of features, documentaries and short films, including the Indian premieres of Saim Saqid’s Cannes Jury Prize winner ‘Joyland’, ‘Once Upon A Time In Calcutta’, Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s searing documentary ‘Writing with Fire’, Parth Saurabh’s debut feature ‘Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar’ presented by Anurag Kashyap, Ajitpal Singh’s ‘Fire in the Mountains’, Jason Loftus’ ‘Eternal Spring’ and Gianfranco Rosi’s ‘In Viaggio’.

The titles will be screened at inflatable theatres.

For the screening, the festival has joined forces with the inflatable theatre company – Picturetime, to host its latest physical edition in the foothills of the Himalayas.

After two years of being forced online by the pandemic, the 11th edition of India’s Dharamshala Film Festival is back with a physical edition.

Highlights include the India premieres of Cannes jury prize winner and Pakistan’s Oscar entry, Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland,” and Gianfranco Rosi’s Pope Francis documentary “In Viaggio.”

Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dharamshala is best known internationally as the seat of the Dalai Lama, who has been based there since being exiled from Tibet in 1959. The festival directors Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam are filmmakers in their own right. Their chronicles of the Tibetan condition including 2005’s “Dreaming Lhasa,” 2010’s “The Sun Behind the Clouds: Tibet’s Struggle for Freedom” and 2018’s “The Sweet Requiem” have received considerable festival play, including at Toronto and San Sebastian.

Indian program highlights include Aditya Vikram Sengupta’s Venice and El Gouna title “Once Upon a...

Eighty films from 32 countries, including 21 feature narratives and 43 short films, will be be showcased at the 11th Dharamshala International Film Festival (Diff) in Dharamsala next month, as announced on Thursday.

The highlights include the India premieres of Cannes Jury Prize Winner and 2022 Oscar Nominee, Joyland by Saim Sadiq; Once Upon A Time in Calcutta by Aditya Vikram Sengupta; the Anurag Kashyap-presented debut feature by Parth Saurabh, Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar (On Either Sides of the Pond); 2022 Oscar Nominee, Writing with Fire by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Sen; and Fire in the Mountains (India 2021) by Ajitpal Singh.

The India premieres of these acclaimed international features will also take place at Diff 2022: Eternal Spring by Jason Loftus; In Viaggio by Gianfranco Rosi; Lullaby by Alauda Ruiz de AzAa; Mother Lode by Matteo Tortone; Navalny by Daniel Roher; Neptune Frost by Anisia Uzeyman, Saul Williams; They Carry Death by Helena GirAn...

Fire In The Mountains Kino Lorber Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net, linked from Rotten Tomatoes by Harvey Karten Director: Ajitpal Singh Screenwriter: Ajitpal Singh Cast: Vinamrata Rai, Chandan Bisht, Harshita Tiwari, Mayank Singh Jaira, Sonal Jha Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 5/3/22 Opens: May 20, 2022 at New York’s Film Forum. July 19, 2022 streaming. […]

The post Fire In The Mountains Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

"An entrancing reverie of Himalayan life in India." Kino Lorber has revealed an official US trailer for an acclaimed Indian drama titled Fire in the Mountains, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Ajitpal Singh. This first premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival last year, and played at a few other fests including Opening Night at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. Chandra and her husband run the Swizerland Homestay, an inn that hovers high above the only road in a small Himalayan village. The terrain poses a problem for the family, who must transport their son Prakash down the mountain in his wheelchair. She tries to save money to build a road in her village to take her son around but unfortunately her husband, who believes that a shamanic ritual 'Jaagar' is the remedy, steals her savings. Starring Vinamrata Rai, Chandan Bisht, Harshita Tiwari, Mayank Singh Jaira, and Sonal Jha.

If you saw “Fire in the Mountains” at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, you’ve likely thought about it since. And if you didn’t, this debut feature from Ajitpal Singh may still yet burrow under your skin: Kino Lorber is releasing the film later this spring, including at New York City’s Film Forum.

Singh is a self-taught filmmaker who’d made only one short before making the leap to this feature, which debuted in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. “Fire in the Mountains” is bursting with the feeling of a filmmaker who has something to share: a point of view, a dramatic setup, and a stunning series of landscapes that you haven’t seen before.

