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| Amitabh Bachchan - Firenze, 2012 |
La dodicesima edizione del River to River Florence Indian Film Festival si svolgerà a Firenze dal 7 al 13 dicembre 2012. È prevista una replica parziale a Roma dal 14 al 16 dicembre.
Per celebrare il centenario del cinema indiano, l'evento bomba in programma è la partecipazione di Amitabh Bachchan (nella clandestinità della mia tana non respiro da giorni), nonché dei registi Anurag Kashyap e Bedaprata Pain. Inoltre verrà presentato, in edizione restaurata, Raja Harishchandra (1913) di Dadasaheb Phalke.
La prima parte di Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), fuori concorso, di Anurag Kashyap, inaugurerà la manifestazione, il 7 dicembre alle ore 20.30, alla presenza di Bachchan e di Kashyap. La seconda parte la chiuderà. L'8 dicembre, al termine della proiezione delle ore 20.30 di Black (2005) di Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bachchan, presente in sala, interagirà col pubblico. Fra gli altri titoli in cartellone, segnalo Adaminte Makan Abu, Chittagong (2012) di Bedaprata Pain, Rockstar, Deewaar, Sholay.
Quanto ai seminari:
* Shakti. Le donne nella letteratura e nel cinema dell'India, 8 dicembre ore 11.30, con Anna Nadotti e Marco Restelli;
* Bollywood e l'espressione delle emozioni nell'India di oggi, 9 dicembre ore 11.30, con Franco La Cecla e Ashanti Omkar.
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| Amitabh Bachchan, Selvaggia Velo e Dario Nardella - Firenze, 2012 |
Aggiornamenti del 17 dicembre 2012
Big B ha scritto nel suo profilo Twitter:
* 6 dicembre: 'Into the magnificence of Firenze, Florence, Italy. Every corner and nook blessed with history and art and culture and style! More interviews and photo shoots. La Repubblica and then Uomo Vogue. Stunning pictures by ace photographer. Beauty in simplicity'.
* 8 dicembre: 'The Deputy Mayor of the City of Florence, presents me with the keys of the city. No longer a tourist now, but a guest! Honored! The fashion and design at every step is so infectious! You feel like spending a lifetime here. How do they do it? The cobbled streets, the old palaces, the squares... all maintained in its original form through ages. What magnificence!! Every shopping arcade, restaurant, office, Hotel, part of the lustrous palaces that existed. Not a stone changed, yet still in style. Last night Deputy Mayor of Florence presented me with the keys of the City. So honoured! Tonight Black and a Q&A with audience'.
* 9 dicembre: 'A standing ovation amidst shouts of 'bravo' for screening of Black. Here in Florence for R2R film fest. Thank you Sanjay LB. Walking the streets in Florence, biting cold, well clad, but the warmth coming from the ones that follow. Surprising, and humbling. A full house at the Odeon, Florence. In the Q&A a lady with the same symptoms as the girl in Black crying copiously!! Good bye Florence. It was a most enjoyable trip. The honor, the pride that Indian Cinema is attaining is a win for India'.
Anurag Kashyap l'8 dicembre ha scritto nel suo profilo Twitter: 'Big B was awarded "Keys to Florence" tonight and then there was an Italian flashmob dancing to a medley of Amitabh Bachchan songs #awesome'.
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| Amitabh Bachchan, Anurag Kashyap e Selvaggia Velo - Firenze, 2012 |
Ma è nel suo blog che Bachchan ha dettagliatamente raccontato l'esperienza fiorentina:
* 6 dicembre: 'Each corner of this beautiful city speaks by itself, its glamour, its social standing, its arts and culture and of course the exquisite construction that it enjoys; fairy tale like in its appearance and demeanor, prompting a visit perhaps again with the grandchildren to those regions and areas that we were unable to see or talk about. Perhaps Abhishek shall be greatly more enterprising with Aaradhya. (...) Interviews and photo shoots took most of the afternoon away. But I have to say this. The French and the Italians are masters in their respective arts, and here in Italy the labor is working away, so the burden of responsibility shall fall on us, irrespective of the result. Not talking about any thing in particular, but just that the magic of shopping always takes center stage. Not for me. But for the photo shoot that is to follow soon. The La Republica newspaper, the largest in the country and the Uomo Vogue, spend time and energy to talk of the reveal, and reality of cinema. The dress outfits - a combination of personal and what they brought along is looked after. And some stunning photography takes place by the greatest in his profession and the country. And then resourceful attending staff from home, sets up the dining table with... yes you guessed it, Indian food!! In the heart of the finest eating regions of the world, and we ask for Indian! In matters of food, buddy there can be no winner... its only Italian'.
