The inaugural edition of Pondicherry International Film Festival (PIFF 2018), one of the largest independent film festivals showcasing 100 plus films and Pickurflick, a streaming platform for curated independent cinema has organised this festival. PIFF is supported by Puducherry Tourism Department.
Acclaimed actor Adil Hussain is the mentor and brand ambassador for PIFF. The festival director is Saibal Chatterjee, a National award-winning film critic and author. The festival advisors are Utpal Borpujari, a journalist-film critic-turned-filmmaker and Sanjay Sarma, known for his marketing and entrepreneurial expertise as a branding and communication strategist. Abhishek Sinha is the founder and CEO, Pickurflick.
The festival will showcase films across four categories: Short films, Feature, Documentary and Animation. The Opening Night of the festival will be hosted at the French Consulate Puducherry on September 25 with a French film screening (to be announced shortly).
Back to roots
France is the partner country for the festival and there will be a special focus on French cinema, art and culture. Hussain who was recently nominated for the Norwegian National Awards for Best Actor for his role in What will People Say , is closely associated with Pickurflick as a mentor and brand ambassador.
Talking about the festival, Hussain said “Pondicherry brings light into my heart. I have been in Pondicherry since 1995. It played one of the most important roles for me to help grow as a person and an actor. I am so very delighted that the first Pondicherry International Film Festival is taking place there. Let us make this event a big success by participating in it with our presence and love.”
His critically acclaimed and National award-winning film Mukti Bhawan will be screened at the festival along with other films
National award-winning film critic Saibal Chatterjee, who is the festival director of PIFF 2018, said “The Pondicherry International Film Festival will celebrate the spirit of independence by showcasing directors who revel in swimming against the tide. Its vision and mission centres on streams of filmmaking shorts, documentaries, animation and fiction features that focus on ground-breaking idioms and themes. PIFF will highlight the relevance of not only filmmakers but also filmgoers who want to engage differently, and in new ways, with the medium. It is our fervent hope that the film festival will propel an exciting, full-fledged movement in the years ahead.”
Opening film: Félicité directed by Alain Gomis, winner of Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at Berlinale 2017 will be screening at the inaugural of PIFF. The closing film will be Teen Aur Aadha directed by Daria Gaikalova and will be presented by Anurag Kashyap. During the festival, Tamil film To Let directed by Chezhyian which won the National award for the best Tamil film (2018) will also be screened.
Last year, Pickurflick had conducted Pickurflick Indie Film Festival which was held in Delhi and Bangalore. The festival was rated among the top unconventional film fests in India and is also among the Top 100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals in the world out of 6,500 festivals worldwide. For further information, send an email to info@pickurflick.com
The PIFF begins on September 26 and ends on September 30. The screenings will be at Alliance Francaise Pondichery, Auroville, JN Auditorium, Sathyam Cinemas and an open-air screening at the beach for the public.
Published - September 25, 2018 11:08 am IST
