Emirati film heads to Tribeca Film Festival
Next month's Tribeca Film Festival (the original in New York, not the Doha version) will feature a short Emirati film produced by twofour54 and directed by the UAE-based Iraqi filmmaker Yasir Al Yasiri. Murk Light, a 20-minute film, premiered at last year's Abu Dhabi Film Festival and won the first prize for Short Narrative Competition and Best Cinematography. It was selected to feature among Tribeca's 60 shorts from more than 2,800 submissions. The film that eventually goes on to win the festival's Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Film category at the Oscars. – Alex Ritman
Spielberg wants to remake Hollywood film in India
Steven Spielberg was in India this week and made an appearance on the television programme Walk the Talk, hosted by The Indian Express' editor Shekhar Gupta. On the show, Spielberg said he's interested in remaking a Hollywood movie in India: "An experiment I'd like to conduct someday is to take a movie made in America and remake it in India. We'd take an Indian director and a screenwriter and adapt it with an entire Indian cast." He said he's also interested in telling the story of Martin Luther King, as well as a film about the future of computer technology. Asked about his creative process, Spielberg said: "I don't design a film around a megastar – the script is the most important thing for me. It's more important to put forth the story than who stars in it. I had a great story about Abraham Lincoln that may have never been made without the performance of Daniel Day Lewis. But a really great story should be good enough," he said. – IANS
Shekhar Suman’s directorial debut filmed in Dubai and Mumbai
The actor and television host Shekhar Suman has turned director with his debut film Heartless, which was shot in Dubai and Mumbai. "The shooting is finished and post-production has started in full swing," said a production statement. Heartless is a thriller about a mother caring for her son who needs a heart transplant. The film stars Deepti Naval, Om Puri and Shekhar's actor son Adhyayan. Suman says the film is a tribute to his late son Aayush, who passed away from congenital heart disease. – IANS
R?P Patnaik says he is a composer at heart
He may have become a filmmaker but R?P Patnaik says he still thinks of himself as a musician. "I started my career as a music composer and, therefore, I can never stop being one at heart. I have stopped composing music for other films but I still compose for my own films," Patnaik said in an interview. In a career spanning more than a decade, he has composed music for more than 50 southern Indian films, including Nuvvu Nenu (2001), Jayam (2003) and Manasantha Nuvve (2001). His latest venture is the horror thriller Thulasidhalam, which is currently in post-production. – IANS