The film is set in Uttarakhand, the northern Indian province that edges into the Himalayas and features emerald hills, snow-capped peaks, and startlingly clear skies. You feel healthier just by looking at the place.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has named ten emerging talents from across the Indian film, gaming and television industries that will participate in the 2022 edition of its BAFTA Breakthrough India initiative supported by Netflix.

The 2022 contingent includes writer-director Ajitpal Singh; composer Alokananda Dasgupta (“Sacred Games”), writer-director Arati Kadav (“Cargo”), producer Mathivanan Rajendran (“Nirvana Inn”), writer-director Leena Manimekalai, game director Nakul Verma (“In My Shadow”), writer-director Prateek Vats (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”), cinematographer Saumyananda Sahi (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”), writer Shubham (“Eeb Allay Ooo!”) and performer Sumukhi Suresh (“Pushpavalli”).

The talents were selected by a jury consisting of BAFTA-winning composer A.R. Rahman, editor and writer Apurva Asrani, actors Anupam Kher and Ratna Pathak Shah, games producer Charu Desodt, Amazon India head Gaurav Gandhi, Netflix India content chief Monika Shergill, producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Guneet Monga, BAFTA chair Krishnendu Majumdar, GOQii CEO Vishal Gondal and filmmaker Shonali Bose.

During the program,...

Drama debuted in World Dramatic Competition at Sundance 2021.

Kino Lorber has acquired US rights from Dialectic to Ajitpal Singh’s debut feature feminist story Fire In The Mountains.

The film centres on a mother who works hard to save money to build a road in a Himalayan village to take her wheelchair-bound son for physiotherapy. Meanwhile her husband, who believes a shamanic ritual is the remedy, steals her savings.

Fire In The Mountains premiered in World Dramatic Competition at Sundance 2021 and will open at Film Forum in New York this spring and open in US and Canadian cinemas, followed by...

Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Ajitpal Singh’s debut feature, “Fire in the Mountains,” which premiered in the World Dramatic Competition of the Sundance Film Festival in 2021.

A powerful feminist tale set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.

The film is produced by Alan McAlex and Ajai Rai of prolific Indian arthouse producers Jar Pictures alongside Mauli Singh and Amit Mehta. Jar previously produced Busan title “Children of the Sun” and Toronto title “The Elder One.”

Kino Lorber will open the film at Film Forum in New York this spring, followed by a theatrical rollout in the U.S. and...

India’s annual Film Bazaar market has revealed the five projects chosen for its work-in-progress lab.

The selected projects are Jaicheng Zxai Dohutia’s Assamese and Moran-language “Baghjan”; Shailendra Sahu’s Hindi and Chattisgarhi-language “Bailadila; Ektara Collective’s Hindi-language “Ek Jagah Apni; Harshad Nalawade’s Marathi, Kannada and Hindi-language “Follower”; and Jai Shankar’s Kannada-language “Shivamma.”

The director and editor of the selected films show their rough cuts to the panel of mentors and receive in-depth one-on-one feedback. The international editor assigned to the film guides the director and editor of the selected films through two sessions of the editing lab.

Mentors this year include producers Philippa Campbell (“Top of the Lake”) and Olivia Stewart (“The House of Mirth”), veteran film festival curator Marco Müller, editor and festival curator Marie-Pierre Duhamel, editors Jacques Comets and Lizi Gelber (“Venice Elsewhere”) and critic Derek Malcolm.

Since its inception in 2008, the lab has...

Vision Film has acquired rights to I Love Us, a romantic drama from Danny A. Abeckaser’s 2B Films. Abeckaser stars with Jackie Cruz, Katie Cassidy, Harlow Jane, David James Elliott, Robert Davi, Jasper Polish, Greg Finley, James Madio, David James Elliott, Elya Baskin and Courtney Lopez in the ensemble, which wrapped production at the end of March after a shoot in Los Angeles. It will get a 10-city theatrical run along with VOD in September.

In the script by Kosta Kondilopoulos, a seasoned thief (Abeckaser) trades in his criminal ways for a “normal” married life after falling in love with a single mother (Cassidy) that catches him off guard. But when tragedy strikes, he’s forced to take one last job to pay off old debts and keep his new family together, creating conflict all around him.

Abeckaser also produced with Wild7Films’ Kyle Stefanski and Mike Hermosa, and Above the Clouds’ Jeff Hoffman. Executive producers are Katie Cassidy, Ron Rofe, Isaac Gindi, Eddie Gindi and Gustavo Nascimento.

