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Indian producer Prerna Arora is including intimacy coordination clauses in actors’ legal agreements. Arora, known for acclaimed films “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” and “Pari” is believed to be one of the first Indian producers to do so.

Intimacy coordination is a nascent field in Indian cinema with Aastha Khanna Bhardwaj (Netflix’s “Murder Mubarak”) being one of the pioneers in the Hindi-language Bollywood industry and Jayalakshmi Sundaresan (“Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu”) in the Tamil-language Kollywood industry. Shakun Batra’s Prime Video film “Gehraaiyaan,” headlined by Deepika Padukone, was one of the first Bollywood films to have a dedicated intimacy department and the team included Bhardwaj, Dar Gai and Neha Vyas.

Arora recognized the need to formalize protocols surrounding intimate scenes in response to industry-wide discussions on the importance of creating a supportive and respectful atmosphere on set.

“In light of recent conversations and movements within the global film industry, it...

India’s Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market, has selected a range of projects from around the world for its annual co-production market.

The 20 selected projects are from 11 countries, most are already structured as co-productions, and they are all South Asian-themed. From Israel, the Hebrew-language “Raju” by Dror Sabo (“Dead End”), will be produced by Lee Yardeni for My TV Productions (“Nevelot”). Rafael Kapelinski, director of Berlinale winner “Butterfly Kisses,” is at the market with English, German and Hindi-language Germany-India-France-Poland-u.K. co-production “The Distant Near,” produced by Katharina Suckale for Bombay Berlin Film Production (“Loev”).

Hindi-language Germany-Luxembourg-France co-production “Kohinoor,” by Udita Bhargava (Berlinale selection “Dust”), will be produced by Martin Lehwald for Schiwago Film (Berlinale winner “Styx”). Fresh off Busan’s Asian Project Market, feature debutant Aakash Chhabra’s Hindi-language “I’ll Smile in September” will be produced by Sanjay Gulati for India’s Crawling Angel Films and...

Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana, who is known for his work in films such as ‘Vicky Donor’, ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’, ‘Badhaai ho’ and ‘Andhadhun’, has once again collaborated with his friend and ‘Paani Da Rang’ composer Rochak Kohli for the new track ‘Raatan Kaaliyan’.

It’s a Punjabi-pop fusion number with its lyrics penned by Gurpreet Saini and Gautam Sharma. The composition is poignant and Ayushmann’s soulful vocals add a new dimension to the track. The music video of the song has been directed by Dar Gai.

Talking about the song, Ayushmann said, “The song captures the essence of emotions and I hope it becomes a cherished part of people’s playlists. Working with my childhood buddy Rochak Kohli has always been a pleasure.”

He further mentioned, “He’s my home when it comes to music. He’s extremely passionate, versatile and has put his soul in this composition.

Pan Nalin’s “The Last Film Show,” (aka “Chhello Show”) which opens Tribeca’s Spotlight section on June 10, has attracted buyers around the world, ahead of its world premiere.

Neue Visionen has acquired the film for Germany, Karma Films for Spain, Shochiku for Japan, Red Cape and Nachson for Israel and Nos Lusomundo for Portugal.

Nalin is known for his eclectic, and visually striking, body of work including “Samsara,” “Valley of Flowers” and “Angry Indian Goddesses.”

The partly autobiographical drama takes Nalin back to his roots in Saurashtra, Gujarat, western India, where “The Last Film Show” was filmed. The story is set against the backdrop of Indian cinemas witnessing a massive transition from celluloid to digital where hundreds of single-screen cinemas are either in ruins or have disappeared altogether.

The film follows nine-year-old boy Samay, whose life turns upside down after watching his first movie at the Galaxy Cinema. He...

The human mind is always in search of peace. For few this peace could be inside the corner of their home, for others might be in creativity and for few might be in tranquility. And again, peace can be the ultimate freedom- the moksha from this transient existence. But for many, peace lies inside the vibration of life along with the beauty of natural, radiant peace and the heartbeat of existence. Director Dar Gai involves her audience in an amazing journey in the movie “Namdev Bhau: In Search Of Silence”, where two protagonists are in search of tranquility – one knowingly and other unknowingly.

“Namdev Bhau” is screening at Ulju Mountain Film Festival 2019

Namdev Bhau (Namdev Gurav) is a 65-year-old chauffeur who lives in Mumbai. Namdev is tired with the hustle and bustle of city life, the continuous tangential chirping of his family members, and the witless behaviour of his boss...

