Fortunately, the second film, My Marlon and Brando was much better. Directed by Husseiyin Karabey, it traced the journey of a Turkish actress who wishes to meet her love in Iraq who sends her ‘video love letters’. War is setting in in Iraq and crossing the border becomes as arduous task. What was exemplary was that the actress was played by an overweight, not conventionally good looking actress; someone you would never imagine in a lead role. It could have been an even better film had it not been concluded abruptly.
Yasujiro Ozu time with Drifting Weeds. His themes keep repeating film after film, yet they are always a delight to watch.
And now for the most infuriating part of the entire festival. The closing film was to be Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya. Perhaps the most talked about film of the festival after A Seperation. A notice on the door announced that it would be replaced by Kikuo Kawasaki’s David and Kamal. Substitutions are pretty common at film fests but how can you replace the closing film? Kiran Shantaram later mentioned that bureaucracy was to blame. If that be the reason, it’s a real disgrace.
The closing ceremony itself started an hour late. So what’s new you may ask. Some minister Deosthale’s ultra-boring speech was greeted with catcalls and out-of-turn clapping throughout. Serves him right for playing the mike-obsessed minister who reads out his speech without even looking up. Don’t have the entire roster of awards with me but Cairo 678 won the grand prize. This I was expecting. The NETPAC recognition went to Gangor. This I wasn’t.
The closing film was a film in English set in Jerusalem and directed by a Japanese. About a friendship between two young boys, one a have and the other a have-not. Sort of like I Am Kalam. It was a crowd-pleaser and short in running length. A lukewarm end to an OK fest.
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