FESTIVALS

In October, 2010 INSHALLAH FOOTBALL had its World Premiere at PUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL where it was awarded the ASIAN CINEMA FUND and thereafter was screened at the DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL where it won a SPECIAL MENTION.

 Upcoming Festivals In competition - Film South Asia, Kathmandu (Sept/Oct, 2011) In competition - Asiatica Film Mediale, Rome (12 22 Oct, 2011) In competition - Chicago International Film Festival (13 17 Oct, 2011) "FILMMAKERS AS CHANGEMAKERS - THE RYTHMS OF INDIA" - SPECIAL PROGRAMME: Dok-Leipzig, Germany (17 23 Oct, 2011) Screening followed by discussion with Ashvin Kumar at University of Chicago (19 Oct, 2011) Himalaya Film and Cultural Festival, London (20 Oct, 2011) Screening at THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON SOUTH ASIA, University of Wisconsin-Madison (21 Oct, 2011)

Past Festivals

Pusan International Film Festival Asian Cinema Fund (Oct, 2010) Dubai International Film Festival Special Mention (Dec, 2010) Naya Cinema Festival (July, 2011) International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (August, 2011) Kazan International Muslim Film Festival (Sept, 2011)


This film pits the power of truth against the truth of power. To project Kashmir's tragedy in such black-and-white terms might offend some. But should not detract attention from Ashvin Kumar's deeply felt anguish and compassion for an angry, sullen and helpless people. Dileep Padgaonkar, GOI chief interlocutor to Kashmir Inshallah, Football tells an authentic and human story of contemporary Kashmir, and of the consequences of two decades of strife in the lives of ordinary people. Sumantra Bose, Professor of International and Comparative Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science and author of Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace. This is an amazing film, beautifully shot and edited as well as surprisingly optimistic and humane. It is sympathetic to all its protagonists showing their relationships and everyday life with a remarkable intimacy. Rachel Dwyer, Professor of Indian Cultures and Cinema, SOAS, University of London You have bravely and interestingly portrayed a very complex situation in Kashmir, especially how some, perhaps many, people in India seem to ignore the Kashmiris plight. You have made the subject approachable and interesting by describing/using the soccer situation and analogy. Dr Christopher Snedden, Strategic and International Relations, ASIA CALLING There is no better way to understand Kashmir right now. Tehelka Magazine A must-watch! Change your plans to see this one! Janhvi Patel, Journalist Inshallah, Football offers precious new insight into a corner of the globe that desperately needs it. Everyone should watch it. Shoma Chaudhry, Editor, Tehelka

REVIEWS

ARTICLES ABOUT INSHALLAH FOOTBALL ONLINE

http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HM/2011/07/20/Articl eHtmls/Kashmiri-militant-at-city-festival-20072011531005.shtml?Mode=1 http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws200711Inshallah.asp http://www.tehelka.com/story_main47.asp?filename=hub131110thetake.asp http://www.tehelka.com/story_main48.asp?filename=Ws241210FILMS.asp http://www.tehelka.com/story_main47.asp?filename=hub201110LITTLE.asp http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/sports/the-story-of-a-kashmiri- footballer http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/24/stories/2010122456321400.htm http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/301701 http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/film/trials-of-a-kashmiri-documentary- inshallah-football?pageCount=2 http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/film/film_details.asp?code=149&source=1 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/sports/report/083110_kashmir_soccer http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?708521 http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-25/news- interviews/28232942_1_ashvin-kumar-screening-dubai-international-film- festival http://www.kashmirdispatch.com/cinema/1411679-inshallah-football-a- review.htm http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/100826/kashmir-ashwin-kumar- sports http://www.kashmirdispatch.com/cinema/24121228-my-reaction-to- censorship-on-inshallah-football.htm http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2011/Jan/16/claim-of-ashvin-about- inshallah-football-untrue-sharmila-39.asp http://www.kashmirdispatch.com/others/04011381-why-inshallah-football- got-an-adult-certificate.htm http://mumbaiboss.com/2011/03/21/mb-recommends-inshallah-football/ 4

