Cinema 100 — The Next Wave: Bigger and better than ever
May 11th and 12th 2013, two power-packed days saw Whistling Woods International live, eat and breathe cinema. With packed workshops, avid discussions, exclusive screenings and one-of-kind exhibits, Cinema 100 — The Next Wave was the perfect balance between a celebration of the past and the creation of a new future for Indian cinema.
The second edition of Cinema 100 by Whistling Woods International opened with a lot of fanfare and excitement. Speaking at the inaugural session, Subhash Ghai, Founder and Chairman, said “At Whistling Woods, we are committed to developing the talent of the next generation in the right direction. For us, the right to education is not as important as the right to the ‘right’ education. We want the next generation of Indian filmmakers to create Indian films first and to take these films to the world. We need to reintroduce Indian characters to the world. This was why we created Cinema 100. You need to celebrate the past to be able to make good films that are both entertaining and send out positive messages.”
Taking forward this thought, Salim Khan, Subhash Ghai and Anjum Rajabali discussed the role of screenwriters in this industry. With a brief summarization of the the evolution of screenwriters in the industry and a mention of the recent Film Writers’ Movement, this rapid-fire panel discussion left the audience enthralled. The first day also saw renowned directors Gauri Shinde, Anurag Basu, Amole Gupte and Vikramaditya Motwane debate the future of Indian cinema. They charmed audiences with amusing anecdotes about their humble industry beginnings and mused aloud on how cinema will change in the next 100 years. Ravindra Jain, Anuradha Paudwal, Sameer Sen, Ismail Darbar gushed about music down the ages of Indian cinema during the entertaining Music panel. An exclusive Master Class with Vishal Bhardwajand a special session with film historian Amrit Gangar attracted packed audiences.
Day 2 of Cinema 100 began with a blockbuster panel discussion between the popular lyricist Javed Aktharand Subhash Ghai moderated by Javed Siddiqui as they discussed the poetry of Indian cinema down the ages. ‘Booting out the Pirates’ saw talented youth engage with industry veterans as they deliberated the effects of piracy on cinema. The main highlights of the day were Dia Mirza’s fascinating interview withShabana Azmi and moderated by Mayank Shekhar, a very interactive session with the makers of Bombay Talkies - Zoya Akthar, Dibaker Banerjee and Ashi Dua that captivated the audience.
The second edition of Cinema 100 by Whistling Woods was graced by legendry icons and dignitaries from the film fraternity such as Salim Khan, Shabana Azmi, Gauri Shinde, Anurag Basu, Dia Mirza, Zoya Akthar, Dibaker Banerjee, Ashi Dua, Ismail Darbar, Jackie Shroff, Amole Gupte, Vikramaditya Motwane, Anuradha Paudwal, Abhijeet Sawant, Harshit Saxena, Mamta Sharma, Mithoon, Shilpa RaoRavindra Jain, Sameer Sen, Dilip Sen and many more.
The closing ceremony of Cinema 100 — the next wave saw Meghna Ghai Puri, President WWI announce a rare commission Rs 10 lacs to Ketan Rana for a women empowerment advertisement film as a part of their social responsibility initiatives
Some celebrity quotes
Salim Khan - “It’s a work of great dedication and obsession. It could be taken to even greater heights, if the government and everyone would come here and see what has been made. It has been the most unselfish thing created here.”
Anurag Basu - “Overwhelming! You are a part of this legacy and I am happy that the future will go into your hands; you will create the next 100 years of Indian cinema. I have been here before, the enthusiasm and passion regarding Cinema in Whistling Woods International is quite evident. I would love to see some short films on cinema 100 being created by the students.”
Vikramaditya Motwane- “The initiative taken by students of Whistling Woods to celebrate 100 years of cinema is fantastic. It shows their love in all exhibits, seminars and in everything they have done. It makes me very glad that someone is doing that. So, I am very proud of these students.”
Gauri Shinde - “After coming to Whistling Woods today, I truly felt and realized the whole sense of Cinema 100. I haven’t had this feeling outside in the past year in spite of the discussions out there; here at Whistling Woods I got that feeling finally.”
Amole Gupte - “I am truly overwhelmed by this years’ Cinema 100. This is the second time I’ve celebrated Cinema 100 at Whistling Woods. When you see the celebrations twice over, two new exhibitions put up, two new journeys through which you could walk; it’s truly like walking in the temple of the art form because only the passionate person like your chairperson can think of a place like this. An umbrella institute for students to come and get acquainted with all art forms. It’s wonderful!! Mere seene me maa hai…cinema hai!!”
Javed Akhtar — “I have heard many complimentary things about WWI. And despite my high expectation I am deeply impressed. It is a positive step towards creation of talent for the industry and must be protected and nurtured.”
Dia Mirza — “As students of cinema, I consider myself one as well; the journey to learn is never ending. The experience I have in WWI today covered all Diasporas of Indian Cinema. It was a perfect tribute to the memories of 100 years of cinema and I am sure that the future of cinema will be very bright.”
Shabana Azmi — “There can be no better way to create Cinema 100 than to get students involved. The kind of research that has gone into the panels and discussions today is unparalleled. My visit here was like a walking through the library of cinema. It is a beautiful effort and I congratulate the students for doing so much with so little resources.”
For further information, please contact:
Atul Malikram