MUMBAI: Pritish Nandy Communications’ (PNC) two films namely Ek Tho Chance directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Saluun directed by debut director Nikhil Bhat, will feature in the 43rd WorldFest Houston International Film Festival. The ten day festival starts on 9 April, 2010.
Both the PNC films have been nominated for the REMI awards in the feature film category at this year’s festival.
"PNC’s Saluun definitely represents the fresh breed of Indian filmmakers and it’s a great pleasure for us to screen the movie at the Festival. Saluun is funny, clever, heartwarming and it introduces a new director, Nikhil Bhat who brings fresh insight into where popular Bollywood cinema can go. We are also very excited about Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s Ek Tho Chance, which has been already acclaimed at various international platforms," said WorldFest Houston International Film Festival chairman & founding director J. Hunter Todd.
The WorldFest REMI Award is named after the Western Artist Frederick Remington, who captured the spirit of Texas and The American West with his paintings and sculptures.
PNC chairman Pritish Nandy said, "Ek Tho Chance marks the return of the master, Saeed Akhtar Mirza. Ek Tho Chance is a delightful new take on Mumbai, the City of Dreams. Saluun is based on a true incident and it brings the magic of India to our screens. The film is about middle class, middle India that you rarely see in today’s Bollywood movies. It’s a narrative of hope and magic. It’s obvious that international audience will fall in love with the simple but charming narrative."
Bhat added, "I realized that storytelling is not one person’s medium. Here, every person’s opinions and thoughts matter. I feel, the entire team, everybody, just fell in place and Saluun happened. It’s an honor for me to showcase my debut film on such an important international platform."
Mirza said, "Ek Tho Chance is a simple narrative but speaks volumes on human nature. The most difficult part of filmmaking is to depict a simple story in an extraordinary way. I am still learning, the art of it."
Ek Tho Chance tells the tale of Mumbai city and the millions who get off the train at Victoria Terminus every second of the day hoping to latch on to the magic of Mumbai. The film has already been invited to some of the top international festivals and has broken fresh ground for new Indian cinema.
