Find out which MIFF-2022 Film Prime Minister spoke about

MIFF Campus: The Prime Minister spoke about his recent visit to Japan where he met Atsushi Matsuo and Kenji Yoshi who were involved in the making of 'Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama', the first animation film co-produced by India and Japan and released in 1993. The film is celebrating 30 years since its first launch.

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Listen to what the Prime Minister said about the film

“This project was associated with Japan's very famous film director Yugo Sako Ji. About 40 years ago, in 1983, he came to know about Ramayana for the first time,” the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister mentioned that the director Yugo Sako was touched by 'Ramayana' that he started researching deeply about the epic. “He read 10 versions of Ramayana in Japanese language, and not only did he stop at this, he also wanted to showcase it through animation,” he added.

The Prime Minister also shared how Indian animators helped him and guided him about the Indian customs and traditions that have been shown in the animation film. “He was told how people in India wear dhoti, saree, how they groom their hair, how children respect each other within the family, offering salutation to the elders of the household, seeking their blessings - all these things!,” the Prime Minister shared.

The Prime Minister expressed his love and appreciation for the people of Japan who in spite of the differences in the culture and language could connect and admire our Indian culture with respect. “People living thousands of kilometers away from us in Japan, who don't know our language, who don't know much about our traditions, their dedication to our culture, this reverence, this respect, is very commendable - which Indian would not be proud of that!.”

About the Film

'Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama' is Directed by the legendary Indian animator Ram Mohan and Japanese director Yûgô Sakô and Koichi Saski.

Based on the Valmiki's Ramayana, ‘Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama’ explores the ‘FUSION’ style of animation that consists of three different schools of animation-Manga from Japan, Disney from the US and Ravi Varma from India.

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Animation films powerful medium to get community voices out to the larger audience: Debjani Mukherje

MIFF Campus: Film makers from North East concerned about passion for films rather than profit: James Khangembam

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Though a niche area, animation films are a fantastic and powerful medium to get community voices out to the larger audience, said Debjani Mukherjee, curator of Yangon Film School package at MIFF 2022. She was talking at #MIFF dialogue held in connection with the 17th edition of Mumbai International Film Festival. James Khangembam, director of the opening documentary film ‘Meiram-The Fireline’, and Vaishali Vasant Kendale, director of Hindi documentary ‘Investing Life’ also joined the discussion.

Debjani Mukherjee an award-winning independent animation filmmaker and author also elaborated on the process she adopted in mentoring student films under the themes ‘gender based violence’ and ‘stories of friendship’. “We picked up students from the community who belongs to various social, political, economic and religious backgrounds. They have absolutely no prior experience or training in arts or film making. We worked two to three months together to make animated documentaries. Students recorded the audio narratives of the contributors from community and they are converted into animation films”, she added. Debjani also expressed confidence that platforms like MIFF will help in better marketing and distribution of animation films.

James Khangembam, director of the opening documentary film ‘Meiram-The Fireline’ said that filmmakers from North East are concerned more about the passion for films than profit. “Since it is a documentary on environment I have to wait for a long time to record it. Around 10 lakhs is spend for the production of the film but I haven’t get monetary returns from it. I am getting a lot of kindness and appreciation, but no money”, he explained.

Recalling the message conveyed by the protagonist of his film Moirangthem Loiya, James Khangembam said that expectation of human from nature never ends and this has to stop. He further detailed the events that lead to his transformation from a journalist to a filmmaker.

Vaishali Vasant Kendale, director of Hindi documentary ‘Investing Life’ said that her film is about survival of all species including human. “ Idea of the documentary is to talk about the actions to be carried out after unpredictable adverse situations rather than enquiring about the causes”, she added. The film follows the lives of three ordinary individuals from different localities in Maharashtra who work single-handedly and on a daily basis for the survival and welfare of fellow human being, animals and the environment. The protagonists of ‘Investing Life’ Majid and Raghavendra Nande were also present on the occasion.

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As the world gets back to its feet after pandemic, MIFF presents perfect opportunity for filmmakers

Mumbai (India): As the world gets back to its feet after a disruptive pandemic, MIFF presents the perfect opportunity for filmmakers and audiences to share experiences and engage with exciting and thought provoking documentaries, shorts and animation films from the country and around the world, said Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu. In a special message, the Vice President extended his best wishes for MIFF 2022 and hoped that the festival will achieve outstanding success this year.

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“Over the past sixteen editions, MIFF has provided a rich and inspiring space for documentary filmmakers and film lovers to share their passion for the medium and exchange a range of views and ideas. Non feature films can help us understand, reveal and engage with the truth in ways which are unique and enduring”, the Vice President said

The Vice President expressed hope that this edition of MIFF kindles among film lovers a renewed fascination and appreciation towards documentary, short and animation films and also inspires them to be positive change agents in society.

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