 Interview with LOVELEEN TANDAN Co-Director & Casting Director of Slumdog Millionaire
Q) You worked as Casting Director in Films like Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair, the Terminal, Brick Lane. Now Director Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire is in the line. How did you get into this film?
A) I was approached by Tabrez Noorani, the line producer of SDM from LA, and he set up a meeting between me and the producer of SDM, Christian Colson for casting the film. They were familiar with my work and wanted me to get involved. I loved the script…it reminded me of the fantastic Salim –Javed characters from the 70’s…and the fact that Danny Boyle had agreed to direct it, made it a very interesting prospect for me. I came on board within a day of reading the script.
Q) Apart from spotting Freida Pinto & casting her in Slumdog Millionaire, what makes casting for this film special?
A) It’s the most unusual casting ever. I had the best time looking for three characters (Jamal, Salim and Latika) in three age groups…so 9 people play 3 parts and all with almost equal screen time. So you see three 6 year old Bombay slum kids grow into 12 year olds and then 18 year olds. We found Dev Patel, the eldest Jamal, in London. Freida Pinto and Madhur Mittal are the eldest versions of Latika and Salim who we found right here in Mumbai…and I’m really proud of their work in the film. And of the 9, two are real slum kids and most of the others, are first timers in film. Apart from these nine heroes of the script, I was thrilled to bring on board some of the most amazing talent from our industry – Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Saurabh Shukla and Ankur Vikal. All greats…. and they’ve made me look so good!
Q)In the Previous films you worked as Casting Director. How did you get into Co-Directing in this Film?
A) I’ve never looked at Casting as a “career”, the reason why I don’t do everything that comes my way…. I’ve always seen it as a movement towards directing my own films. Casting has allowed me to work with directors whose work I admire, and to learn the most vital element of filmmaking – working with actors. When I started casting Slumdog, I suggested to Danny and Simon Beaufoy, the writer of Slumdog, that it was important to do some of it in Hindi to bring the film alive (One third of the film is in Hindi). They asked me to pen the Hindi dialogues which I, of course, instantly agreed to do. And as we drew closer to the shoot date, Danny asked me to step in as the Co-Director. It was, and always will be, the honor of a lifetime for me to work alongside a visionary genius like Boyle.
Q) How did you select the lead characters of the film “Slumdog Millionaire”? How was the experience?
A) It was a phenomenal experience! I started casting the film in April 2007 and I think I must’ve been casting till the last day of shoot early this year – that’s the number of characters in this film! But I have to say searching for the three key players in three different age groups, particularly at 6 and 12 years, was the most challenging part. They had to feel alike in so many ways but more than anything, in spirit.
Q) How Indian is “Slumdog Millionaire”?
A) For me, it’s fully and totally Indian! It’s set here, it’s about our world and it feels “apna”. I think a lot of it comes from the fact that Danny embraced the script in a complete way. He wanted to tell the story as an insider. And I think he has succeeded in a way that’s inspiring to all of us in the film world who fear doing anything outside our familiar comfort zones.
Q) How was working with Danny Boyle in “Slumdog Millionaire”?
A) Like I just said, working with Danny Boyle has been truly inspiring. His energy is infectious and brings out the best in everyone around him. I’ve had an amazing fortune of being able to learn from a master. I sometimes feel like I’m the off-screen “millionaire” to come out of Slumdog Millionaire – I feel so enriched from this experience!
Started as a free lance writer earlier for Maharashtra Herald Newspaper, then with the Pune-Mid-Day. Have also contributed for articles on websites
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World Charms Changes its Name to Zemis and Launches Fashion Accessories Raffle Contest – Free Christian Louboutin Bag
New York, NY (PRWEB) September 10, 2009 World Charms, which specializes in selling unique world products as gift ideas for every occasion, is pleased to announce a name change to Zemis to better reflect its value proposition.
World Charms Management explained that its old name, while descriptive of what it offers, is quite generic. Its Managing Director, further adds, “Zemis is a truly unique and memorable name. It refers to local gods from the Caribbean and worshipped by the Taino community. The Taino Kingdom is rich in history dating to pre-Columbian times and spanning the Caribbean, while closely related to certain tribes in South America. This unique reference precisely reflects what World Charms aims to achieve – spreading knowledge of various cultures and histories to the rest of the world, particularly the lesser known, exotic bits of the Earth’s story and those of its inhabitants.”
