Mumbai,The National Centre for Performing Arts, Indias premier art and culture institution, in collaboration with Lumiere Movies presents The International Comedy Festival a five-day mini-film festival of a selection of classic comedies from around the world at the NCPA. This festival will screen the best comedies from all over the world. The festival aims to create a wider platform for reaching out to a varied spectrum of audiences. This is the first time that the NCPA is organising a Comedy film festival which kicks off from 10th to 14th July , 2010 at Little Theatre, NCPA.
Deepa Gahlot, Head - Programming, Indian Theatre and Film, NCPA, says, We are planning these mini-festivals of classics, many of them contemporary, so audiences get to see the best of world cinema. The theme, Gahlot says, was selected because comedy is always popular; and what better way to lift the monsoon gloom than watching some great comedies. The films offer a wonderful opportunity to see how humour works in different cultures. Besides, watching these films, the festival will also give audiences the opportunity to access ancillary promotions, guest speakers, trivia sessions and DVD giveaways.
The five-day festival has been designed to draw working audiences and students alike, with five best comedy movies from around the world. The festival includes movies like the romantic comedy Gone with the Woman (Norwegian Film with English Subtitles), The Presidents Barber (Korean Film with English subtitles) which is a festival favourite, The Caiman (Italian Film with English Subtitles), Dr. Plonk (English Film) a sci-fi tribute to silent cinema of the 20s, and After You (French Film with English Subtitles).
Comedy Film Festival- Event Schedule:
Gone with the Woman, Norwegian Film with English Subtitles (Col - 82 mins - 2007)
Saturday, 10th - 6.30 pm
A wryly gentle comedy about first love and who wears the pants in a relationship. A young mans life is suddenly invaded by the beautiful Marianne, who moves into his house out of the blue and turns his life upside-down. Gone with the Woman is about a young mans exploration of love and women, and his attempt to understand both these forces. Winner of the Discovery Award for Best Film at the 2007 Hollywood Film Festival.
Director: Petter Næss
Cast: Trond Fausa Aurvåg, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Peter Stormare, Henrik Mestad and Louise Monot
The Presidents Barber, Korean Film with English Subtitles (Col - 116 mins - 2004)
Sunday, 11th - 6.30 pm
A scathing political satire set in the 1970s, a turbulent period in South Korean history. Despite being ignorant about politics, a barber unwittingly finds himself caught in the midst of a number of historical events. The debut film from director Lim Chan-sang, The Presidents Barber won the Audience Award at the 2004 Tokyo International Film Festival.
Director: Chan-sang Lim
Cast: Kang-ho Song, So-ri Moon, Jae-eung Lee and Jo Yeong-jin
The Caiman, Italian Film with English Subtitles (Col - 107 mins - 2006)
Monday, 12th - 6.30 pm
Bruno Bonomo is a B-grade movie producer struggling to raise the funds for his film The Return of Christopher Columbus. Burdened with debts, a floundering marriage and errant kids, his life is a mess. Destiny introduces him to a script called The Caiman, which revolves around Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Brunos desire to make this film is the only thing that keeps him afloat as his life falls apart.
Director: Nanni Moretti
Cast: Silvio Orlando, Margherita Buy, Jasmine Trinca, Michele Placido, Elio de capitani and Nanni Moretti
Dr. Plonk, English Film (B&W - 81 mins - 2007)
Tuesday, 13th - 6.30 pm
In 1907 Dr. Plonk accidentally discovers that the world will end in 101 years, and builds a time machine to transport him to the future. However the future is like nothing he had ever imagined. Improbable chase sequences, time travel, speeding trains and misadventures of the silliest kind abound in Rolf de Heers a highly enjoyable black-and-white comic caper, a homage to the silent cinema of the 1920s.
Director: Rolf De Heer
Cast: Nigel Lunghi, Paul Blackwell and Magda Szubanski
After You, French Film with English Subtitles (Col - 104 mins - 2003)
Wednesday, 14th - 6.30 pm
An irresistible comedy about a good deed gone haywire. Antoine saves Louis from committing suicide, but Louis, suffering from a broken heart, doesnt want to be saved. To make amends, Antoine goes in search of the source of Louiss heartbreak - the delightful Blanche. But Antoine didnt plan on falling in love with Blanche, and now he is in more trouble than ever.
Director: Pierre Salvadori
Cast: Daniel Auteuil, José Garcia, Sandrine Kiberlain , Marilyne Canto and Michèle Moretti
Admission on a first-come-first-served basis.
Notes to Editor
About the NCPA
Inaugurated in 1969, the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, exists to provide leadership on a national level as Indias premier performing arts, research and training centre through the presentation of Indian and international art forms, the promotion of excellence and the preservation of Indian & International cultural heritage.