CREDITS
Crew Director: Ashvin Kumar Producers: Giulia Achilli & Ashvin Kumar Co-producer: Jaaved Jaafferi Cinematographer & Editor: Ashvin Kumar Associate Editor: Aman Shukla Additional Editor: Ewa J Lind Sound Recordists & Designers: Roland Heap & Udit Duseja Music: Shahzad Ismaily, in collaboration with Qasim Naqvi & Jil Christensen Assembly Editor: Rajiv Rao First AD: Mriidu Khosla Additional Cinematographer: Shivraj Santhakumar Kashmir Research & Consultants: Umar Mohammad & Wasim Khalid, with the support of Muzamil Jaleel World Sales: Smiley Film Sales, New Zealand The real people in the film: Basharat Baba Bashir Baba Juan Marcos Troia Priscila Barros Pedroso 5

 SYNOPSIS
'Kashmiri teenagers in the early 90's did not imitate Che Guevara and Malcolm X; militants walking the ramp of war determined the fashion trends' Basharat Peer, author of 'Curfew Nights'.

Flicking his cigarette, Bashir gazes into the camera with eyes that have seen worlds shattered: I was petrified that he would lose sanity, follow my footsteps and become a militant. Bashir Baba, a leader of the armed group Hizbul Mujahideen has given-up the gun.

When he left his home in Kashmir to join the training camps in Pakistan in the early 90s, his son Basharat was two months old.

Basharat Baba belongs to a new generation of Kashmiris. He has grown up under the shadow of a silent war. Yet, within it, football is his passion and fuel.

For the past three years, another man has made his presence felt in Basharats life. Marcos, an Argentinean football coach, has bridged great cultural distance by founding Kashmirs ISAT football academy, which runs an exchange program to Brazil for talented players.

Basharat is selected by Marcos to go to Brazil; to play in the land of Pele has fairy tale qualities but Basharat has been denied a passport by the Government of India.

His crime? That he was born the son of a militant.

A deeply personal narrative about father and son, the devastating conflict of Kashmir and the state of Indian democracy.

CONTEXTUALIZING INSHALLAH, FOOTBALL: Ashvin Kumar

Theres no better way to understand Kashmir right now - Tehelka Magazine In the past twenty years there have been less than five films made about Kashmir that delve into the reality of what is happening in that valley. In the same period, there has been a tacit understanding between government and media that has resulted in a serious dearth of discourse presenting the Kashmir issue. Inshallah claims the space abdicated in deference to 'greater concerns' of national sovereignty and security. Needless to say that it is a unique film for that reason; we are reliably informed that no such documentary film has ever been made about Kashmir. This is sustained by our own attempts at researching this film in which we turned up very little apart from a handful of books and a few articles, the rest of literature and visual materials parroted the government programmed view. It is noteworthy that the Government of India interlocutors in Kashmir (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/sunday-et/dateline- india/Interlocutors- in-Kashmir-to-focus-more-on- youth/articleshow/6801042.cms) have asked us for a copy of Inshallah, football which is being screened privately to the Home Minister, chiefs of army staff, chiefs of intelligence agencies and key political leaders as the first and genuine account on the basis of which a national policy shall be framed in Kashmir. Kashmir conflict is at the global epicenter of terrorism and in magnitude is similar to Palestine problem though the 'West' has only recently begun to hear the 'other' side of the conflict. Most experts are of the opinion that should 'Kashmir' be resolved, Pakistan and India disputes and the huge (nuclear) militarization would loose its raison d'etre. Inshallah, Football is an important film because it is the first attempt to humanize the demon Jihadi Islamic Terrorist, taking the wind out of the sails of the Indian government stereotype/propaganda generated over twenty years of conflict. This is the reason it was first banned then awarded an 'A' certificate by the Central Board of Film Censors, despite being even handed, even gentle in its critique.

 MAKING OF INSHALLAH FOOTBALL: Giulia Achilli

BEHIND THE SCENES First Encounter Director-Producer: how the idea manifested its intentions
Bombay, August 2009 It was a couple of months after meeting Ashvin (the films director) at the Cannes Film Festival that we sat for lunch in Bombay: our mutual residing city at that moment. Over a sadly American inspired meal, Ashvin told me about his recent journey to Kashmir: one that lead to his encounter with Juan Marcos Troia- an Argentinean football coach who made of this paradoxical land his home, and of his FIFA accredited coaching skills his strength to nourish Kashmiri youths talent. Marcos and his wife Priscila (a Brazilian national) founded a football academy (ISAT) in Srinagar back in 2007, and later set up a year scholarship in Malaga football club for two of their teams players. A dream come true, an unimaginable opportunity for two boys oblivious of the world outside Kashmir, a goal into a barbed-wire net. Marcos and his boys story stroke me as a perfect metaphor to investigate something much larger, to uncover the tragedy of Kashmir in a delicate, elegant way. We agreed we had a story to document there. The packaging of the film and its time constrictions Moussa and Hanan, the selected young footballers were due to leave the Valley a couple of weeks after their story became the intended subject of our documentary film. Ahead of us, fourteen days to raise the finances, recruit a crew, hire the necessary equipment and plan for the shoot. Ashvin had already vented the films idea to the man who made the difference: Indian actor / producer Jaaved Jafferi. Jaaveds deep connection and interest for the complexity of Kashmir, combined with his sharp perception of the story potential, lead to an overnight shake of hands. We determined the essential points of the way ahead, opened a bank account and time was over. We left with the understanding of walking hand in hand throughout the journey. 8

