Film spanning South Asian countries on the cards

When the time comes for an idea, nothing can stop it, so goes the saying. This is precisely what happened when directors from South Asia, including Bangladesh, gathered in the Indian coastal state of Goa, a paradise for international tourists, on the last day of June to give wings to a joint venture film production.Bangladeshi filmmaker Tanveer Husseini, Buddhi Kiritisena of Sri Lanka, Pakistan's Siraj-ul-Haque, Abdul Hameed Latifi of Afghanistan have joined hands to make a film which is likely to be a love story across five South Asian countries.The occasion was the concluding day of the third edition of South Asian Film Festival organized by South Asian Foundation.From India, the director in the joint effort would be either actress-producer Pooja Bhatt or director Sudhir Mishra, according to Manoj Srivastava, Chief Executive Officer of the Entertainment Society of Goa which hosted the South Asian festival.Siraj-ul-Haque said the story idea was still in development stage. "We are yet to decide which country the protagonist will be from. It will be a love story which will track one person from the eyes of five different filmmakers from five countries," he said.Latifi said the script for the proposed movie should be ready in two months. "We have all agreed to be in touch with each other to take forward the story idea. A concrete idea should take shape in two months," he added.Secretary General of South Asia Foundation Rahul Barua said the film would be produced under the banner of of the Foundation, which will organise the funds.

Actress Subarna Mustafa marries TV play director Soud

Renowned actress Subarna Mustafa, 48, and TV play director Badrul Anam Soud, 32, got married last Monday, according to sources. The denmohor was set at Tk 10 lakh.Soud is currently co-directing Doll's House, the ongoing daily soap on ATN Bangla, in which Subarana plays a central role. The wedding, according to Muslim traditions, took place at the Uttara residence of Subarna's mother. The low-key affair was attended by a few of the near and dear ones of the bride and groom.This puts to rest all speculation on Subarna's second marriage, which went on for quite a while.Subarna has recently divorced Humayun Faridee. The hugely popular actor duo were married to each other for over two decades.

Guru Dutt: Incorporating artistic sensibility in commercial films

July 9 marked legendary Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt's 83rd birthday. Dutt is often credited with ushering in the golden era of Indian cinema. He made the quintessential 1950-'60s classics such as Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa, Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam and Chaudhvi Ka Chaand.He is most famous for making brilliant lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Indian cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 masterpiece, Pyaasa. Several of his later works have a cult following. His movies go full house when re-released; especially in Germany, France and Japan. Today, no world cinema class is complete without inclusion of Guru Dutt. Pyaasa was rated as one of the best 100 films of all time by the Time Magazine.

Guru Dutt: Incorporating artistic sensibility in commercial films

July 9 marked legendary Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt's 83rd birthday. Dutt is often credited with ushering in the golden era of Indian cinema. He made the quintessential 1950-'60s classics such as Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa, Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam and Chaudhvi Ka Chaand.He is most famous for making brilliant lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Indian cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 masterpiece, Pyaasa. Several of his later works have a cult following. His movies go full house when re-released; especially in Germany, France and Japan. Today, no world cinema class is complete without inclusion of Guru Dutt. Pyaasa was rated as one of the best 100 films of all time by the Time Magazine.