“I Love Us was such a passion project and a labor of love. I felt the movie deserved to be with a company that really believes and loves the movie like I do. Lisa Romanoff at Vision was the right person for this journey for myself as director along with producers Kyle Stefanski, Mike Hermosa and Jeff Hoffman. We are excited for people to see it.”

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Level 33 Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Rollers, written and directed by Isaiah Smallman. The film will be available in theaters and on VOD on June 25.

The plot centers on Rufus Paisley (Johnny Ray Gill), a closet alcoholic and whose everything he loves is smashed together into one place: Rollers. He gave up a promising career as a musician in order to keep it alive, but the historic venue, once owned by his parents, is in trouble and he’s running out of ways to save it, and himself. His friends urge him to move on, but can he?

Kevin Bigley, Vicky Jeudy, Kate Cobb, Joel Allen and Spencer Rayshon Stevenson also star. Smallman and Tara Ansley produced the pic, which was executive produced by Tiffany Boyle, Bryce McGuire, Elsa Ramo and Eric Costello.

The deal was negotiated by Boyle and Erika Canchola on behalf of the filmmakers and by Andreas Olavarria and Kate Sheffield on behalf of Level 33.

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Gravitas Ventures has acquired rights to the sports documentary Resurgence, directed by social media fitness stars Heber Cannon and Marston Sawyers (aka the Buttery Bros). The pic, which follows the shakeup of the worldwide annual fitness competition The CrossFit Games in the midst of the pandemic, will debut on iTunes and Apple TV on July 20, followed by digital platforms and VOD on August 3.

“With Covid-19 restrictions allowing for only 10 athletes versus the usual 80-100+, it’s the first and possibly last year we will be able to tell interesting angles from every athlete competing,” the directors said. “We are honored to have been there for this intimate event, and excited for the world to see the behind the scenes of what went on at the 2020 CrossFit Games.”

“The collaboration among the Buttery Bros., CrossFit HQ, and Gravitas has been smooth and it’s great to get the band back together,” said Michael Murphy, President of Gravitas Ventures. “Previous CrossFit films are immediate best-sellers, and we expect the same from Resurgence which is awesome in scope, story-telling, and quality.”

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The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles‘ Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature went toTamil director Thamizh’s debut film Seththumaan (Pig) as the 19th edition of the fest wrapped its run this week. The Features Jury gave honorable mention to Malayalam film Biriyaani, directed by Sajin Baabu. Ajitpal Singh’s debut feature Fire in the Mountains won the Audience Award for Best Feature.

The Grand Jury Prize for Best Short went to Karishma Dev Dube for Bittu, while the Audience Award for Best Short went to Aarti Neharsh’s queer love story The Song We Sang.

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Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American VOD rights to the World War II feature documentary Lost Airmen of Buchenwald. It will hit digital platforms June 15.

Written and directed by Mike Dorsey, the doc tells the story of the 168 Allied airmen in World War II who fought for survival in Germany’s infamous Buchenwald Concentration Camp after they were caught by the German Gestapo while hiding with the French Resistance. Facing starvation, disease, execution, forced marches, and even a bombing by their own side, the airmen are in a race against time to get out of Buchenwald alive.

Dorsey, Gerald Baron, Frank Imhof and Duane McNett are producers. Freestyle negotiated the deal with A3 Artists Agency representing Dorsey.

Here’s the trailer:...

Grand Jury Prizes awarded to Thamizh’s Seththumaan (Pig) for Best Feature

and Karishma Dev Dube’s Bittu for Best Short

Sajin Babu’s feature Biriyaani, Rima Das’ short For Each Other, Upamanyu Bhattacharyya & Kalp Sanghvi’s short Wade won Honorable Mentions, and Nivita Chaliki won Honorable Mention for her performance in the short film, Forever Tonight.

Audience Awards went to Ajitpal Singh’s Fire in the Mountains for Best Feature

and Aarti Neharsh’s The Song We Sang for Best Short

Mumbai/ Los Angeles, CA – The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) announced today its Grand Jury winners and Audience Awards for the festival’s 19th edition, which was held virtually and available all over California and, for the very first time, in India from May 20-27. This year’s festival boasted an impressive total of 40 films, including 2 World, 8 North American, 5 U.S. and 18 Los Angeles premieres, spanning 17 languages,...

