Raj Kapoor, a Bollywood-style Charlie Chaplin from the Fifties
The 2008 River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival will hold a retrospective on the great director Raj Kapoor, on the occasion of his 20th death anniversary, and screen a rich selection of the latest Indian films.

The eighth River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival, completely devoted to Indian cinema and directed by Selvaggia Velo, will take place in Florence, Italy, from 5 to 11 December 2008.
Supported by Mediateca Regionale Toscana-Film Commission, Provincia di Firenze and Assessorato alla Cultura del Comune di Firenze as part of the Cinquanta Giorni di Cinema Internazionale in Florence, the Festival will be held at Odeon, the beautiful 20s-style theatre located right in the heart of the city.

The Festival will feature a retrospective on Raj Kapoor (1924-1988), a director from a great family of film-makers who lived in the golden age of Indian cinema. An actor, producer and director, Kapoor is known as India’s Charlie Chaplin for his characters who become the stars of his quintessentially 50s Bollywood films.
Three of his masterpieces will be screened, in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals of New Delhi. The Chaplin-inspired Awara (The Tramp), 1951, in which Raju, who has become a petty thief, is charged with murder, and finds his father again in a courtroom after many years. Shree 420, 1955, where the title stands for the article of the Indian Criminal Code that punishes fraud-related crimes, with the main character arriving in Mumbai in search of a better future and having to face the temptations of the metropolis. Finally, the colour film Bobby (1973), which tells, with Seventies atmospheres and an unforgettable soundtrack, a sparkling love story with heights of romance and genuine entertainment.


In addition to the retrospective on Raj Kapoor, the Festival will include two special sections:
• the best short animations from Anifest India 2008, organised by The Indian Society of India: 15 films shot by students and professionals that explore interesting ideas inspired by wide-ranging artistic and intellectual perspectives, including both traditional media and cutting-edge technology;
• the three most outstanding diploma films of 2007 and 2008 by the students of the prestigious Film and TV Institute of India

As to what’s new this year, River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival will enter the first Advantage India competition, in association with www.1takemedia.com, the largest jobs & resources portal for the Indian Film and TV, with over 15,000 listed members, and thousands of resume of film and tv professionals. The award is sponsored by Time Broadband and supported by Screen, one of India’s largest and oldest entertainment weekly magazines.
Advantage India is open to short films lasting up to three minutes and focussing on the positive sides of India. The jury includes filmmakers such as Kunal Kohli, Indra Kumar, R. Balki and Rohit Shetty, and Selvaggia Velo.
River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival will offer a platform to the three winners of Advantage India, which will be screened on the last night of the festival.

Furthermore, the main part of the Festival will be the screening of the feature films, shorts and documentaries in competition, that are the latest Indian independent films and works on India. Actors, directors and producers will be there to introduce their films and meet the audience and the press.
For each category, the audience will vote for the best film, that will win the River to River DigiChannel Audience Award, consisting in the free promotion of it on DigiChannel.net, including web publication, newsletter, homepage screening and being part of the DC worldwide network.

River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival, under the Patronage of the Indian Embassy in Rome, is sponsored by the Italian Ministry of the Cultural Heritage - Cinema Department, Regione Toscana and Mediateca Regionale Toscana-Film Commission, as well as Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, Quartiere 1 del Comune di Firenze, and Milan’s India Tourism Office. Precious support has also been provided by Apt Firenze, Hotel Roma, Instyle, Car Sharing, and Swiss International Air Lines. Media partners will be mymovies.it and 1takemedia.com.

Between one film and the next, do not miss the food tastings offered by the Indian Restaurant of Fiesole, a heaven of Maharaja cuisine.

The festival weekly ticket, in collaboration with Mymovies.it, will be on sale at Cinema Odeon from October 31st.


For informations:
River to River. Florence Indian Film Festival
Piazza Santo Spirito, 1
50125 Florence - Italy
tel. +39 055 286929
fax +39 055 284983
pressoffice@rivertoriver.it
www.rivertoriver.it