PRIME MINISTER HARPER LAUDS FILM BREAKAWAY!

Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Nav Bhatia

Photo: Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Laureen Harper and Breakaway actor/co-screenwriter Vinay Virmani

Special screening on Parliament Hill Feature film Breakaway applauded by the Prime Minister and 800 guests, including MPs, senatorsand other dignitaries, after a successful opening weekend in theatres

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

Montreal, October 4, 2011 – The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, as well as MPs, senators and other parliamentary dignitaries, attended a special screening of the feature film Breakaway in Ottawa yesterday evening, October 3, 2011. The film received an extended and enthusiastic ovation from the 800 or so guests, including the High Commissioner of India to Canada, MPs and senators. Last night’s presentation of Breakaway followed on the heels of its successful opening weekend in Canadian theatres, where it took in more than $550,000 at the box office.

“This bodes well for the film’s career,” says Carolle Brabant, Executive Director of Telefilm Canada. “This double triumph shows that Breakaway has all it takes to delight audiences, including a fantastic storyline that revolves around hockey—a passion of Canadians—as well as outstanding actors, among them the excellent Vinay Virmani, who co-wrote the movie and stars in the lead role.

“Telefilm congratulates the entire team behind Breakaway, including director Robert Lieberman and producers Akshay Kumar, Ajay Virmani, Frank Siracusa, André Rouleau, Russell Peters, Clayton Peters and Don Carmody, for this wonderful movie that succeeds in terms of its skillful narrative and musical soundtrack. Our organization regularly participates in film screenings in Ottawa as a way of highlighting Canadian cultural success stories. In keeping with our most fervent wish, Breakaway is a movie that is sure to stimulate audience demand for Canadian content.”

Breakaway is a funny and touching film about cultural integration. It tells the eventful story of a young Sikh-Canadian man in Ontario, who, despite his strong belief in traditional family values, wants to become a hockey star. “This film is like our great country, it celebrates our differences as well as reflecting the Canadian immigrant story, in an entertaining way that is moving audiences all over the world. I truly believe this film only could have been in Canada. The way this country supports its arts and young filmmakers is truly remarkable,” says Vinay Virmani.

Breakaway is presented by Hari Om Entertainment and produced by First Take Entertainment, Whizbang Films, Caramel Films and Don Carmody Productions. It is distributed in Canada by Alliance Films, and stars Vinay Virmani, Russell Peters, Anupam Kher, Gupreet Chuggi Singh, Sakina Jaffrey, Noureen Dewulf and Rob Lowe, with Camilla Belle. Cameos by Drake, Ludacris and Bollywood megastar Akshay Kumar.

Evening organized by enthusiastic partners of Canadian cinema

Hosted by The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, the evening was organized with the enthusiastic collaboration of public- and private-sector partners First Take Entertainment, Alliance Films, Astral, Rogers, Zip.ca, CBC-Radio-Canada, the National Arts Centre, the Ontario Media Development Corporation, Music Canada, Musicaction, Factor and Telefilm Canada.

Telefilm has been participating in film screenings in Ottawa for the past five years. In the last year, Gunless, Incendies and Barney’s Version were presented with great success on Parliament Hill. Breakaway has launched the new season of special screenings with a splash, in addition to starting its Canadian and international theatrical career. Check local listings for screenings of Breakaway in theatres near you.

About Telefilm Canada

Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. Telefilm also administers the Canada Media Fund’s programs. Visit www.telefilm.gc.ca

FILMI 12 showcases the latest of Independent South Asian Cinema

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto, Ontario – The 12^th Annual FILMI: Toronto’s South Asian Film Festival (FSAFF) will be presented September 29^th – October 2^nd , 2011 at the AGO and Revue Cinema. The vision of FILMI: Toronto’s South Asian Film Festival is to discover, introduce, promote and celebrate cinematic endeavours by talented South Asian filmmakers, and to highlight works with South Asian themes that can be brought to a mainstream audience. This year we will focus on two very active filmmakers; Canada’s own Jazz Virk and New York’s Samrat Chakrabarti.

 

Opening Night Film – Toronto PREMIERE – ‘Footsteps to Gangland’–  This gritty independent film written and directed by Vancouver’s Mani Amar about the true events that have shattered the South Asian Community of Vancouver.  Thursday September 29^th, 2011 – Jackman Hall at the ArtGallery of Ontario

 

 

11^th FILMI South Asian Film Festival will also feature:

FILMI Shorts Programme – Filmi is now the premier festival that showcases world and Canadian premieres of future filmmakers from the South Asian Diaspora. October 1^st , 2011 – Revue Cinema

 

World Premiere Filmi Web Series – ‘Guidestones’ starring newcomer Supinder Wraich will showcase the future of filmmaking with this interactive web series. ‘Guidestones’ will launch its World Premiere at Filmi.

 

TORONTO PREMIERE – ‘Big in Bollywood’ – is a documentary of American actor Omi Vaidya’s rise to fame as an Indian celebrity. Omi Vaidya is the co-star of the massive hit film 3 idiots. Shot by Omi’s friends this film takes you on a ride with Omi. September 30^th , 2011 – Jackman Hall at the ArtGallery of Ontario

 

FILMI Music Videos – Preceding each film premiere, FILMI 2011 will also be presenting world premieres of new music videos. This year Filmi will be focusing on the works of UK Based-Canadian Jazz Virk  who will premiere the Music video by Prita Chhabra that was produced by Filmi’s own Raoul Juneja.  FILMI's 5^th annual music video segment programmed by Canadian music personality Raoul Juneja (a.k.a. Deejay Ra).

