Exclusive: Canada’s International South Asian Film Festival (iSAFF) has unveiled its lineup. The festival will take place in Surrey, British Columbia and run from September 25 to 29.
Featuring 19 world premieres, eight North American premieres, and 23 Canadian premieres, the festival will open with Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut feature Boong. Boong will have its world premiere at TIFF on September 7.
The iSAFF’s closing film will be Amar Wala’s debut feature Shook, which stars Saamer Usmani and Amy Forsyth (Coda). The Canadian production is financed by Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates.
Under this year’s festival theme of “Crossroads,” the lineup also includes Usman Riaz’s The Glassworker, the festival’s first animated feature from Pakistan and dark comedy We Strangers, directed by Anu Valia.
Besides feature films, the festival will showcase 53 short films and five episodic series from South Asia and its diaspora.
Featuring 19 world premieres, eight North American premieres, and 23 Canadian premieres, the festival will open with Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut feature Boong. Boong will have its world premiere at TIFF on September 7.
The iSAFF’s closing film will be Amar Wala’s debut feature Shook, which stars Saamer Usmani and Amy Forsyth (Coda). The Canadian production is financed by Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates.
Under this year’s festival theme of “Crossroads,” the lineup also includes Usman Riaz’s The Glassworker, the festival’s first animated feature from Pakistan and dark comedy We Strangers, directed by Anu Valia.
Besides feature films, the festival will showcase 53 short films and five episodic series from South Asia and its diaspora.
- 9/3/2024
- by Sara Merican
- Deadline Film + TV
Privacy is a fundamental human right. With the advent of social media, the question arises, how safe is your information online? Is your information shared with companies who misuse the information? We hear about company data breaches all the time. So, when a movie is titled ‘Privacy’, it piqued my interest a lot. Privacy (2023) is the kind of film that pushes you to be uneasy as the very thought of being watched creates a sense of paranoia that is hard to brush off.
The film starts with a despicable crime seen through the eyes of a CCTV camera. We are introduced to the protagonist of the film, Roopali (Rajshri Deshpande), who runs to the scene of the ongoing crime and records it on video without the knowledge of the perpetrators. Roopali is a cop who works in a surveillance center in Mumbai where she is tasked with monitoring different CCTV...
The film starts with a despicable crime seen through the eyes of a CCTV camera. We are introduced to the protagonist of the film, Roopali (Rajshri Deshpande), who runs to the scene of the ongoing crime and records it on video without the knowledge of the perpetrators. Roopali is a cop who works in a surveillance center in Mumbai where she is tasked with monitoring different CCTV...
- 7/28/2023
- by Prem
- Talking Films
Bifan has established itself as one of the most significant festivals in Asia regarding the genre cinema of the region, with their program always being quite interesting through its focus on Korean cinema firstly and then of Japan and the rest of the region, along with a number of international titles. As such, the fact that the local industry is in trouble was more than evident this year, when genre movies in particular suffered, mostly due to issues with writing and also due to financial ones. It is true that Korea's top filmmakers are at the top of the world, but it has become obvious that below that level, the quality drops significantly.
Nevertheless, the aforementioned does not mean that the programs was without a number of gems. “Iron Mask” about a kendo athlete carrying a trauma, “Her Hobby” with its transition from a family drama to a horror and...
Nevertheless, the aforementioned does not mean that the programs was without a number of gems. “Iron Mask” about a kendo athlete carrying a trauma, “Her Hobby” with its transition from a family drama to a horror and...
- 7/9/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Mumbai, July 3 (Ians) Actress Rajshri Deshpande, who is known for her work in ‘Sacred Games’ and ‘Trial By Fire’, recently graced the Bucheon International Film Festival (BiFan) red carpet of her film ‘Privacy’ where she flaunted her Maharashtrian roots by adorning a Nauvari saree, recently.
The actress rounded up her look by sporting a traditional Marathi nose-pin.
She graced the red carpet with Sudeep Kanwal, Akash Banerji, Nishank Verma, and Saurabh Goyal.