To celebrate this new phase, Zemis is being launched simultaneously with a raffle contest. Fabulous luxury goods are up for grabs. First prize is Christian Louboutin’s signature Mini Aoinoeud evening bag. 2nd prize is a Lancel tie. 3rd prize is Zemis’ ‘Green Skin Choker’. Ten minor prizes from Zemis’ Fall 2009 costume jewelry collection will also be given away. Zemis will give away a variety of fashion forward cuffs and bangles, funky rings, trendy earrings and opulent neckpieces from its four series entitled ASEAN Agenda, Sweet Safari, I Goth you and Femme Frivolity. Zemis plans to raffle off its Skin Dyed Bangle, Banana Bangle Sunrise, Leopard Warning Necklace, We Cuff, World is an Oyster Cuff, Evil Eye Ring, Knit Me Tie Me Bracelet, Color of Winter Necklace, Tiger Attack Bangle and Pear Drop Earrings.
The raffle contest will run from September 1 to October 15, 2009. Zemis/World Charms customers who purchase Fall 2009 products are automatically entered into the raffle. There is no need to join or sign up separately for the contest. Winners shall be announced before October 31, 2009 and prizes shall be delivered free of charge before November 30, 2009. Details and mechanics of the online raffle promotion may be viewed at http://www.zemis.com/info/Fall_Winter_Raffle.
The image of Zemis fits well within the core theme for World Charms. Marketing Consultant, Noy Cruz eloquently puts it, “The Zemis name just adds a unique touch with a more profound and sophisticated branding for the company’s product offerings.” It’s a perfect match for the company’s entire Fall 2009 accessory collection which is handmade and primarily composed of indigenous, natural and eco-sustainable materials. Almost all of the products are Go Green Certified. Zemis is donating a portion of the sales proceeds to the Go Green Philippines Foundation, the main goal of which is to achieve sustainability of the natural materials used in the products sold. Zemis will be showcasing fashion forward handbags, costume jewelry and other designer accessories using eco-ethical standards. World Charms is expected to officially launch its Fall 2009 fashion collection by the beginning of September 2009.
Zemis, an online specialty department store, can be accessed on the web at http://www.zemis.com. The old site, http://www.worldcharms.com will continue to exist and sell the same products as Zemis. It sells world culture gift products sourced from around the world, and plans to deliver them to any doorstep on Earth. It aims to promote awareness and understanding of various cultures, histories and religions by allowing its customers to send gifts from different parts of the globe to someone they care about.
Zemis searches the world for hard-to-find, truly unique, fun, and useful gifts and supports the artisans, craftsmen, tribal groups, and cottage industries behind them. It currently offers products such as artisan artwork, handcrafted costume jewelry, organic toys, natural bed and bath products and other eco-crafts. In addition, Zemis sells music from various cultures, including East African, Gypsy, Bollywood and even Mongolian folk tunes as well as a comprehensive selection of both popular and hard to find world cinema or foreign language DVD’s such as Best Picture winner Slumdog Millionaire; Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Amelie, Like Water For Chocolate as well as Departures from Japan, this year’s winner for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars 2008 Academy Awards. Films that promote the Global Village trend such as The Visitor are also available at the best prices online.
This year, Zemis via World Charms joined Madison and Mulholland’s Ultimate Nominee gift bag given to Oscar nominees and presenters and other prominent actresses including Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Reese Witherspoon, Cate Blanchett, Eva Mendes and Scarlett Johansson. The eco-friendly online store also participated in the pre-Oscars HAVEN house 3-day swag/entertainment event held in Beverly Hills where preview products from its Fall 2009 collection were displayed and given away to Hollywood insiders such as Paula Abdul, Barry Bostwick, James Denton, Dustin Lance Black, among others.
Zemis will also expand its marketing reach to Southeast Asia this summer to address the growing appetite for earth-friendly and handmade products from that region.
Zemis utilizes Amazon’s e-commerce technology in order to provide Zemis guests a safe, secure, and convenient online shopping experience. Transaction processing for Zemis is handled by Amazon so buyers can use their Amazon.com account to order and checkout.
ABOUT ZEMIS
Zemis
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Jewels 4 God Inc. Launches Unprecedented Opportunity for Women to Fight Human Trafficking
Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 17, 2009 Jewels 4 God Inc., a family operated in-home direct sales jewery company, announces an unprecedented opportunity for women in America to join the fight against human trafficking while earning part or full time income. This announcement comes just three days after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that human trafficking is flourishing in the shadows of the global economic downturn.
