Women directors sweep top awards at MAMI film fest

Agencies
October 19, 2017

Oct 19: Women ruled the roost at the 19th MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. Rima Das's 'Village Rockstars' won the Golden Gateway award in the India Gold Category and Carla Simon's 'Summer 1993' won the honour in the International category.

The seven-day event, which concluded on Wednesday night in Mumbai, screened over 220 films from 51 countries including features, documentaries and short films.

Das is ecstatic as her movie has also won the Oxfam Best Film -- Gender Equality Award and the Young Critics Choice Award at the festival.

The director-cinematographer-editor-producer said: "I am grateful to the MAMI jury and especially my children. Most of the people thought I was mad. But the children and my family believed in me."

"When I started making movies, the movies were earlier selected in festival but my mother used to ask whether I will win. So this is to my mom."

Simon, who was on her first visit to India, said it was an "incredible experience".

Rina Soni, Director of Oxfam India, said: "Globally, women seldom get fair credit and recognition for their work. There's no shortage of talented female filmmakers out there, they just need a platform to shine."

"The Award is to support and encourage filmmakers to make films that break gender norms or challenge the conventional portrayal of women and girls."

"'Village Rockstars' deserves the award as it brings on screen the story of hope and aspirations of a young girl fighting inequality and disasters. We are delighted that another path-breaking film 'The Hungry' received a special mention in this category."

Actors Radhika Apte and Sayani Gupta were the presenters for the ceremony, after which a closing night party saw the attendance of names like Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Rajkumar Hirani, Kabir Khan, Anurag Kashyap, Rajkummar Rao, Ashutosh Gowariker, Konkona Sen Sharma and Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Anupama Chopra, the festival director, said: "This has been a week long celebration of movies. I want to thank our enthusiastic audience and our generous partners for helping us make this edition of MAMI a roaring success."

Hansal Mehta's film 'Omerta', starring Rajkummar Rao, was the closing film of the festival.

Rajkummar gave away the Audience Choice Award to the Hungarian drama 'On Body and Soul' by Ildiko Enyedi.

In the India Gold Section, the Jury gave a special mention to 'Sexy Durga' by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, and to 'Up, Down and Sideways' by Anushka Meenakshi and Ishwar Srikumar.

The Silver Gateway Award went to 'Machines' by Rahul Jain.

The gala ended with the announcement of the dates for the 20th Edition of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star -- October 25 to November 1.

MAMI will resume its year round programme next week with the first screening in India of Disney's 'Thor: Ragnarok'.

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News Network
June 10,2020

Mumbai, Jun 10: Bollywood actors Sushant Singh Rajput and Varun Sharma's former manager Disha Salian reportedly committed suicide by jumping off the 14th floor of her apartment in Malad on June 8 night.

Varun Sharma mourned the demise on Instagram, sharing a photo with his former manager and friend.

"Am at a loss of words. Speechless. Numb. It all looks unreal. So many memories. Such a lovely person and a dear friend. You always wore that smile everyday, and with such kindness you dealt with everything that came your way. You will be deeply missed. Prayers and Strength to the Family. I still can't believe Disha you're gone. Gone too Soon," wrote Varun.

The young celebrity manager was reportedly with her fiance when she took the drastic step on June 8 night. She was declared dead on being rushed to a hospital in Borivali.

The police have started an investigation. As per reports, they have recorded the statement of the deceased's parents. Her fiance might also be asked for a statement.

Apart from Sushant Singh Rajput and Varun Sharma, Disha has managed comedian Bharti Singh in the past.

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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: On the World Menstrual Hygiene Day, former Miss World Manushi Chhillar on Thursday underlined the need to spread awareness on feminine hygiene.

The 23-year-old star has been roped in by UNICEF to spread awareness on the need to educate girls on personal hygiene.

Chhillar put out a post on Instagram expressing the need to educate girls with all information on maintaining hygiene, constructing adequate sanitation facilities and providing quick access to feminine hygiene products.

Manushi, who is participating in the UNICEF global initiative called the Red Dot Challenge, stated, "Every young girl has the right to accurate information about her body. Without the right information, girls often don't know how to safely manage their period. It's time to break the silence. I am calling all girls, boys, women and men to take the #RedDotChallenge with me. Because of Menstruation Matters. @unicefindia."

Along with the post, Chhillar shared her pictures with red dots on her hand representing the 'Red Dot Challenge.'

The former Miss World runs her own initiative on menstrual hygiene called 'Project Shakti' that works across several states of India.

The beauty queen turned actor will debut in Bollywood with the highly anticipated historical-drama 'Prithviraj' opposite Akshay Kumar. She will be playing the royal princess Sanyogita, whose tales of beauty mesmerised an entire nation.

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News Network
May 14,2020

Mumbai, Mar 14: Animal Planet has announced a new documentary "The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals", which seeks to explore the effects of coronavirus on animals.

The special will see Dave Salmoni, Animal Planet’s big cat expert, talking to a number of experts, from the World Health Organization to wildlife biologists, in order to find out how COVID-19 is affecting animals and what pet owners can do to safeguard them.

The issue came to forefront when a four-year-old Malayan tiger tested positive for COVID-19 at Bronx Zoo in New York.

The documentary will feature chief veterinarian of Bronx Zoo, who will give an update on the big cats and their treatment, and also Dr Peter Embarek from WHO's COVID-19 Task Force, who works particularly on all aspects of the virus related to animals.

In a statement, Salmoni said, "When news about Nadia the tiger came out the questions immediately began; what about my pets? How do I keep my animals and family safe? We’re going to answer these questions and more through this documentary."

"We're speaking to a wide range of experts from the World Health Organization, to wildlife biologists, to veterinarians. We are at war with this disease and so we get down to the nitty-gritty, and discuss practical questions about daily lives with our pets," he added.

Sai Abishek, Director – Content, Factual & Lifestyle Entertainment – South Asia, Discovery, said, "We have been the forefront of busting myths around novel coronavirus with international documentaries. With this latest film, we take a hard look at how animals are being treated during such a crisis and the safety measures that can be taken to keep both, the people and their pets healthy."

"The Zoo: COVID-19 And Animals" will premiere on May 17 on Animal Planet, Animal Planet HD and Discovery Plus app.

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