Franz Osten

Bangalore: A Throw of Dice lists among the classics of the era of silent movies.

MUMBAI: Achhut Kanya, the successful film produced by Bombay Talkies featuring Ashok Kumar and Devika Rani, was not only appreciated by Indians but even by Germany's Nazi leaders.

Josef Wirsching, a German cinematographer, became a pioneer of the craft in India and contributed extensively to Indian cinema from 1925 when he worked with filmmaker Franz Osten in an Indo-European collaboration titled “The Light of Asia.”

The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) will present 13 landmark Indian films as part of the cinema centenary package at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Panaji from November 20-30.

SYDNEY: Ace Indian producer Himansu Rai's silent masterpiece "Shiraz", a version on the making of Taj Mahal, was adjudged as the second best feature film at this year's Sydney Film Festival.

The Arcurea festival at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute will feature directors Asghar Farhadi and Naomi Kawase. The festival will include tribute screenings of restored films and the inauguration of Pramod Pati Cinema Art and Technology Museum.

The ‘Cut-Uncut festival’ , to be held in the capital later this month, will celebrate 100 years of Indian films with screenings of never-before-seen footage.

The film festival, starting on August 13, has been planned to mark the centenary of Indian cinema.

The 25th Kolkata International Film Festival has set a new record. The highest number of entries and films will be screened - 2,492 and 366 respectively - from 76 countries at this year’s KIFF. Germany will be the focus country with 42 critically acclaimed films. These films will be screened at 17 venues.

The Bombay Talkies studio, founded in 1934, by Himanshu Rai, Rajnarayan Dube and Devika Rani, that launched Hindi cinema’s best known names —Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Raj Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Dev Anand and Mehmood, to name a few — is all set to be relaunched by Abhay Kumar, grandson of Rajnarayan Dube.

A mysterious fire gutted one of the floors of Bombay Talkies, that came up in the early 1950s and was witness to some of the path-breaking technical advancements.

No one from the Bombay Talkies Compound Small-Scale Industries Association knew, or seemed keen to know, about the origin of the blaze, the third in 10 years.

When the studio was founded by Himanshu Rai in 1934, it functioned like any other Hollywood studio, having all pre- and post-production facilities.

Even as the Taj Mahal is in the midst of a raging political debate, there is a magnificent silent film on the same subject that has got new life. Shiraz, A Romance of India, made in 1928 by German director Franz Osten and produced by cinema pioneer Himanshu Rai, was your typical silent historical extravaganza: a few facts, lots of fiction, superb costumes, magnificent sets and, of course, a passionate kiss no sanskari censor would approve. The film has been restored by the British Film Institute’s national archive and to add to the viewing experience, it has been set to a live music score by sitar player Anoushka Shankar. The restored film, with its live music, will be screened by the British Council in Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata in November. Shankar talks to Malini Nair about the challenges of musically interpreting a silent film

The Tuli Research Centre for India Studies has launched an extensive digital archive at www.tuliresearchcentre.org, capturing India's cultural essence through a unique range of artifacts. The beta launch includes rare cinematic memorabilia, fine arts, and historical records, offering a profound and immersive experience for anyone interested in India's rich heritage.

In 1993, Bernardo Bertolucci did it with ‘Little Buddha’ starring Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda. Martin Scorsese touched upon the subject when he made ‘Kundun’ in 1997.

A photo exhibition of Josef Wirsching’s work sheds light on the cosmopolitan world of early Indian cinema

Simon Wynberg will give a lecture on January 8 about Walter Kaufmann, a Jewish composer who famously composed All India Radio's (AIR's) signature melody. Kaufmann, who fled Nazi Germany, spent 12 years in Mumbai and taught music at Indiana University in the United States. He joined Bombay Talkies, a film production company, soon after arriving in India in 1934. Kaufmann also wrote radio operas, including 'Anasuya', which was India's first radio opera.

After the recently-concluded 'Bachchanalia' where Amitabh Bachchan memorabilia went under the hammer, the auction house DeRivaz & Ives has announced a similar tribute to 'feminine icons' of Indian cinema.

The city is all set to get a date with some of the best film adaptations of Shakespeare's works, especially some of the rare silent clips of the Bard's plays adapted on English stage.

Ashok Kumar who was expected to follow in the footsteps of his great grandfather, grandfather, father and uncles, was studying law in Kolkata.

The 25th Kolkata International Film Festival has set a new record. The highest number of entries and films will be screened - 2,492 and 366 respectively - from 76 countries at this year’s KIFF.

Right now, showbiz has been swamped by a rash of brash talent from the West, and Mumbai loves it.