“Many women want to join the fight against human trafficking and drug addiction but simply don’t know how. We started Jewels 4 God so women can have a practical way to get involved while being immediately financially rewarded for their efforts,” said Tim Zello, who Co-Founded Jewels 4 God along with his wife Michelle.
“In order to be fully empowered and become productive in society, women who are rescued need a restoration of dignity and self-esteem,” he said. “Preventing women from returning to their old lifestyle requires teaching them the skills necessary to have a sustainable job and income, so vocational training and employment opportunities are key.”
Jewels 4 God International teaches marginalized women overseas how to hand craft beautiful sterling silver and semi-precious stone jewelry. In addition to job skills training, they also provide professional counseling services specializing in trauma and abuse.
“Our training was held in India (2005) for women rescued from Falkland Road, the same area in Bombay where the cage scene was filmed in Slumdog Millionaire,” Michelle said. “Last year we returned to India and trained a group of girls in Calcutta rescued from the red light district. One of the girls trained was Suchitra, now 20, from the Academy Award winning documentary Born Into Brothels.”
To date Jewels 4 God has trained in 11 nations – India, Pakistan, South Africa, Jamaica, El Salvador, Aruba, Serbia, Swaziland, Sri Lanka, Siberia-Russia, and Uzbekistan.
“One of the greatest gifts you can give these women is the ability to support themselves,” Zello said. “Our jewelry training, however, provides much more than economic benefits. It gives a sense of self-worth, an opportunity to express creativity, and it is therapeutic.”
The challenge that Jewels 4 God trainees face is the ability to sell their jewelry in countries where local economies are poor. In response, Jewels 4 God is offering the opportunity for women across America to earn unlimited income by selling jewelry “for God.”
Jewels 4 God Representatives earn 30% of all jewelry sales with no sales quotas to meet and have the satisfaction of knowing that 100% of the net profit empowers less fortunate women around the world. In addition, they can earn thousands of dollars in beautiful jewelry for free or purchase the jewelry at the deepest discount. Representatives can get started for as little as $ 150 which comes with $ 225 in free jewelry and everything needed to hold the first successful show.
Jewels 4 God also offers a lifetime guarantee on the jewelry and generous hostess incentives.
“It’s a win-win situation for everybody,” Zello announced, “Women get to earn extra income, free jewelry, etc. while helping other women and supporting a worthy cause. Others are empowered and rescued from their old life and Jewels 4 God fulfills its’ mission.
“While we applaud other in-home direct sales companies for giving a percentage of the sale of one of their products to support a worthy cause or charity, we founded Jewels 4 God, Inc. so that 100% of the net profit from the sales of our jewelry will empower more women.”
“Tying a woman’s love of jewelry with teaching women vocational skills to help them support themselves and their families and giving more fortunate women the opportunity to get involved by selling jewelry is nothing more than genius,” wrote Arlene Allen, Editor of Woman’s Touch, an on-line magazine for women.
Zello said, “One former addict told me, ‘The opportunities for marginalized people to learn a skill to support themselves are very few. Often their cries for help are never heard and they die helpless and hopeless. To me, Jewels 4 God is a life preserver being thrown to them – practical help and a glimmer of hope! People in pain want to get out of pain, so many turn to drugs just like I did. What I wouldn’t have done to have someone tell me there was a free place I could go to learn a trade so I could start a new life.’”
Jewels 4 God is providing just that – skills and opportunities necessary for a new life, and the incredible opportunity for women in America to financially help themselves and their families during these rough economic times while helping others who are less fortunate around the world!
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release contact Tim Zello or visit jewels4god.com.
About Jewels 4 God, Inc.:
About Jewels 4 God International:
Contact:
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Ad Agency’s New Live Video Chat Makes Employees Self-Conscious; Better Groomed
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 1, 2009 Facebook? Fugetaboutit. Twitter? Twhatever. With the launch of its new website featuring live streaming video chat, renegade Chicago ad agency Plan B has relegated text-driven social media to the “so 2008″ file, along with David Cook, Bear Stearns and Slumdog Millionaire.
Injecting a hyper-real dose of fishbowl creepiness into the World Wide Web, the video chat function at thisisplanb.com lets visitors spy on agency employees live, in real time, as they perform their daily work.
“Yeah, I don’t even have a My Space or anything, so this whole thing is like — whoa,” said Creative Director Bill Anderson. “I had one guy chat me who’d been watching me eat my breakfast. He asked me about my bagel.”