Bangladesh Film Archive moves to new building

The government organisation yet to win confidence of the filmmakers
Ershad Kamol
Prints preserved at the vault of Bangladesh Film Archive; a technician is cleaning a print (left) Photo: AFPBangladesh Film Archive (BFA), under the Ministry of Information, has moved from its rented office at Mohammadpur to the National Broadcasting Authority Building (NBAB) at Shahbagh this month. In the last 30 years BFA has preserved only 2169 films in its vaults. In the library of the archive 3053 books, 14575 photographs, 6677 posters, 1986 screenplay, 9950 film journals and other film related objects and documents have been preserved.Upon investigating at BFA's previous office at Mohammadpur, it was found that temperature is not properly controlled at the four chambers. Even the temperature and humidity indicators did not work. Ensuring proper temperature and humidity level are very important when preserving negatives and prints of films are concerned.Director General (DG) of BFA, Dr. Mohammad Jahangir Hossain claims that the air-conditioning system at the vaults of the new BFA venue will be better. "Moreover, as the previous venue was rented, we will save Tk 2 lakh every month," he said.Can BFA function properly in a restricted zone like NBAB? The DG replied, "There will be a few temporary problems, especially during the weekly film screening sessions, however, we will try to co-operate the interested visitors.""We will continue our activities at NBAB until we can shift to our proposed own building at Sher-e-Banglanagar. Though the allotted 1.86 acre plot for the building is currently illegally occupied by Mamota Bahumukhi Samabay Samity, an organisation of employees of Public Works Department," the DG added. BFA has moved several times in the last 30 years. The archive is yet to win the confidence of filmmakers. Most filmmakers do not submit the prints and negatives of their films to the archive, though according to 16 (2) section of Copyright Act 2005, a director must submit a print to BFA within two months of releasing the film. Renowned filmmaker Tareque Masud addressed the issue: "It's true that the current DG is giving his best possible effort, however, I'm not sure that the prints of my films will be preserved properly at the BFA vault. I have documents that prints of several classic films made in the '60s has turned brittle in the vaults, as the standard humidity and temperature are not maintained there.""Though the scenario is changing gradually, but unless the archive has its own building with properly working vaults, I'm reluctant to submit my prints and negatives to BFA," he added."We have not taken any drastic action as per the Copyright Act 2005, which reads that in case of not submitting the print within 60 days of the film's release, the director will get six months of imprisonment or a fine of Tk 50,000 or both," said the DG, "But we want that the filmmakers to realise the importance of the value of archive." However, the DG claims that the scenario is changing. "The rate of submitting films at BFA has increased in the last few years. In addition to preserving and collecting prints and negatives, at BFA we have taken a project of collecting available DVDs of films. We have also initiated some research-based programmes," he said. The DG also informed that three research-based works are almost complete. The researches carried out under BFA are: "Children's Film in Bangladesh: A sociological survey" by Taposhi Burman and Imran Firdaus, "Women on Screen: Representing Women by Women in Bangladesh Cinema" by Bikash Chandra Bhowmik and "Interrelation Between Mainstream Cinema and Cine-journalism: The Current Perspective and Future Prospect" by Aditi Falguni Gayen. Moreover, BFA is going to publish journals regularly.The current initiatives taken by BFA are highly appreciated by the filmmakers, who are involved with BFA from the beginning. But, they have particular suggestions regarding the government organisation.The filmmakers suggest that an autonomous body including the involved persons in film industry headed by a curator should run BFA. According to the filmmakers as per functions of the archive the head of BFA should be a curator instead of a DG. For better services, BFA should review its programmes involving the experts, filmmakers commented. They also demand for a permanent building for the archive."Besides preserving prints and negatives, the archive should regularly arrange film appreciation courses. Moreover, they should screen films to generate interest amongst the masses," said filmmaker Manzar-e Hasin Murad. Murad further said, "Like the museum, the archive should display its collections and should also initiate exchange programmes with film archives overseas."Filmmaker Morshedul Islam demanded for training of the BFA employees. He said, "Print of my film Aagami has been destroyed at the vault of the archive. I know things are improving because of the helpful attitude of the current DG and Secretary to the Ministry of Information. However, technical training of the employees is urgent to preserve the films properly."DG Dr. Mohammad Jahangir Hossain said, "We have already submitted Bangladesh Film Archive Act '08 for approval from the government. If the government continues its support, we will be able to provide better service."