Viewed at the 17th Annual Los Angeles Indian Film Festival, April 13, 2019Namdev Bhau In Search of Silence is an ambitious second film by the talented young Indian filmmaker Dar Gai (Daria Gaikalova) who is of Ukrainian origin but is now a permanent resident of India.Her first film Three and a Half (2018) was a striking debut feature in three long single takes that was seen at many festivals and showed tremendous promise for the future. Her new film, In Search of Silence, perhaps plagued by the well known “sophomore jinx”, is a high concept opus that does not quite fulfill the height of its concept or the earlier promise.She took a big chance by casting a non professional of 65 with no acting experience as her central character. In my estimation this was a fatal mistake. Mr. Namdev was not very convincing, in fact little more than annoying, playing himself...

The 17th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is nearly upon us and the feature and short film lineups have been announced. Opening on April 11th with a special screening of Sriram Raghavan's stellar Andhadhun and tribute to leading lady Tabu, Iffla continues through the 14th with a number of fantastic films and events. The festival closes with the world premiere of Megha Ramaswamy's The Odds and a screening of Tiff alum and acclaimed documentary Reason by Anand Patwardhan I can definitely recommend the above-mentioned Andhadhun, Slamdance award-winner Cat Sticks, Aditya Vikram Sengupta's Bengali Rotterdam alum Jonaki, Dar Gai's Nambau Dev In Search of Silence, and the shorts Bebaak by Shazia Iqbal and Maya by Vikas Chandra. I'm very much looking forward to digging...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

National Award winning actress Tabu will be honoured at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles in April. Announcing the lineup of films and the other activities of the festival, Christina Marouda, Iffla Executive Director, said in a statement: "We have been discussing honouring Tabu for a long time, and this year felt like the right time. Her work and personality embody everything that Iffla is about -- being fearless, versatile, independent in spirit, unwilling to compromise, brilliant in the range of her performances, and simply beautiful."

"With half of the festival's 2019 lineup directed by female filmmakers, this couldn't be a stronger celebration of women in Indian cinema," he said.

While Tabu's recently released film Andhadhun will be the opening film of the festival, other female filmmakers' work will also be showcased on the occassion. With several feature, shots and documentaries -- films will be shown in nine languages.

'Taking...

Total of 37 feature film projects headed to Berlin.

The Berlin International Film Festival’s annual co-production market has unveiled the 37 feature film projects that will form this year’s selection.

There are 22 projects taking part in the Official Selection, including new films from Boo Junfeng, whose The Apprentice premiered at Cannes in 2016, and Uberto Pasolini, whose credits as a director include Still Life and Machan, and as a producer include The Full Monty.

Also attending with a new project is Carla Simón, the director of Summer 1993, which was a hit at the Berlinale in 2017, and brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser,...

Films from Nsu German History X director Christian Schwochow, BeTipul star Shira Geffen, 7 Days in Havana director Santiago Mitre and The Full Monty producer Uberto Pasolini are among the titles set for this year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market.

The co-pro market, which will see 600 international producers and financiers to come together to explore new partnerships, will host 37 feature film projects. Notably, 20 female filmmaker, 49% of selected titles, are represented.

Schwochow is hosting Je Suis Karl, which is produced by Germany’s Pandora Film Produktion; Geffen has A Responsible Adult, a family drama set against the backdrop of Israel’s mythical Masada plateau with Israel’s Marker Films; Mitre is shopping Petite Fleur from France’s Maneki Films and Argentina’s La Uniòn de los Rìos, and Pasolini is directing Nowhere Special from UK’s Red Wave Films.

The 20 female filmmakers include Marcela Said from Chile, Elina Psykou from Greece, Júlia Murat from Brazil,...

Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare tale All Is True has been selected to open the Palm Springs Film Festival, which Friday unveiled its full lineup of films for the 30th edition that runs January 3-14. The fest also said that Bruce Bereford’s Ladies in Black will be the closing-night film, with the director and cast members expected to be in attendance.

In all, the fest will screen 223 films from 78 countries, and as usual will screen a slew of Oscar Foreign Language Film entries, this year numbering 43 of the 87 official submissions. Also on the docket: a 30-film retrospective of past fest selections, dubbed the Palm Springs Canon; special focuses on cinema from France, India and Mexico, and Jewish and queer cinema; and the new Ricky Jay Magic of Cinema Award, named for actor and magician Ricky Jay who died last month.

In addition to the film lineup, the opening awards gala...

The Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced its 2019 lineup, and it’s prodigious: 223 films from 78 countries, four of them world premieres. Though well known for celebrating future Oscar nominees (and winners) each year, the festival also boasts a deceptively robust world-cinema slate; among the upcoming offerings are Jia Zhangke’s “Ash Is Purest White,” Sergey Loznitsa’s “Donbass,” Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra’s “Birds of Passage,” and Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s “Asako I & II,” to name just a few.

