Films from developing countries that are showcased at international film festivals are often criticised for depicting “poverty porn”, but for Dorothee Wenner, the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff’s) programming consultant for India and the subcontinent, it wasn’t a concern. All she looked at was the uniqueness of the stories and not whether those films represented India in a glorious light or not. Such criticisms are mitigated since India is the world’s largest producer of films annually, believes Wenner.
“And films that are made to make a country look good are complete flops,” said Wenner in an telephone interview from Berlin.
“I hear such storylines and demands in countries where not many films are made such as [in] Zambia [and] South Africa where 40 films are made. Then, their film commission may step in and say make a film that makes Johannesburg look good. But luckily for Indians, in a country which makes thousands of films, you don’t have to care about that.”
After an intense year of scouting for movies from across the subcontinent, she believes that she has selected stories with universal appeal. Seven Indian flicks spanning several states and two features set in Pakistan, shot in various languages such as Hindi, Telugu and Pashto and with English subtitles, were showcased at Diff yesterday. Diff runs until December 17.
“When you look at the short story Chotoder Chobi, by Kaushik Ganguly, about dwarfs, it’s a story that could take place in Belgium, Peru or Poland. But Ganguly has a fine way of storytelling and he transforms it into a warm love story... I can’t remember ever having watched a film with small people who make a strong statement that they don’t want to be pitied for their size. It has nothing to do with how India is represented,” said Wenner. Her year-long selection process hinged on several factors including keeping the Dubai audiences’ tastes in mind.
“Some films will evoke nostalgia and homesickness. But one of the ideas of this festival is to broaden this [impact]. At the moment, Indian cinema is undergoing so much change. Our festival is an advocate of showing what goes beyond the regular mainstream films.” This year, attendees will get a taste of movies from several Indian states including West Bengal (Chotoder Chobi), Gujarat (Court), Karnataka (Our Metropolis), Tamil Nadu (Kaaka Muttai), and Kerala (Njan Steve Lopez).
“It’s not always easy to bring films from different states but we are happy that there’s a good variety this year. For Instance, Crow’s Egg [Kaaka Muttai] is a charming tale from Tamil Nadu. The audiences will be surprised at how funny a film can be that’s made outside a formula.”
Another comic endeavour is Meet The Patels, a documentary about arranged marriages, directed by American-Indian siblings Geeta V. Patel and Ravi P. Patel.
“It’s a documentary about matchmaking that’s so funny,” said Wenner.
While there’s a robust representation of independent films, there’s no sign of big Bollywood films in this year’s list. Did Diff deliberately stay away from those glitzy Bollywood musicals?
“To start with, we are very friendly with the big Bollywood studios. We keep friendly ties with studios, but the reality of how the business is developing in Bollywood studios is different. In the past one or two years, the release date factor is all important for them. The fighting for one release per week, which is one big film, I find it destructive to the overall situation in India. Earlier, films had a life of two or three weeks, but, nowadays, it’s just [from] Friday [to] Sunday night. The whole business reality of multi-starrers is something [that’s] impossible to match with festival realities,” explains Wenner. She adds that the financial expectations from a big Bollywood release makes it difficult to synchronise with festivals such as Diff.
“We have tried and both sides have looked at how we can benefit from each other. This year it didn’t work out. But we are very interested in covering the entire diversity [of India] in our festival.”
The courtroom drama about the Indian judiciary entitled Court fits that bill.
“Court is like a piece of art. It plays out like a suspense drama. I am intrigued to see how Indians in Dubai will view the film. It’s something like Slumdog Millionaire because it was so successful at so many festivals. It won our hearts and minds and has some spending performance from unknown actors. Plus, it’s always interesting to watch how Indians perceive their own films as opposed to other non-Indians,” said Wenner. Her ambition as she chooses the platter of Indian films is to open up dialogue.
“Nobody sees a necessity to open up. Money is made in the established way ... but some of the people are tired by the formula films. The Indian market is conservative because of the distribution realities. But that’s where we come in. India is tremendous in terms of film-making. There is so much [on offer] in terms of style, narration, new faces and everything. Why not look at planet India, instead of going to the established formula?”