Its thanks to the acumen of this man that the project became a reality. The next few days were dedicated to recruiting the main crew: a director of photography, an assistant director, a sound engineer. Mriidu, Ashvins acquaintance, was the first to get involved with the designation of AD. Shivraj, an American in Bombay, landed up at Ashvin apartment through Mriidu; with his high energy and enthusiasm, an easy attitude and approach, a camera that he owned; Roland, Ashvins sound designer, simultaneously agreed to come over from London and be a part of the fastest pulled-off team ever! His partner Udit, dealt with the first couple of shooting weeks, to be subsequently joined by Roland. The crew left to Kashmir. Getting to Kashmir: Basharat Peers Curfew Nights in my handbag Srinagar is a city of bunkers. Of the worlds cities, it has the highest military presence. But Srinagar is also a city of absences. It has lost its night to a decade and a half of curfews, and de facto curfewswomen have lost their voices, their sensuality now hidden behind shame Basharat Peer, Curfew Nights I stepped out of the airport, and it took an instant for Mr Peers words to resonate with me.I had the same exact feeling I had when driving past Ramallah in Palestine the stillness of midday during Ramadan, except for an endless succession of Indian army check-posts and patrols, apparently busy controlling the deadly empty roads.

 The first phase of shooting It was our intention to capture the everyday life of the two young footballers for a couple of weeks before their due departure to Spain. In the meanwhile, their visas applications were being processed at the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi: a process that took Marcos and Priscila several trips to the capital, and an unnecessary amount of hard work. The fact that not every Kashmiri is a terrorist is still regarded by the most with a certain suspicion. We would spend our days following the coach and his family (Priscila and their 3 young daughters), ISAT training sessions on the football field, the boys relationship among them and their extreme respect for a man who was able to inject them with a passion, a dream, an alternative to stone-pelting. Simultaneously, Umar and Wasim- two young and upcoming journalists from Kashmir opened up the doors to many of the interviewees we shot: Kashmiri civilians- the very same victims of a perpetual, on-going yet silent conflict, as well as activists and ex-militants. We knew ISAT story needed to be contextualized in order to resonate in all its uniqueness. A tremendous effort went towards trying to gain access to Indian military occupying forces testimonies, for it was never our intention to exclude any of the Valleys voices. It turned out to be the only impossible task: no army personnel or commander ever allowed us to get close, to record their side of the story, their understanding of a situation well beyond their control. The evolution of events and the film story unexpected turning point 10

 Despite Marcos and Priscilas multiple efforts to get Moussa and Hanan their visas, the Spanish government decided it was too big of a risk to green-light the scholarship. The boys never left to Spain, and we found ourselves pursuing our journey into the heart and soul of the average Kashmiri, but without the main story we set out to tell. In the meantime, our relationship with the football team members had deepened, and each of the boys had become a potential character to investigate further. A moment of uncertainty ensued; we knew a choice needed to be made, we knew the core of the story had to be found all over again. And that moment came with the revelation of the teams captain identity, past, and whereabouts. Basharat Baba is the son of an ex Hizbul Mujaheddin militant, a man who like many others picked up the gun in the early 90s and joined the insurgency movement during the bloodiest decade in the recent history of Kashmir: Bashir Baba.

