WorldFest Houston International Film Festival to Premiere Lahore
By Kalyani Giri
Last Updated: April 11 2009
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HOUSTON: India-born director and screenwriter Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan will premier his debut movie Lahore at the 42nd WorldFest Houston International Film Festival later this month at the AMC Studio 30 Dunvale.
The film, in the Hindi language, is an action drama that explores the impact of sport and sportsmanship on the lives of people from India and Pakistan, the two nations in constant conflict. The cast includes actors Farouque Shaikh, Nafisa Ali, and Aanaahad. Chauhan will be attending the film festival that runs from April 17 – 24, 2009. Lahore’s young director hopes to join the exalted ilk of filmmaking luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Townsend, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone and David Lynch, whose careers were launched at WorldFest.
Founded by visionary filmmaker Hunter Todd nearly half a century ago, WorldFest is one of the longest-running independent film and video competitions in the world, an annual cinematic tournament that publicly screens the winners selected by a panel of film industry judges. Todd and his partner Kathleen Haney manage WorldFest. This year the festival will screen 56 award-winning films and 79 short films from over 37 countries. Master craftsmen will conduct six seminars specific to the various fields in the art of movie making; these workshops will be held at the Renaissance Hotel. Over 400 filmmakers from around the world are expected to attend the festival. Actress Patricia Neal, who won an Oscar for her role opposite Paul Newman in the film Hud, will receive WorldFest’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The festival has something for everyone. Children will be enchanted with the US-made entry, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, a whimsical musical directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Angela Lansbury. The Houston Art Car motorcade will roll in on opening night, and find echo in the film Automorphosis, that tells the stories of the artists and how they were inspired to create their works of art on wheels. For drama aficionados, the Azerbajain film The 40th Door, about a young boy whose father is killed by the Russian mafia, promises to entertain; the film’s director Elchin Musaoglu will be at the screening. Belgium’s offering, 9mm, a tale of mystery and mayhem, will also have its director Taylan Barman present. Japanese filmmaker Ryotaro Muramatsu will also accompany to Houston, his directorial opus Air. Una Notte Blu Cobalto, a fanciful tale from Italy about a firsttime pizza delivery boy who realizes that his deliveries contain more than what’s expected, will also have its director Daniele Gangemi on hand to discuss his film. Movie-buffs can choose from a vast and diverse array of prodigiously made movies offered through the ten days of WorldFest.
WorldFest is also about a calendar abundant in merrymaking and theatrics. On opening night moviegoers are serenaded by a lively mariachi band and tartan-kilted bagpipers. The festival concludes with a Grand Awards Gala and Cocktail Reception at the Renaissance Hotel on April 25, and the Regatta/Barbecue at the Houston Yacht Club on April 26.
All films will screen at AMC Studio 30 and daily shows are at 5, 7, and 9.00pm. Group discounts are available. Options start at $6 for a single matinee (films before 6 pm) or $10.00 per single evening admission and range upward based on packages that customers purchase. Film Buff $100 (11 admissions), Silver Screen $150 (all films for one person), Gold Pass $395 (all films, all seminars for one person) and ultimate VIP Platinum Pass $500 (all films, all seminars, Awards Gala and HYC Regatta).
For more information about WorldFest, its annual competition, and past winners, visit www. worldfest.org
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