INDIAN FILMS AT DIFF
Chauranga (Four Colours)
Language: Hindi
In a sleepy Indian village two brothers are growing up with their naive ideas of love and life. However, low caste-born Bajarangi and Santu have two very different fates. Bajarangi, 15, is sent to a boarding school while Santu, 14, is left in the village to grow up with the pigs he looks after. His only escape to fancy is his daily ritual to climb up a tree and look at Mona (16) as she passes by on her scooter to the town school. Things change when his educated brother Bajarangi make him realise the need to express his feelings.
When: December 14, MOE 2, 6pm and December 16, MOE 12, 8.45pm
Chotoder Chobi (A Short Story)
Language: Bengali
A stirring love story between a couple who are dwarfs and the adversities they face.
When: December 11, MOE 2, 6.30pm and December 13, MOE 7, 9.30pm
Court
Languages: Marathi, English and Gujarati
A sewage worker’s dead body is found in a manhole in Mumbai. An ageing folk singer is arrested and accused of performing an inflammatory song, which may have led to the worker’s suicide.
When: December 15, MOE 2, 9.30pm and December 17, MOE 12, 6pm
Meet The Patels
Languages: English and Gujarati
A quirky take on US-based Ravi Patel’s quest for an Indian bride through an arranged marriage set up.
When: December 15, MOE 11 at 2.45pm
Our Metropolis
Languages: English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu
Bangalore is being refashioned as a ‘world-class metropolis’. Livelihoods and homes make way for flyovers, glitzy malls and a shiny new metro. Threatened with violent transformation of their city, residents confront the authorities.
When: December 11, MOE 6, 6.15pm and December 13, MOE 10, 3.30pm
Njan Steve Lopez (I’m Steve Lopez)
Language: Malayalam with English subtitles
Set in Kerala, India, I’m Steve Lopez is a tale of the teenage son of an influential police officer. Steve’s fairly predictable life changes when he witnesses a fight between two rival gangs and helps take an injured man to the hospital.
When: December 15, MOE 2, 6pm and December 17, MOE 7, 2.30pm
Kaaka Muttai (The Crow’s Egg)
Language: Tamil
Kaaka Muttai is a story about two brothers in Chennai’s slums and their desire to taste pizza.
When: December 12, MOE 12, 5.30pm
PAKISTANI FILMS IN DIFF
Dukhtar
Language: Urdu and Pashto
The film chronicles the journey of a mother who runs away with her ten-year-old daughter before the child is forced to marry an elderly tribal leader. The film is Pakistan’s entry in the Academy Awards in the Foreign Language Film category. Wenner said, “It’s a captivating film, which has high drama, paints beautiful images, and focuses [on] the current debates in Pakistan.”
When: December 11, MOE 12, 9.30pm and December 12, MOE 7, 5.45pm.
Tigers
Language: English and Urdu
Directed by Danis Tanovic and starring Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi, Tigers is set in Pakistan and is a tale of a salesman who secures a job with a multinational company to sell its infant formulas. Ayan (Hashmi) quickly becomes one of the company’s best salesmen, until he is exposed to the murky goings-on in the industry that are causing unprecedented deaths among Pakistan’s infants. Unable to address the issue from within the industry, Ayan decides to fight solo.
When: December 15, Madinat Theatre, 5.30pm and December 16, MOE 7, 9pm
Did you know?
Legendary Indian singer Asha Bhonsle, 81, received the Diff Lifetime Achievement Award yesterday. She has sung 12,000 songs in about 850 films and is listed in the Guinness World Records as ‘most recorded artist in music history’.
A taste of Bollywood
The stars of B-town film Welcome Back — John Abraham, Anil Kapoor and producer Firoz Nadiadwala — will play at Souq Madinat Theatre at 2.30pm tomorrow.
Tickets for the In Conversation With Welcome Back Stars cost Dh35 and Dh15 (students) at Madinat Theatre in Souq Madinat Jumeirah and vox cinemas at Mall Of The Emirates.