Land of the Meek, and Home of the Deeply Blue

It is tempting to overpraise “Kabluey,” a bittersweet indie comedy whose hapless protagonist, Salman (Scott Prendergast), spends a good part of the movie waddling along the side of a highway in a blue foam-rubber suit. Dressed as Kabluey, the corporate mascot of BlueNexion, a failing Internet company in Texas, Salman is paid $6 an hour to attract attention.
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As motorists stop to gawk at this featureless blob with a giant round head, Salman’s job is to distribute fliers advertising office space in BlueNexion’s sleek, nearly deserted headquarters. Because he can’t hold the fliers in his inflated paws, Salman has to keep them tucked under one arm, from which they are continually slipping and scattering onto the road.
To be trapped all day inside this costume with the sun beating down on him may be hell. But as enraptured children cling to Kabluey as if he were a cartoon legend sprung to life, Salman finds an odd kind of transcendence in the work. He becomes two people: one a lost 32-year-old boy cowering inside the suit, the other the adorable, bobbing and shuffling Kabluey who inspires cuddly affection.
Midway through the movie Salman meets another professional buffoon, a man outfitted as a giant Gouda cheese who dispenses tidbits in front of a supermarket. Together the two, fully costumed, eventually engage BlueNexion’s sleazy, womanizing chief executive (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in a slapstick brawl.
Mr. Prendergast, an alumnus of the Groundlings comedy troupe, wrote and directed “Kabluey,” which is very funny in a ghastly way. All the characters — be they the gossipy, backbiting Austin, Tex., equivalents of television’s desperate housewives or Salman’s morose fellow passengers on the bus to work — suffer from excruciating boredom. It is a malaise that rises like steam from the flat, Middle Western landscape in which the corporation’s emptied offices symbolize an economy going bust.
Salman is the nerdy brother-in-law of Leslie (Lisa Kudrow), an overstressed mother bringing up two hellions, Cameron (Cameron Wofford) and Lincoln (Landon Henninger), while her husband, a National Guardsman, fights in Iraq. When informed that her husband’s tour has been extended by several months, Leslie visibly crumples. No one is better than Ms. Kudrow at playing emotionally bedraggled women hanging on by their fingernails, and your heart goes out to her, even when she behaves atrociously.
Enlisting Salman as a live-in baby sitter is the solution of last resort for Leslie, who is forced to take a job at BlueNexion to pay for her children’s health insurance. Salman, unemployed and homeless after losing his last job as a laminater in a copy shop, nervously accepts the invitation. In the recent epidemic of comedies about 30-something men in the throes of severe arrested development, he is one of the most pitifully incompetent losers.
Cameron and Lincoln hate Salman on sight. “I’m going to kill you,” hisses Cameron, the older and meaner of the two. And their pranks, like sprinkling cleanser on Salman’s eyes and mouth while he is asleep and putting thumbtacks in his breakfast cereal, show they mean business.
Salman takes the harassment in stride. He leads the rampaging little monsters on leashes to the supermarket and ties them up outside the store like dogs.
If Salman suggests an Adam Sandler character, Mr. Prendergast plays him like a long-suffering Buster Keaton stumblebum; he is so far beyond misery he is practically mute. Mr. Prendergast gives him the wide vacant eyes of a silent clown who is so resigned to a life of humiliation that his face has lost any expression, save for his mouth, which gapes in an attitude of befuddled amazement.
The plot of “Kabluey,” which operates on surreal cartoon logic, doesn’t bear close scrutiny. There are holes everywhere. When Salman gets the job as Kabluey, which Leslie finds for him, the crisis that brought him into the family is nearly forgotten. Who is caring for the boys? Toward the end the movie takes a queasy turn toward the saccharine.
The film’s distance from factual reality oddly enhances its bleak underlying vision. It portrays a demoralized American work force fearfully going through the motions of life while waiting without much hope for things to get better.
“Kabluey” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has some strong language and sexual situations.
KABLUEY
Opens on Friday in Manhattan.
Written and directed by Scott Prendergast; director of photography, Michael Lohmann; edited by Lawrence Maddox; music by Roddy Bottum; production designer, Walter Barnett; produced by Rick Rosenthal, Gary Dean Simpson, Rhoades Rader, Jeff Balis and Doug Sutherland; released by Regent Releasing. At the Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes.

Elves and Killer Beanstalks From Director’s Personal ‘Hell’

The common thread running through the films of Guillermo del Toro, from his 1993 horror feature debut, “Cronos,” to his 2006 Oscar-winning parable, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” is his deep affection for gruesome-looking beasts. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than creating fables about monsters, human or otherwise,” Mr. del Toro said in a recent phone interview from London.
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His latest movie, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” which opens Friday, gave him plenty of new monsters to play with. In the follow-up to his 2004 comic-book adaptation, he imagines a collision of the natural world and a world of magic hidden in the fringes of urban life. “What if tooth fairies were illegally imported in containers to work menial jobs in garbage collection?” Mr. del Toro said. “What would happen if trolls were just bag ladies collecting stray cats for eating?”
The result is a tale of good versus evil in which Hellboy, a heroic demon who works for a secret government agency, squares off against a ruthless elf prince determined to destroy humanity.
The creatures of “Hellboy II” did not spring fully formed from Mr. del Toro’s head; they began as drawings in his diaries, accompanied by annotations in Spanish (he was born in Mexico) and English. He has kept similar journals for all his films (except for his forthcoming adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s “Hobbit,” whose characters are controlled by the author’s estate; for legal purposes he confines those sketches to loose papers or napkins).
Someday, Mr. del Toro said, he may publish his artwork, or he may pass it along to his daughters, Mariana, 12, who also appreciates monsters, and Marisa, 6, who prefers Hello Kitty — “which I still think is a hydrocephalic mutant of a cat,” Mr. del Toro said.

