Line-up of Films for ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal

Nov 16, 2021 | Business

52nd International Film Festival of India has announced line-up of nine films that will compete for the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 52nd International Film Festival. The films selected are as follows-

  1. 21st TIFFIN

Director: VijaygiriBava | India | 2020 | Gujarati | 88 min. | Colour

Synopsis: 21st Tiffin is a story of a middle-aged lady performing as a wife, as a mother, as a daughter, as a sister and as a friend. She runs a Tiffin service for herself.  A grown-up daughter Nitu notices that her mother is doing all her duties well but there is an affliction exists that reflects in her behavior. Dhruv, a young boy who comes as a 21st customer of her Tiffin appreciates the lady. The sudden entry of appreciation and attention strikes out the affliction of mother.  Observation of Nitu about her mother weaved through emotional and sensitive situations makes an interesting drama.

  1. COMMITMENT HASAN

Director: Semih Kaplanoglu | Turkey | 2021 | Turkish | 147 min. | Colour

Synopsis: Making his living from gardening and farming in the land he inherited from his father, Hasan tries to get rid of the power pole that is going to be installed in the midst of his land. His impending voyage to Mecca for pilgrimage leads to soul searching into his past.

  1. KILLING THE EUNUCH KHAN

Director: Abest Abed | Iran | 2021 | Farsi, Arabic | 110 min. | Colour

Synopsis: The serial killer intends slaughter so much that the blood spills over the ditches of the city. To reach this target, he designs a plan in which victims kill victims. The plan carried out and the stream of blood gradually fills the ditches of the city by the people who kill each other.

  1. KOOZHANGAL

Director: Vinothraj P S | India | 2020 | Tamil | 77 min.  | Colour

Synopsis: Two arid hamlets separated by a distance of 13 kilometers from the down South ofTamil Nadu unfurl a drama witnessed by the sun. On an unbearably hot day, Ganapathy, an alcoholic wife beater drags out his young son Velu from school and embarks on a journey to fetch back his wife whom he had chased away. On reaching the in-laws house, he learns that his wife has already left to return to their home. In frustration, he gets involved in a brawl with his in-laws earning the further disapproval of his son. The young boy dispels his frustration by tearing up the bus fare into bits. This leaves the duo with no choice, but to walk on foot in the scorching summer beaten rural landscapes to reach home. Their feelings are intertwined with the land, where the blazing heat fires up the father’s rage. This journey is fraught with the sweat and smudge of the common folk, crawling critters and the deserted terrain. Towards the end, the nurturing nature of women assuages the hunger and anger of men. This vicious cycle of love and hate is bound to repeat itself.

  1. LINGUI, THE SACRED BONDS

Director: Mahamat Saleh Haroun | Chad, France, Belgium, Germany | 2021 | French, Arabic | 87 min. | Colour

Synopsis: On the outskirts of N’Djamena in Chad, Amina lives alone with her only 15-year-old daughter Maria. Her already fragile world collapses the day she discovers that her daughter is pregnant. The teenager does not want this pregnancy. In a country where abortion is not only condemned by religion, but also by law, Amina finds herself facing a battle that seems lost in advance

  1. NIGHT FOREST

Director: André Hörmann & Katrin Milhahn | Germany | 2021 | German | 96 min. | Colour

Synopsis: PAUL and MAX are best friends. On the first day of summer vacation, they tear away from home and look for a legendary cave high up in the mountain forests. Alone in the wilderness, the two experience an undreamt-of freedom and face great dangers and insurmountable obstacles. A great summer adventure begins.

  1. NIRAYE THATHAKALULLA MARAM

Director: Jayaraj | India | 2021 | Malayalam | 90 min.

Synopsis: An eight-year-old boy Poojan is not any ordinary boy. He earns a living by doing mean jobs like fishing in the back waters to look after his family consisting of a drunkard father, grandfather and great grandfather. His mother eloped with another person years back.

One day poonjuan saw a blind man sitting alone in the boat jetty who seemed to have lost his way home. He is demented, and only remembers a certain tree full of parrots in front of his house. An attempt to report this man in the police station was futile.

At last, Poonjan decided to find the way back to the blind man’s jouse by trying to spot the tree full of parrots. Poonjan tried to find the way to the blind man’s home, asking directions to acquaintances and strangersenroute. Disheartened with the outcome of their journey, he was about to give up on the quest. Right then, they hear the sound of parrots which lead them to the “tree full of parrots”.

  1. TOKYO SHAKING

Director: Olivier Peyon | France | 2021 | French, English, Japanese | 101 min. | Colour

Synopsis: March 11, 2011. The biggest earthquake Tokyo has ever experienced triggers the Fukushima disaster. Alexandra has just arrived in the country from France to work in a bank, and has to face this nuclear crisis. Torn apart between her work and her family, she will defend honor and given word despite emerging terror and anxiety.

  1. WHEN POMEGRANATES HOWL

Director: Granaz Moussavi | Australia, Afghanistan | 2021 | Farsi, Pashto | 80 min. | Colour

Synopsis: On the streets of Kabul, a child dreams of making it big and has a chance encounter with a foreigner bring in his quest for stardom.

Saurabh Singh

(Release ID: 1772339)
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Hong Kong – A strong line-up of Hong Kong films featured at London East Asia Film Festival (with photos)

Oct 23, 2021 | International

A strong line-up of Hong Kong films featured at London East Asia Film Festival (with photos)

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     With the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO), Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) and the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS), the London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) 2021 selected 10 Hong Kong films for screening for from October 21 to 31 (London time).

