News

Outsider Pictures is bringing the critically acclaimed Indian Bengali-language film “Manikbabur Megh” (“The Cloud and the Man”) to U.S. shores on Aug. 9.

The film, which has been making waves in Bengal since its July 12 theatrical release, will initially open in Chicago and San Jose.

Directed by newcomer Abhinandan Banerjee, the film tells the story of Manik, a loner in Kolkata who forms an unlikely bond with a cloud. The narrative explores themes of loneliness, connection and transformation.

The film stars Chandan Sen in the lead role, supported by an ensemble including Debesh Roy Chowdhury and Bratya Basu.

“The Cloud and the Man” has attracted considerable attention on the international festival circuit, screening at over 25 festivals including Tallinn Black Nights, Hong Kong, Edinburgh and Santa Barbara. It has also collected several awards, including the Netpac Award for Best Asian Film at the Kolkata International Film Festival.

Paul Hudson of Outsider Pictures said,...

Exactly a month before the world premiere of Abhinandan Banerjee‘s “The Cloud & the Man” in the First Feature competition of PÖFF, it was announced that the U.S. sales agent Outsider Pictures had boarded it. After its screening in Tallinn, it is safe to say that the film has a good chance of winning further international audiences, if not in physical theaters outside the film festivals, than most certainly on diverse VOD platforms.

PÖFF

Baneerjee’s debut is a remarkably well-written and executed film which stands out for its unique representation of loneliness with little words invested. Black & white photography, in recent years over-used in just about any film that hints at ‘art’, makes perfect sense in “The Cloud & The Man”. The world of its main protagonist, the middle-aged Manikbabu (Chandan Sen) is literally colourless, and his days unfold in exactly the same rhythm: desk job with a mountain of paperwork,...

Sales

U.S. sales agent Outsider Pictures has boarded Abhinandan Banerjee‘s Indian film “The Cloud & the Man” (Manikbabur Megh), while European sales agent The Open Reel is on board Joan Gómez Endara‘s Colombia/Panama project “The Red Tree.” Both films are in the first features competition at the 25th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where they will have their world premieres.

“The Red Tree” is a road movie that tells a story about three people at very different stages of life. It is produced by Sonia Barrera, Joan Gómez Endara and Viviana Gómez for Big-Sur Película. The cast includes Carlos Vergara, Shaday Velasquez and Jhoyner Salgado.

“The Cloud & the Man” revolves around a lonely middle-aged man whose dull life changes when he notices a cloud in the sky that seems to follow him all the time. It is produced by Bauddhayan Mukherji and Monalisa Mukherji for Little Lamb Films...

A lonely engraver scrapes by a living with his craft, tasked with either engraving temples or mosques on grindstones. As the day goes on, and the orders pile up, the artisan finds himself working on many different pieces with varying requests. When an error comes up and his methods are questioned, the man gets chased out of the small village by an angry crowd out for revenge.

“Behind The Moon” review is part of the Submit Your Film Initiative

For those from families born and raised in the West, the idea of prosecution for not subscribing to a religious belief system seems like a rather alien concept. In most cases, (there are always exceptions) our choice not to practice any set belief and be able to navigate the day to day with little to no concern. Coming from this viewpoint, the short film Behind the Moon by Chakraboty Samrat paints...