GANGS OF WASSEYPUR in Sydney Film Fest's competition
May 10, 2012 01:02:36 PM IST
Rajesh Kumar Singh, Glamsham Editorial
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On the heels of its selection in the Directors' Fortnight in the 65th Festival de Cannes GANGS OF WASSEYPUR, the 5 hours 20 minutes crime saga directed by Anurag Kashyap, has been selected in the official competition for the Sydney Film Prize, at the Sydney Film Festival, 2012. This prize is presented in recognition of 'the most courageous, audacious and cutting edge cinematic creations'. The films will also be screened in the special India Focus section at the festival.
GOW tells the story of vengeance between two families spanning more than 60 years. With an ensemble cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Piyush Mishra, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Reemma Sen, the film presents the gritty realities of North India, tracing the feud between a mining magnate and politician Ramadhir Singh and the Khan family from colonial to contemporary times.
GOW will be competing with the best of the art house films this year including winners of Sundance, Berlin, and Rotterdam this year, and Venice and Toronto last year including Walter Salles film like ON THE ROAD, Philippe Falardeau's MONSIEUR LAZHAR nominated for the Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards, 2011, Taviani Brothers' CAESER MUST DIE, Golden Bear winner at Berlinale 2012, and BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD by Benh Zeitlin the Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance 2012.
CHECK OUT: Anurag Kashyap's GANGS OF WASSEYPUR trailer out
The Sydney Film Festival that runs through June 6-17, 2012, will also have a special focus on Indian cinema. A description of the India Focus section says, ''Prepare to shatter your preconceptions with a tribute to the quality cinema emerging from this filmmaking powerhouse. These independent productions reveal an industry creating work far beyond Bollywood, presenting portraits of a nation grappling with rapid change on every level.''
Nashen Moodley, the new Festival Director of the festival was quoted saying, ''We have been very impressed with the recent films and they are extremely daring, take on serious issues, and are beautifully made. There are many new directors making films in their very individual ways, and that's extremely exciting for the future of Indian cinema.''
Both parts of GOW have been produced by Kashyap & Guneet Monga from AKFPL and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures; and co-produced with Sunil Bohra from Bohra Bros. and Jar Pictures. Elle Driver, a Paris based company, has recently come on board as the international sales agents for the films.
(Rajesh Kumar Singh is Editorial Consultant for Festivals and Markets for BollywoodTrade.com. He is a filmmaker, critic and market analyst)
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