Assamese critic selected
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 03 2012:
The International Film Critics' Federation (FIPRESCI) has selected New Delhi-based Assamese film critic Utpal Borpujari as a member of the International Critics' Jury at the forthcoming Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF), 2012 .
The other two members in the three-member jury will be Carlos Alberto Mattos from Brazil and Steffen Moestrup from Denmark.
MIFF is one of the world's largest festivals of documentaries, short fiction films and animation films.
Organized by the Films Division of the Government of India, it will be held from February 3 to 9 at Mumbai.
Borpujari has earlier served in FIPRESCI juries at the Montreal World Film Festival, Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema-New Delhi, MAMI International Film Festival-Mumbai.
He had also served as a member of the Indian Critics' Jury at the 2008 edition of MIFF.
Utpal, who has settled in New Delhi with his family, is presently writing for The Deccan Herald.
Two documentary films on Manipur's iron lady Irom Chanu Sharmila, who has been on decade-long struggle against the controversial Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act, have been selected for the MIFF 2012 .
Sharmila has been on a hunger strike since November 2, 2000 .
The films are Journalist Borun Thokchom's The Silent Poet (15 min) in the International section (up to 40 min) category and Saikhom Ratan and RK Suresh's SOS (21 min) in the international information section.
Besides two other documentary films from Manipur" Rock and Egg (14 min) directed by Romi Meitei and April 6th (10min) directed by Chandam Netraj were also selected in the international fiction section (upto 70 min) category and Indian documentary section for the MIFF 2012 competition.