* 7/8 dicembre: 'Overwhelmed as I am with the beauty and elegance of Firenze, the opening of the River to River 12 Indian Film Festival tonight at the Odeon Cinema, one of its oldest is a delight to be present at, where the Deputy Mayor of the City, with his designated sash or ribbon of honour around his shoulder, presents me with the keys of the City of Firenze, and invites me to the city again not as a tourist but as a guest. Nothing could have been more overwhelming than this recognition, in the presence of the Ambassador to Italy of India and other distinguished guests. Firenze or in popular English, Florence, has a quiet elegance about it. Well... that is an inappropriate description, for, elegance is always quiet. Its seeming simplicity is what eventually is its most enduring complexity. It is not a book to be judged by its cover. It requires for one to stay a while, walk about on their own and finally discover that there is far more to it that was originally contemplated. A city of exquisite beauty in its museums and galleries, of history and geography and in just the simple way that the inhabitants of this enviable place, live and enjoy the pleasures of life. Pleasures of life? Yes because as one moves about the narrow cobbled lanes, entering old Palaces that have now been converted into meeting places, restaurants, theatres, shopping malls, one realizes that a city of such eminence needed to be preserved in the way it is'.
* 8/9 dicembre: 'Cobbled streets, old period palaces of families that lived and became its prestige, a cold winter breeze through the hair, body protected well with padded jackets and scarfs, mingling with the Saturday market crowds of Firenze in the main square... just a grand feeling of being free and independent and like any other, for once!! A small quiet and unassuming looking restaurant in one corner of the city, Italian delicacies beautifully presented, sparkling water of the brand Pellegrino and stimulating conversation with the festival organizer of River to River Indian Film Festival, marks the end of the afternoon, before the main event - Black at the show at the Odeon, the aged film theatre built like an opera house, astonishingly well kept and in sane condition. Gifts galore pour in as the local community gathers my presence, and then to the opening of the first presentation... It is a full house and it looks attractive. After a brief interaction to introduce the film, mob commotion, and shhh’s of silence, the film begins. Many who have had some experience as a viewer or hearer of Indian Films, move about speak loudly, almost as though they knew what was coming... but within a few seconds into the first frame, a silence pervades, and remains so till the last credits. When the lights come on the audience stands and applauds for long... long enough for me to walk up back on to the stage for a Q&A. It is quite overwhelming. Amid shouts of ‘bravo’ I stand before the audience and for long take in the applause. Applause...? The company that has interest in the film and in its distribution is also called Applause... so every time in the opening credits when the word drifts by, the obedient audience breaks into a clap... ha ha ha cute!! Its like those q-boards at Tv shows, when a large sized card is held up to tell the live audience in the house to clap their hands!! (...) In Italy, moreso, I discover, it is expected of everyone to be dressed as though they were on the fashion ramp of some of the prominent parades that take place. Everyone is designered to an elegance that makes me wonder, where and how on earth did all the beautiful, aesthetic, and poetry laden style, get to those that occupy the ‘boot shaped’ outline... What happened to these European states that they became this epitome of all that seemed elegant? Art, architecture, living and so many other aspects... all became the reference point for design. And as you walk down the streets enjoying the moment, you cannot but marvel at this phenomena. What took place in this part of the world that set them off to explore and conquer, to be different and experimental and to be welcomed as guests that finally turned out to be a dangerous welcome to wherever they went...'.