Bashir started talking to our camera on a rainy morning, sitting in his under- construction shopping mall (for after servicing his term in jail and undergoing an atrocious series of interrogation and torture sessions, today hes back to be a part of civil society); his eyes mirror a wounded yet astonishing powerful spirit, his calm is overwhelming, his wisdom permeating. Basharat is his oldest son, an hot tempered boy with a prospect of taking up on the scholarship to Brazil that Marcos was able to arrange for him, but with no 11

passport- for even if he was one year old at the time his father was arrested by the Indian army, he is one of the thousand boys without a travel document because of his family name. That day we knew we had a story, and the then provisionally titled Kashmir by Foot became Inshallah, football. The domino effect we triggered in Basharats life Of all the effects and consequences our presence in Kashmir may have triggered, what we caused in Basharats life unquestionably set a precedent. One day we set up an interview with Muzamil Jaleel- Indian Express chief correspondent in Kashmir, and he found our recently discovered story interesting enough to write an article about it on the following Sunday paper. Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister of J&K, happened to read it, and to see that Basharat would be granted something that is anywhere else in the world considered a basic fundamental right: a passport to travel.

Second and third times in Kashmir Inshallah, football went on to become a very personal, moving, intimate narrative: the story of a father and a son, a journey of discovery and thirst for normalcyin a place where evidently normalcy does not exist. Ashvin and I alone went back to Kashmir for a second and a third time; our relationship with the people we follow in the film getting deeper and deeper with each passing day; we lived and filmed the privilege of sitting at the table of these 12

two incredible families (the Baba and the Troia), ending up to tell the larger story of Kashmir through what on the surface is just the story of four human beings. The arrival in Goa and the editing process In December 2009, Ashvin and I moved to Goa, set up an editing studio at his residence and prepared ourselves to what we knew would be a long process. We had recorded 400 hours of footage: interviews with a number of Kashmiris, average civilians, politicians, ex-militants, each one with his/her own story and first hand experience of the tragic situation, football matches, journeys across the Valley, everyday life moments, changes of seasons and colours. It took over six months to edit the film, to find the courage to cut out incredibly powerful material, to fall in love with the idea of letting Bashir, Basharat and ISAT story be the story of Kashmir. Rajiv was our first assembly editor, from the very beginning supported by the precious work of our associate editor Aman. Ashvin stepped in later to really find the soul of the film, and finally Ewa flew from England to polish a work of heart. The post-production The process culminated with a post-production process between London- where Roland and Udit have their studio, Bologna (Italy), where colour correction was done, and Bombay, where video on-line post was finalized. Too bad that the very first screening of the film we had in its own country of origin (New Delhi, November 2010) lead to the beginning of the film censoring process in the largest democracy on earth a process that saw the film banned by the Central Board of Film Certification in the first instance, to then have it revised to a questionable A certified film, undoubtedly because of unwanted media exposure. Where we are at today While Inshallah, football is today being shown at festivals across the world, as well as being offered to colleges and educational institutions as supporting material for teaching and learning, we just finished cutting another two parts documentary on Kashmir. From the 400 hours of footage we had recorded, provisionally titled Lost Voices from the Valley offers an uncensored journey into the soul and mind of the average Kashmiri, an unprovoked outpouring of testimonies and recounts that goes on to define the reality of a wounded yet proud humanity. 13

 LIFE AFTER INSHALLAH FOOTBALL

Published - 20 July, 2011 http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws200711Inshallah.asp

Inshallah no more : optimism misplaced?

This morning I had occasion to doubt the optimism about a resolution in Kashmir. I received two phone calls with bad news regarding all three main characters from my film Inshallah, football that was filmed in the valley in 2009. Bashir Baba, an ex-militant who's story about giving up the gun and joining the mainstream is the conscience of Inshallah, football, rang to confirm his presence for a panel discussion at the Naya Cinema Festival to be held on the 23rd of July 2011. The film was refused a censor certificate based on the same Mr. Baba's descriptions of torture that he underwent at the infamous Papa 2 interrogation center in the early 90s (the censor board subsequently revised their stand, awarding it an "A" certificate.) Three weeks ago, Mr. Baba had a forceful reminder of those terrible years. On the 31st of May 2011, he was arbitrarily 'picked-up' at midnight from his home, and marched-out like a convict, before his wife and three sons; his house thoroughly searched, ransacked. He was detained at the local police station without charges for five days. The sudden and unprovoked interest in the activities of Bashir Baba comes after a silence of eight years - the last time he was 'picked-up' thus, was in 2003. "I was mainly asked personal questions and about my businesses. The SSP casually asked me about supplying IED in the Maulvi Shaukat Shah blast and murder case. My mall business has nothing to do with the murder case, I was picked up because I am a soft target. Because of my history" he said, over the phone from Srinagar. Prscilla Troia, the wife of Basharat's football coach Juan Marco Troia, rang me soon after. The Troia's have nursed the dreams of Bashir Baba's son Basharat - 14

