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Our leading men's leading ladies are becoming progressively misleading. Sanjay Dutt who turned 53 this month would be romancing the 24-year old Prachi Desai in his new cop film Thanedaar Returns. And to ensure that the age difference doesn't jar, the script is being modified to justify the gap of 29 years between the hero and heroine. The last time there was such a yawning gap between the lead pair was when Anil Kapoor played Kareena Kapoor's husband in Bewafaa. And there the age gap was justified by the fact that Kareena was Anil's second wife in the film. But here with no plausible justification for the age difference except for the fact that Prachi was the only viable choice with dates; the makers of the film have decided to rewrite the original script to explain the age difference. Says a source close to the project, "In the original Tamil film Saamy,...

The story of the Trishna and Krishna, Bangladesh twins joined at the head, is equal parts ethical conundrum and medical miracle. Abandoned by a mother who couldn’t afford to care for them, their chances at the orphanage weren’t much better. By a stroke of luck, the girls were discovered by an Australian aid worker who recognized the dire situation they faced, and transported them to Australia for surgery just in time to relieve a rise in blood pressure as one twin drained fluid into another. With the time that procedure brought them, a team of neurosurgeons began mapping out a multi-part procedure that would enable them to separate the two brains and eventually give them independent lives. The stakes are high, and a mistake could cost one or both twins their lives.

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The programme for the 55th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express launched today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, celebrates the imagination and excellence of international filmmaking from both established and emerging talent. Over 16 days the Festival will screen a total of 204 fiction and documentary features, including 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres and 22 European Premieres . There will also be screenings of 110 live action and animated shorts. Many of the films will be presented by their directors, cast members and crew, some of whom will also take part in career interviews, masterclasses, and other special events. The 55th BFI London Film Festival will run from 12-27 October.

Special Screenings

Opening the festival is Fernando Meirelles’ 360, written by Peter Morgan, and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz. Weisz is also the star of Terence Davies’ closing night film, The Deep Blue Sea, alongside a cast which includes Simon Russell Beale and Tom Hiddleston.

Still from Adaminte Makan Abu

Adaminte Makan Abu (Abu, Son of Adam) that won the 58th National Award for Best Feature Film will be screened at the the 55th BFI London Film Festival. Gandu (Asshole), The Noble Thief, Anhey Ghore Da Daan (Alms of the Blind Horse) and Nouka Dubi are the other Indian films which will screen at the festival.

Michale Winterbottom’s Trishna, an adaptation of the ‘Tess of the D’Urbervilles’ set in India will also be screened at the festival.

The festival will take place from October 12-27, 2011.

“Debut director Salim Ahamed presents a rare and poignant tale of Muslim community life in the southern Indian state of Kerala,” writes the festival programmer Cary Rajinder Sawhney about Adaminte Makan Abu.

Kaushik Mukherjee’s Gandu is described as: “Hardcore and at times sexually explicit, Asshole has more in common with contemporary Indian art and rap culture than...

From the 12th to the 27th of October the 55th BFI London Film Festival brings its annual box of delights to the capital. Earlier today the full programme was announced, and it look like being another fine year.

We already know that Fernando Meirelles’ latest 360 will open proceedings on the 12th and fifteen days later Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea will bring the festival to a close but there are many more great films to come and see in London this October.

There was a familiar feeling creeping across the audience this morning that a lot of the films had, like last year, already played elsewhere but this is only a small consideration when you consider the scope of the festival’s remit. To bring a vital, fresh and horizon-expanding series of features, shorts and documentaries is no easy task, and while the more well known films have played...

Artistic director Sandra Hebron has announced the line-up for the 55th BFI London Film Festival this morning where they will screen “a total of 204 fiction and documentary features, including 13 World Premieres, 18 International Premieres and 22 European Premieres” plus “110 live action and animated shorts”.

We are already knew Fernando Meirelles’ adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s erotic drama play 360 written by Peter Morgan and starring Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz would open the festival and that The Deep Blue Sea, which incidentally is another adaptation of a play (Terence Rattigan’s) and also stars Rachel Weisz, will close it. Of Time and City’s Terrence Davies directed that movie which also stars Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale.

Now we know the in-between stuff from the Gala & Special Screenings and there’s a wide selection of extremely interesting films;

George Clooney is bringing his political thriller The Ides of March that...

The Australian Screen Editors Guild has nominated Animal Kingdom, Bright Star and Beneath Hill 60 for Best Editing in a Feature, alongside 2009 releases Balibo and – surprisingly – Coffin Rock.