Other members of the Plan B team see the video chat function as incentive to redouble their efforts at fastidious personal hygiene. “I walked out of the house without shaving the other morning, and then I remembered the video chat,” says Pat Miller, Business Development Director. “I walked five blocks back home and shaved. That’s when I noticed the nose hairs.”
“I’m seeing an aesthetician this Saturday.”
But apart from cruelly exposing the deepest insecurities of Plan B employees, the video chat function is — astonishingly — serving its intended purpose admirably.
“We’ve had several business inquiries through the chat,” says Agency Partner Ric Van Sickle. “And we’re getting great feedback from everyone who sees it.”
“If advertising is all about generating buzz,” he says, “We’re officially a beehive.”
“Plus, one of our art directors was asked out on a date through it. So it’s definitely having an impact.”
The video chat has proven such a hit, Plan B plans to expand its capabilities in the future. “And we’re thinking of putting on some mime shows, maybe something like Blue Man Group. Just to keep things interesting,” Miller says.
If you’d like to see what goes on inside Chicago’s most voyeuristic ad agency, log on to thisisplanb.com anytime Monday – Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Question by moviefreak40: Slumdog Millionaire Release date on March 31st? Best answer: Answer by kamche What do you think? Answer below! Mail this post
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Feminist Film Critic Wins Top State Honor Plus National Recognition
Chicago, IL. (PRWEB) July 9, 2010 Chicago critic Jan Lisa Huttner recently earned her third Silver Feather Award for writing the most award-winning articles in the Illinois Woman’s Press Association’s annual Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest. This year, Huttner received three first-place awards, four second-place awards, two third-place awards and four honorable mentions for 13 features, interviews, reviews and speeches she wrote for Chicago YIVO, the College of Complexes, JUF News, and WomenArts, as well as her website (Films for Two: The Online Guide for Busy Couples) and her blog (The Hot Pink Pen). She garnered honors in numerous categories, including Writing for Print, Writing for the Web, Website Development and Public Presentations.
“Jan has been a consistently dynamic and exemplary voice in the film world, championing and empowering women both on and offscreen against formidable odds,” said New York multimedia film journalist and movie critic Prairie Miller, coordinator of the Women Film Critics Circle and host of The Women’s Desk (which airs weekly on WBAI Radio in NY). “Her forceful and insightful contributions to feminist conversation (including as Chicago correspondent for The Women’s Desk) are immeasurable.”
In 2009, Huttner made news when she questioned why Loveleen Tandan (the credited co-director of Slumdog Millionaire) became an “invisible woman” just as Slumdog began generating serious Oscar buzz. “Knowing that Loveleen Tandan was a critical part of Slumdog’s filmmaking and marketing phases, how can we all sit by and watch while she’s totally ignored in the awards phase?,” Huttner asked (in a blog post dated Jan. 23, 2009). Huttner’s question attracted international attention (from the Wall Street Journal to the London Evening Standard to the South China Morning News) and set the stage for March 7, 2010, when Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in history to win an Oscar in the Best Director category.
Huttner’s passionate posts about the “Slumdog Brouhaha” on her blog, The Hot Pink Pen, won first place in IWPA’s Website Development/Creation category, then placed third in national competition when IWPA passed it up to its parent organization, the National Federation of Press Women. And her review of Bigelow’s film The Hurt Locker for WomenArts (which included an appendix called “Can We Talk?” targeting female audiences) won second place in IWPA’s Web Commentary category. In addition to Bigelow’s Oscar for Best Director, The Hurt Locker received five more including Best Picture.
“‘Visionary’ and ‘indefatigable’ are the best ways to describe Jan’s steady, fact-based, resourceful effort to alert the world to the need to recognize the woman who was co-director of Slumdog,” said Louise W. Knight, author of the forthcoming biography, Jane Addams: Spirit in Action. “Again and again Jan publicized the information and reminded readers to examine the fairness of how it was being handled by the Academy. She did all she could do, and it was a triumph for a campaign of its kind—a triumph because she did it and because it undoubtedly laid the groundwork for what was to come this year!”
“Jan is a journalistic force of nature,” said Dann Gire, President of the Chicago Film Critics Association. “She has proven time and time again to be a tireless advocate for women in the arts, and the impressive awards she has received attest to her never-say-die approach to writing.”