     For the first time at LEAFF, a Hong Kong movie was selected as the opening film. To pay tribute to the late Hong Kong Director Benny Chan, LEAFF opened on October 21, 2021 (London time) with Director Chan’s final feature “Raging Fire” at ODEON Luxe Leicester Square, London. LEAFF 2021 also features a special Hong Kong Focus programme this year, highlighting the work of emerging directors.

     Amongst the 10 Hong Kong films, seven of them are part of HKIFFS’ Hong Kong New Talents Programme, which aims to introduce and promote the new generation of Hong Kong filmmakers to the international audiences. These seven films are (in alphabetical order):
 

  • Alan Fung’s “Elisa’s Day”;  
  • Chan Kin-long’s “Hand Rolled Cigarette”;
  • Erica Li’s “Just 1 Day”;
  • Man Lim-chung’s “Keep Rolling”;
  • Sunny Lau’s “Sugar Street Studio”;
  • Ricky Ko’s “Time” ; and
  • Jimmy Wan’s “Zero to Hero”.

     The three other Hong Kong films screened are Benny Chan’s “Raging Fire” and “A Moment of Romance”, as well as Soi Cheang’s “Limbo”. 

     Speaking at the opening gala of LEAFF 2021, the Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law highlighted that Hong Kong is not only an international financial centre but also an international hub for cultural and creative industries with promising development opportunities. He said, “Within a short time span of three years, we saw the opening of Tai Kwun for heritage and arts, the Xiqu Centre in the West Kowloon Cultural District, and the refurbished and expanded Hong Kong Museum of Arts. With much anticipation, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture, the M+ Museum will open its doors to the public on November 12, 2021. All these venues provide the much needed space for the sector to grow and flourish.”

     Mr Law also spoke of the support of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government for nurturing talents, as well as the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme including the associated immigration facilitation measures for any aspired international film talents to work in Hong Kong.

     LEAFF 2021 will run until October 31, 2021 (London time) with a diverse programme of films from East Asia. For more information, please visit www.leaff.org.uk/.

International Line-Up of Expert Speakers Announced for SMi Group’s Future Armoured Vehicles Power Systems 2021 Conference

May 10, 2021 | Business

SMi Group is delighted to be holding the inaugural Future Armoured Vehicles Power Systems conference, which is taking place in London, UK, on the 20th and 21st September 2021. As part of their leading Armoured Vehicle events portfolio, this conference will address how technological advances in power solutions will enhance the overall performance of future armoured vehicles.

As the only conference for armoured vehicle experts focused on vehicle power and propulsion systems, this unique event will bring together key host-nation decision-makers, the UK industry, international militaries, and leading OEMs and system integrators from all over the world.

For those interested in attending, there is an early bird discount of £200 when you book by 28th May 2021. Register at http://www.fav-powersystems.com/pr1.

The featured expert speakers for 2021 include:

Conference Chairman:
– Brigadier (Ret’d) Ian Cameron-Mowat, Former Head of Force Protection, British Army
Host Nation Speakers:
– Lieutenant General Richard Nugee, Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy Lead, UK MoD
– Colonel Simon Ridgway, Assistant Head Plans, Ground Manoeuvre Capability, British Army
– Lieutenant Colonel James De St John-Pryce*, Incoming Commanding Officer, Armoured Trials and Development Unit, British Army
– Mr William Suttie, Technical Authority, Land Platforms Group, DSTL, UK MoD
– Professor Aldo Sorniotti, Professor in Advanced Vehicle Engineering, University of Surrey

International Speakers:
– Major General Richard ‘Ross’ Coffman, Director, Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross Functional Team, US Army Futures Command
– Colonel Adrián Benito, Chief of 8×8 Dragón AFV Program, Spanish MoD
– Dr Mike Kweon, VICTOR ERP Program Manager, Vehicle Technology Directorate, Army Research Lab, US Army
– Dr Carsten Cremers, Team Leader Fuels Cells, Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT

Industry Speakers:
– Professor Gerhard Skoff, Vice President & General Manager, Special Purpose Powertrain, AVL List GmbH
– Mr Carlos Gil, Director Engineer, Ascod and Tracked Vehicles, General Dynamics European Land Systems
– Mr Jeff Ryder, Vice President of Growth and Strategy, GM Defense
– Mr Phil Barnes, Senior Scientist, Power Sources, QinetiQ
– Mr Leon Tricot, Mechanical Systems Engineer, Advanced Services & Products; Hybrid Electric Drives, QinetiQ
– Dr Marcus Potter, Head of Mobility, Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land

The event brochure has just been released and can be viewed online at http://www.fav-powersystems.com/pr1.

Future Armoured Vehicles Power Systems Conference
20th – 21st September 2021
Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK

*Subject to final confirmation

SMi Group offer direct access to key decision makers through tailored sponsorship and exhibitor packages. Please contact Justin Predescu on +44 (0) 20 7827 6130 or email jpredescu@smi-online.co.uk.

For all delegate enquiries, contact James Hitchen on +44 (0) 20 7827 6054 or email jhitchen@smi-online.co.uk.

About SMi Group:
Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world’s most forward thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at http://www.smi-online.co.uk