Red Lorry Film Festival: ‘Paul And Paulette Take A Bath’ And ‘Souleymane’s Story’ Win Top Honours
Spanish film, I'm Nevenka, won the Critics' Pick award at the festival held in both Mumbai and Hyderabad
At a time when cinemas aren’t screening (for no fault of their own, to be fair!) truly engaging content and OTT platforms too caught in a minor rut, film festivals are that one place where one can almost be guaranteed a good time at the movies. The more these festivals are organised, the better opportunities for movie goers to watch cinema made by filmmakers who may not always have the means to ensure an audience for their films. Championing film festivals is something we must all do – it’s the one way to ensure our film industry won’t entirely fall down the mediocrity blackhole!
Speaking of film festivals, BookMyShow recently held the second edition of their own, this past weekend. If you’re a cinephile (even if a self-proclaimed one!), you must’ve heard about the Red Lorry Film Festival, or maybe even been a part of it. It had a bunch of exciting titles – 120 in total - from across the world that were in competition, and a jury comprising of some big movie names - Vikramaditya Motwane, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Atul Sabharwal, to name a few.
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After having won top honours at the Venice Film Festival last year, Jethro Massey’s Paul And Paulette Take A Bath took home the winner’s title here too. Described as an ‘unconventional romantic comedy’, the film centres around the chance meeting of an American photographer and a French girl with a taste for all things macabre.
It wasn’t the only top winner at the festival though. Sharing the mantle also was Boris Lojkine’s Souleymane’s Story, an immigration drama about a Parisian food delivery agent’s preparation for a crucial, potentially fate-altering interview. The film, that won top honours at the Cannes Film Festival, was equally lauded here.
Another film that got major love and Critics’ Pick award was the Spanish film, I’m Nevenka. Based on the real-life story of Nevenka Fernández, a young woman who had courageously reported sexual harassment by her employer, the Iciar Bollen movie feels pertinent even in today’s times, despite being set in the 90s.
The festival held in both Mumbai and Hyderabad also had a fair few Bollywood stars in attendance – Aamir Khan, Neetu Kapoor, Tina Ambani, Simi Garewal, among others. There were also a couple of special screenings – Subhash Ghai’s Karz (1980) was screened at its 45th anniversary; Ketan Mehta’s Mirch Masala (1987) was showcased as a tribute to the film’s lead actor, Smita Patil.
May film festivals live and entertain for long. And may we cherish and celebrate them for as long as we can!