In addition to promoting such established women filmmakers as Kathryn Bigelow, Huttner actively seeks out talented women working below the mainstream radar. Gaylen Ross, director of the controversial 2009 documentary Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt with Nazis, described her interview experience as follows: “It was one of the most intensive, cogent and professional interviews I was to experience and enjoy during the theatrical release of my film. Jan had done her homework, and I was never misquoted!,” Ross said. “The entire experience was a joy and I’m delighted with Jan’s Silver Feather Award.” Huttner’s interview with Ross for Films for Two won second place in the category Web Content Written for a Special Interest Site.
“WomenArts is extremely proud of our friend and colleague, Jan Lisa Huttner,” said Martha Richards, executive director for WomenArts. “In addition to being an excellent film critic, Jan is a powerful advocate for women in the film industry. She is truly a pioneer, and her refreshing feminist perspective on Hollywood is appreciated by WomenArts readers around the world. We are delighted that the IWPA awarded her the 2010 Silver Feather Award.”
Huttner previously received the Silver Feather Award in 2006, when she won two first-place awards, two second-place awards, three third-place awards and an honorable mention for 14 articles, interviews and reviews. One of her JUF News submissions (“Israeli Films: Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You”) went on to receive honorable mention from IWPA’s parent organization, the National Federation of Press Women in the category Best Web Content Written for Nonprofit or Educational Site. In 2005, she first won the Silver Feather Award with 10 honors, one of which (her Women eNews submission “Works of 11 Female Artists Are Oscar Nominees”) went on to win first place in NFPW’s category“News Articles Written Specifically for the Web.”
In 2010 the IWPA honored 33 members for award-winning entries at its May 15 awards luncheon and 125th anniversary celebration at the Union League Club of Chicago. The most competitive categories this year were Feature Story, Special Articles and Writing for the Web. This competition covered a range of categories in print and electronic media, books, photography, advertising and public relations. All first-place entries were forwarded to NFPW for national judging. Winners, including Huttner, will receive their awards at the national conference to be held Aug. 26-28 in Chicago.
For links to all of Huttner’s award-winning submissions, visit: http://www.films42.com/feature/2010-FeatherAward.asp.
About Jan Lisa Huttner
About the Illinois Woman’s Press Association
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Euphonix Mixed Film, Slumdog Millionaire, Wins Oscar Jackpot
Palo Alto, Calif. (PRWEB) February 27, 2009 Euphonix, a leader in large-format digital audio consoles, media controllers, and peripherals congratulates composer A.R. Rahman as well as the sound mixing team of Richard Pryke, Ian Tapp and Resul Pookutty of Pinewood Studios Group on winning the Academy Award for the critically and internationally acclaimed film Slumdog Millionaire at last night’s gala ceremony.
Rahman, who captured two Academy Awards last night, one for Best Original Score and the other for Best Original Song (“Jai Ho”), used his Euphonix System 5 digital audio mixing system with EuCon Hybrid to create and mix the music and score. Earlier this year, Rahman made film history when he became the first Indian ever to win a Golden Globe for Best Original Motion Picture Score, as well as the first Indian music director to be nominated for three Oscars. Rahman also won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award (BAFTA) for Best Music in Film.
Meanwhile, Pryke, Tapp and Pookutty, who won the Oscar for Best Achievement in Sound, mixed the film on a Euphonix System 5 dual operator film mixing system with EuCon Hybrid option for DAW Control in Pinewood Studios Group’s newly renovated Powell and Pressburger Theatres. This is the first Oscar win for each of the sound mixers who, in the past few weeks, have already been taking home top prizes for their talented sound editing efforts. Prior to last night’s ceremony, the trio had also won a BAFTA and a Cinema Audio Society Award.
Slumdog Millionaire is the sixth feature film mixed on a Euphonix digital audio system that has won the coveted Academy Award. “Euphonix System 5 consoles have long been the choice of the world’s best sound mixers,” says Martin Kloiber, Euphonix CEO. “With Slumdog Millionaire’s landslide win, Euphonix enjoys its eighth consecutive year of involvement with Oscar-worthy films. We couldn’t be more proud of our clients A.R. Rahman and the fantastic team at Pinewood Studios Group. Clearly, this talented team and Euphonix technology are a winning combination.”
To date, Sound Mixing Teams working on a Euphonix System 5 digital audio mixing console have won or been nominated for a Sound Mixing Oscar® every year since 2001. Even more notable is that Sound Mixing Teams working on System 5 have won six of the last eight years.
Hi Res Print Image:
Euphonix dual-operator System 5 at the Powell Theatre at Pinewood Studios, UK
Euphonix dual-operator System 5 at the Pressburger Theatre at Pinewood Studios, UK
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