Award-winning filmmaker Siddharth Chauhan’s debut feature film set in his home town Shimla, Amar Colony to have it’s India Premiere at the distinguished 27th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), which will be held from 9-16 December 2022 in Thiruvananthapuram.
The film is part of the 'Indian Cinema Now’ section in which 7 Films have been selected by a committee headed by cinematographer Azhagappan.
The first project from a local filmmaker of Himachal Pradesh to make it to NFDC Film Bazaar’s Co Production Market in 2018, Amar Colony features Nimisha Nair, Ayush Shrivastava, Sangeeta Agrawal, Deepak Sharma, Sreejith Vijay & Usha Chauhan in the lead roles.
Amar Colony is also selected in the ‘First Features Competition’ section of the 26th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival to be held from 11-27 November 2022 in Estonia. Also known as POFF, Tallinn, it is a BAFTA and Academy qualifying festival and Amar Colony is the only Indian film playing at this section of the festival.
Produced by ‘Indie Film Collective’, a film initiative launched by Nisheeth Kumar, Umakant Lal and his friends in India in 2018. The film is produced in association with ‘Goopy Bagha Productions’
Writer-director Siddharth Chauhan says, “This news has made my day! I have been to the festival before and it is truly an honor to have my film selected here. I couldn’t have imagined anything better for my film’s Indian Premiere".
Elated, producer Nisheeth Kumar says, “Amar Colony is a deeply layered film. It is quite a surrealistic and feminist take on existential anxiety, ennui and agency in the midst of a lurking underworld of human desires, fears and delusions.”
Arifur Rahman, Co-producer says, “In my film producing slate ‘Amar Colony’ is an extraordinary film. I believe the writer / director Siddharth Chauhan is a name which will be in the global film history forever for his works. I’m so proud and happy Kerala found ‘Amar Colony’. This is the best festival for our Indian Premiere.”
Cinematographer Modhura Palit (recipient of the Angenieux Special Encouragement award at Cannes, making her the first Indian — and first Indian woman — to be recognized in this category) says, “I am super happy and elated to know that Amar Colony will be a part of IFFK 2022. It's a moment of pride and honor for us to be here with all the other amazing films. IFFK is special.”
Editor of critically acclaimed films like Miss Lovely, Taking the horse to eat Jalebis and The Good Road) Paresh Kamdar said, “At IFFK films are selected purely on the cinematic merit of the film. A selection of our film here is a huge compliment in itself!"
Synopsis:
In a dilapidated building called Amar Colony, wheelchair bound Devki lives with her son Mohit. Meera - a beautiful, pregnant young woman lives a lonely life as their next door neighbor. Fed up of her boring life and absent husband, she befriends Mohit, an idle young boy. When Mohit's mother begins to suspect that they are not just friends, she starts objecting to her advances but despite all her attempts she is unable to stop Meera from meeting her son.
Director’s Profile:
Born and brought up in Shimla, Siddharth Chauhan is a self-taught and award winning filmmaker who has made several short films. Driven by the need to create value, he makes most of his films in his hometown - Shimla and believes that world class content can be created anywhere. Amar Colony is his debut feature film. He is currently working on his second feature.
Producer’s Profile:
Nisheeth Kumar, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indie Film Collective (IFC), is the lead producer of Amar Colony. IFC is a film initiative, which aims to create and celebrate cinema by identifying and promoting emerging talent in cinema in the Indian and South Asian region, to begin with, but eventually globally. IFC’s first co-production is National Award winning Director Gurvinder Singh’s film titled, Khanaur (The Bitter Chestnut). The film had its World Premiere at Busan International Film Festival in 2019; nominated for the Kim Jiseok Award, Indian Premiere at MAMI, 2019 and its European premiere at Rotterdam Film Festival, 2020.
Co-Producers Profile:
Arifur Rahman and Bijon Imtiaz are an award-winning filmmaking duo from Bangladesh who formed Goopy Bagha Productions Limited. Their recently produced Afghan short film ROQAIA was part of the Venice International Film Festival’s competition section. Currently, they are developing several narrative feature films including PARADISE with Bijon as a writer-director and Arifur as producer which was an official selection at Berlinale International Film Festival’s co-production market.
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