* 9 dicembre: 'It has been difficult to tear myself away from Florence and all the lovely people that looked after me, and those that showed their affection during the Festival. It makes the farewells seem so personal, tinged with just the right amount of emotion. It has been noticed often that the moment you start to get comfortable at a foreign destination, comes the time to leave. And the only comfort that one can give at that time to oneself is... ‘right ! must be back here soon’... and that often takes many years, unfortunately. The journey back was quiet and picturesque. The Alps with the fresh snow upon them the bright sunlight breaking upon it and the several large lakes that scattered the peculiar horizon, was breathtaking'.
Amitabh Bachchan ospite d'onore al festival fiorentino, Diego Garufi, Everyeye, 7 dicembre 2012:
'"È un onore essere accolto a Firenze e in Italia - ha dichiarato la superstar indiana Amitabh Bachchan - ma più che un onore personale questo è un riconoscimento a tutta la cinematografia indiana che sta guadagnando sempre più visibilità in Occidente. (...) Nella cinematografia indiana sono sempre esistiti due generi paralleli e complementari. Da una parte il cinema d'intrattenimento per l'uomo comune che dopo una giornata di duro lavoro vuole sfuggire ad una vita di miseria e povertà attraverso le avventure che vedeva sul grande schermo. Oltre a questo cinema d'evasione esiste un cinema più intellettuale e artistico che punta ad una classe più colta. L'India è sempre stata una nazione fatta di diseguaglianze e disparità e queste si vedono rispecchiate anche nel cinema. Negli ultimi 45 anni il cinema d'autore ha aperto la strada alla cinematografia indiana facendola conoscere e apprezzare al pubblico occidentale. L'India è un paese giovane - ha continuato Bachchan - per 1200 anni siamo stati dominati da qualcuno e abbiamo raggiunto l'indipendenza solo nel 1947, da quel momento abbiamo dovuto fare passi da giganti per metterci alla pari delle altre nazioni, ma credo che quando vengono fatti questi passi si lasci dietro di sé un vuoto enorme e spesso si compiono errori. Anche se credo che abbiamo fatto un buon lavoro in quanto nazione, sono convinto che si debbano fare ancora degli ulteriori passi soprattutto nel campo cinematografico e farci conoscere al meglio." Quando gli è stato domandato come mai in alcune regioni del mondo, come il Nord Africa, il Medio Oriente e l'ex-blocco sovietico, il cinema di Bollywood sia più apprezzato del cinema di Hollywood, l'attore è stato molto felice di poter dire la sua: "Mio padre si è guardato tutti i miei film e un giorno, finita la visione di uno di questi, gli ho fatto questa domanda. La sua risposta è stata bellissima. Mi ha detto che si poteva avere 'una giustizia poetica in sole tre ore'. Invece, durante una mia visita a Mosca l'ho domandato ad uno spettatore che mi ha data un'altra risposta illuminante: 'quando esco dal cinema mi ritrovo con un sorriso sulle labbra e delle lacrime asciutte sulle guance'. I film indiani danno speranza e raccontano di sogni che si avverano grazie alla forza di volontà e alla voglia di combattere di un singolo. Il nostro cinema offre tutto questo allo spettatore, speranza, lacrime e sorrisi, qualcosa di molto radicato nell'animo umano e che rende la nostra cinematografia universale".'
Video Iconauta: 7 dicembre, cinema Odeon, Firenze. Inaugurazione del festival, Dario Nardella consegna a Bachchan le chiavi della città, Kashyap presenta Gangs of Wasseypur.
Video Iconauta: 8 dicembre, cinema Odeon, Firenze. Bachchan alla proiezione di Black.
Video InToscana: incontro con Bachchan
Photo gallery ufficiale
Recensione di Rockstar, Diego Garufi, Everyeye, 17 dicembre 2012
Il titolo vincitore di questa edizione del festival è Chittagong.
Vedi anche Amitabh Bachchan, la star indiana che ha conquistato il mondo, 28 novembre 2021
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| Bedaprata Pain - Firenze, 2012 |