A number of post-screening Q&As will also be held, including with “Black Klansman” author Ron Stallworth and “Support the Girls” star Regina Hall, in addition to a new section celebrating the best films to screen at Psiff throughout its first three decades.

World premieres:

Buck Run (USA), Director Nick Frangione

Carlos Almaraz Playing With Fire (USA), Directors Elsa Flores Almaraz, Richard Montoya (Schlesinger Documentary Competition)

The Last Color...

The human mind is always in search of peace. For few this peace could be inside the corner of their home, for others might be in creativity and for few might be in tranquility. And again, peace can be the ultimate freedom- the moksha from this transient existence. But for many, peace lies inside the vibration of life along with the beauty of natural, radiant peace and the heartbeat of existence. Director Dar Gai involves her audience in an amazing journey in the movie “Namdev Bhau: In Search Of Silence”, where two protagonists are in search of tranquility – one knowingly and other unknowingly.

“Namdev Bhau” screened at Mumbai Film Festival

Namdev Bhau (Namdev Gurav) is a 65-year-old chauffeur who lives in Mumbai. Namdev is tired with the hustle and bustle of city life, the continuous tangential chirping of his family members, and the witless behaviour of his boss and decides...

You can feel the despair of the long-suffering hero as he submits to his wife’s nonstop chatter in the painfully hilarious first scenes of Namdev Bhau: In Search of Silence. It’s the soul-wracking, jackhammer dialogue, rather than any noisy sound mix, that motivates Namdev’s retreat from the world and his trek up a mountain to get a little peace and quiet. Written and directed by the young Kiev-born, India-based Dar Gai, the film builds slowly but inexorably to a touching surprise ending that exceeds expectations. After its initial bows in Busan, London and Mumbai, this offbeat road movie ...

You can feel the despair of the long-suffering hero as he submits to his wife’s nonstop chatter in the painfully hilarious first scenes of Namdev Bhau: In Search of Silence. It’s the soul-wracking, jackhammer dialogue, rather than any noisy sound mix, that motivates Namdev’s retreat from the world and his trek up a mountain to get a little peace and quiet. Written and directed by the young Kiev-born, India-based Dar Gai, the film builds slowly but inexorably to a touching surprise ending that exceeds expectations. After its initial bows in Busan, London and Mumbai, this offbeat road movie ...

Ukrainian filmmaker Dar Gai, whose “Namdev Bhau in Search of Silence” has its world premiere in Busan’s A Window on Asian Cinema strand, has had a fascinating passage to India. The philosophy major spent 10 years acting, directing and organizing festivals in Ukraine. While she was familiar with Western culture, the east was yet to be conquered. So she fired off resumes to schools in China, Japan and India. Soon an invitation letter arrived from the prestigious Scindia School for boys, in Gwalior, central India, to teach theatre and German.

“India became a major source of inspiration for my scripts,” said Gai. “I remember the time when I was coming up with at least three feature film ideas every day. I felt a strong sense of connection with the Indian culture. I felt at home.

But who knows really, maybe I would have been shooting a Japanese film right now...

Exclusive: Fox 2000’s The Hate U Give has been selected as the closing night film at the 22nd annual Urbanworld Film Festival, which runs from September 19-23 in New York. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by Ava DuVernay with director George Tillman Jr. and stars Amandla Stenberg and Algee Smith in attendance.

In addition, Steve McQueen’s Viola Davis-starring heist thriller, Widows has been added to the fest’s screening lineup, as well as the Bet original film Running Out of Time, and Smallfoot, the Warner Bros animated film that features the voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, and Yara Shahidi.

The festival will also be celebrating the 30th anniversal of the John Landis-directed cult classic Coming to America with a special spotlight screening of the film Friday, September 21 and a Q&A moderated...

Universal Pictures’ “Night School,” starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, will open the 22nd annual Urbanworld Film Festival.

“Night School” is one of more than 60 films and TV shows being screened at the fest — an annual showcase of diverse culture — including the debut of the Fox show “Rel.” “Get Out’s” Lil Rel Howery stars in the series and will take part in a Q&A following the screening at New York City’s AMC Empire 25.

HBO will also screen two spotlight selections: first-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s “The Sentence,” a documentary about mandatory minimum sentencing, and Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown’s “United Skates,” a doc about some of America’s last standing roller rinks.

Passes for the festival, which runs from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23, are available at the Urbanworld website, and tickets for official selections and spotlights will be available in September.

Here’s the full list of...