Bergman, Raj Kapoor retrospectives at PIFF

PUNE: The 16th edition of

Pune International Film Festival

(

PIFF

) between January 11 and 18 will have

retrospectives

on Raj Kapoor and Ingmar Bergman as 2018 is Bergman’s birth centenary.

“This year, our focus will be on young people, and women filmmakers. It will be reflected in our official selection across various categories, including world cinema. There will be a separate student film section too. We received arouns 300 entries from film schools,” Jabbar Patel, director of PIFF, said.

The films will be screened at City Pride theatres in Kothrud and Satara Road, National Film Archive of India, and a Pimpri multiplex. Negotiations with a Bund Garden theatre are on.

“I went to Faro Island in Sweden where Bergman lived and shot many of his films. I saw his tombstone and I realised 2018 will be his 100th birth anniversary. The Swedish government has planned celebrations all over the world. We want to be one of the first in India to pay tribute. We also want to remember Indian film legend Raj Kapoor to show solidarity towards the Kapoor family, especially after the RK studio fire,” Ravi Gupta, a trustee of the Pune Film Foundation, which organises PIFF in collaboration with the state government, said.

Patel said he has appealed to the government to increase its sponsorship amount. “We get around Rs 70 lakh from the state government to organise the festival. But costs have risen over the years, especially the royalty for films screened here. I hope our demand will be accepted,” he said.

Documentaries will also have their own screening section due to their nature and length. Some screenings include a documentary from Afghanistan about an actor in love with Indian films and a film by Israeli director Amos Gitai about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“There have been a large number of feature-length documentaries over the years. and increasingly, the line between a feature film and a documentary is diminishing. That is something everyone must give some thought to,” Satish Alekar, actor and trustee of the Pune Film Foundation, said.