Partho Sen-Gupta
Encyclopedia
Partho Sen-Gupta is an independent film director
and screenwriter
of India
n origin.
(Bombay), on 2 September 1965. He has been working in cinema
since the age of seventeen, starting his career as an apprentice in the Art department, in the studios of "Bollywood
" in Mumbai
. He worked with an Indian Art director Bijon Dasgupta on the sets of big budget commercial Hindi films like Sagar and Mr. India among others.
After having spent a few years and finishing his apprenticeship he became Assistant Art director. In 1988, he worked on his first film as Art director
or Production designer
, an Indian art movie called Main Zinda Hoon (I am Alive) directed by Sudhir Mishra
. He then set up his design studio working on numerous advertising films and Art movies, designing sets and specializing in real-time SFX. He won the Best Art Director Award in 1989. He also worked as Production designer
on the French film Nocturne Indien directed by Alain Corneau
shot in Mumbai.
In 1993, he was selected to do a 2 month summer workshop at FEMIS, the French film institute in Paris. During the workshop he directed his first short film La Derniere… based on Samuel Beckett
's radio play - Krapp's Last Tape. He was then was awarded a three and a half year full scholarship to study film direction at the same school.
During the film school years, he made four short fiction films Le Cochon, La Partition, Trajet Discontinu, and La Petite Souris which took him to different European film festivals and won awards.
After graduation in 1996/97, he decided to live between the two cities, Paris
and Mumbai
, and started writing his first feature film screenplay
based in India called Hava Aney Dey
(Let the Wind Blow) which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. It was selected in many International film festivals and won awards. The film is part of the Global Lens 2008 series of the Global Film Initiative
and premiered at the MoMA
NYC, in January 2008.
He was invited by the Cannes Film Festival
in 2005 as a part of a group of promising young film-makers by the Cinéfondation
.
In 2005, he made a documentary film The Way of Beauty on the Indo-fusion group Shakti
which was released on the DVD in May 2006.
He is currently working on his second feature film project Fallen Hero (produced by Independent Movies LTD). The film will be shot in Rajasthan
, India
and it received the Hubert Bals Fund at the International Film Festival Rotterdam
.
Arunoday - The Sunrise, a new film project by Partho Sen-Gupta was selected among the 30 projects at the 11th Pusan promotion Plan (3 to 6 October 2008) at the Pusan International Film Festival
and is due to commence production shortly. The Sunrise is the only Indian project in the selection. Source: Variety Asia
Directed by Partho Sen-Gupta
The first documentary for the fusion group Shakti
with John McLaughlin
, Zakir Hussain
, U. Srinivas
& V. Selvaganesh
called 'The Way of Beauty' which released in Europe in May 2006
. (U.S & Canada release in the Summer of 2006)
This DVD features a 60 minute documentary (Shakti Timeless) on the band starting from the early seventies. John and Zakir speak about their beginnings, their era with L. Shankar
and T.H. Vinayakram.
The film was screened at the Durban International Film Festival 2007 from the 20 June to the 1 July 2007 in Durban
, South Africa
.
The DVD also features:
45 minutes of sound check footage of Remember Shakti before a Concert at the New Morning in Paris 2004
Source: Jazz News All about Jazz .com
----
Fiction Feature Film / 93 mins / 35 mm / Hindi stl-English / French / German / 2004
India, in the shadow of a nuclear arms race, savage capitalism, rising fanaticism, two young boys Arjun and Chabia err in the quest to change their destiny.
‘Hava Aney Dey’ in Hindi was shot on location in Mumbai, in October – November 2003 with a mixed crew composed of French & Indian technicians. It is an Indo-French co production between Santocha Productions, Paris and Mystique Media Ltd, Mumbai. It is also funded partly by the Fonds Sud, of the French Foreign Ministry and the French Cultural Ministry. It was post produced partly in Mumbai and Paris.
Awards:
Film Festival Selections:
----
French / Short Fiction Feature / 24' / 35 mm / 1997 / Diploma Film
Aslam, a Kashmiri migrant, finds himself in the countryside of the South of France. He has been ditched there by illegal migration crossers. He is saved by an old lady who hides him in her house. though they do not speak the same language, a friendship develops between the two. But the French police are searching for Aslam.
Awards:
Film Festivals Selections:
----
No dialogues- Only music and sound FX / Short Fiction Feature / 9' / 35 mm / 1997
A young woman lives in the countryside in the Ile de France region. She takes the number of public transport systems to get to work in the center of Paris. Her schedule works like clockwork thanks to the numerous electronic gadgets that she has in her house. One morning a little mouse eats away the electric cables. She gets up late and she misses her bus. She decides to avail of 'other' modes (horseback, row boat etc.) of transport to get to her work.
----
No dialogues- Only music and sound FX / Short Fiction Feature / 3' / 35 mm / 1996
A short film with no dialogues, in association with a composer from the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris
A composer tries very hard to write a partition, in his top floor 'chambre de bonne' in Paris. His attempts to concentrate are foiled by external disturbances, noisy neighbours and city sounds. He finally decides to uses these urban sounds to compose his music.