 

Closing Night Film – Canadian PREMIERE – “Dogs Lie” directed by Richard Atkinson based on the off – Broadway play written by Ronnie Cohen and Jane Beale. “Dogs Lie” is a combination of comedy and murder mystery. The two main characters, played by Samrat Chakrabati and Frank Boyd are truly entertaining to watch.  October 2nd , 2011 – Jackman Hall at the Art Gallery of Ontario

 

Filmi Industry Series – “Documentary Filmmaking”, ‘Web Series’ ‘Music Video Directors’ Workshop for filmmakers and film enthusiasts with the world’s biggest South Asian Music Video Director Jazz Virk. Oct.1st^nd & 2^nd  , 2:30PM at 725 King St W.

 

Filmi 12 is proud to have in attendance UK Canadian Music Video Director – Jazz Virk, New York Actor Samrat Chakrabarti (30 Rock, Deepa Mehta ensemble ‘Midnight’s Children’) Writer-Director  Mani Amar  ( Warrior’s Religion), Richard Atkinson (Dogs Lie), Bill Bowles (Big in Bollywood) and many more …..

 

For more information on FILMI, or to book interviews contact:            

 

 

Dinesh Sachdev, Executive Director

T:             647.406.3269      

e: main@filmi.org

Sampradaya after TAJ

Artistic Director Lata Pada in Conversation with Celebrity Cultural Critic Samita Nandy for StarBuzz

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

The word ‘Sampradaya,’ for Artistic Director Lata Pada, represents the transmission of tradition.  Commissioned by Luminato for 2011 festival TAJ showcased Sampradaya Dance Creations’ distinct voice in Canada’s performing arts.

Lata Pada contends that the four sold out performances highlight the potential of this production to tour beyond its world premiere in Toronto in June 2011 at the Fleck Theatre of the Harbourfront Centre. A premiere is an opportunity to get the work ‘ on its feet’; preparing it for a remount is a wonderful chance to revisit the production, find deeper meaning, look at what worked and what did not, and how effectively all the elements came together. Sampradaya is now preparing to take the work across Canada and hopefully to India as well.

Currently, her company Sampradaya Dance Creations is doubling studio space.  It is acquiring the studio next to the existing one and is in full swing of reconstruction and enhancement of its facilities.  The new studio is a 7400 square foot facility.  Pada reveals that this will be a “performance hub of music, dance, and theatre for young South Asian performers – musicians, dancer, and actors – to find an opportunity for their art to be seen.”  Sampradaya Dance Creations will “mentor and guide emerging talent in their art.”

Lata Pada draws on rasa theory in Indian aesthetic studies and sheds light on the success of her performances.  For her, “the rasa [essence of aesthetic experience] is one that performer and audience member must participate in equally. It is that process of mutual and synergistic sharing that creates the magic of the moment. For any artist, that can translate into something quite transformative and ultimately needs to be the goal of any artistic communication.

The interplay of Lata Pada’s stagecraft and performances exemplifies this in her latest production TAJ.  Pada contends that “training, experience, maturity, personal connection to spoken words, scenes, sensitivity and vulnerability on stage” plays an emotional role in performance arts.  The tactile experience that you face then and experience on the stage is communicated to the audience.  The audience is brought into the space, the world of the play. During the world premiere of TAJ, the theatre and its stage were not large and, hence, created conditions for immediacy and proximity with actors Kabir Bedi and Lisa Ray.  Pada states that if the theatre was “bigger and larger, that would have distanced” the actors.  Instead, TAJ brought “proximity and synergistic relation between actors and audience.” At that time, Pada reveals, “you are not thinking star / celebrity on the stage.  Theatre is live, palpable, and ephemeral.  Every performance is different.  There can be flaws and no opportunities for retakes.  All actors recognize this.  If they have acted in films, they know the difference.”

Samita Nandy

To find out more about the upcoming performances of Sampradaya Dance Creations, please visit: http://www.sampradaya.ca/

“Singham” Movie Review

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

The trend of atypical masala entertainers began all over again with WANTED, which was effectively emulated by the super-successful DABANGG. The larger-than-life hero knocks down 50 thugs and sends them flying in the air with just one punch. He romances the heroine. Puts his life at stake by catching the bull by the horns. Emerges victorious in the finale... Come to think of it, the Indian audience is starved for true-blue masala entertainers that were admired and revered in the 1970s and 1980s. Oh, can we ever forget the serpentine queues outside cinema halls to watch those movies, starring our fav stars? With SINGHAM, the Ajay Devgn - Rohit Shetty team goes back to their roots; both started with action films, if you recall -- PHOOL AUR KAANTE and ZAMEEN, respectively. SINGHAM is one of those earthy, traditional, uncomplicated masala movies that most of us grew up on. The protagonist of SINGHAM is not the desi version of James Bond, nor is he any kind of a superhero.

SINGHAM pays homage to the action films of 1970s, which was known for the heroism, death-defying action sequences and pulse pounding thrills. It's an acknowledgement to one of the most successful genres of Bollywood -- action movies -- known for the trademark good versus evil themes and well choreographed stunts. Unlike many films recently, SINGHAM revives memories of the bygone era that stressed on raw action and was rich in fist-to-fist combat scenes. In fact, it has traces of action that Ajay's father [Veeru Devgn] and Rohit's father [Shetty] immortalized in their movies. But SINGHAM is a film of today, hence the stunts are extremely stylized and polished in keeping with the times. It's raw power presented in a slick demeanor.