Given
to 4 filmmakers including Neeraj Ghaywan from India
Emerging Artists from India, Vietnam/UK, Australia and Denmark
Selected for their Visionary Projects
PARK CITY, UT — Sundance Institute and Mahindra today
announced the winners of the 2014 Sundance Institute | Mahindra Global Filmmaking
Award, in recognition and support of
emerging independent filmmakers from around the world. The winning directors and projects are Hong Khaou, MONSOON from Vietnam/UK;
Tobias Lindholm, A WAR from Denmark; Ashlee Page, ARCHIVE from Australia;
and Neeraj Ghaywan, FLY
AWAY SOLO from India.
The
awards were presented at a private ceremony at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival
in Park City, Utah, U.S.A., by Rohit
Khattar, Chairman, Mumbai Mantra, Michelle
Satter, Founding Director, Feature Film Program, Sundance Institute, and Paul Federbush, International Director,
Feature Film Program, Sundance Institute.
Now in its fourth year, the Sundance Institute | Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award is part of a multifaceted collaboration
that exemplifies a commitment to and support of world cinema by the Mahindra Group, one of the largest industrial
conglomerates in India known throughout the world for its dedication to
excellence and to social responsibility, and the nonprofit Sundance Institute,
one of the world’s leading cultural organizations.
The partnership, which also
includes the establishment of the Mumbai Mantra | Sundance Institute
Screenwriters Lab in India, began in 2011. The Screenwriters Lab will
announce the selection for its third edition in March. The Lab brings together
eight Indian screenwriters from across the world to develop their works under
the guidance of accomplished international screenwriters in an environment that
encourages storytelling at the highest level.
Each of the four winning filmmakers
will receive a cash award of $10,000, attendance at the Sundance Film Festival
for targeted industry and creative meetings, year-round mentoring from
Institute staff and creative advisors, eligibility to participate in a Sundance
Institute Lab, and ongoing creative and strategic support from Sundance
Institute’s renowned Feature Film Program.
“Sundance Institute shares with
Mahindra Group a joint global commitment to nurturing new artists,”
said Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford. “India is
one of the most extraordinary cultures in the world, with the support of Anand
Mahindra and his group, Sundance Institute screenwriters’ lab can support the
next generation of their storytellers.”
“At a time when there is no dearth of issues around the world that are
crying out to be heard, the Global Filmmaking award recognizes independent
film-makers who give expression to those voices. The Mahindra Group is proud to
assist the Sundance Institute in this endeavour, which, in line with the Group’s
‘Rise’ philosophy, aims to drive a positive change in communities across the
world,” said
the Chairman & Managing Director of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra.
Said Rohit
Khattar, Chairman, Mumbai Mantra, “These are exciting times for Independent Cinema in India and across
the world. We feel privileged to help support Sundance Institute in its mission
of nurturing and honing emerging talent. In the past
year, five former award winners wrapped production on their projects
and several others are poised to begin production. We congratulate
this year’s four Award Winners and look forward to hearing much more about
their incredible work in the future.”
Paul Federbush, International
Director, Sundance Institute: “We are excited to be partnered
with Mahindra in supporting exciting filmmakers from around the world. This award, and the year-round support from
the Feature Film Program, will go a long way in helping these filmmakers
advance their projects towards production.
We are looking forward to seeing their singular voices on the screen.”
The winners of the 2014 Sundance Institute | Mahindra Global
Filmmaking Award are:
Neeraj Ghaywan / FLY AWAY SOLO (India): Four
lives intersect along the Ganges river: a lower-caste boy in a hopeless love, a
daughter torn with guilt, a father sinking in greed, and a spirited kid craving
for a family, all yearning to escape the constrictions of a small-town.
Neeraj Ghaywan worked with Anurag Kashyap on the veteran
director’s two-part opus Gangs of
Wasseypur and as the second unit director on Ugly. His short films as
writer-director include Shor and The Epiphany. Shor won the grand jury prize at three International film
festivals.
Hong Khaou / MONSOON (Vietnam/UK): Two young men visit present day Vietnam,
and are confronted with the war’s ramifications nearly forty years after its
end.
