Veteran Vijaya "Akka" Mulay's magnum opus of 620 pages is being released on February 6, 2010 at the MIFF. Nandita Das -- who is particularly committed to children's films (which is Akka's forte) -- is to be the chief guest.
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From Rajahs and Yogis to Gandhi and Beyond
images of india in international films of the twentieth century
by Vijaya Mulay

Brahmins named Iftikar, Buddhist rites in Hindu Shiva temples, Indian
maidens dressed like Arabian harem girls -- right from the birth of
cinema, international movies have been wildly inventive in their fantastical imaginings of India. In fact, images of India in these films have said more about the filmmakers than about India. From the early twentieth century, when India was imagined as the fabulous, exotic, Oriental Other, site for all sorts of fantasies; to the imperial and colonial mindset of the middle decades of the twentieth century; to postcolonial films and auteurs like Renoir, Rossellini, Arne Sucksdorff and Louis Malle who genuinely strove to understand a different culture and its values; to the globalized worldview with which the century ended—India as seen on the international screen has changed in intriguing ways, as this pioneering study describes and analyses. Allowing us access to rare films from the 1900s, British Durbar films, the precursors of the ewsreel genre, French, Danish and German cinema, Empire films, collaborative efforts and global outlook, this book explores a wide range of movies in the context of the social political factors that shaped each era and the trajectory of changing images of India abroad. Malle’s letters to the author during the making of his India films should be of special interest.

Vijaya Mulay, a pioneer of the film society movement in India and a
keen observer of Indian and International cinema since the 1940s, was
the principal of the Centre for Educational Technology. She used innovative ‘media mix’ approaches in the Satellite Instructional Television Experiment that proved highly effective and her films have
received many awards. She served as a member of the National Film
Commission and as the president of both the Federation of Film
Societies of India and Indian Documentary Producers Association.
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• Pp. 620 • Size: 6” x 9” • Publisher: Seagull Books, Kolkata
• 978 1 9054 2 295 1 (Hb) • US $ 99.95 • Special Indian price: Rs 795
• 978 1 9054 2 296 8 (Pb) • US $ 39.95 • Special Indian price: Rs 695
Distributed in India by: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors Pvt Ltd
Distributed worldwide (except India) by: The University of Chicago Press

ANTAHEEN’ (BENGALI) GETS THE AWARDS FOR BEST FEATURE FILM AND THREE OTHER CATEGORIES
MARATHI FILM ‘JOGVA’ GETS THE MOST AWARDS IN FIVE CATEGORIES
‘AFSPA 1958’ ADJUDGED BEST NON-FEATURE FILM
BOLLYWOOD MELODIES GETS BEST BOOK ON CINEMA AWARD

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The 56th National Film Awards for 2008 were announced today. The Juries for Feature Film, Non-Feature Film and for Best Writing on Cinema presented their report to the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smt Ambika Soni today.

As per recommendations of the Jury, Antaheen (Bengali)) was announced the Best Feature Film and also selected for the Award in Best Cinematography, Best Lyrics and Best Female Playback Singer category .

The Best Actor Award goes to Upendra Limaye for his performance in Marathi feature film Jogva. Hariharan gets the Best Male Playback Singer Award and Shreya Ghoshal, the Best Female Playback Singer for Antaheen and Jogva also. The Marathi film was also chosen in Best Film on Social Issues category as also for the Best Music Direction award.

Priyanka Chopra bagged the Best Actress Award for her role in Hindi film ‘Fashion’. Kangana Ranaut is selected for Best Supporting Actress Award also for ‘Fashion’ while Arjun Rampal was adjudged Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘Rock On’. Sh. Bala would get the award for Best Direction for the Tamil film Naan Kadauul. Hindi film Firaaq is selected for Best Editing and Best Art Direction categories. ‘Little Zizou’ (English, Gujarati) was adjudged the Best Film on Family values. Kannada film Gubbachigalu gets the Best Chilren’s Film Award. Master Shams Patel bagged the Best Child Artist for his role in Hindi film ‘Thanks Maa’. The Special Jury Award goes to Malayalam film ‘Bioscope’ produced by National Film Development Corporation. Neeta Lulla is selected for Best Costume Designer for Hindi film Jodha Akbar. The film Jodha Akbar was also selected in the Best Choreography category. Eight Films were selected for the ‘Best Feature Film in each of the language specified in the Schedule VIII of the constitution’ category - Best Assamese Film - Mon Jai; Best Bengali Film - Shob Charitro Kalponik; Best Hindi Film - Rock On; Best Kannada Film- Vimukthi; Best Malayalam Film Thirakkada; Best Marathi Film Harishcnadrachi Factory; Best Tamil Film Veranam Airam; Best Telugu Film - 1940 Lookagramam. ‘Land Gold Women’ (Best English Film), Yarwng (Best Kokborok Film) and Gaggara has been selected as the Best Tulu Film in the ‘Best Feature Film in each of the languages Other than those specified in the Schedule VIII of the constitution’ category.

The Feature Film Jury was headed by Shri Shaji N. Karun. Members - Shri Roshan Taneja, Shri H.M. Ramachandra, Ms Nagma, Shri Satyabrata Kalita, Shri Neelakanta, Shri Dilip Ghosh, Shri Swapan Mullick, Shri Sudesh Syal, Shri S.K. Srivastava, Ms Archana, Shri B. Shashi Kumar, Shri Subhash Sehgal, Shri Santosh Desai and Ms Sreelekha Mukherjee were involved in judging the 126 entries for feature film categories for the 56th National Film Awards.

‘AFSPA 1958’ was adjudged the Best Non-Feature Film for the courageous depiction of thenon-violent resistance of the people of Manipur. Vinoo Choliparambil would be awarded under the category ‘Best First Non-Feature Film of a Director’ for his film Vitthal. Films Division produced ‘The Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi – A Reconstruction’ has been selected under the category ‘Best Biographical/Historical Reconstruction/Compilation film’. Another Films Division work ‘The Land of Rupshupas’ was selected under Best Agriculture Film category. Film & Television Institute of India’s produced ‘Trip’ will be awarded as Best Scientific Film. FTII’s ‘Stations’ was also selected as Best Short Fiction Film. Manoj Kannoth gets the Award for Best Editing for ‘Stations’. Children’s Film Society of India produced Prince and the Crown of Stones was selected as the Best Animation Film. The Best Direction Award goes to Umesh Kulkarni for his work ‘Three of Us’. ‘Three of Us’ also got the award for Best Cinematography

Ninety nine entries for non-feature film section were viewed by jury headed by Ms Arunaraje Patil and Shri Krishnendu Bose, Shri Anirban Dutta, Shri Sandeep Marwah, Shri R. V. Ramani, Shri Sarfaraz Siddiqui and Ms Reena Mohan as members.

The Jury on Best Writing on Cinema headed by Shri Sunil Gangopadhyay, assisted by Shri Sudhish Pachauri and Shri Ziya-us Salam considered 20 entries of books to declare Bollywood Melodies (English), Author : Ganesh Anantharaman, the Best Book on Cinema. The Best Critic Award was announced for Altaf Mazid for focus on Assamese film industry as also to R.K. Bidur Singh for upholding the cause of regional film makers among 17 entries received for Film Critics category. Altaf Mazid also bagged the award in non-feature film category for Best Anthropological/Ethnographic Film for his directorial work in ‘Boliya Pitaier Sohoki Sootal’. The Special Jury Mention was given to Ujjal Chakraborty for his book The Director’s Mind.

H E Hon’ble President of India Smt Pratibha Devisingh Patil shall confer the Awards on the winners in March 2010.