The 16th edition of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), to be held from January 11 to January 18, will feature a jury of global cinema experts, including Italian filmmaker Maurizio Nichetti and Polish screenwriter-director Joanna Kos-Krauze.
Fourteen films have been shortlisted for the PIFF competition, while nearly 200 films will be screened at the festival.
A highlight this year will be the Kapoor family handing over 23 original negatives of films produced under the R.K. Studio banner to the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) on opening day of the festival, NFAI director Prakash Magdum said at a press conference on Thursday evening.
“Actor Randhir Kapoor will hand over this rich trove to be deposited in the NFAI vaults. The 23 films include blockbusters like Awaara , Sangam , Bobby and Ram Teri Ganga Maili ,” Dr. Magdum said.
He said these are the original negatives, the best source and ideal format for long-term preservation of films. “We are thankful to the Kapoor family for entrusting NFAI with this prestigious collection so that it can be preserved for future generations.”
The NFAI had been in talks with the Kapoor family for over a month. Randhir Kapoor is said to have visited the NFAI last month to inspect the vaults and storage facilities.
Tribute to Raj Kapoor
fire in September last year gutted Stage 1 of R.K. Studios in Mumbai, resulting in loss of priceless memorabilia and artefacts. The film negatives, stored in another building, were not damaged.
PIFF will also feature a pavilion dedicated to Raj Kapoor, where five of his works — Aag , Mera Naam Joker , Shree 420 , Sangam and Bobby — will be screened, said Dr. Magdum. “There will be a discussion on these films with director Subash Ghai, and actor Rishi Kapoor is expected to attend,” he said.
Filmmaker Jabbar Patel, who is the festival director, said Bobby was chosen as it went with this edition’s theme of ‘Youth’. Dr. Patel said noted filmmakers and scriptwriters like Sri Lankan filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara, scriptwriter Kamlesh Pandey, Mexican director Rodrigo Pla, Canadian director Mathieu Denis and Iranian actress Gelareh Abbasi would be part of the jury along with Mr. Nichetti and Ms. Kos-Krauze.
In memoriam
“We are also organising homage screenings in memory of actors and filmmakers who passed away recently. These include tributes to director Kundan Shah and actors Vinod Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Reema Lagoo and Shyama. There is also a section titled ‘Women’s Empowerment’, which will feature films like Bimal Roy’s Parineeta and Satyajit Ray’s Teen Kanya ,” said Dr. Patel.
In addition, seven Marathi films, including four unreleased ones, have been shortlisted for the PIFF competition.
Since 2002 the eight-day festival has been organised by the Pune Film Foundation in collaboration with the Maharashtra government.