Hong Khaou’s debut feature film Lilting premiered in World Cinema Competition at the 2014 Sundance
Film Festival. The film stars Ben
Whishaw and Cheng Pei Pei. He is also the director of three short films,
including Spring, which premiered at
the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and Summer,
which premiered at the 2006 Berlinale. This year, Hong was named one of the
Stars of Tomorrow by Screen International.
Tobias Lindholm / A WAR (Denmark): The
major of a Danish unit in Afghanistan faces the consequences of his actions in
the aftermath of his most dangerous mission..
Tobias Lindholm graduated as a screenwriter from the National
Film School of Denmark in 2007, and has collaborated with Thomas Vinterberg as
co-writer on Submarino and Oscar
nomineeThe Hunt. In 2010 he wrote and
directed his first feature film in collaboration with Michael Noer, and in 2012
he wrote and directed the critical acclaimed A hijacking.
Ashlee Page / ARCHIVE (Australia): With
the help of a supercomputer, an isolated 16-year-old girl grows plant life on
Saturn’s moon Titan in the hope of one day restoring Earth’s ecosystems. But
when an unexpected accident leads her to the moon’s surface, she discovers
evidence that her mission is a lie and that her life is in danger.
Ashlee Page is an Australian writer and director. Her
multi-award winning short The Kiss
screened at Busan, Clermont-Ferrand, Palm Springs and Tribeca film festivals.
Her most recent work is on the film compendium The Turning, adapted from the novel by Tim Winton. Archive is her first feature film.
For the selection of
the Award for the Indian project, the Global Filmmaking Award Nomination
Committee, which comprised of eminent screenwriters, directors and film academics,
went through over 20 screenplays and directorial samples of the candidates.
After intense debate and deliberation and consultation with the Sundance
Institute, the Indian award winner was decided. The Global Filmmaking Award
Nomination Committee included: Anjum
Rajabali (Screenwriter & Film Professor), Boman Irani (Actor), Ira
Bhaskar (Film Professor), K. Hariharan (Film Academy Head), Rajkumar Hirani (Writer-Director), Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra
(Writer-Director) and Sharmila Tagore
(Actor).
Sundance Institute
Founded
by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural
organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater,
and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute
promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of
geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally
recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development
programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights
and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale
Station, Sin Nombre, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Born into Brothels, Trouble
the Water, Light in the Piazza
and Angels in America. Join Sundance
Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
About Mahindra
The Mahindra Group focuses on enabling people
to rise through solutions that power mobility, drive rural prosperity, enhance
urban lifestyles and increase business efficiency.
A USD 16.7 billion multinational group based
in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employs more than 180,000 people in over 100
countries. Mahindra operates in the key industries that drive economic growth,
enjoying a leadership position in tractors, utility vehicles, information
technology and vacation ownership. In addition, Mahindra enjoys a strong
presence in the agribusiness, aerospace, components, consulting services,
defence, energy, financial services, industrial equipment, logistics, real
estate, retail, steel, commercial vehicles, two wheeler industries and Media
& Entertainment industry.
Its media and entertainment company, Mumbai Mantra Media Ltd, presented
Indian National Award-winning Best Feature Film, ‘Antaheen’ and co-produced ‘The
Tempest’ directed by Julie Taymor. Currently, it is evaluating various
opportunities in the media and entertainment space in India as well as
internationally. www.mumbaimantra.com
The Mahindra Group has a long standing
commitment to the arts and humanities. The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) were created to encourage both
emerging and established theatre and celebrated its Eighth Anniversary in 2013.
The Group’s encouragement and support to world music will be at its fore at the
fourth annual Mahindra Blues Festival
in Mumbai in February 2014 – the largest festival of its kind in Asia,
showcasing the best international Blues artists and providing a common platform
for emerging Indian Blues bands.
In 2012, Mahindra featured on the Forbes
Global 2000 list, a listing of the biggest and most powerful listed companies
in the world. In 2013, the Mahindra Group received the Financial Times
‘Boldness in Business’ Award in the ‘Emerging Markets’ category.
Visit us at
www.mahindra.com