This is the first and only award nomination the David Lightfoot production has received since its release in November 2009.

The TV drama category sees the telemovie A Model Daughter competing against All Saints, Packed to the Rafters and Wilfred.

The nominees are:

Avid Award for Best Editing in a Feature Film

Animal Kingdom – Luke Doolan

Balibo - Nick Meyers Ase

Beneath Hill 60 – Dany Cooper Ase

Bright Star – Alexandre de Franceschi Ase

Coffin Rock - Adrian Rostirolla

The Lab Award for Best Editing in a Television Drama

A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne – Deborah Peart

All Saints, Episode 478 – Nicholas Holmes Ase

Packed to the Rafters, Episode 44 – James Manche Ase

Wilfred Series 2, Episode 8 – Richard Hamer

Best Editing in a Documentary

Catching Cancer...

Christopher Gordon (Mao’s Last Dancer), Guy Gross (A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne) and Burkhard Dallwitz (Underbelly: The Golden Mile) were the big winners at this year’s Screen Music Awards.

The ceremony took place in Melbourne last night, hosted by Andrew Hansen and Chris Taylor.

The winners are:

Best Soundtrack Album

Mao’s Last Dancer

Composer Christopher Gordon

Best Original Song Composed for the Screen

“Hold Me” from A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne

Composer Guy Gross

Best Music for Children’s Television

Itty Bitty Ditties

Composers Thomas Bettany / Benjamin Speed

Best Television Theme

My Place

Composer Roger Mason

Publisher Sandcastle Music Pty Ltd

Best Music for a Television Series or Serial

Underbelly: The Golden Mile

Composer Burkhard Dallwitz

Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie – Winner

A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne

Composer Guy Gross

Best Feature Film Score

Mao’s...

Animal Kingdom (A. Partos/S. Petty) , Beneath Hill 60 (C. Skubiszewski), Mao’s Last Dancer (C. Gordon) and The Waiting City (M. Yezerski) are competing for the Best Feature Film Score at this year’s Screen Music Awards.

In the television categories My Place (R. Mason), Rescue Special Ops (N. Tyson-Chew), Tangle (B. Marks) and Underbelly (B. Dallwitz) have been selected for the Best Music for a Television Series category.The 2010 Screen Music Awards, presented by Apra (Australasian Performing Right Association) and the Agsc (Australian Guild of Screen Composers) will be held at BMW Edge in Melbourne on Tuesday 9 November.

The nominees are:

Best Feature Film Score

Title Animal Kingdom Composers Antony Partos and Sam Petty Title Beneath Hill 60 Composer Cezary Skubiszewski Publisher Albert Music Title Mao’s Last Dancer Composer Christopher Gordon Title The Waiting City Composer Michael Yezerski Publisher Sandcastle Music Pty Ltd

Best Music for a...

Chicago-based film production company Sadhana Pictures will release its debut feature film, 'Kings of Devon,' in September. The film will be shown in Big Cinemas theaters in Chicago, San Jose, and Edison, New Jersey and the Fun Plex Theater in Houston on September 17, 18, and 19.

'Kings of Devon' is set on Chicago's Devon Avenue, a neighborhood known for its community of South Asian immigrants. The story revolves around a man who is caught in the middle of a bitter rivalry between Devon's two biggest gangs—and he ends up accused of murder and on the run from authorities.

Rahsaan Islam, a second-generation Bengali-American and founder of Sadhana Pictures, said the film, a mystery-thriller, is "Bangla-language but Bollywood-style." Islam produced and directed the film and he stars in it along with debutant actors Bakhtiar Hafeez, Tamim Chowdhury, Ridwan Islam, Trishna Murad, Kruti Pandya, Aftabur Rahman, and Shafohi Alamgir. Original music was composed by Rusho Mahtab.

Film: ‘Khatta Meetha’; Starring: Akshay Kumar, introducing Trishna Krishnan, Kulbhushan Kharbanda; Directed by: Priyadarshan; Rating: ***

First things first. This is not, repeat not, a comedy. Not by any yardstick. For those expecting a typical Priyadarshan-Akshay Kumar comedy ‘Khatta Meetha’ is not your cup of tee-hee. For those who know there’s a more reflective and ruminative side to both the prolific director and the leading man, here’s the thing.

‘Khatta Meetha’ takes stinging satirical swipes at the epidemic disease of corruption that has taken over the Indian ethos. Tragically the treatment is quite.