The 2019 Indian Film Festival Los Angeles concluded on May 27 with the grand prize going to Thamizh’s directorial debut “Seththumaan” (Pig) and Karishma Dev Dube’s short “Bittu.”

“It’s a phenomenal first feature, gentle and impactful, done with heart and guts, that is at the same time very candid and very mature and complex,” the features jury said of “Pig,” calling it “a film that impressed us tremendously, both in terms of filmmaking and dramaturgy.”

The jury gave an honorable mention to Malayali film “Biriyaani,” by Sajin Baabu. “The film included an incredibly powerful performance by the lead, Kani Kusruti,” the jury said in a statement.

The shorts jury praised Dube’s “Bittu.” “A spectacular film about a brilliant young girl with a foul tongue who discovers that her defiance is lifesaving,” the jury said. Honorable mentions in the shorts category went to Rima Das’ “For Each Other,” Upamanyu Bhattacharyya...

Gangs Of Wasseypur director Anurag Kashyap to join closing film Sthalpuran director Akshay Indikar for Q&a.

Tamil director Thamizh’s debut Seththumaan (Pig) has won the 2021 Indian Film Festival Of Los Angeles (Iffla) grand jury award for best feature heading into Thursday’s (May 27) closing film presentation.

Sajin Baabu’s Biriyaani earned an honourable mention. In other awards announced on Thursday (May 27), the audience award for best feature went to Fire In The Mountains directed by Ajitpal Singh.

In the shorts categories, Karishma Dev Dube’s Bittu was named grand jury award winner, with honourable mentions for Rima Das’ For Each Other,...

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) announced today its Grand Jury winners and Audience Awards for the festival’s 19th edition, which was held virtually and available all over California and, for the very first time, in India from May 20-27. This year’s festival boasted an impressive total of 40 films, including 2 World, 8 North American, 5 U.S. and 18 Los Angeles premieres, spanning 17 languages, with 16 women directors. The festival had an overwhelming response both in California and India.

Award-winning Features

Tamil director Thamizh’s debut film Seththumaan (Pig) took home the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature. “The grand jury prize for best feature went to a film that impressed us tremendously, both in terms of filmmaking and dramaturgy. It's a phenomenal first feature, gentle and impactful, done with heart and guts, that is at the same time very candid and very mature and complex”, said the Features Jury of their decision.

In his debut feature, “Fire in the Mountains”, self-taught directorial Ajitpal Singh, quite contrary to the title, unhurriedly paints an intimate portrayal of a troubled family. Though peaceful pace doesn’t mean lack of substance. And the tensions at the fundamentals of characters’ conflicts are sparks only waiting to burst into flames.

“Fire in the Mountains“ is screening at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles

The story is set in a Northern Indian village in Uttarakhand, with a scenic mountain backdrop of Himalayan landscapes. Cinematographer (Frenchman Dominique Colin) films them in their whole profound and breathtaking beauty. It may seem that local people are living in a dream. But their reality is far from idyllic. Chandra (Vinamrata Rai) runs a homestay Swizerland. It offers guests great views and, as being located far from a road, also silence, a treat much-needed by those looking for a weekend getaway. But the pros are also the cons,...

Good Deed Entertainment’s genre label Cranked Up Films has acquired U.S. rights to American Badger, an action film written and directed by and starring stunt veteran Kirk Caouette. It is set for a digital and VOD release on June 15.

Caouette plays a hitman known as Badger, the nickname that came from his wife, who died 4451 days ago. Since her passing he has been living the life of a recluse, operating in the shadows. But all that is about to change with his latest assignment: Make friends with a sex worker named Velvet (Andrea Stefancikova) and extract information about the inner workings of an Albanian gang she works for. An unlikely romance follows until Badger’s handler tells him that it is time to take down the syndicate — and the first person he must kill is Velvet.

“Right away we took to the complex,...

The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Iffla) announced today its full lineup of narrative and documentary features, and shorts for the festival’s 19th edition, which will be held virtually and geo-blocked to California, on May 20-27.

“This is a very special year for Iffla. Taking the festival online has given us the freedom to curate programs we would not have been able to present in a physical setting. We have expanded our reach to all California residents, doubled the shorts program with a strong representation of films from the diaspora, added special programs like “Childhood on Edge”, and curated discussions on timely and pressing topics, celebrating the independent film community from India and the Indian diaspora,” said Christina Marouda, Executive Director.