Expressing her excitement, Rajshri said: “I am ecstatic. As a simple Marathi girl, the Nauvari Saree holds immense significance for me. Today, I had the opportunity to flaunt it! I borrowed this exquisite nosepin from my sister, and it truly enhances the overall look. Since the film is so unique, I thought of having a distinctive red carpet appearance. Moreover, we are eagerly looking forward to the premiere. ‘Privacy’ is a crucial film that sheds light on issues...
The actress rounded up her look by sporting a traditional Marathi nose-pin.
She graced the red carpet with Sudeep Kanwal, Akash Banerji, Nishank Verma, and Saurabh Goyal.
Expressing her excitement, Rajshri said: “I am ecstatic. As a simple Marathi girl, the Nauvari Saree holds immense significance for me. Today, I had the opportunity to flaunt it! I borrowed this exquisite nosepin from my sister, and it truly enhances the overall look. Since the film is so unique, I thought of having a distinctive red carpet appearance. Moreover, we are eagerly looking forward to the premiere. ‘Privacy’ is a crucial film that sheds light on issues...
- 7/3/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
From the directors' statement: In 2015 Maharashtra government funded a massive surveillance project to install thousands of cameras across Mumbai. 24×7 video surveillance was very new to this part of the world. During our research we learned that most of the CCTV cameras can zoom up to 1km on an object. Imagine what a person behind that desk could see. Especially in a city like Mumbai.
“Privacy” is screening at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
In fact, the protagonist of the movie, Roopali, works at the Mumbai surveillance camera command center as an operator. While she is ambitious and wants to get up the ladder, which in the case of her line of work, is being assigned to a private room to conclude serious investigations through surveillance footage, her life is in shambles. She has no friends, no partner, and she is actually about to get evicted from her apartment. Furthermore, she...
“Privacy” is screening at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
In fact, the protagonist of the movie, Roopali, works at the Mumbai surveillance camera command center as an operator. While she is ambitious and wants to get up the ladder, which in the case of her line of work, is being assigned to a private room to conclude serious investigations through surveillance footage, her life is in shambles. She has no friends, no partner, and she is actually about to get evicted from her apartment. Furthermore, she...
- 6/30/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Mumbai, June 15 (Ians) The official teaser for writer and director Sudeep Kanwal’s political crime thriller film ‘Privacy’ was unveiled on Thursday. The teaser features gritty realism.
Actress Rajshiri Deshpande, who is best known for her role in films and serials such as ‘Angry Indian Goddess’, ‘Sexy Durga’, ‘The Sacred Games’, ‘The Fame Game’, and most recently the Netflix series ‘Trial by Fire’, plays a voyeur in this social thriller, set in the slums of Mumbai.
The teaser of the film looks promising and intriguing due to its more grounded setting and tense nature. It gives a dark and very real insight into how surveillance cameras capture more than just public spaces, and how public surveillance is a tool that can become a double edged sword, one hand aiding in the safety of the public but also become a tool for criminal minds.
‘Privacy’ revolves around a distressed surveillance centre operator based in Mumbai,...
Actress Rajshiri Deshpande, who is best known for her role in films and serials such as ‘Angry Indian Goddess’, ‘Sexy Durga’, ‘The Sacred Games’, ‘The Fame Game’, and most recently the Netflix series ‘Trial by Fire’, plays a voyeur in this social thriller, set in the slums of Mumbai.
The teaser of the film looks promising and intriguing due to its more grounded setting and tense nature. It gives a dark and very real insight into how surveillance cameras capture more than just public spaces, and how public surveillance is a tool that can become a double edged sword, one hand aiding in the safety of the public but also become a tool for criminal minds.
‘Privacy’ revolves around a distressed surveillance centre operator based in Mumbai,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Mumbai, June 13 (Ians) Rj-turned-actor Abhilash Thapliyal, who is known for his work in ‘Aspirants’, is “thrilled and honoured” as both his films ‘Privacy’ and ‘Kennedy’ are set to be screened at South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which is set to be held from June 29 to July 9.