Displaced and Adrift in Los Angeles

“THE Exiles,” a film about American Indians living on the edge of downtown Los Angeles in the 1950s, is both a chronicle and a casualty of neglect: a movie about a forsaken community that itself became a lost object. Directed by Kent Mackenzie, a first-time filmmaker who had just graduated from the University of Southern California, it is a poetic and empathetic hybrid of fiction and documentary. The nonprofessional actors play versions of themselves: young Indians, newly relocated from reservations and adrift in working-class Bunker Hill.
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Milestone Films
A scene from Kent Mackenzie’s “Exiles” (1961), about American Indians in Los Angeles. Shot over three years, the film, opening in New York on Friday, mixes documentary and fiction in the Robert Flaherty tradition.
“The Exiles” was shown at the Venice International Film Festival in 1961 and won plaudits (from Pauline Kael, among others) during its brief run on the festival circuit. But it quickly faded from view, as did Mr. Mackenzie, who directed only one other feature, “Saturday Morning” (1970), and died, at 50, in 1980.
The revival of interest in “The Exiles,” which opens in New York with a restored print on Friday, dates to its inclusion in “Los Angeles Plays Itself,” a 2003 video essay by Thom Andersen about movie depictions of Los Angeles. Devoted largely to debunking misrepresentations of the city, Mr. Andersen’s film also called attention to a forgotten local tradition of underdog, neo-realist cinema that included “The Exiles” and Charles Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep.”
Like “Killer of Sheep” (1977), which had its theatrical release last year to widespread praise and considerable success, “The Exiles” was restored by the Film and Television Archive at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is being released by Milestone, the boutique distributor that has made a specialty of salvaging lost classics. Seen today, Mr. Mackenzie’s film appears to uncover a history not so much secret as occluded: a subculture and a way of life that has been virtually invisible.
Filmed on nights and weekends, it took three years to complete. “It was designed to be shot in eight weeks, but we kept running out of money,” said John Morrill, one of the cinematographers. (It was Mr. Morrill who located the original negative of “The Exiles” at U.S.C., where he taught cinematography.) The production was also delayed when cast members were arrested and Mr. Morrill and Erik Daarstad, another cinematographer, were drafted.
Mr. Morrill said “The Exiles” was an attempt to return documentary to the tradition of Robert Flaherty, whose films incorporated staged elements, and Humphrey Jennings, whose dramatized documentary about the London blitz, “Fires Were Started,” was a major influence. “We never thought documentaries had to be newsreels, and we didn’t have any compunction about using narrative techniques,” Mr. Morrill said.
“The Exiles” follows a group of urban American Indians over a 12-hour period from dusk to dawn. While the main female character wanders the streets alone, her husband and his buddies, awash in booze, look for trouble and a good time, drifting from bar to liquor store to dance hall. The night ends high in the hills above the city lights, as the soundtrack’s jukebox rock ’n’ roll gives way to ceremonial chanting and drumming.
Mr. Mackenzie prepared for the shoot by hanging out with the residents of Bunker Hill he had befriended and from whom the cast was drawn. “He spent a year and a half researching, and he just sat with them night after night after night,” Mr. Morrill said. “There was never any script.”
A portrait of a vanished community, “The Exiles” retains a contemporary relevance. “Seventy percent of Natives live in urban areas now,” said Sherman Alexie, the American Indian novelist and filmmaker who is helping Milestone present “The Exiles.” “We might have better jobs or be college educated, but the struggle to maintain your Native identity in a city is the primary struggle today.”
In focusing on the first wave of Indians relocated in the 1950s by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, “The Exiles” documents a displacement that Mr. Alexie says has received scant notice from a younger generation of Indians. “None of us made that movie,” he said. “Nobody writes about the relocated anymore. In a sense that first generation has been abandoned even by other Natives.” He added: “They were the immigrants, and by and large everybody in America loves to pretend they’ve always been here, even the people who’ve always been here. Ignoring the first generation of immigrants makes you feel like you’ve always belonged.”
Despite its compact time frame the film conjures a powerful sensation of purgatory: a night like many others. As one of the characters says, pondering the threat of a jail sentence: “Time is just time to me. If I’m doing it outside I can do it inside.”
“It’s ‘Groundhog Day’ for the relocated,” Mr. Alexie said. “That feeling of repetition makes it feel like a ceremony. The thing about poverty is that it’s relentless and the film’s not afraid of that.”
“The Exiles” is attuned equally to everyday moments of tenderness and to the brutal toll of alcoholism and family neglect, apparently to the discomfort of some viewers. “Whenever I showed it to my students, they would attack me for making a stereotyped film about drunken Indians,” Mr. Morrill said.
But Mr. Alexie said the movie’s harshness felt true to life. “This was before the political revolutions of the late ’60s and before Native pride,” he said. “The dominant mode for Natives was shame.”
He added: “It’s a little problematic in that it’s a white guy’s movie about us. But in learning how the film was made, I think people will discover it was truly collaborative. The filmmakers ended up in the position of witness as much as creator.”