Iffla will open with the Los Angeles premiere of the powerful female-centric film, Fire in the Mountains, the 2021 Sundance-selected debut feature by Ajitpal Singh that immerses audiences...

The 19th edition Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles has announced an expanded virtual lineup of shorts and narrative and documentary features after canceling 2020’s event due to the pandemic and lockdown.

Taking place from May 20 to May 27, the Iffla boasts 40 films spanning 17 languages, with 16 women directors.

The festival will open with Ajitpal Singh’s “Fire in the Mountains,” which immerses audiences in the splendor of the Himalayas, and close with Akshay Indikar’s “Sthalpuran (Chronicle of Space),” which explores the inner life of its young protagonist, Dighu. Singh and Indikar’s films will be followed by Q&As with Asif Kapadia and Anurag Kashyap, respectively.

Special programs include “Childhood on Edge,” curated by Uma da Cunha; a panel featuring South Asian showrunners; and a screening of Prakash Deka’s “Fireflies” followed by a panel on transgender and non-binary representation in India and the diaspora.

Iffla’s feature lineup includes...

A poignant blend of science and culture, Ajitpal Singh’s feature debut Fire in the Mountains was inspired by the director’s own experiences with religiously-influenced loss, conceived in the aftermath of his close cousin’s death. An enigmatic and intoxicating experience, Singh weaves a subtly complex narrative through a family’s multicultural conflict between healing through science versus religious faith.

Residing at the top of a Himalayan mountain in the Northern Indian village of Uttarakhand, Chandra (Vinamrata Rai), the mother of a wheelchair-using boy, attempts to save enough money to properly treat and take care of her son. When the only medical provider in the small village fails to find a diagnosis, she moves on with the goal of building a road to take her son Prakash (Mayank Singh) to physiotherapy. However, Chandra’s husband, Dharam (Chandan Bisht)––a fervent believer in traditional religion––disagrees heavily with Chandra’s science-based methods.

The snow-capped mountains in the distance jut into a sky as blue as a jewel. The hill community beneath those peaks is covered in the lushest green grasses. Livestock are grazing everywhere. And tourism is taking off. Who wouldn’t want to fill their lungs with this fresh, clean mountain air?

Switzerland? No. It’s Uttarakhand, a state in the north of India, nestled along the western border of Nepal. But at first glance it’d be easy to mistake the Himalayas for the Alps, and that’s a similarity the central family in Ajitpal Singh’s “Fire in the Mountains” very much wants to play up. (The original title of the film was “Swizerland.”) Singh tells a personal story loosely inspired by a real-life family tragedy. This tale of parents driven to distraction by an ailing child — and doing whatever they can to get him treatment despite the most...

“Fire in the Mountains” opens with a perfect introduction, the kind that propels audiences into curiosity about a character they’ve only just met. We are on a country road with a breathtaking Himalayan backdrop, witnessing an urban family vacationing in the region negotiate with a sly, salesman-y guide. He insists that the family choose the homestay he represents, gradually lowering his price, but not quite to their satisfaction. Then Chandra (Vinamrata Rai) interrupts the conversation with her serene, non-pushy authority. She will gladly accept less money. Her homestay comes with a view and modern toilets. It’s also away from the bustling noisy roads, though not all that far on foot. After her skillful negotiation, we watch the petite, soft-spoken but no-nonsense woman carry the family’s heavy suitcase up a mountain trail without breaking a sweat.

This quietly memorable, feminist opening sequence exhibits debuting writer-director Ajitpal Singh’s...

Against the backdrop of a pandemic, maybe diversity at Sundance shouldn’t be at the fore. Then again, it’s well documented that Covid-19 has predominantly affected Black and brown people across the country, and it’s been particularly hard on filmmakers from marginalized communities, especially those from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds.

At Sundance 2021, the organization continues to support its mission to be consistently inclusive, especially in its competitive sections. In this year’s slate of 72 feature-length films, 27 are directed by a filmmaker of color and/or tell stories about people of color — about 38 percent. It almost reflects the country’s general population, which, according to the United States Census Bureau, is comprised roughly of 42 percent people of color.