----
A film by Partho Sen-Gupta
French / Short Fiction Feature / 12'27 / 35 mm / 1996
Phillip lives in a council flat on the outskirts of Paris. He has a lot of problems in life, unemployed, divorced and broke. He owes a lot of money and has to find a solution very quickly.
Film Festivals Selections:
International short film festival of Clemont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand
, France
http://www.pardo.ch/1996/festival96/tomorrow/france/cochonfilm.htmlLocarno International Film Festival, Locarno
, Switzerland
]
SehSũchte International Student Film Festival, Potsdam
-Babelsburg, Germany
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n origin.
Biography
Born in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
(Bombay), on 2 September 1965. He has been working in cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
since the age of seventeen, starting his career as an apprentice in the Art department, in the studios of "Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
" in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. He worked with an Indian Art director Bijon Dasgupta on the sets of big budget commercial Hindi films like Sagar and Mr. India among others.
After having spent a few years and finishing his apprenticeship he became Assistant Art director. In 1988, he worked on his first film as Art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
or Production designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
, an Indian art movie called Main Zinda Hoon (I am Alive) directed by Sudhir Mishra
Sudhir Mishra
Sudhir Mishra is an Indian film director and screenwriter most renowned for directing critically acclaimed films like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Dharavi and Chameli.-Early life and education:...
. He then set up his design studio working on numerous advertising films and Art movies, designing sets and specializing in real-time SFX. He won the Best Art Director Award in 1989. He also worked as Production designer
Production designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
on the French film Nocturne Indien directed by Alain Corneau
Alain Corneau
Alain Corneau was a French film director and writer.Corneau was born in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret. Originally a musician, he worked with Costa-Gavras as an assistant, which was also his first opportunity to work with the actor Yves Montand, with whom he would collaborate three times later in his...
shot in Mumbai.
In 1993, he was selected to do a 2 month summer workshop at FEMIS, the French film institute in Paris. During the workshop he directed his first short film La Derniere… based on Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
's radio play - Krapp's Last Tape. He was then was awarded a three and a half year full scholarship to study film direction at the same school.
During the film school years, he made four short fiction films Le Cochon, La Partition, Trajet Discontinu, and La Petite Souris which took him to different European film festivals and won awards.
After graduation in 1996/97, he decided to live between the two cities, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, and started writing his first feature film screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
based in India called Hava Aney Dey
Hava Aney Dey
Fiction Feature Film / 93 mins / 35mm / Hindi stl-English / French / German / 2004Hava Aney Dey was shot on location, in the northern suburbs of Mumbai - India, in October – November 2003 with a mixed crew composed of French & Indian technicians...
(Let the Wind Blow) which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. It was selected in many International film festivals and won awards. The film is part of the Global Lens 2008 series of the Global Film Initiative
Global Film Initiative
The Global Film Initiative is a non-profit film organization that supports cinematic works from developing nations and promotes cross-cultural understanding through an innovative use of film and non-traditional learning resources...
and premiered at the MoMA
Moma
Moma may refer to:* Moma , an owlet moth genus* Moma Airport, a Russian public airport* Moma District, Nampula, Mozambique* Moma River, a right tributary of the Indigirka River* Google Moma, the Google corporate intranet...
NYC, in January 2008.
He was invited by the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in 2005 as a part of a group of promising young film-makers by the Cinéfondation
Cinéfondation
La Cinéfondation is a foundation under the aegis of the Cannes Film Festival, created to inspire and support the next generation of international filmmakers....
.
In 2005, he made a documentary film The Way of Beauty on the Indo-fusion group Shakti
Shakti (band)
Shakti was a group which played a novel acoustic fusion music which combined Indian music with elements of jazz; it was perhaps the earliest practitioner of the musical genre world fusion....
which was released on the DVD in May 2006.
He is currently working on his second feature film project Fallen Hero (produced by Independent Movies LTD). The film will be shot in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and it received the Hubert Bals Fund at the International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
.
Arunoday - The Sunrise, a new film project by Partho Sen-Gupta was selected among the 30 projects at the 11th Pusan promotion Plan (3 to 6 October 2008) at the Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
and is due to commence production shortly. The Sunrise is the only Indian project in the selection. Source: Variety Asia
The Way Of Beauty
Documentary / Video / 180 mins / Universal Jazz France / 2006Directed by Partho Sen-Gupta
The first documentary for the fusion group Shakti
Shakti (band)
Shakti was a group which played a novel acoustic fusion music which combined Indian music with elements of jazz; it was perhaps the earliest practitioner of the musical genre world fusion....
with John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (musician)
John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
, Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
, U. Srinivas
U. Srinivas
Uppalapu Shrinivas , is an Indian mandolin player of the Carnatic musical tradition of Southern India. Shrinivas plays an electric mandolin and has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman, and Michael Brook...
