MUMBAI: HumaraMovie is associating with PVR Directors Rare- limited release arm of PVR Group to launch Indian short film festival aptly called ‘Shuruaat’.

With over 400 short film entries and 13 finalists, ‘Shuruaat’ promises to be the offspring board for budding film makers, who will be guided throughout the production and have been given access to a script consultant as well as casting, production and editing.

The chosen filmmakers have created a short film around the topic ‘Interval’. The short film festival was open to filmmakers/creative artists all across India. The idea was to bring out the ingenuity in filmmaking and to cradle the creative mind of filmmakers.

The selected participants will have their films screened in PVR as well as on HumaraMovie platforms. The winner will be decided by an audience vote for Rs 1 lakh prize money. The screened films will also get a home video release and the top two films will get a world premiere at the Ladakh International Film Festival.

Filmmakers submitted an already existing film, along with a short 150 word biography about themselves. Participants were shortlisted basis their films and were given a topic on which they submitted screenplays. Based on the screenplays, 13 finalists were shortlisted who are now producing a short film with guidance from the mentors. There is no restriction on the genre of the film. The duration of the short film will be 15 minutes inclusive of opening and end credits.

The relevance of the festival came from the statistics that showcase 15,000 films certified in a year out of which 11000 are short films. This indicates that each year, the number of documentary and short film makers in India taken as a category together rises by at least 20,000.

The participants were mentored by popular names from the industry such as Imtiaz Ali, Anand Gandhi, Vikramaditya Motwane and Imtiaz Ali, Ritesh Shah, Kshiti Nijhawan Agrawal, Bijesh Jayarajan and Mukesh Chabbra.

MUMBAI: Renowned Sri Lankan director Prasanna Vithanage’s Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka (With You, Without You) is all set to see a limited release in India with PVR Director’s Rare. Adapted from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novella, ‘The Meek One,’ the film casts National Film Award winning Indian actress Anjali Patil and Sri Lankan actor Shyam Fernando in the lead. Originally a Sinhala and Tamil-language film, With You, Without You will release with English subtitles in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad on 13 June.

Set in post war Sri Lanka, With You, Without You is the story of two people who collide accidentally. Through these characters, the film expresses a deep and seemingly unbridgeable chasm that conflict almost always creates. The two ends of the 30 year-old bloody civil war in Sri Lanka, 45 year-old Sri Lankan man Sarathsiri (Shyam Fernando) and 24 year-old Tamil girl Selvi (Anjali Patil) fall in love only to discover that the colour of love is blue, and life, shades of grey.

Talking about the film, director Prasanna Vithanage said, “When I decided to adapt ‘The Meek One’ into a film, I based it upon the biggest issue of Sri Lanka which is the ethnic conflict. We live in a society which still has unhealed wounds from a war that lasted over thirty years and this confrontation of a Sinhalese man and a Tamil minority woman became the dramatic premise of my script. Their struggle with their own past for me was a metaphor for the struggles of the nation as a whole.”

Added PVR JMD Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, “We are extremely pleased to announce the release of Sri Lankan film, With You, Without You in India. The film highlights a sensitive issue in the most touching way and we are sure that the audience will associate with the film, taking away the message that the director, Prasanna Vithanage has tried to convey. We look forward to continuing our association with the international film industries and bring quality films to our patrons in India.”

With You, Without You has been screened and applauded at several Film Festivals like Chicago International Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, International film festival of India, Kerala International Film Festival and Hong Kong International Film Festival to name a few. The film bagged the Russian Critic’s Prize at Sakhalin International Film Festival, SIGNIS Award at Milano African Asian Film Festival, Best Actress – Anjali Patil at 43^rd International Film Festival of India etc.

Click here to watch the trailer of the movie:

NEW DELHI: PVR Cinemas, the largest cinema exhibition company in India releases ‘HER’ this Valentine’s Day under its Director’s Rare banner. The movie has been critically acclaimed with 5 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. PVR Director’s Rare is the limited release arm of PVR Group and works as a spring board to support the theatrical release of critically acclaimed cinema from across the world and niche content.

Under its banner, Director’s Rare now offers an eclectic mix of Indian Indies, international Indies, cult classics, short film packages and avant grade documentaries. Director Spike Jonze’s ‘HER’ releasing on 14th February in India is yet another movie which has been acclaimed universally, for its direction, screenplay, and exceptional performances exhibited by the actors.

The film revolves around a man who becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. The movie depicts a state of pleasure in a unique way offering audiences fresh insights on romance.

 
Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR said, “With the gradual shift towards appreciating content led movies, we feel extremely happy to bring this movie under our Director’s Rare banner. Over the years, our audience has evolved and enjoys watching movies like Moonrise Kingdom, Fire in the Blood, Amour, Fruitvale Station, Inside Llewyn Davis and more”.

He further adds, “On this occasion of Valentine’s Day, PVR brings a “sweet, soulful and smart” movie, expressing human relationships in the era of modern times. We hope to entertainour audience with many such movies and are hopeful that our efforts to offer meaningful cinema are successful.”

The movie display various shades of love, friendship, needs and desires phenomenally. ‘HER’ has been nominated for 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and has also been the winner for the best screenplay at the recently held Golden Globe Awards.

The movie will be released on 14th February’2014 across cities like Delhi & NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Goa.

About Director’s Rare Film Banner: PVR Director’s Rare is the limited release arm of PVR Group and works as a spring board to support the theatrical release of critically acclaimed cinema from across the world and niche content.  Launched in October 2011 PVR Director’s Rare has been involved with the theatrical release of more than 50 films which includes an eclectic mix of Indian indies, international indies, cult classics, short film packages and avant grade documentaries. Upcoming line up includes Academy nominated Nebraska, August Osage County, The Butler, The Grandmaster, Nishtha Jain’s multiple award winning documentary Gulabi Gang etc.

About PVR Limited: PVR is the largest and the most premium film entertainment company in India. It is listed as India’s Most Trusted and Most Attractive brand – The Brand Trust Report, 2013 in the Category of Entertainment and Display. PVR is currently amongst the top 10 cinema companies in the world with respect to the terms of admissions per screen, entering the World Economic Forum’s List of Fastest-Growing ‘Global Growth Companies’. The brand currently operates a cinema circuit comprising 417 screens in 96 cinemas in 40 cities in India.

The company acquired the Cinemax properties in 2012 and currently serves 65 million patrons at PAN India level. From PVR’s Gold Class and Mainstream Cinemas to Director’s Cut, PVR has made exceptional technology like the IMAX® and the ECX (Enhanced Cinema Experience) accessible to its audience. PVR as a brand is known for cultivating and spreading international movie culture countrywide and supports independent filmmakers under the banner of ‘Directors Rare’.

PVR Ltd, the integrated ‘film and retail brand’ has PVR Cinemas as its major subsidiary. Its other two subsidiaries are PVR Leisure and PVR Pictures. PVR Leisure focuses on rolling out F&B and retail entertainment concepts. It’s one of a kind venture, ‘PVR BluO’ is the largest bowling chain in India comprising of 135 cosmic bowling lanes which spreads across 6 centers. PVR Leisure’s first casual dining concept ‘Mistral’ is another venture that offers patrons a high quality experience. Adding to the portfolio, PVR Pictures has been a prolific distributor of non-studio/ independent international films in India for many years.

For any further information, please refer to the enclosed ink http://www.pvrcinemas.com/corporate/about-us.aspx

For any media query please contact:Avian Media Silky Chopra/ Kanika Berry / Chinmoyee Kalita
9650303863/ 9810744517 / 9999874549