Among the 40 films in the four main competition categories, 14 titles, or 35 percent, were directed by people of color. That compares to 44 percent last year, which was an all-time high for the festival.

Sreejith Karanavar’s Konkani-language Today Me Tomorrow You took the top award in the Film Bazaar Recommends section.

Nithin Lukose’s Malayalam-language Paka: The River Of Blood and Chhatrapal Ninawe’s Marathi-language Ambush (Ghaath) were presented with the Prasad Labs and Qube Moviebuff Appreciation Awards in the Works-in-Progress (Wip) section of Film Bazaar Online (January 16-21).

The two projects were presented with digital intermediate services from Prasad Labs and digital cinema packages from Qube. Tiwa-language Sikaisal, from Dr. Bobby Sarma Baruah, was given a special mention in the Wip section.

Meanwhile, Sreejith Karanavar’s Konkani-language Today Me Tomorrow You took...

Nithin Lukose’s Malayalam-language “Paka: The River of Blood,” Chhatrapal Ninawe’s Marathi-language “Ghaath” (Ambush) and Sreejith Karanavar’s Konkani-language “Aiz Maka Falea Tuka” (Today Me Tomorrow You) were among the winners at India’s Film Bazaar project market that concluded on Thursday.

“Paka” and “Ghaath” were presented in the Work in Progress lab strand of the Bazaar, while “Aiz Maka Falea Tuka” was in the Film Bazaar Recommends strand.

The projects won digital intermediate packages from Prasad Labs, and Qube’s Moviebuff Appreciation awards which includes the creation of Digital Cinema Packages.

This year saw the introduction of a new award, backed by the Institute Francais India and Produire au Sud, which provides support for script translations into French as well as two script consultations. Pasang Dawa Sherpa’s Nepali-language “Kuhiro Pariko Sahar” (“A Hidden Tale Behind The Mist”) won the award.

The Work in Progress lab mentors also...

Feature directing debutant Ajitpal Singh’s “Fire In The Mountains,” the lone Indian film in Sundance 2021’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition, is a powerful feminist tale told by a male who learnt to face down his own prejudices.

Set in a tourist homestay in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, the film centers around a woman (Vinamrata Rai), the sole breadwinner of the household, who scrimps and saves for her son’s medical treatment, while her alcoholic husband believes that an expensive shamanic ritual is the answer to all their woes.

Singh, who had previously directed several shorts, including the Oberhausen festival-winning “Rammat-Gammat” (2018), says that he found himself not heeding advice from his wife, sister and mother, while having plenty of time to listen to the men of the house.

“I understood my own prejudices, how it’s so deep-rooted, and how just with education and by reading books, it doesn’t just go away,...

Line-up includes new projects from Onir, Anjali Menon, Shyam Bora and Haobam Paban Kumar.

Film Bazaar, organised by India’s National Film Development Corp (Nfdc), has announced the 21 projects selected for the Co-production Market (Cpm) of its 2020 edition, which will take place online next month after being postponed from its usual November slot.

The line-up includes projects in 17 South Asian languages originating in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as co-productions with Canada, China, Netherlands and France.

International collaborations include Onir’s We Are, co-produced by India’s Anticlock Films and Canada’s Fae Pictures; India-Netherlands collaboration Dengue,...

The Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the United States, celebrates bold, creative, and distinctive voices. The upcoming 2021’s edition will offer an online platform featuring seven days of premieres, events, artist talks, and cutting-edge Xr exhibitions. It will also be partnering with independent cinema communities across the U.S. to safely host in-person events. From January 28 through February 3, adventurous audiences and indie film lovers everywhere will come together to be the first to discover exciting new creative visions that people will be talking about all year.

This year the Festival will downsize to 72 feature films (from last year’s 128) but still including a 50% of the total of female directors, more than 50% of the total of filmmakers of color and a number of genderqueer artists.

The full line-up includes few interesting Asian titles. Here they are:

“Fire in the Mountains“

a searing portrait of the power dynamics...

Haf, New Horizons, Thessaloniki and Nfdc Film Bazaar have each contributed five.

Twenty works-in-progress from four international film events have been selected for the online Marché du Film’s Goes To Cannes showcase, which runs from June 22-24.

Five titles will be presented by each of Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf); Poland’s New Horizons International Film Festival; Greece’s Thessaloniki International Film Festival (Tiff); and for the first time, India’s Nfdc Film Bazaar.