& V. Selvaganesh
V. Selvaganesh
V. Selvaganesh is an Indian percussionist working in the Carnatic tradition, and is one of the leading kanjira player of his generation. He is also known as "Chella S. Ganesh."-Early life:...
called 'The Way of Beauty' which released in Europe in May 2006
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
. (U.S & Canada release in the Summer of 2006)
This DVD features a 60 minute documentary (Shakti Timeless) on the band starting from the early seventies. John and Zakir speak about their beginnings, their era with L. Shankar
L. Shankar
Lakshminarayanan Shankar, also known as L. Shankar and Shenkar, is an Indian-born American violinist, singer and composer.-Early life:...
and T.H. Vinayakram.
The film was screened at the Durban International Film Festival 2007 from the 20 June to the 1 July 2007 in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
The DVD also features:
45 minutes of sound check footage of Remember Shakti before a Concert at the New Morning in Paris 2004
- 55 minutes of a historic concert called Saturday Nights in Bombay (Mumbai, India) in 2000.
- Two Live Concerts of the band shot with the original band (with L. Shakar & "Vikku" T. H Vinayakram from 1976 (Montreux Jazz FestivalMontreux Jazz FestivalThe Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
) as well as Montreux Jazz 2004. - Also contains clips from Mahavishnu Orchestra in Syracuse, U.S 1972. (Never seen before)
Source: Jazz News All about Jazz .com
----
Hava Aney Dey
A film by Partho Sen-GuptaFiction Feature Film / 93 mins / 35 mm / Hindi stl-English / French / German / 2004
India, in the shadow of a nuclear arms race, savage capitalism, rising fanaticism, two young boys Arjun and Chabia err in the quest to change their destiny.
‘Hava Aney Dey’ in Hindi was shot on location in Mumbai, in October – November 2003 with a mixed crew composed of French & Indian technicians. It is an Indo-French co production between Santocha Productions, Paris and Mystique Media Ltd, Mumbai. It is also funded partly by the Fonds Sud, of the French Foreign Ministry and the French Cultural Ministry. It was post produced partly in Mumbai and Paris.
Awards:
- Best Film Award (Durban International Film Festival)
- BBC Audience Award (Commonwealth Film Festival)
- Special Jury Mention (Hong Kong International Film Festival)
Film Festival Selections:
- Berlin International Film Festival-Hava Aney Dey Page
- Hong Kong International Film Festival Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
- Commonwealth Film FestivalManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - Durban International Film FestivalDurbanDurbanDurban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... - 3rd Eye Asian Film Festival Mumbai, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- Tokyo Filmex
- 3 continents Film Festival(NantesNantesNantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - River to River Indian Film FestivalFirenzeFlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
----
Trajet Discontinu
A film by Partho Sen-GuptaFrench / Short Fiction Feature / 24' / 35 mm / 1997 / Diploma Film
Aslam, a Kashmiri migrant, finds himself in the countryside of the South of France. He has been ditched there by illegal migration crossers. He is saved by an old lady who hides him in her house. though they do not speak the same language, a friendship develops between the two. But the French police are searching for Aslam.
Awards:
-
- 'Young Actors Jury Award for Best Short Film', (European Film Festival of Angers, France)
- Special Jury Award - Cerruti Foundation
Film Festivals Selections:
-
- European First Film Festival, (Premiers Plans, Festival de Angers) AngersAngersAngers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, France - International Short Film Festival of Aix-en-Provence (Festival Tout Courts), Aix en Provence, France
- European First Film Festival, (Premiers Plans, Festival de Angers) Angers
----
La Petite Souris
A film by Partho Sen-GuptaNo dialogues- Only music and sound FX / Short Fiction Feature / 9' / 35 mm / 1997
A young woman lives in the countryside in the Ile de France region. She takes the number of public transport systems to get to work in the center of Paris. Her schedule works like clockwork thanks to the numerous electronic gadgets that she has in her house. One morning a little mouse eats away the electric cables. She gets up late and she misses her bus. She decides to avail of 'other' modes (horseback, row boat etc.) of transport to get to her work.
----
La Partition
A film by Partho Sen-GuptaNo dialogues- Only music and sound FX / Short Fiction Feature / 3' / 35 mm / 1996
A short film with no dialogues, in association with a composer from the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris
A composer tries very hard to write a partition, in his top floor 'chambre de bonne' in Paris. His attempts to concentrate are foiled by external disturbances, noisy neighbours and city sounds. He finally decides to uses these urban sounds to compose his music.
----
Le Cochon
French / Short Fiction Feature / 12'27 / 35 mm / 1996
Phillip lives in a council flat on the outskirts of Paris. He has a lot of problems in life, unemployed, divorced and broke. He owes a lot of money and has to find a solution very quickly.
Film Festivals Selections:
International short film festival of Clemont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
http://www.pardo.ch/1996/festival96/tomorrow/france/cochonfilm.htmlLocarno International Film Festival, Locarno
Locarno
Locarno is the capital of the Locarno district, located on the northern tip of Lake Maggiore in the Swiss canton of Ticino, close to Ascona at the foot of the Alps. It has a population of about 15,000...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
]
SehSũchte International Student Film Festival, Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
-Babelsburg, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...