October 23rd

Honest Thief

Indian Film Festival - https://www.iffm.com.au/films.php

Lovers of all things Indian, especially the films, have a huge treat in store in the forthcoming week. Here's my impressions of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, so far. Plus for fans of action man Liam Neeson, a new movie hits our screens. 

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

23-30th October

Streaming FREE online

https://www.iffm.com.au/films.php

Huge news: this year, due to all the COVID dramas, fans of Indian cinema will be able watch a smorgasbord of fabulous Indian film, streaming online for free for one week. Thee are 60 films, in 17 languages, and including 34 international premieres. Apart from the two opening night films which must be watched from 6.30 tonight, Friday 23rd October, the rest are available for the following week, on demand. There are five program streams:

Hurrah Bollywood - best mainstream Hindi cinema

Beyond Bollywood - arthouse cinema in regional Indian languages

Films from the Subcontinent - Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal

Film India World - films that cross international boundaries 

Documentary - 8 new documentaries

Opening night:

Two important films will address issues of gender equality and disability.

©  IFFM 

Natkhat: To change the behaviour of men we need to bring boys up differently. This short film looks at little Sonu, known as "the brat", who bullies girls at school and models himself upon gangs of macho boys who will grow up to be the sort of loathesome men who brutalise women. Sonu is initially treated like an overindulged little prince. One of India's most famed actresses Vidya Balan plays the mother, who tells her naughty child allegorical tales, combined with demonstrating to him how violence has hurt her, to turn his behaviour around. 

©  IFFM 

Habaddi: This sweet film also addresses the issue of bullying, a worldwide problem for many kids, especially those with a disability. It is loosely based upon the director's experience of his adopted brother, who, despite his severe stammering, had a great knack for  mending things. The film looks beautiful and is a window into the lives of poorer village people. Add in a sporting theme (Kabaddi is an Asian sport deriving from an ancient Indian sport), and a sweet childhood love theme, plus plenty of humour and pathos, and you have a worthy opening night watch.   

©  IFFM 

Ladakh Chale Rickshawala: A fascinating doco, this follows the journey of a rickshaw driver from Calcutta who pursues his dream of travelling north to Ladakh. Over 65 days and 3000 kms he pedals, pushes and toils with his rickshaw to realise his dream. A great insight into parts of Indian not often seen in films. 

©  IFFM 

Lorni the Flaneur: A strong recommendation from what I've been able to preview so far, this is set in far north-east India, an area with hugely diverse sub-cultures and ethnic minorities. Shem is a self-styled detective (flaneur means a saunterer who observes society) who is asked to investigate the theft of a culturally valuable object. He meets a mysterious young woman and life becomes complicated. This is a truly original film, generating a sense of detective noir, created by the film's visually impressive style along with atmosphere of the city of Shillong. An unusual and rewarding film to see. 

YouTube masterclasses

Since June this year,  IFFM has also been running some excellent master classes with leading film makers over Zoom. YouTube recordings of these classes are available under the tab IFFM film clubs. For true aficionados of Indian film, and filmmaking in general, this is a major bonus to be enjoyed. 

Honest Thief

Dir: Mark Williams

Length: 99  mins

In conemas now (excluding Vic) 

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG1X67vnYM0

© Rialto  -  the by-now-famous
Neeson action stance

Known as "the in and out thief", notorious (but never violent) bank robber Tom (Liam Neeson) meets Annie (Kate Walsh), the gal of his dreams. He decides to clear the slate, confess to the cops, hand back the money, serve a short jail term and start afresh. But the cops don't really believe his confession and send two of their stooges to investigate. They are corrupt, do a lot of bad things, and inflame in Tom a need for retribution. If you leave aside that the plot is somewhat unbelievable, and if you are a serious Neeson fan, then this should totally satisfy your craving for one of his typical action films, tinged with a healthy dose of romanticism. Neeson always does what he does well, but I'd love to see him show his acting chops in another Schindler-esque film rather than always take the pay cheque for the quick and easy action flick.