The projects will be presented during two-hour online screenings from June 22-23. Industry professionals who attend the online screenings will be able to...

Agnieszka Zwiefka’s “Wika!” Angeliki Antoniou’s “Green Sea” and Wong Fei-pang’s “Dear Immigrants: What Was Your First Meal?” will all feature at the Marché du Film’s 2020 Goes to Cannes, one of the highest-profile industry events at the Cannes Film Market.

This year’s Goes to Event runs June 22-23, at the beginning of the Marché du Film added to what looks like a packed schedule of screenings.

A pix-in-post showcase traditionally running the second week of Cannes and frequented by sales agents, distributors and film fest heads, this year’s Goes to Cannes, now in its eighth edition, will source five features a piece from three traditional Goes To partners: the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), Poland’s New Horizons International Film Festival, and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

Joining the Goes to Lineup for the first time is Nfdc Film Bazaar, organized by India...

European cinemas body Europa Cinemas has named the winners of its 2019 awards. The Best Programming Award went to the team behind historical Slovenian cinema Kinodvor, director Metka Daris and programmer Koen Van Daele.

Established in 1923, the venue has two screens and regularly exceeds 120,000 admissions a year, as well a hosting up to 15 film festivals. Europa’s Young Audience activities prize went to two French cinemas with three screens each: the Lux in Caen, directed by Gautier Labrusse and Didier Anne, and the Café des Images in Hérouville-Saint-Clair, directed by Elise Mignot.

The two venues are independent but co-program and participate in numerous joint activities aimed at young people. Finally, the Best Entrepreneur Award went to Yanaki and Christo Dermendjiev, two brothers who have actively campaigned for the development of exhibition in Bulgaria. Today, they manage 12 cinemas and open-air theaters, and also work in distribution. The 2019 Europa Cinema awards were held in Lisbon.

Natesh Hegde’s “Pedro,” Ajitpal Singh’s “Swizerland” (spelled without a ‘t’ for reasons that become evident in the film) and Prithvi Konanur’s “Where is Pinki?” were among the winners at the Film Bazaar project market that concluded on Sunday.

The three projects won free digital intermediate packages from Prasad Labs, and Qube’s Moviebuff Appreciation awards which includes the creation of two complimentary Digital Cinema Packages each, Inr 200,000 of trailer play at Qube cinemas and a wallet credit of $500 towards the Qube Wire distribution system.

“Pedro” and “Swizerland” were in the Bazaar’s Work In Progress lab, while “Where is Pinki?” was in the Film Bazaar Recommends section.

Pushpendra Singh’s “The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs” won the Vkaao Work In Progress lab award, which includes a certificate from niche distributor Vkaao and a free theatrical distribution deal with PVR Cinemas, India’s largest multiplex chain. “Arthouse cinema...

Pushpendra Singh’s ’The Shepherdess And The Seven Songs’ won the Vkaao Wip Lab Award.

Natesh Hegde’s Pedro and Ajitpal Singh’s Swizerland were presented with the Prasad Lab Di Award and Moviebuff Appreciation Award at the close of Film Bazaar, organised by India’s National Film Development Corporation (Nfdc), on Sunday night.

The two projects were selected from the five that participated in Film Bazaar’s Work-in-Progress (Wip) Lab. Prasad Lab Di and Moviebuff Appreciation Awards were also presented to one incomplete project in the Film Bazaar Recommends section – Where Is Pinki?, from Prithvi Konanur.

The awards include...

SandalwoodThe 'Work In Progress' lab is open only to fictional feature films that are looking for theatrical release.Tnm StaffCourtesy: Film Bazaar/FacebookKannada film Pedro, directed by Natesh Hegde, is one among the five Indian films selected for the prestigious Nfdc Film Bazaar’s Work In Progress (Wip) Lab, which will be held in Panjim from November 20 to 24. Wip Lab is open only to fiction features looking for theatrical release. According to information on Nfdc Film Bazaar’s website, “the director and editor of the selected film screen their rough cuts to the panel of mentors and receive an in-depth one-on-one feedback. The international editor assigned to the film guides the director and editor of the selected film through two sessions of the editing lab which takes place at Film Bazaar itself.” Those who mentor the director and editors include a film festival director, producer and film editors. Since the...