their star footballer and captain. Dreams of becoming the first Kashmiri to play professional football in Brazil; dreams that were stymied by the Government of India's refusal to give Basharat a passport, again, due to his father's 'background'. Basharat's is the story of Inshallah, football. On Saturday 16th of July 2011, Basharat was kicked by an opponent in the eye on the soccer field, following which the team was attacked by both the spectators and the opposition. Basharat was rushed to the hospital as he was bleeding profusely, "I thought my eye was out of its socket" he says. On the next day, 17th of July 2011, the same person that attacked Basharat, attacked Marco, striking him behind the head. Earlier this year, the Troias' had to move home because their house was broken into and vandalized; both their dogs' throats were slit open and they received death threats - 'leave the valley, or else'. Sporadic violence against Marco and his teams has increased over the past two years. "The situation is so bad that my players are at risk every-time they take the field. It can not be called football rivalry any longer." says Marco, an Argentinian, FIFA accredited football coach, who has revolutionized the game in Kashmir in the span of four short years. He has provided an alternative for Kashmiri youth to pelting stones at the police, the favorite sport of this conflict ridden state. More than two thousand boys are taught football in Marcos International Sports Academy Trust (ISAT). His rapid success and popularity has bred detractors. "Tomorrow if we leave, we can go back to Argentina - what about the thousands boys who have come to rely on ISAT?" says the thirty-year old coach, justifiably anguished. "Earlier, our fight was for grounds and facilities, now its about our lives - I have three little girls, and my wife. Local authorities can find out easily who is behind all of this, but nothing happens." It took Basharat two painful years to get a passport from the Government of India - prime, vital years of a soccer player's life. The club in Brazil wont take him now because he is twenty one - too old. Meanwhile, he had dropped out of school in expectation of going to Brazil. He now goes to office with his father and plays football for ISAT. When I choose the title for my film, it was with the hope that a time will come when Bashir will sleep peacefully at night, and hold his head high as a free citizen, free from the terror of the midnight knock. That Basharat would do his country proud on the soccer fields of Brazil, a role model for thousands of young Kashmiris and that Marco's academy a case-study in of how to offer alternatives in a state devoid of opportunities for its youth. In short, that Kashmirs would begin to enjoy the freedoms that are guaranteed to all Indian citizens under the constitution of India. In the absurdity and futility of these small stories, it is simpler to understand why a resolution continues to evade the people of Kashmir and India. Ashvin Kumar. Goa, July 2011.

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ASHVIN KUMAR FILMOGRAPHY

Dazed in Doon (Doon School 75th year film), medium, 55 min - 2010 Inshallah, Football feature documentary - 2010 The Forest feature, 86 min 2008 Little Terrorist live action short, 15 min 2005 Road To Ladakh medium, 48 min 2004 The youngest Indian writer/director with an Academy Award Oscar nomination, Ashvin is also the first Indian to be nominated at the European Film Academy with his film Little Terrorist which has been part of official selections to over 130 film festivals, winning awards in 25 of them, including the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) LA. Ashvin conducted Story to Screen an intensive filmmaking workshop first in Goa and then in Delhi illustrated with talks and exercises which explored human motives and the screenplay, construction of shots, the action of the actor, the brutality of a cut and the disbelief of the audience. Through the workshop the participants learned the art and craft of cinema, its history, aesthetics and language and the processes and techniques of bringing a story to the screen. He is in the process of starting an NGO to be called Kids in Conflict. It will seek another, original point of view on conflicts and childhood, using cinema made through a participatory process. Children growing up in a conflict zone will take part in a filmmaking workshop, following which they will make a feature film that tells their story of growing up in the midst of conflict, as seen through their eyes. The aim is to release one film made in this manner commercially every year and carry out the same exercise thereafter with children from another conflict zone. The idea for Kids in Conflict came when Ashvin made Dazed in Doon, a coming of age story about a boy with an active imagination trying to make sense of life at the Eton of India, a British style boarding school called The Doon School. This film was a one-of-a-kind participatory project. Completed in four months, featuring a cast and crew of schoolboys who were trained on the job and worked in association with Ashvin and his professional crew. Simultaneously with Dazed in Doon, Ashvin made Inshallah, Football, a feature documentary about a talented Kashmiri football player whos dreams of training in Santos (Peles club) in Brazil are stymied by the Indian governments refusal to give him a passport because his father was a militant (fighting against the Indian armed forces in the popular uprising in Kashmir in the 90s). Having completed post-production in October 10, Inshallah was in competition in Pusan (Oct 10) and Dubai (Dec 10) international film festivals and is available for sale in international film and TV markets via Smiley Film Sales. 16