‘Kennedy’, which has been directed by maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, and also stars Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat, was earlier screened at the Midnight screening section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Both ‘Privacy’ and ‘Kennedy’ have garnered positive response from the industry for their unique narratives, exceptional performances, and gripping storytelling.
Expressing his excitement, Abhilash Thapliyal said, “I am thrilled and honoured to have both ‘Privacy’ and ‘Kennedy’ chosen for their world premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. It’s a dream come true for any actor to be part of such prestigious cinematic events. It has been my...
‘Kennedy’, which has been directed by maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, and also stars Sunny Leone and Rahul Bhat, was earlier screened at the Midnight screening section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Both ‘Privacy’ and ‘Kennedy’ have garnered positive response from the industry for their unique narratives, exceptional performances, and gripping storytelling.
Expressing his excitement, Abhilash Thapliyal said, “I am thrilled and honoured to have both ‘Privacy’ and ‘Kennedy’ chosen for their world premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. It’s a dream come true for any actor to be part of such prestigious cinematic events. It has been my...
- 6/13/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
The upcoming film ‘Privacy’, which stars actress-activist Rajshri Deshpande, is set to be screened at the Bucheon International Film Festival which will be held from June 29 to July 9, 2023.
The festival covers a plethora of cinema ranging from horror, thriller, mystery and fantasy films from around the globe. This year’s festival opens with Joaquin Phoenix starrer ‘Beau is Afraid’.
‘Privacy’ is a social thriller, and marks the directorial debut of Sudeep Kanwal. The film follows the journey of Roopali, a distressed Mumbai surveillance centre operator, who ignores protocol and begins to investigate incidents happening on her watch. ‘Privacy’ examines the use of video surveillance in urban centres while highlighting socio-economic differences in Mumbai.
Since Netflix’s ‘Trial by Fire’, this will be Rajshri Deshpande’s first major role. The actress said: “As an actor and a social worker it is very important to me that the script is written sensitively.
The festival covers a plethora of cinema ranging from horror, thriller, mystery and fantasy films from around the globe. This year’s festival opens with Joaquin Phoenix starrer ‘Beau is Afraid’.
‘Privacy’ is a social thriller, and marks the directorial debut of Sudeep Kanwal. The film follows the journey of Roopali, a distressed Mumbai surveillance centre operator, who ignores protocol and begins to investigate incidents happening on her watch. ‘Privacy’ examines the use of video surveillance in urban centres while highlighting socio-economic differences in Mumbai.
Since Netflix’s ‘Trial by Fire’, this will be Rajshri Deshpande’s first major role. The actress said: “As an actor and a social worker it is very important to me that the script is written sensitively.
- 6/8/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
India’s Rajshri Deshpande, star of Rotterdam winner “Sexy Durga” and hit Netflix series “Trial by Fire,” headlines “Privacy,” the first teaser for which has been unveiled.
The film will have its world premiere at Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan).
“Privacy” is a voyeuristic social thriller set in and around the slums of Mumbai. It follows Roopali (Deshpande), who works at the Mumbai surveillance command and control center as an operator. While being ambitious, she constantly fights her own guilt and resists her dark past. Things start to get complicated when Roopali ignores protocol and begins to investigate a robbery and murder that takes place on her watch. The film takes the neo-noir approach to explore themes of mental health, voyeurism and access to information.
The film is directed by Sudeep Kanwal, known for his acclaimed shorts “Silent Wave” and “Dhund.” “Privacy” is his debut feature.
“The...
The film will have its world premiere at Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan).
“Privacy” is a voyeuristic social thriller set in and around the slums of Mumbai. It follows Roopali (Deshpande), who works at the Mumbai surveillance command and control center as an operator. While being ambitious, she constantly fights her own guilt and resists her dark past. Things start to get complicated when Roopali ignores protocol and begins to investigate a robbery and murder that takes place on her watch. The film takes the neo-noir approach to explore themes of mental health, voyeurism and access to information.
The film is directed by Sudeep Kanwal, known for his acclaimed shorts “Silent Wave” and “Dhund.” “Privacy” is his debut feature.
“The...
- 6/7/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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