ASHVIN KUMAR - DIRECTOR

Ashvin began working as an actor and director in theatre and after a degree in Media and Communications at the University of London; he started one of the first digital post-production studios in India. Ashvins first film was also his student film, Road To Ladakh staring Irrfan Khan (Namesake / Slumdog Millionaire) and Koel Purie. His second film, Little Terrorist became the first short film to get a theatrical release in India. Both have been released in India as a double-DVD. His first feature film, The Forest (2008) is a thriller with an ecological message, a chilling tale of a man-eating leopard set in the jungles of North India. It premiered at Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose in February 2009, and had its market premiere at Cannes Market 09. It has also premiered in official competition of Montreal International Film Festival, Canada and Sitges International Film Festival, Spain. The film is being represented internationally by Non-Stop Sales, Sweden. It has been dubbed into Hindi and is awaiting an Indian release. As a producer, Ashvin has brought together financiers from all over the world to his projects. He works with an international team of professionals. Ashvin identified Joseph Campbell, David Mamet, Alfred Hitchcock and Satyajit Ray as his main influences. He is in process of preparing a short filmmaking workshop for 16x9, the online film school initiative in collaboration with the prestigious NFTS (National Film and Television School, UK). For more: http://www.ashvinkumar.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashvin_Kumar http://www.facebook.com/inshallahfootball

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Giulia is an Italian independent producer currently based in Rome. She graduated from Art School in Milan, and subsequently took a post-degree in History of Cinema. While completing her cinema studies, she helped setting up two production companies in Rome and Milan, functioning as a scripts selector and development executive. She later line produced several TV Commercials for La Dolce Vita Films (Rome), mainly on behalf of European, American and Japanese Companies, and that same year, she was assistant to Dutch photographer Rohn Meijer. Later, she teamed up with two emergent directors in Milan and together they produced a series of genre (mainly science-fiction) short and medium length films, among which the International prize-winning E:D:E:N (winner Best Artistic Contribution, Arcipelago Intl Film Festival, Rome; Best Foreign Film, Festival of Fantastic Films, Manchester-UK) and The Silver Rope, in collaboration with Sky Italia (New York Independent Film&Video Festival, Utopiales France). In the meantime Giulia has also worked in advertising, as a directors and talents scout, for Milan based Movie Magic Co. first and then on a freelance basis (Milan- Rome). All along Giulia has been writing for several Milan magazines, reviewing theatre plays, music concerts and art exhibitions. She later took charge of the Executive Production of the film Onde (Waves, Italy 2004) by director Francesco Fei. The film has been competing at major film festivals, including Rotterdam Intl Film Festival, San Francisco Intl Film Festival, Karlovy Vary and Rio De Janeiro International Film festivals. It was theatrically released in Italy in May 2006. In 2006 she moved to Bombay, eager to gain the necessary insight into one of the worlds largest and most prolific markets. In 2007/2008 she produced, together with Bandra West Films, her first Hindi film, Barah Aana, directed by Raja Menon and starring Naseeruddin Shah, Vijay Raaz, Arjun Mathur, Tannishta Chatterjee and Italian actress Violante Placido. The film was released in the country in March 2009 (120 prints) and has premiered Internationally at Chicago International Film Festival and later in New York in October/November 2009. From May 2009, Giulia has been creative consultant for Cinema Capital, an Indian Film Fund eager to start investments on International films. Cannes Film Festival 2009 was the first step to start selecting and outsourcing projects for the Fund. 18

GIULIA ACHILLI - PRODUCER

She most recently produced Inshallah, football!, a documentary feature on Kashmir and Football directed by Oscar nominated Ashvin Kumar. The film premiered at Pusan Film Festival in October 2010, and got a jury special mention at Dubai Film Festival later the same year; its represented Internationally by Smiley Film- New Zeland, and soon competing at Chicago Intl Film Festival, Asiatica Film Mediale (Rome), Dok Leipzig (Germany). CONTACT: giulia.achilli@gmail.com giulia@alipur.com +39 328 9413 867

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